IslandofRhodes.org, elaborate fake or new announcement?
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Mar 24th 2007 at 12:00PM }
The jury is out if this is brilliant viral marketing or the simple fact that when millions of people play a game they'll eventually find something hidden -- but the timing is a little too convenient. In a video for God of War II (found after the break) a player works their way to a 999,999 hit combination. When reaching the achievement a URL pops onto the screen (0:43 mark in video) for IslandofRhodes.org. The website shows a countdown to April 11 with Kratos' menacing face watching over a burning field.
Although we have our crack team of Joystiq video analysts pouring over the video frame by frame trying to figure out if it's a complete hoax, if real, we're going to go with the website has something to do with Kratos' upcoming PSP adventure. Although that would be strange considering whatever the site is, the game it's promoting is rated M. According to the ESRB, they have not yet rated God of War for PSP. So Joystiq nation, does that website show up when you hit 999,999 and what does it all mean?
[Thanks Wine]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Donnie @ Mar 24th 2007 12:09PM
Well it does have the PS2 logo at the bottom of the page for what it's worth. Does that rule out PSP?
empfeix @ Mar 24th 2007 12:11PM
yes this song is one of my favs!! Scatman John is classic - the vid is only remotely cool because of it.
Pragmatick @ Mar 24th 2007 12:13PM
Well, the site is registered to Sony. So the only hoax might be the video, the site is for real. Perhaps a super secret (who would have expected that) God of War 3 for PS3 countdown to info à la GTA IV?
Gavin @ Mar 24th 2007 12:16PM
Yeah, a whois query shows Sony owns it.
http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/results.jsp?domain=islandofrhodes.org
Registrant:
SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA INC.
919 East Hillsdale Boulevard
Foster City, CA 94404
US
Domain Name: ISLANDOFRHODES.ORG
Administrative Contact , Technical Contact :
SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA INC.
scea-dom-adm@SCEA.COM
919 East Hillsdale Boulevard
Foster City, CA 94404
US
Phone: 650-655-8000
Record expires on 23-Jan-2010
Record created on 23-Jan-2007
Database last updated on 23-Jan-2007
Jesse Jones @ Mar 24th 2007 12:17PM
Note that Kratos is wearing the suit that he gained when he became a god. That could mean that the events of the next game could occur during the time that he was a god.
Nathan @ Mar 24th 2007 12:17PM
That sounds like a plausible idea. Although it shows the PS2 logo at the bottom. I would think they would at least not show that if what you were saying was true.
m0nk3yb0y @ Mar 24th 2007 12:20PM
I'm going to go with fake. I don't know how hard it is to make it to 999,999 hits in god of war 2, but if they wanted people to know about this site for marketing I doubt they'd make it restrictive for people to find.
Jim @ Mar 24th 2007 12:21PM
First the URL shows not at 999999 but at 999113 already.
Second it looks solid, although I'm not very convinced by the video.
Third the website itself looks legit.
--
Hmmmmm, could be true.
Gavin @ Mar 24th 2007 12:33PM
One thing this video DOES prove is that eurodance is just about the most annoying music on the face of the planet.
SID SPACE @ Mar 24th 2007 12:47PM
@ m0nk3yb0y:
Although it is very difficult to reach 999,999 hit combos in story mode, there is a mode called Arena of the Fates, that works similarly to the SSBM practice mode. In it, you can set the kind of enemies you face, how many enemies you face, if you have infinite magic, rage, whatever and a couple other stats.
All this guy did was set the most difficult enemies (golems) to non-attack mode and give himself infinite Rage of the Gods (which is why Kratos is on fire). Rage of the gods allows you to preserve your combo indefinitely while it is activated, so all he did was activate Rage and hold the square button for several hours to wail on those guys.
I tried this method myself and reached 3,000 hts after a couple of minutes.
@Jim
I think the message actually appears at 999,000 hits. It just seems as though it is at 999,113 because he is increasing his hit combo so quickly.
ssuk @ Mar 24th 2007 12:53PM
Let's look at the facts here; as well as the site being purchased by Sony, all the content is hosted on us.playstation.com, nothing new as it has a Playstation 2 logo at the bottom. Let's also look at the ESRB rating, I checked ESRB.com for any new God Of War entries (they should be there) and came back empty handed, the font face used in the flash is named "GodOfWar" (bit obvious, but it is strong evidence that whatever this is, it's to do with the God of war series. So personally, I think it's just some site for god of war information/special stuff (hence why the URL is in the game) or it actually could be something unexpected. Not sure though.
Super-Jesse-Mario @ Mar 24th 2007 12:57PM
Well, looking at the source code, it seems to be a legit site. The script come directly from
http://us.playstation.com/inc/ with the ending "api.aspx?obj=ogs&id=SCUS-97481" which just identifies what's prnt screened above.
So, unless this guy put the URL when editing the movie, then took a time machine to January 23, 2007, and finally hacked Sony's database, I'd say it's all legit. I'm thinking it's our GOW PSP game, only on this date we'll get more information. Since the PS2 logo is showing, maybe it's some sort of "Expansion pack" or something? Not sure, for I am a mere Nintendo fanboy......Hope that helps somewhat, regardless.
Digi Smalls @ Mar 24th 2007 12:59PM
lord knows PS3 could you use a GoW right about now.
.
AssemblyLineHuman @ Mar 24th 2007 12:59PM
I don't think this has anything to do with a new game at all.
commen-cents @ Mar 24th 2007 1:25PM
on april 11th it will anounce that god of war is coming to the xbox 360 and nintendo wii!!!!!!!!!!! youll see.
Raws @ Mar 24th 2007 1:53PM
It's weird that no one has mentioned anything about Rhode Island. I mean...Island of Rhodes? And, what's the flaming road mean?
mushiking @ Mar 24th 2007 1:58PM
it's not a hoax. Ready at Dawn has already confirmed it's for God of War PSP.
Judd @ Mar 24th 2007 1:58PM
Like AssemblyLineHuman said, this may not really be a new game at all. Just because it's not fake doesn't me it's about the PSP. As people have pointed out, it does say Playstation 2 on the bottom. Maybe it's just going to reveal more information about GoW2 or as somebody else said, an expansion pack.
Phil @ Mar 24th 2007 2:18PM
Err, people? IGN contacted Sony and it was confirmed that this was legit, they said it had something to do with the "real God of War fans" and the original title.
Whatever, just wait:p
gk128 @ Mar 24th 2007 2:27PM
This is obviously the new marketing gimmick for Rhode Island. Showing the gamers we're hardcore and such.
Raynre @ Mar 24th 2007 2:33PM
God of War: The Movie.
You heard it here first...
Heliophage @ Mar 24th 2007 2:35PM
I'm with Phil. This was on IGN days ago and was confirmed by them to have nothing to do with the PSP game.
They said that it was for hardcore fans, "Think God of War 1". It's probably a remake for the PS3.
Heliophage @ Mar 24th 2007 2:37PM
Okay, maybe *a* day ago, but still...
number8888 @ Mar 24th 2007 2:53PM
To me this might mean a few things:
1) GoW game for PS3/PSP. But the PS2 logo certainly make this a little less plasuible.
2) Some sort of mode that "unlocks" on that day. Wonder if anyone has bother to change their system clock to try this.
3) GoW movie. This actually makes the most sense to me at this point.
Yeah...itsJoystiq...sowhat @ Mar 24th 2007 2:58PM
Why does the source code and the title of the page show City of Rhodes even though the url is islandofrhodes?
Colin @ Mar 24th 2007 2:59PM
I just did change my system clock...it rolls over to 1 day left if you zero it out...
Jim @ Mar 24th 2007 3:40PM
@SID SPACE: Yep, 999,000 sounds reasonable.
Now I'm interested what happens on the date.
Gavin @ Mar 24th 2007 4:17PM
I hope you guys are joking about the Rhode Island thing. Doesn't anybody pay attention in history class anymore?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodes
decompiler @ Mar 24th 2007 4:20PM
well, i dont' think it's a hoax, here's the whois info for the site:
Domain ID:D138045767-LROR
Domain Name:ISLANDOFRHODES.ORG
Created On:23-Jan-2007 22:17:30 UTC
Last Updated On:23-Jan-2007 22:42:08 UTC
Expiration Date:23-Jan-2010 22:17:30 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:Network Solutions LLC (R63-LROR)
Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Status:TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Registrant ID:19748343-NSI
Registrant Name:SONYCOMPUTERENTERTAINMENT AMERICA INC.
Registrant Organization:SONYCOMPUTERENTERTAINMENT AMERICA INC.
Registrant Street1:919 East Hillsdale Boulevard
Registrant Street2:
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:Foster City
Registrant State/Province:CA
Registrant Postal Code:94404
Registrant Country:US
Registrant Phone:+1.6506558000
Registrant Phone Ext.:
Registrant FAX:
Registrant FAX Ext.:
Registrant Email:domainadmin@scea.com
looks like they've had the domain since january.
-decompiler-
Ashley @ Mar 24th 2007 4:25PM
Sony owns the domain.....the domain it pointed at Sony servers....THIS IS 100% TRUE!
Though, playstation still sux big time, you all need to get a 360 and live the life we do!!
Aex @ Mar 24th 2007 5:04PM
Hmm, I'll brb, gunna try and see how high I can get the combo.
Aex @ Mar 24th 2007 5:13PM
Wow this is going to take a while, i'm only up to 15k
Ben @ Mar 24th 2007 5:51PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossus_of_Rhodes
Random? I don't think so. Can anyone say "field trip"? Seriously, if I could, I would leave for the historic grounds tha tthe Colossus was built on when the timer runs out. In the interview with IGN, they said that it was for hardcores, and what's more hardcore than this?
Go get your airplane tickets now.
Aex @ Mar 24th 2007 5:56PM
Wow, at this pace it would take roughly 45minutes every 100k. Which is a little under 8 hours? So I don't think I'll make it that far, but I've recorded the 100k mark and it does say "Keep Going" I've recorded it, and maybe i'll post it on youtube later :) I'll leave it going for the 200k mark, and I'll probably stop there. Cya'll again in 45m
Christopher Joseph @ Mar 24th 2007 6:12PM
Why doesn't someone decompile the flash?
See what's in there?
Aex @ Mar 24th 2007 6:17PM
You tube is processing the video, but its at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfFtY99GEDM should be up in a few mniutes. So far it doesnt look fake to me.
Ironfistx @ Mar 24th 2007 6:19PM
My guess is totally on movie. Didn't you guys see that thing like 2 weeks ago about Jaffe talking about who he'd want to play Kratos? It was on joystiq or kotaku, I don't remember.
Aex @ Mar 24th 2007 6:47PM
Well the 200k mark says the same thing in the video, so You can assume its not fake :) i'm turning off my ps2 now, if ya'll wanna check it yourself, just hop into arena of the titans, put in 3 rock minotaurs, set them to no attack, give yourself infinite rage and have at it. takes about 45m per 100k.
herre is the video for 200k, tho it will take a while for youtube to process it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTFap_QPqro
cya'll lata
Gavin @ Mar 24th 2007 7:08PM
I've figured it out. Sony is taking a page from Nintendo and is going to exploit the franchise into the ground. Island Of Rhodes is going to be a Kart game (get it...roads lol), then there will be Kratos' Krazy Krunkfest which will be a collection of party minigames, and then God Of Whores where you try and collect all 100 syphillimons which are STD based mythological creatures. Also, Krato's brother will star in a half-baked ghost hunting game that few people will even remember.
Nikos @ Mar 24th 2007 8:08PM
A new God of Wae game/movie exclusively in Rhodes Greece?
Don't forget the fact that GOW 2 story starts in Rhodes fighting Colossus.
AND I AM FROM RHODES GREECE! YEA!!
Shagittarius @ Mar 24th 2007 8:17PM
Well I'd say that it looks like the tracks are from a fiery chariot, beacuse the picture of Kratos looks like he is driving a chariot. Hermes gift to Kratos after being killed by him?
Since hes going after all the gods at the end of GoW2 it seems like they are going to somehow continue what they started by the end of the countdown. Maybe theres more game on the disc than we know and it will unlock on that date? Probably not...
Maybe they are making a Chariot Cart Racer. Super Kratos Chariot...Awesome!
scepia @ Mar 24th 2007 8:57PM
On April 11, you'll see why God of War III isn't like God of War II.
Brian the watcher @ Mar 24th 2007 9:04PM
God of War PSP is slated for November 2007 launch!
Mark @ Mar 24th 2007 9:51PM
Are you guys absolutely sure it's April 11th? Looks like the 13th to me, but I could be wrong. I only know QBASIC and Java, lol...
// Action script...
// [Action in Frame 1]
this.onEnterFrame = function ()
{
var _loc7 = new Date(2007, 4, 13);
var _loc6 = new Date();
var _loc8 = _loc6.getHours();
var _loc9 = _loc6.getMinutes();
var _loc10 = _loc6.getSeconds();
var _loc4 = Math.floor((_loc7 - _loc6) / 86400000) - 31;
var _loc3 = 23 - _loc8;
var _loc5 = 59 - _loc9;
var _loc2 = 59 - _loc10;
_loc2 = _loc2.toString();
var _loc11 = _loc2.length;
if (_loc11 > 1)
{
this.second1_mc.vText = _loc2.charAt(0);
this.second2_mc.vText = _loc2.charAt(1);
}
else
{
this.second1_mc.vText = "0";
this.second2_mc.vText = _loc2.charAt(0);
} // end else if
_loc5 = _loc5.toString();
_loc11 = _loc5.length;
if (_loc11 > 1)
{
this.minute1_mc.vText = _loc5.charAt(0);
this.minute2_mc.vText = _loc5.charAt(1);
}
else
{
this.minute1_mc.vText = "0";
this.minute2_mc.vText = _loc5.charAt(0);
} // end else if
_loc3 = _loc3.toString();
_loc11 = _loc3.length;
if (_loc11 > 1)
{
this.hour1_mc.vText = _loc3.charAt(0);
this.hour2_mc.vText = _loc3.charAt(1);
}
else
{
this.hour1_mc.vText = "0";
this.hour2_mc.vText = _loc3.charAt(0);
} // end else if
_loc4 = _loc4.toString();
_loc11 = _loc4.toString().length;
if (_loc11 > 1)
{
this.day1_mc.vText = _loc4.charAt(0);
this.day2_mc.vText = _loc4.charAt(1);
}
else
{
this.day1_mc.vText = "0";
this.day2_mc.vText = _loc4.charAt(0);
} // end else if
};
Leshrac @ Mar 24th 2007 11:38PM
Gavin-
I already coined the game "Kratos Kart" at my website in some comments a few days ago (http://alinktothefuture.com/2007/03/19/first-party-powerhouse/). ;) Actually, I doubt it'd ever happen, but I think there's actually probably some fun stuff they could put in as weapons... Gorgon Stares, Zeus Lightning Bolts, and jumping into other Karts and just beating the living crap out of your opponents... Could be a lot of fun.
-Leshrac
http://alinktothefuture.com
why not the LS2/LS7? @ Mar 24th 2007 11:40PM
I don't think it's for a movie. SCEA wouldn't own the domain name for a movie, they do games.
I'm kinda bummed we don't see a PS3 logo at the bottom of the web page.
With those tracks going up the screen(on the web page)? Im also hoping it's for Kratos Team Racing. You know, like Mario Kart or Crash Team Racing, but with Kratos and Ares and such.
It'd be great to see the ultimate bad ass driving laps and picking up coins.
why not the LS2/LS7? @ Mar 24th 2007 11:44PM
Weird.
I've actually been thinking that Kratos Team Racing would be cool for a couple weeks now. I figured I was the only one.
If several of us think it sounds fun, I have a bit more hope someone at SCEA thinks so too.
Please??
Duoae @ Mar 25th 2007 6:42AM
Isn't the timer for April the 12th?
17day:12hours:34mins at 11:25am on sun 25th. That takes me to midnight today leaving 17 days exactly at 00:00 (which is technically still 25th) add 17 days and you get it running down to 0 at 00:00 on the night of april the 11th meaning that 1 second after that it is april 12th.
Looking at the pointed javascript from the page all entries point to the title God of War 2 including where to buy and messageboards. Personally i think it's just an 'achievements' page showing all the cool stuff you can do in GoW2 or something similar.
function PSGetGameData(field)
{
if (field == "Id") { return "SCUS-97481"; }
if (field == "Title") { return "God of War® II"; }
if (field == "AlternateId") { return ""; }
if (field == "SortTitle") { return "GODOFWARII"; }
if (field == "Publisher") { return "SCEA"; }
if (field == "SortPublisher") { return "110"; }
if (field == "Developer") { return ""; }
if (field == "Genre") { return "Action, Adventure"; }
if (field == "SortGenre") { return "0"; }
if (field == "SearchGenre") { return "Action, Adventure, Action, Adventure"; }
if (field == "Console") { return "PlayStation®2"; }
if (field == "nPlayers") { return "1"; }
if (field == "nOnlinePlayers") { return ""; }
if (field == "nMultitapPlayers") { return ""; }
if (field == "nAdhocPlayers") { return ""; }
if (field == "nInfrastructurePlayers") { return ""; }
if (field == "RequiredHDDSpace") { return ""; }
if (field == "SupportedHDOutput") { return ""; }
if (field == "ReleaseDate") { return "3/13/2007"; }
if (field == "ReleaseDateSubstitute") { return ""; }
if (field == "GreatestHit") { return "No"; }
if (field == "Online") { return "No"; }
if (field == "Broadband") { return "No"; }
if (field == "WiFiType") { return ""; }
if (field == "EyeToyDesign") { return "No"; }
if (field == "Peripheral") { return "Analog Control (for PS2), Memory Card (for PS2), Vibration Function (for PS2)"; }
if (field == "GameSite") { return "http://us.playstation.com/Content/OGS/SCUS-97481/Site/"; }
if (field == "TechnicalHelp") { return "No"; }
if (field == "UserAgreement") { return "No"; }
if (field == "GameManual") { return "No"; }
if (field == "StoreDownloadable") { return "No"; }
if (field == "GameRankingArticles") { return "No"; }
if (field == "OnlineStats") { return ""; }
if (field == "Image") { return "Yes"; }
if (field == "LandingDescription") { return ""; }
if (field == "ESRBRating") { return "Mature"; }
if (field == "SortESRBRating") { return "5"; }
if (field == "ESRBDescription") { return "Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language"; }
if (field == "LegalLogo") { return "God of War"; }
if (field == "Description") { return "God of War® saw Kratos, a mortal warrior, etc...
if (field == "QuoteReview") { return ""; }
if (field == "ScreenshotTitle") { return ""; }
if (field == "LiveSites") { return ""; }
if (field == "FirstParty") { return "Yes"; }
if (field == "E3") { return "Permanent"; }
if (field == "E3Year") { return "2006"; }
if (field == "HasPUGG") { return "Yes"; }
if (field == "HasOGS") { return "Yes"; }
if (field == "HasScreenshot") { return "Yes"; }
if (field == "ScreenshotsId") { return "14547"; }
if (field == "HasTrailer") { return "Yes"; }
if (field == "HasCoolMove") { return "No"; }
if (field == "HasInsideTheGame") { return "No"; }
if (field == "HasTVSpot") { return "No"; }
if (field == "HasPSPGameContent") { return "No"; }
if (field == "HasPSPVideo") { return "No"; }
if (field == "HasPSPPhoto") { return "No"; }
if (field == "NumDownloads") { return "0"; }
if (field == "Snippet") { return "Yes"; }
if (field == "HomeThumbnailImage") { return "No"; }
if (field == "Dirty") { return "No"; }
if (field == "FirstPublishDate") { return "1/1/2006"; }
if (field == "PublishDate") { return "3/2/2007"; }
if (field == "ModifiedBy") { return "mmcintire"; }
if (field == "AllModifiedBy") { return ""; }
if (field == "PublishedBy") { return "mmcintire"; }
if (field == "Active") { return "Yes"; }
if (field == "ActiveLive") { return "Yes"; }
if (field == "PublishOK") { return "Yes"; }
if (field == "Recent") { return "0"; }
if (field == "RecentUntilDate") { return ""; }
if (field == "PreviousIds") { return ""; }
if (field == "SearchKeywords") { return "gow, gow 2, god, war, kratos, god of war 2, dave, jaffe"; }
if (field == "SearchDescription") { return ""; }
if (field == "SearchSubSection") { return ""; }
if (field == "SearchSortTitle") { return ""; }
if (field == "SearchDate") { return ""; }
if (field == "SearchSystem") { return ""; }
if (field == "SearchObjId") { return ""; }
if (field == "SearchObjType") { return ""; }
if (field == "Franchise") { return ""; }
if (field == "Flags") { return "NRU"; }
Dave @ Mar 25th 2007 12:55PM
So, we know it is not a hoax. How? Because it loads a javascript from a playstation server with all the info in :)
http://us.playstation.com/inc/api.aspx?obj=ogs&id=SCUS-97481
var AutoTrack = false;
var HitBoxTest = false;
var _acct="DM540116FPDA;DM540116M1AN"; //account number(s)
var _pn="God+of+War+II"; //page name(s)
var _mlc="/OGS/Games/SCUS-97481+God+of+War+II;/PS/OGS/Games/SCUS-97481+God+of+War+II"; //multi-level content category
var _seg="-1,2-3,4,-5,6,-9,-10,-11,-12,-13,14,-19,20"; // visitor segmentation
var _cmp=""; // campaign id
var _gp=""; // campaign goal
yay :)
Mark Wilhelm @ Mar 25th 2007 1:49PM
#48: I think it's the 13th, like I said a couple comments ago. ;)