Achievements are just ridiculously awesome. It’s not as robust a system as the Tome, to be sure, but it doesn’t have to be. They’re easily as fun as Xbox Live achievements. Big, big win.

Also, I really like Hackworth’s new look.

Right Click Here and ‘Save As’ to Download!
(An Unleashed 45 megs, 1:18:36)

This week we’re buried under such a big pile of awesome emails we hunker down and read them all! Shawn tears into The Force Unleashed and rabbit humps Little Big Planet.

My entry for Timesink’s scenery screenshot challenge. Click on through for the full image.

Thank you, guys. Seriously nice bloggage this week/weekend.

• Lum’s review and anti-review of Warhammer Online is must-do reading for folks interested/playing the game. He’s a seriously smart fella with a great tack on the title.
• Meanwhile Lume the Mad is also writing, doing a great recap of BlizzCon. The value here is in the commentary more than the infoz. For that, check out WoW Insider’s exhaustive workups.
• Tobold continues to be highly lucid, noting that Blizzard’s addition of microtransactional character customizations is a.) nothing to get worked up about and b.) kinda cool actually. I’m actually really looking forward to this; the Undead tend to look a bit samey.

Oh, and also? New Snacky’s Journal! hahahahahah

Tomorrow marks the beginning of Dungeons and Dragons Insider’s for-pay service. Here are the terms they eventually decided on:

• 12 Months $4.95 per month
• 3 Months $6.65 per month
• 1 Month $7.95 per month

That’s … close to what I would have agreed to. I’m going to prepay for a year so I’m going to be getting the $5 a month fee, which is what I think it should be for everyone regardless. Ominously, they note: “as we begin rolling out our client applications, those prices are subject to change.” Blech.

More funly, go check out Wordle for some word art I made today:

• Player’s Handbook
• Dungeon Master’s Guide
• Monster Manual

I was just talking the other day about how much I enjoy floating through a gameworld, just enjoying the ambiance. Blizzard just released a trailer for Lich King that gives me the same wonderful eerie feeling that FFXI’s livecam does. Check it out:

WoWx2_B-roll_XVid.avi

Again I ask: wouldn’t an in-game WoWcam be sweet?