Today is April Fool's Day. The bane of reporters everywhere. An average day is already filled with too much "fake" news, in the form of rumors and incorrect reporting. On April Fool's Day though, we add flat-out falsehoods to the equation. And one thing that is true of just about all video game developers and publishers: These are people who make their living creating fictional worlds filled with oversized chickens and create-a-hostess minigames. This year's top prankster in the gaming world is "World of Warcraft" dev Blizzard Entertainment, for basically just going all-out on its website.
The main page on Blizzard's official website is currently home to four "news" updates, touting a range of upcoming features to be added to "WoW," "StarCraft" and "Diablo."
"WoW" gets two updates, which together amount to the highlight of today's jokery. First up is Crabby, the Dungeon Helper. This is a nod to Microsoft's annoyingly omnipresent Office assistant, Clippy the helpful paperclip. Only long-time Windows users will get the joke, as Clippy has been banished to whatever hell tech blunders like Nintendo's Virtual Boy live in.
You'll need Crabby's help though if you hope to navigate the Tomb of Immortal Darkness, a newly added instance in the land of Azeroth. The cave system, recommended for player levels 83 to 85, serves up one of the most challenging adventures "WoW" players have yet seen. The entire area is buried beneath a veil of darkness. At the heart of its depths is the dreaded Omgsogoth, the Dark Lord of Twilight. Does that mean Robert Pattinson appears as a surprise guest voice actor?
On the "Diablo" front, Blizzard recognizes that the long-awaited "Diablo 3" isn't out yet. That doesn't mean you can't start digging into its world though! Enter the Horadrapp, a Horadric Cube app! The key feature is Transmutation, which lets you combine multiple mobile apps together to create brand new ones. More exciting, however, is what's coming soon: a Translocation feature which lets you "open demonic portals to dimensions of nameless horror." FUN!
Finally... Blizzard is pleased to announced the long-awaited console revival for its "StarCraft" series. Ummmm... why don't you just watch it?