Game News feeds

StarCraft II video asks, "Just what game is this anyway?"

Filed under: RTS, Video, Starcraft II

So some of you (well, maybe one or two) have been wondering to yourself, "Self, just what in the wide, wide world of sports is this StarCraft II game that Big Download has mentioned so many times on their site?" Well apparently the game's developer Blizzard heard your calls and have released a new video on their community site that attempts to answer that very question.

The video, which we have reproduced after the jump, goes over the very basics of the sci-fi RTS sequel (mine resources, build units and structures and crush the enemy armies). It also goes over the benefits of Battle.net-based multiplayer and the single player campaign. So if you have indeed never heard of StarCraft II, this video should get you up to speed.

Continue reading StarCraft II video asks, "Just what game is this anyway?"

StarCraft II video asks, "Just what game is this anyway?" originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 7:00 pm

What to do in Limsa Lominsa when you're in the Final Fantasy XIV beta

If you're one of the lucky souls in Final Fantasy XIV's recently expanded beta testing, you might well be a new arrival. And even though the beta build isn't the final release of the game, there's still a lot of different things to do. So where do you begin? Thankfully, there's a new guide available from Famitsu (translated by FFXIVCore) that should give a fair picture of where players can start. It covers everything from sights in the city to the options available for retainers.

Once players pick a race for the retainer, a wide variety of appearance is available, but said assistant's name is fixed. You can give a nickname, however, which opens up a number of affectionate (and horrible) possibilities. Of course, that does little for the players not involved in the Final Fantasy XIV beta, but Square-Enix has also released a video on the development of character models and customization in the game. Embedded past the cut, the trailer won't quite take the edge off being unable to use the guide in practice, but it's the next best thing.

Continue reading What to do in Limsa Lominsa when you're in the Final Fantasy XIV beta

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Previews, News items, Consoles, Races, Final Fantasy XIV

What to do in Limsa Lominsa when you're in the Final Fantasy XIV beta originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 7:00 pm

Pirates of the Burning Sea exchange shops detailed

We know what you're thinking, because it's the same thing we thought when we heard the words "exchange shop" uttered in concert with Pirates of the Burning Sea. Surprisingly, this isn't yet another free-to-play conversion announcement but rather a look at one of the new features sailing your way in the forthcoming Power and Prestige expansion.

The new content, scheduled to launch August 24th, will enable Collection Exchange Shops on every junk buyer in a particular game region. In a nutshell, the shops streamline the loot collection and turn-in process, and a new dev blog over at the official Pirates of the Burning Sea website has all the details. "We have done some number crunching and decided to increase the value of low level loot in order to give new players another way to generate capital while roaming the open sea," the post says.

Furthermore, Flying Lab has also added Career Reward Exchange Shops to the expansion. Due to the extensive ship changes coming with the patch, it's quite probable that many veteran players will want to respec their previously earned career rewards. Many career mission NPCs will now feature the ability to swap ship outfittings free of charge.

Filed under: Historical, Pirates of the Burning Sea, Expansions, News items

Pirates of the Burning Sea exchange shops detailed originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 6:00 pm

Transformers: War for Cyberton gets double XP multiplayer weekend

Filed under: Action, Multiplayer

We will ignore the fact that the PC versions of High Moon Studios' recent action game Transformers: War for Cybertron won't have access to the recently released DLC for the console versions (new maps and new Transformers to play with). The game itself is arguably the best Transformers game for the PC in a long time and we will just leave it at that.

That being said, players of the PC version will have access to this weekend's double XP multiplayer event. From 9 pm Eastern time on Friday to 3 am Eastern time on Monday you will be able to rack up the experience points in the game much faster than normal. Even without the DLC. Which we don't care about. Really.

[Via email press release]

Transformers: War for Cyberton gets double XP multiplayer weekend originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 6:00 pm

Force Unleashed Producer Haden Blackman Resigns from LucasArts

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed executive producer and and writer Haden Blackman has resigned from LucasArts. Blackman announced that he is moving on after a 13 year career with the studio (via IGN).

In a statement, Blackman thanked LucasArts and said that he's "really grateful for their ongoing support."

"While the decision to leave LucasArts did not happen overnight or come easily, I really feel that now is the best time for me to move on and explore new creative challenges and I look forward to the next phase of my career," he said.

Posted on 29 July 2010 | 5:15 pm

Two Worlds II tries to be funny in new videos

Filed under: RPG, Trailers

Publisher Southpeak Interactive seems to know that the first Two Worlds game it released had its issues. So how does it deal with them? Why try to make a funny viral movie series out of it, of course. So for the upcoming sequel to the fantasy RPG, Two Worlds II, Southpeak is promoting it by making funny of both the game and one of its characters. Sordahon, as he tries to find a new life away from the game's setting (here's a hint: it doesn't go well).

The live action videos themselves have a couple of laughs, especially at the end of the second video which you can see after the jump, as the work placement woman ask Sordahon what's its like to kill people. We are curious as well.

Continue reading Two Worlds II tries to be funny in new videos

Two Worlds II tries to be funny in new videos originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 5:00 pm

Behind the Mask: Fighting crime at minimum wage

Champions Online is a difficult and complex game to understand. With around two dozen frameworks and hundreds of powers, it's easy to get lost in the shuffle. When I talk to friends who are new to the game, it's difficult to convey how exactly to select powers.

I think people get the wrong idea about Champions. I've said it in a number of columns before, but it bears repeating here. CO is a game about experimentation. In most cases, you can't just stick with one framework for the majority of your hero time. The game has very open power selection and it's meant to be used.

Unfortunately, most people don't have a clue where to begin. I've talked a lot about tanking, energy mechanics, role-playing, and squeezing the most out of your stats. I haven't really gone over how to actually build a character, though. Hit the jump and we'll start with the basic, entry-level stuff you can use to make your hero really super.

Continue reading Behind the Mask: Fighting crime at minimum wage

Behind the Mask: Fighting crime at minimum wage originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 5:00 pm

Worms Reloaded Launching August 26

With the beta testing phase having ended, Worms Reloaded now has a release date. The newest game in the franchise will be launching in August on the PC and Mac.

Worms Reloaded marks the franchise's first 2D appearance on the PC since 2001, when Worms World Party was released. More recent Worms games have been developed for consoles and downloadable services like Xbox Live Arcade.

Worms Reloaded is based on Worms 2 Armageddon, which was originally released for the Xbox 360, but is being billed as an "extended edition." It's currently available for pre-order on Steam.

Posted on 29 July 2010 | 4:52 pm

First Impressions: Might and Magic Heroes Kingdoms

Browser-based games have come a long way. A few years ago, I would have never predicted that they would be as popular and varied as they are now. I wouldn't have believed that the quality would rise, while still being contained in the 2-D walls of your favorite browser. But, here we are, discussing Might and Magic Heroes Kingdoms, another browser-based game that has raised that level of quality once again. It's a subtle difference, but the improvements should still be noted and enjoyed.

First of all, I want to say that I am generally horrible at any type of PvP. I rarely think of conquest and would rather trade with my fellow players than attempt to murder them. Call me old-fashioned! So, when I signed up for a game that promised that type of epic conquest (and diplomacy as well, lest we forget) I was a little more than worried that the following First Impressions would consist only of the words "I SUCK."

What I found, after giving in and joining the very first alliance that offered membership, was a game that is heavy on the chin-scratching and light on difficulty. And it's fun, too.

Continue reading First Impressions: Might and Magic Heroes Kingdoms

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Reviews, Free-to-play, Browser, Hands-on, Casual, Might and Magic, MMORTS, First Impressions

First Impressions: Might and Magic Heroes Kingdoms originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 4:00 pm

Weekend PC game sales single the end of July

Filed under: Downloads

Wow. Summer is coming and going like a rocket this year. We are only a few days away from July's end and the start of August. However PC games will always be on sale during the weekend. Here are the latest examples:

• Impulse has a number of games on sale this weekend including Mirror's Edge for $9.99 and the Gratuitous Space Battles Complete bundle (the original game and all three expansions) for just $25.95.
• GamersGate has quite a few adventure games on sale this week including the first two seasons of Sam and Max for $11.98 each.
• EA's online store has put up a number of Command and Conquer games on sale this weekend for as much as 75 percent off.

Weekend PC game sales single the end of July originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 4:00 pm

Captain's Log: Six months of Star Trek Online

Grab a party hat and some confetti, because it's time for an extra-special edition of Captain's Log. This week, we put aside recent tribble-ations in favor of some celebration: Star Trek Online is six months old!

Can you believe Cryptic Studios' STO went live half a year ago? This Monday marks the big anniversary, and it sure has been a bumpy ride getting here. Awash in new content, and occasionally mired in controversy, STO is older and wiser now. So let's scoop up the sands of time with our beach pail of reminiscence, as we fondly recall the past six months of STO.

Continue reading Captain's Log: Six months of Star Trek Online

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Captain's Log

Captain's Log: Six months of Star Trek Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 3:00 pm

Shogun 2: Total War's first in-game engine trailer looks cool

Filed under: RTS, Trailers, Shogun 2: Total War

Last month during out annual trek to check out all the games at E3 we got to see Shogun 2: Total War up close in a behind-closed-doors demo meeting with folks from the development team at The Creative Assembly. At the time we remarked on the game's graphics saying that the historical RTS title "looked absolutely gorgeous with wind and rain effects, impressive lighting and highly detailed units.'

Now the game's publisher Sega has released the first gameplay trailer from Shogun 2: Total War. While the trailer is basically a cut scene it does use the in-game engine to render the action. As you can see above the visuals are perhaps the best we have ever seen for an RTS game. Shogun 2: Total War is still a long way off with a scheduled release date of sometime in 2011.

Shogun 2: Total War's first in-game engine trailer looks cool originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 3:00 pm

Capcom Records Massive Drop in Profits

Following Nintendo's disappointing financial results, Capcom have also reported "sluggish" results, with a 90% decrease in profit down from the same time last year -- though the company still managed a profit; admittedly a mere 213 million yen, or roughly 2.4 million dollars.

As with Nintendo, Capcom blamed an unfavourable exchange rate, particularly as a result of "US and European markets shrinking under the stagnating economy." However, the poor results may have some wide-ranging results for Capcom's future release schedule. The company recently announced that they intend to increase the output of releases in their most popular franchises, and their financial report squarely places the "drastic decline" in profitability on the "increase of new flagship titles release from the same term of the previous year, when most sales were made of repeat titles." This "resulted in higher game development costs."

Posted on 29 July 2010 | 2:24 pm

One Shots: Space to grow

With the promise of new missions, and new things to do, Season 2 has just launched on the Star Trek Online servers. The plans we heard about from the game's new Executive Producer, Daniel Stahl, certainly sound promising. Of course, if you're a die-hard Trek fan, the idea of flying through wild sectors of space like the one we see in today's One Shots might just intrigue you! This image comes to us from Matt (Charles@Tiberius1986), who sent in our first image from the new season. He writes in: "Season 2 of Star Trek Online is off to a great start, and here is an image from Fluidic Space. I like to think I'm exploring the great, cosmic unknown! You also get the title 'Moist', which I thought was pretty amusing. :)"

One Shots is in need of your images! If you'd like to contribute one, it's really easy to do. Just email them to us here at oneshots@massively.com. Be sure to include your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing in the image. In-character short stories are welcome too! From there, we'll get it all set up, and post it here for everyone to check out.

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, Star Trek Online, One Shots

One Shots: Space to grow originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 2:00 pm

StarCraft II Contest III - Win one of two copies of StarCraft: Heaven's Devils

Filed under: Contests, RTS, Starcraft II

We took a one day break from our StarCraft II giveaway week on Wednesday but today we are back with the third of four planned giveaways based on Blizzard's just released sci-fi RTS sequel. Today we got two copies of StarCraft: Heaven's Devils, the recent hardcover novel written by WilliamC Dietz, to give out to two of our readers. The novel tells of the early history of StarCraft character Jim Raynor and serves as a prequel to the events in StarCraft II (you can check out an interview we did with Dietz right here). We will even throw in a copy of World of Warcraft Stormrage, the recent hardcover novel from author Richard A. Knaak, to the winners of StarCraft: Heaven's Devils.

How do you win? It's pretty easy

• To enter, post a comment on this contest page.
• The comment must be left before 11:59 pm Eastern Time on Sunday, August 1
• You may enter only once.
• Two winners will be selected in a random drawing.
• The winners will be sent a hardcover copy of the novel StarCraft Heaven's Devils (valued at approximately $25) and a copy of the hardcover novel World of Warcraft Stormrage (valued at approximately $25)
• Click Here for complete Official Rules. You must be a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) who is 18 years or older to enter this contest

Our thanks to publisher Gallery Books for the donation of the prizes for this giveaway. Good luck. And stay tuned on Friday for our final and very special StarCraft II-related giveaway

StarCraft II Contest III - Win one of two copies of StarCraft: Heaven's Devils originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 2:00 pm

Text Adventure Documentary Get Lamp Now Available on DVD

Get Lamp, The latest documentary from Jason Scott, known for his BBS: The Documentary mini-series (or, perhaps, his cat, the most-followed animal on Twitter) is now available on DVD direct from the Get Lamp website.

Featuring over four hours of footage (including bonus features) the documentary comes in a two disc special edition. The film covers the history of the text adventure form, and is composed from over eighty interviews with text adventure luminaries such as Steven Meretzky, Dave Lebling and Brian Moriarty.

Posted on 29 July 2010 | 1:40 pm

Pro Counter-Strike Player Dead in Tragic Car Accident

A car accident claimed the life of professional Counter-Strike player Antonio "cyx" Daniloski yesterday.

According to a statement released by his team, mousesports, 19-year-old Daniloski was on his way home from the Frankfurt airport when a flat tire caused a fatal car accident.

Posted on 29 July 2010 | 1:36 pm

Latest LotRO free-to-play screens show new starting areas

Part of the transition to free-to-play for The Lord of the Rings Online includes some cosmetic changes here and there. We got a glimpse of that a few weeks ago, and now Turbine is giving us a look at another area that's undergone some changes.

The man and hobbit starting areas will have a new look when free-to-play arrives this fall. You'll see some familiar faces, and you'll still have the standard assortment of shadowy figures, backstory, and angry creatures to fight, but things will look a bit different.

Check out the newest addition to the gallery below for a look at the new man and hobbit starting areas.

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Lord of the Rings Online, Free-to-play

Latest LotRO free-to-play screens show new starting areas originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 1:30 pm

City of Heroes shows off the upcoming Kinetic Melee set

Melee characters in City of Heroes have always lacked ranged abilities. Some of this is implied by the archetype, of course -- you wouldn't expect a character built around hand-to-hand combat to be at maximum potency outside of grabbing distance -- but it's a bit of a disadvantage at times when a tanker or brute can do very little but get shot as he moves into range. Kinetic Melee, one of the power sets coming with the Going Rogue expansion, is poised to change that a little. It might not be a blaster set, but it's more than capable of mixing things up at a longer range.

Of course, that's hardly the only trick that the new powerset can pull. Kinetic Melee is full of smooth maneuvers that weaken the target with each hit -- and one of the marquee abilities, Siphon Power, strengthens the wielder with each hit. It's a steady chain of the target being worn down and the player character building up, coupled with knockback and knockdowns to keep control of the battle flow. Check out our gallery below, or take a look at the official site for more details on one of the upcoming powersets for City of Heroes.

Filed under: Super-hero, Galleries, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Game mechanics, Previews

City of Heroes shows off the upcoming Kinetic Melee set originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 1:00 pm

Worms Reloaded coming to Steam August 26

Filed under: Downloads, Strategy

After several months of hints, developer Team17 has finally announced that Worms Reloaded, the latest game in their long running turn-based strategy series, will be released on Steam on August 26. The game itself will feature a campaign mode with 35 missions plus 30 more missions in the more advanced Warzone campaign. It will also feature multiplayer for up to four players and a landscape editor to create your own levels. Of course you can also expect Steamworks features such as achievements, leaderboards and more,

Steam is offering pre-orders a 10 percent discount off Worms Reloaded's $19.99 price along with a couple of extra in-game bonus items (the x6 Worms Hats and the x10 Forts).

Worms Reloaded coming to Steam August 26 originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 1:00 pm

World of Tanks releases medium tanks trailer

A few weeks ago, we got a peek at the (relatively) zippy light tanks in World of Tanks, and now Wargaming.net is ready to show off the next group: Medium tanks.

They're a bit more versatile than the more specialized light tanks, according to producer Nick Katselapov: "Tanks like T-44 or Panther are jacks-of-all-trades in the game. They are fast, maneuverable and have decent firepower what makes them ideal for performing both defensive and offensive objectives."

The T-44 and Panther are highlighted in the trailer, along with the VK 3002 (DB) units. Follow along after the jump to see for yourself, and visit the World of Tanks site to apply for a closed beta key if you'd like a firsthand look!

Continue reading World of Tanks releases medium tanks trailer

Filed under: Trailers, Video, War, World of Tanks

World of Tanks releases medium tanks trailer originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 12:30 pm

Ask Massively: Censorship edition

Another Thursday, another installment of Ask Massively! This week we see an influx of even more site-related questions ranging from our hiring procedures to our recent code of conduct changes. Don't you people want to know about MMOs anymore?! Actually, we don't mind answering site-related questions at all, and enjoy being transparent with our community of dedicated readers.

Follow along after the jump for the answers to this week's Ask Massively and don't be shy about getting your own questions in by commenting on this post or sending your inquiries off to ask@massively.com.

Continue reading Ask Massively: Censorship edition

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Massively meta, Ask Massively

Ask Massively: Censorship edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 12:00 pm

Capcom's profits plunge over 90 percent in latest quarter

Filed under: Biz

Japanese publisher Capcom's days of huge profits are apparently over. Today the company announced that profits for its latest quarter that ended on June 30 plunged down 90.4 percent to 213 million yen. Revenue for Capcom was 19,037 million yen, down 2.4 percent from the same period a year ago.

Capcom blamed the profit shortfall in part on the console release of its action game Lost Planet 2 where it said sales of the game "underperformed its projection substantially." The game is due for release on the PC sometime this fall. Despite the profit hit, Capcom is not changing its expectations for the rest of the fiscal year due to its upcoming release schedule. That includes Dead Rising 2, its zombie action game sequel that's due on the PC and other platforms on September 28.

Capcom's profits plunge over 90 percent in latest quarter originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 12:00 pm

Jagex pregnant with its third MMO

Look who's expecting: Jagex, the maker of RuneScape, not only has one bun in the oven (Stellar Dawn) but another MMO cooking as well. In an interview with Eurogamer, Jagex CEO Mark Gerhard announced that the company is working on a new fantasy title.

"A lot of what we've done to push the boundary for Stellar Dawn will benefit RuneScape and another MMO we're working on," Gerhard said. "We've got the advantage in that we share the same MMO tech platform. From there it's really down to the studios to decide how its [sic] used."

While he was reluctant to share the name of the baby, er, new game, Gerhard said that it was not a sequel to RuneScape. This follows their recent announcement of Stellar Dawn, the company's "biggest MMO to date." You can read the full article at Eurogamer.

Filed under: MMO industry, New titles, Runescape

Jagex pregnant with its third MMO originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 11:00 am

New Plants Vs Zombies Game of the Year Edition available for download

Filed under: Downloads, Casual, Strategy

It looks like PopCap Games is wasting no time in getting the new Game of the Year version of Plants Vs Zombies to PC and Mac players. The game's official web site now has the new version of the popular tower defense game available for purchase and download for $19.99.

As we reported before the Game of the Year edition of the title has some extra features including 20 new achievements to, well, achieve. They have titles like "Explodonator" and "No Fungus Among Us." The biggest new feature is the Zombatar, the make-your-own-undead program that allows you to customize the zombie of your dreams and then see that zombie attempt to eat your back yard in the game.

[Thanks Mikhail]

New Plants Vs Zombies Game of the Year Edition available for download originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 11:00 am

Hulkageddon III ends with an estimated 288 billion ISK in damage

Much to the dismay of miners everywhere, EVE Online's infamous Hulkageddon event made a return earlier this month. In this irregularly-scheduled fan-run event, ruthless pilots compete to kill as many mining barges as possible within a short period of time. While some kills are found in wormhole space and nullsec as part of a standard PvP roaming squad, most tend to be the result of suicide attacks carried out in high security space. As most miners stay in highsec, this is where most of the targets for the Hulkageddon are found.

Opponents of the event argue that it causes unnecessary hardship for ordinary EVE players who enjoy mining. The event's organiser, infamous pirate Helicity Boson, responds to critics with her belief that it's a perfectly valid way to play the game. In an exclusive interview with Massively before the event began, she suggested that any pilot paying attention could see the suicide attacks coming and would have plenty of time to escape. A significant portion of mining barge kills during the Hulkageddon are also believed to be macro-miners, adding another dimension to this already controversial issue.

The latest Hulkageddon ran from the 9th of July to the 18th, ending with an estimated 288 billion ISK worth of mining ships destroyed. To put that figure into perspective, it would cost you over $16,550 US Dollars to buy that much ISK legitimately by purchasing game time codes and selling them in-game for ISK. The prize-giving for the event was recently conducted, with a single ruthless player by the name of "Phil MacMannon" taking the vast majority of the prizes. With the event concluded, miners can finally breathe a sigh of relief and get back to eating every asteroid in sight.

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, in-game, PvP

Hulkageddon III ends with an estimated 288 billion ISK in damage originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 10:00 am

Exclusive: Combat Arms to release new Kriss weapon

Filed under: FPS, Multiplayer, Video

The folks at Nexon have been nice enough to send Big Download this new and exclusive video showing off one of the new weapons the development team will be adding to its free-to-play first person shooter Combat Arms. The above footage shows off the new Kriss sub-machine gun in action.

As Nexon tells us the Kriss was "developed for military and police forces, chambered specifically for .45 ACP rounds. Its unique operating mechanism is designed to provide stability by absorbing recoil when firing." There is also a modified version of the weapon called the Kriss SpecOps. This version "features an integrated dot-sight and a suppressor. The stability, damage potential and magazine have all been enhanced."

Exclusive: Combat Arms to release new Kriss weapon originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 10:00 am

APB, Crackdown Developer Reveals New Social Experiment

With APB having just been launched to the masses last month, developer Realtime Worlds has already revealed their next project, and it's an ambitious one: Project: MyWorld.

As the project's website describes it, it's not exactly a traditional videogame. "Project: MyWorld turns the real world into a fun 3D social gaming experience," the site explains. "Project: MyWorld is a virtual recreation of the real world combined with 3D gaming and social media." Perhaps the idea behind the project is better summed up by a rhetorical question Realtime Worlds raises: "What would it look like if Nintendo built Google Earth?"

Well, apparently the answer is a virtual space that is purportedly a recreation of the world (although only locations in the United Kingdom are shown so far in the available screenshots) where players can purchase and own property, build new structures on that property, and interact with other players in the "game." Project: MyWorld also boasts integration with a number of social networking websites, including Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Google, and Loopt.

Posted on 29 July 2010 | 9:15 am

Movie director Guillermo del Toro to make big games announcement soon

Filed under: Biz

If you love well done fantasy movies, you must also love the work of Guillermo del Toro. The Mexican director behind such great movies like Mimic, The Devil's Backbone, Pan's Labarinth, and most recently Hellboy 2 had been slated to take on the two-movie adaptation of The Hobbit. del Toro recently left that project but has written the upcoming horror film Don't Be Afraid of the Dark which is due out in January 2011.

However del Toro is also a big gamer and in a brief chat with MTV News he revealed that very soon there will be an announcement "with a big company" about the games he is helping to make. del Toro states, "It's not a development deal. We're going to do it. We're doing them." Sounds like there could be a reveal by Gamescom time. Besides saying that the games he is helping to make will be "technically and narratively very interesting" del Toro didn't say anything else on his future game plans.

Movie director Guillermo del Toro to make big games announcement soon originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 9:00 am

The end of Exteel

Set the flags to half-mast, put on your blackest mech armor, and raise a glass with us: As of September 1st, Exteel is shutting its doors and powering down its giant fighting 'bots. NCsoft announced the game's cancellation with a bittersweet consolation prize in the form of a late August event where all parts and mechs will be sold for one NCcoin apiece.

Exteel has been around since December 2007, a mere month after Massively itself opened its doors. While it was never a title to garner a huge amount of attention, Exteel's combination of a mech-based setting, PvP-centric play and microtransaction funding made it unique to the MMO genre.

NCsoft said that the game was no longer "financially viable," adding, "We know that we have many loyal players who love Exteel. Although this decision was a painful one, in the end it was a business decision that had to be made. We encourage everyone to play and have fun with the game that you love in the time you have left."

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, News items

The end of Exteel originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 9:00 am

New "Golems of Amgarrak" DLC Coming for Dragon Age: Origins

While much of the focus may already have shifted toward BioWare's announcement of Dragon Age 2 (and all the seemingly Mass Effect-influenced changes being made to it), it turns out BioWare hasn't given up on Dragon Age: Origins yet, as they have a new piece of downloadable content in the pipeline.

Called "Golems of Amgarrak," the DLC appears to take you back into the Deep Roads of Orzammar, as it adds a quest that follows a group of Dwarves who went missing in an ancient ruin where an army of golems (we're guessing golems of Amgarrak) was being created. The DLC will allow you to either import a character from Origins or create a new high-level character to play through, and apparently an advanced character will be needed as BioWare describes it as "an advanced challenge for even the most experienced adventurers."

The DLC will also add new characters to meet and new creatures to battle, and will offer new rewards that can be transferred into the main quests of Origins or Awakening.

Posted on 29 July 2010 | 8:43 am

The Daily Grind: Do MMOs belong in the mainstream?

Age of Conan on The Big Bang Theory. Second Life on The Office. World of Warcraft on South Park. The Guild transforming into an internet phenomenon. The Simpsons and FoxTrot creating parodies of virtual worlds.

It seems as though everywhere we turn, MMORPGs are toeing the line between niche and mainstream, especially thanks to the whirlwind of WoW. As MMOs become less of a fringe activity and more accepted in popular culture, I have to ask -- is that a good thing? After all, geeks are highly protective of their territory, often seeing themselves as the faithful guardians of That Which Society Rejected. To suddenly see that pastime become accepted and embraced by the crowd may prove disorienting -- and even disturbing.

So do MMOs belong in the mainstream? As they become more widespread, is there something essential that's being lost in the translation? Are the faithful guardians resentful of MMO devs who may cater to the casual crowd over them? Is there a risk of overexposure and backlash? Won't somebody please think of the children?

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

The Daily Grind: Do MMOs belong in the mainstream? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 8:00 am

NCsoft to shut down Exteel on September 1

Filed under: Action, Multiplayer

At the very beginning of 2010, NCsoft shut down their free-to-play fantasy MMO Dungeon Runners. This week the publisher has decided to shut down another of its free-to-play games, the mech-themed multiplayer online game Exteel. In a note on the game's official web site it was announced that all global servers for Exteel will shut down on September 1.

The game launched on December 2007 but like Dungeon Runners it never seemed to catch on with a large enough audience. Indeed the announcement of Exteel's shut down was due to the game becoming "no longer financially viable" according to NCsoft. In late August all of the game's items will go on sale for one credit which will allow players access to any mech or weapon they want. Loyal players who have spent money on micro transactions in the game will be able to participate in a "loyalty rewards" program but details have yet to be announced.

[Via Blue's News]

NCsoft to shut down Exteel on September 1 originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 29 July 2010 | 8:00 am

Third video diary for Going Rogue explores City of Heroes lore and powers

With only a short stretch of time left until the release of Going Rogue, Paragon Studios has released a new video documentary about the anticipated City of Heroes expansion. This time, the focus is split between the new characters and powers to be featured within the expansion, diving into the lore that surrounds Praetoria and the Emperor's entourage. Much like previous installments, the documentary both serves to preview some new material to existing fans and show off what's coming for new players or those long absent.

Emperor Cole, naturally, gets to show off front and center, as does Calvin Scott of the Resistance. The designers stress that the intent is to create two sides of very different moral character in Praetoria, rather than a simple choice between good and evil. We also get a look at some of the Kinetic Melee and Electric Control powers in action, and of course, more of the cityscapes players can look forward to with the expansion. Check out the video embedded after the cut, which shows that City of Heroes isn't at risk of slowing down too soon.

Continue reading Third video diary for Going Rogue explores City of Heroes lore and powers

Filed under: Super-hero, Video, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Game mechanics, Previews, News items

Third video diary for Going Rogue explores City of Heroes lore and powers originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 10:00 pm

Big Download's News Bits & Bytes - July 28

Filed under: FPS, Starcraft II

Our review of StarCraft II is still coming along. We don't want to be first; we just want to give you the best opinion of the game.

• Kind of a spoiler but there's a familiar looking character that pops up when you check out one of StarCraft II's campaign maps.
• Left 4 Dead 2's latest bug update via Steam includes some changes for the Charger in Versus mode
• A new update for Stargate Resistance via Steam includes the addition of a new King of the Hill gameplay mode.
• Check out this chat in PC Gamer with Dave Johnson the creator of Counter-Strike's de_dust map (he works for Splash Damage now, by the way)
• Team Fortress 2's team discovers the joys of Minecraft.

Big Download's News Bits & Bytes - July 28 originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 10:00 pm

APB developer Realtime Worlds reveals Project: MyWorld

Filed under: Casual, MMO

Earlier this summer developer Realtime Worlds finally released the years-in-the-making shooter MMO All Points Bulletin. However the developer has hinted about another MMO game that was in the worlds. Today the cover was taken off that game as Realtime Worlds launched the official web site for Project: MyWorld, a game that from the looks of things is as different from APB as you can get.

What's the game like? The web site answers that with a question: "What would it look like if Nintendo built Google Earth?". The site proclaims that Project MyWorld is going to be "the next-generation of social gaming" adding that it will be a "virtual recreation of the real world combined with 3D gaming and social media." While the site itself is pretty vague the first video of the game, which you can check out after the jump, seems to show a cartoony-like city sim game with online and social networking elements.

Realtime Worlds is currently looking for a publisher for Project: MyWorld with the game itself set for release sometime in 2011.

[Via VG247.com]

Continue reading APB developer Realtime Worlds reveals Project: MyWorld

APB developer Realtime Worlds reveals Project: MyWorld originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 9:00 pm

Phase 2 arrives tonight for Final Fantasy XIV's testers

Whether you're playing to find potentially game-breaking bugs or just to get a sense of the game before it launches, betas are a magical time for all involved. Specifically, the magic of Final Fantasy XIV's beta has been the sort of magic that ends the world every so often. But luckily for everyone involved in the testing, tonight is the start of phase 2 of the testing, and that marks an important change in the nature of the tests.

Prior to this point, testing was only available when the servers were up, which was not constant. Starting tonight at 7:00 PM PDT (or 10:00 PM EDT), the servers will be up at all times for the second phase of testing. That's according to an official tweet on the game's Twitter feed, which is good news for any and all testers of Final Fantasy XIV. No word yet on whether or not phase 3 involves profit, but the increased availability should be profitable to the players.

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV

Phase 2 arrives tonight for Final Fantasy XIV's testers originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 9:00 pm

HAWX 2 flying into PC hard drives September 7

Filed under: Action

Earlier today we reported that Ubisoft's RTS title R.U.S.E is confirmed for a release on September 7. Today Big Download has confirmed via an Ubisoft PR rep that yet another game from that publisher will be heading to PC hard drives on that same date. It's Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2, the sequel to the near-future flying action game Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.. The sequel will be released just 18 months after the first game shipped to stores in March 2009.

We have had some issues finding a PC version of the game available to pre-order at retail web sites like Amazon.com, Gamestop.com and Walmart.com. However Ubisoft's PR rep has told us the PC version will still be released to retail stores. It will also be made available as a digital download game.

HAWX 2 flying into PC hard drives September 7 originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 8:00 pm

New DDO screenshot gives first look at Update 6

Dungeons and Dragons Online's next update will bring more content to the game, and the excitement for Update 6 has been high in the DDO community, thanks to one little detail: underwater combat.

That's right, the next update will not only bring a new wilderness area -- the Red Fens -- but it adds underwater combat to DDO. We'll meet up with our old friends the Sahuagin and take to the waters.

It's an exciting addition to the game, and if you feel you simply can't wait until Update 6 drops, maybe you don't have to. VIP players can copy characters onto the Lamannia server and try it out for themselves right away!

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Patches, Free-to-play

New DDO screenshot gives first look at Update 6 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 8:00 pm

Big Download main site downtime update

Filed under: Meta BD

Today some of you might have gone to the main Big Download site and not have been able to reach the site or download any files from us. We are very much aware of this issue and we apologize for those of you who have not been able to resolve the main site or download files today.

We are currently working to fix the issues and will have things returned to normal at Big Download shortly. We also will be adding more data capacity to the main site as well. We thank you in advance for your patience as we work to resolve the situation.

Big Download main site downtime update originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 7:30 pm

Playlogic files for bankruptcy

Filed under: Biz

A European-based developer and publisher is dealing with some financial hardships this week. Gamasutra reports that Playlogic has filed for the equivalent of Chapter 11 bankruptcy in its native county of the Netherlands.The report states that Playlogic has admitted to being "behind on payments to some of our vendors." It also claims that it is owed money from its distributor Koch Media to the tune of 1.7 million euros and has started legal proceedings to obtain that money.

Playlogic's last game was the platform action title Fairytale Fights. While the game was released for the Xbox 360 and PS3 last fall, the promised PC version has yet to be released.

Playlogic files for bankruptcy originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 7:00 pm

LotRO dev diary dishes on scaled instance rewards

Do you have a lot of questions about the upcoming scaled instances in Lord of the Rings Online? Good, because Turbine has a whole truckload of answers for you! In the second of a hefty five developer diaries devoted to the subject, LotRO's Joe "jwbarry" Barry tempts players with sweet, sweet candy. Metaphorical candy, that is, taking the form of instance rewards.

The greatest problem that they had with rewards, Barry shares, is that itemizing a dungeon across a huge level range became a massive headache, requiring them to make "a prohibitive" amount of items. Instead, the LotRO dev team is taking a cue from its successful skirmish system, and reprogramming the scaled-instance mobs to drop tokens instead of loot. Players can then use these tokens to purchase armor sets, cosmetic items and even legendaries.

Barry spends the rest of the article discussing the stat-tracking feature (again, similar to stat-tracking functions with skirmishes) and how the team went back through the dungeons to raise the quality of the entire experience where needed. You can read the full dev diary over at Lord of the Rings Online's site.

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Patches, Previews, Free-to-play

LotRO dev diary dishes on scaled instance rewards originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 7:00 pm

Dragon Age Origins: Golems of Amgarrak DLC officially announced

Filed under: Downloads, Expansions, RPG, Dragon Age: Origins

The latest in a long line of mini-expansions for Dragon Age Origins now has a title and a price. Fans of BioWare's fantasy RPG will be able to download and purchase the DLC, Golems of Amgarrak, on August 10 for just $5.

And what do you get for five hard earned bucks? You get a new mini-adventure for your character (you can import your existing Dragon Age character or make up a new high level one for this DLC) as he or she tries to "save a missing dwarven expedition in search of ancient secrets for creating monstrous constructs." If we were betting people we would guess golems like the two pictured above are involved. The rewards earned during Golems of Amgarrak will transfer over to the game's main campaign.

Dragon Age Origins: Golems of Amgarrak DLC officially announced originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 6:00 pm

Age of Conan wants your feedback, lots of it

If you've ever wanted to make your voice heard with regard to Age of Conan and its future direction, now is your chance. Funcom executive producer Craig "Silirrion" Morrison has posted his monthly Hyborian outlook on the game's official community site as well as the forums, and July's Letter from the Game Director offers players the chance to communicate with decision makers via five separate survey questionnaires.

The surveys are fairly lengthy; filling them all out will probably take you the better part of an hour, and they cover everything from general gameplay, to PvP, to raiding and beyond. In addition to farming opinions, Morrison hints at ongoing tweaks to Age of Conan in the form of Khitai progression (specifically, trophy drop-rates) as well as the upcoming Dreamworld engine revamp.

In our experience, it's fairly rare for a developer to solicit this amount of feedback, and Funcom looks to be committed to giving players even more of what they want going forward.

Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, News items

Age of Conan wants your feedback, lots of it originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 6:00 pm

Massively Speaking Episode 109

Massively Speaking Episode 109 is back as Shawn and Rubi are joined by West Coast Editor Bree Royce for the week's news stories. Discussion includes San Diego Comic-Con, DCUO's new trailer, space combat in SWTOR and EQII's new business model.

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to shawn@massively.com. Maybe we'll read your letter on the air!

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes.
[RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator.
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.
Listen here on the page:



Read below the cut for the full show notes.

Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 109

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Massively meta, Humor, Massively Speaking

Massively Speaking Episode 109 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 5:00 pm

Battlefield Bad Company 2 VIP Map Pack 5 released

Filed under: Downloads, Expansions, FPS, Multiplayer

Fans of Battlefield Bad Company 2 are now able to grab the latest VIP map pack for Digital Illusions' recent first person shooter. The fifth such map pack adds Rush Mode to the White Pass level while the Nelson Bay map can now support the Conquest gameplay mode. It should be an automatic free download for players of the PC version.

In addition to the map pack the development team at DICE are currently in the middle of an event where players can play on servers with several Battlefield Bad Company 2 team members. You can check out more info about the event at the blog site.

Gallery: Battlefield Bad Company 2 Screenshots

Battlefield Bad Company 2 VIP Map Pack 5 released originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 5:00 pm

QuakeCon 2010 tournaments announced

Filed under: Culture, FPS, Rage, Fallout: New Vegas

We are about two weeks away from the start of the 2010 edition of QuakeCon, the free LAN event/consumer game show sponsored by id Software and their new owners ZeniMax Media. The August 12-15 event in Dallas has just announced the main tournaments that will be held for the show which will include a chance for anyone attending QuakeCon to get in on the action.

For the pro gamers, QuakeCon will feature the Quake Live Masters Tournament with 64 players competing in 1 vs 1 matches in id Software's free-to-play shooter game. The grand prize winner gets $14,000. There will also be a Quake Live Capture The Flag Championship where 32 teams of four players will compete with the winning team getting $14,000. Finally there will be the Quake Live Open Championship for 128 QuakeCon attendees. Registration for that event happens on the first day of QuakeCon on a first come-first serve basis. The winning gamer in that tournament gets $1,500.

QuakeCon 2010 tournaments announced originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 4:00 pm

Massively's Vanguard group smushes spiders, moves on to bigger things

Recently, we started a static group for Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, and since then we have made our way off of the Isle of the Dawn, the newbie zone. We started out killing hobgoblins and facing down fire demons, made our way through the misty waters of a swamp, and moved on to flying a group of pegasi into the firey Hell of the Temple of the Ancients. (OK, more like "laggy Hell," but they have fixed that issue since then.) I ran through most of the Isle's content alone before, so revisiting it in a full group was such a pleasure.

Well, we fight on! We met on Monday to conquer the Jade Depths: essentially a giant spider-infested system of caves, going through such tribulations as becoming impregnated with arachnid larvae, digging through piles of bones, and using magical portals. All was spooky -- very spooky. We are going to meet up next Monday, the 2nd of August, to take a swipe at the Vault of Heroes. While it might be old, take a look at this entry from Jaye over at Journeys with Jaye to give you an idea of what lies in store! Here is a list of quests in the zone, as well. Be between the levels of 11-14, grab your best armor, and meet us at 9 p.m. EDT (8 p.m. CDT) in Veskal's Exchange. Contact Rikoo Rakoo, Burtimus or Massively Lee for a guild invite!

Hopefully this time the larval-impregnation will be kept to a minimum.

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Vanguard

Massively's Vanguard group smushes spiders, moves on to bigger things originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 4:00 pm

Marvel to release Tron comic book mini-series in October

Filed under: Culture, Action

Earlier this year we reported a sighting of an upcoming Tron graphic novel on Amazon.com. Now it looks like Marvel Comics will in fact be publishing the graphic novel as part of a two part mini-series that begins in October. Tron: The Betrayal is still going to be a prequel to the upcoming Disney movie Tron Legacy that's due in theaters in December.

Of course Tron Legacy, the sequel to a 1980's movie about a man sucked into a computer and forced to play games, is getting its own game tie-in, Tron Evolution. That game, which also serves as a prequel to Tron Legacy, is still due for release for the PC and other platforms later this fall.

Marvel to release Tron comic book mini-series in October originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 3:00 pm

Choose My Adventure: No soup for you!

Join me as I brave my way through lands unknown in an adventure dictated entirely by you, the Massively readers! Vote for everything from game played to character creation to ultimate goal and watch it unfold in a series of posts and galleries here on the site. Then, as our two months are up, we'll do it all over again in a new game!

Welcome to yet another week in Star Wars Galaxies -- an MMO that is very rapidly teaching me that there's a lot more going on below the surface than I'd ever really considered. Sure, there's combat, and all the great creatures, locations, and stories one would expect from a game set in Star Wars' storyline. But as I'm learning the more I play, there are some interesting systems that offer more than one might expect at first glimpse.

Curious as to what this week was like, and what new things I learned? Join me behind the break as I tell you all about my most recent adventures. Be ready vets for this week's request, wherein I solicit some unique homework from you! Also, as before, I've gathered up some screenshots from this week's adventure and tucked them into the gallery below for your enjoyment.

Continue reading Choose My Adventure: No soup for you!

Filed under: Sci-fi, Opinion, Star Wars Galaxies, Hands-on, Choose my Adventure

Choose My Adventure: No soup for you! originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 3:00 pm

Lego Universe to get digital trading card game

Filed under: MMO, Strategy

Even as developer Netdevil gets ready to finish up work on the family-themed MMO Lego Universe, The Lego Group is working with another developer to release a digital trading card game based on the MMO. Today The Lego Group announced that the trading card game will be released in 2011, after the Lego Universe MMO will be released on October 26.

The trading card game will be created by Dire Wolf Digital, the recently launched developer based in Denver and made up of veterans of Sony Online's various digital trading card games. No other details on the Lego Universe trading card title were announced.

Lego Universe to get digital trading card game originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 2:00 pm

One Shots: I'm on a boat!

With the news out yesterday that EverQuest II is going to offer a F2P version, there are many who turned to look at the other SOE games wondering if we might see a shift for them as well. For Vanguard, that could mean more people taking a second look at this graphically gorgeous game -- something we're relatively certain the current playerbase would welcome! With interesting visuals like today's One Shots from shanert, along with interesting in-game systems to play through, we suspect others would be doing what he wrote in to tell us about today: "Here's an image of my character on a tour around the rivers with a self-crafted sloop (after finishing a extensive quest-line that takes weeks of harvesting and crafting)."

Have you snapped a great screenshot from your favorite game lately? Why not share it with us! We're always looking for new and interesting things to show off on One Shots. Email your image to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll post it out here for everyone to enjoy and give you the credit.

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Vanguard, One Shots

One Shots: I'm on a boat! originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 2:00 pm

StarCraft II to get chat rooms in upcoming patch

Filed under: RTS, Starcraft II

As people continue to play StarCraft II, one feature that has gone missing from the sci-fi RTS sequel is chat room feature. That kind of feature was present in the original StarCraft game. However there will be such a feature added to the sequel from developer Blizzard in an upcoming patch.

According to a forum post by a Blizzard community manager on StarCraft II's community web site, the chat room patch "will be based around groups, where you will be able to join public channels that are based around your interests." There are also plans to support private chat channels where friends can communicate with each other. There's no word on exactly when these features will be added to the game.

StarCraft II to get chat rooms in upcoming patch originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 1:00 pm

Runes of Magic team implements account security improvements

Account security has been a concern for Runes of Magic players lately, and Frogster has been paying attention.

Community Manager Mike "Silberfuchs" Kiefer posted a fairly impressive list of improved security methods on the Runes of Magic forums, detailing some important changes. Players now have different options and methods for changing all usernames and passwords, and there are some new password requirements. Account and IP blocks will come into effect under certain circumstances as well.

Gold sellers also took a hit as a part of this new effort. Frogster has managed to obtain "an injunction against a number of goldsellers as well as companies and individuals offering leveling services," and those undesirables are being removed permanently.

Check out the forum post for all the details on how this will affect your account.

Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, News items, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic

Runes of Magic team implements account security improvements originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 1:00 pm

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Two sides to the story

I'm pretty excited for Going Rogue. Part of that is kind of inevitable -- I write a column about City of Heroes, I've tried to make a clear point that I'm a fan of comics in general, and quite honestly right now I'm in a bit of a video game drought and could use something new. But there's more to it than that, and it goes right back to my love of BioWare and the motivation to do speed runs of Silent Hill 2 just to see all of the various endings available.

What I'm getting at here is that I'm a big fan of any game that offers me morality or lets the game shift depending on my choices. So when Going Rogue had its two factions explained, I sat up and took notice, because the morals at play are certainly not black and white. No, they're grey and gray -- if not closer to blue and orange -- and that led to the inspiration for what I believe to be two of my most popular columns. And wouldn't you know it, even with both columns written, there's still more to be said.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Two sides to the story

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Expansions, Game mechanics, Opinion, A Mild-Mannered Reporter

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Two sides to the story originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 12:30 pm

Medal of Honor Soundtrack Headlined by New Linkin Park Single

Hope you like your modern military shooters with a healthy side of modern rock. EA has revealed that Grammy-winning recording artists Linkin Park are set to provide music for the Medal of Honor soundtrack.

In addition, Linkin Park's next single, "The Catalyst," will be featured an upcoming trailer for Medal of Honor. The video will be directed by the band's DJ, Joe Hahn, and will contain both live-action clips and footage from the game. It's set to debut August 1 on the Medal of Honor website.

As for Medal of Honor itself, you can expect EA's take on modern warfare beginning October 12 on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Posted on 28 July 2010 | 12:10 pm

RIFT: Planes of Telara unveils Gloamwood

At first glance, the newest zone revealed for RIFT: Planes of Telara looks to be marginally more cheerful than the last zone we heard about, but looks can be deceiving.

Gloamwood is an area populated by giant spiders, undead shade, goblins, and vampire bats. There's a human village that seems to offer a refuge, but the people of Gloamwood Pines haven't had it easy. Years of grisly murders by an unknown creature have left the villagers fearful and unwelcoming to outsiders, even as they seek their help.

The Mathosian Mill is another landmark in Gloamwood. What used to be a profitable mill is overrun by undead, and while some speculate on the possibility of taking it back, it's a daunting prospect at best.

These are only a few of many places to explore in Gloamwood. Overall, it looks like this zone will provide both a challenge and some interesting exploration for players. Check out the gallery and trailer video below for a closer look at Gloamwood.

Continue reading RIFT: Planes of Telara unveils Gloamwood

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Trailers, News items, RIFT: Planes of Telara

RIFT: Planes of Telara unveils Gloamwood originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 12:00 pm

Reminder: StarCraft II giveaways still under way

Filed under: Contests, RTS, Starcraft II

If you are not aware that StarCraft II has been released this week, well, you are just not paying attention to this web site. Blizzard's RTS sequel is finally out in stores and this week Big Download has been celebrating with some giveaways. You still have until 11:59 pm Eastern time tonight to enter to win one of three copies of the game itself provided by GameStop. Also you have until the same time on Thursday to enter to win one of three StarCraft II Zboards and a StarCraft II mouse pad provided by SteelSeries.

Today we are taking a small break from introducing new giveaways but stay tuned as we will have another StarCraft II related contest on Thursday and yet another one for Friday.

Reminder: StarCraft II giveaways still under way originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 12:00 pm

Fallen Earth patch 1.6 arrives today

The Wasteland is temporarily closed for maintenance. The Fallen Earth servers are down, and when they come back up at 1 p.m. eastern, you can expect to see a lot of changes thanks to patch 1.6. The game's patch notes, posted last night, gave us an idea of what to look for.

You'll find quite a few minor fixes and changes with this patch. Cars will be pink, orange, and powder blue. Doors will be fixed, weapon sounds will be improved, and floating items will be brought down where they belong..

It's not all just cosmetic, though. If you've been putting off heading to Monkeytown to get that song stuck in your head and pick up a set of monkey wrenches, it's too late -- the town is gone, replaced by new missions and a repeatable town event. Check them out to find out what happened in Monkeytown.

Minor Respec -- a welcome addition that allows you to to reallocate 5 AP -- will arrive with this patch, as will an extended tutorial that will help new players a bit more. If PvP is more your thing, you'll be happy to know that once the servers are back up, you can type /pvp and flag for PvP anywhere in the world, not just designated PvP areas.

There is even more to be seen, and the patch notes make for a good read while you're waiting for the servers to come back up, so check them out on the Fallen Earth forums.

Filed under: Fallen Earth, Patches, PvP, News items, Post-Apocalyptic

Fallen Earth patch 1.6 arrives today originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 11:30 am

StarCraft II hides an interesting mini-game

Filed under: RTS, Starcraft II

While our reviewer is currently playing the heck out of StarCraft II for our official review we thought it would be interesting to alert people to a somewhat hidden mini-game in Blizzard's just released sci-fi RTS sequel. In fact it's so interesting that, unlike other web sites, we don't want to spoil this small but cute surprise for those of you who want to play the game cold.

So consider this a spoiler warning. If you don't want to learn any more about this mini-game in StarCraft II stop reading this post right now. For the rest of you who enjoy learning about secrets, follow us after the jump:

Continue reading StarCraft II hides an interesting mini-game

StarCraft II hides an interesting mini-game originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 11:00 am

MAG patch 1.07 due out next week

MAG's next patch, due out next week, will bring some very welcome free updates to players. While the full patch notes aren't available yet, the MAG team has provided a short list of updates to hold fans over for a bit.

MAG v1.07 will bring a number of fixes, content changes, and additions to the game, including a new happy hour feature. Happy hour is a double XP bonus that's applied to the first hour of every player's gaming session in a 24-hour period, giving you a little boost to start off with.

You'll also find better lighting, redesigned maps, a new faction neutral Supression gameplay mode, and new code that allows for faster patching. Check out the current patch notes on the MAG site, and keep an eye out for the complete notes, available nearer the time of the update.

Filed under: Patches, PvP, MMOFPS, MAG

MAG patch 1.07 due out next week originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 11:00 am

Fairytale Fights Developer Playlogic in Financial Trouble

The developer and publisher of last year's Fairytale Fights, Playlogic, is going through some serious financial troubles. Playlogic has requested 'surseance van betaling,' which is the "Dutch equivalent of Chapter 11," according to an SEC filing (via Next Gen). Playlogic filed for this on behalf of both "Playlogic International N.V and her wholly owned subsidiary Playlogic Game Factory B.V."

Playlogic posted a $20 million annual loss for the year ending December 31, 2009. That was despite a 23% increase in revenues to $11.1 million. It was a major jump in losses, having lost $9.5 million in 2008, though part of it was due to a one-time "impairment charge" of $4.75 million.

The bankruptcy doesn't come as a complete surprise. Back in May, a filing from Playlogic noted, "There is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. If the company does not obtain any necessary financing, we may need to cease operations."

Posted on 28 July 2010 | 10:34 am

Google Talking to Game Devs for Facebook Competitor

Google is in talks with major online game developers as it ramps up development on what appears to be a Facebook-like social networking service.

According to The Wall Street Journal, who spoke with "people familiar with the matter," the company is in discussions with Disney-owned Playdom, EA's Playfish and Farmville creator Zynga, which Google recently invested between $100 and $200 million in.

Posted on 28 July 2010 | 10:16 am

Left 4 Dead's Tank to be made into collectible statue

Filed under: Culture, Left 4 Dead Series

Earlier this year a company called Gaming Heads started selling detailed collectible statues of Team Fortress 2's Heavy character. Now another creation based on a popular Valve first person shooter is being prepped for a pre-order.

While the image above is (deliberately we think) blurry, Gaming Heads will be selling a statue based on the Tank Special infected zombie in Valve's co-op themed shooter Left 4 Dead and its sequel. Pre-orders for the statue will begin on Friday, July 30. So far there's no other details about the statue, its price or how many versions of it will be available to buy.

[Via Kotaku]

Left 4 Dead's Tank to be made into collectible statue originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 10:00 am

Free for All: Charmed, Zentia, I'm sure

Charm is one of those words that, as a kid, I never really understood. I always pictured some southern gentleman, lemonade in hand, wooing powdered belles from his porch on a hot summer's day: that's how I defined it. But now I think I understand it so much more, and I often wonder why this industry seems to often ignore the word, or has no idea what it means. It's easiest to explain it this way:

You cannot be charming by acting cool. If you act cool, it comes out cheesy. The movie The Matrix, for example: trying to act so incredibly cool, but comes off only cheesy. You must simply be cool to be charming. You can also be truly wide-eyed, which is charming. Or innocent, which is much rarer, but still charming. Be warned: Top Gun was considered very cool, and Tom Cruise very charming, in their time. Shirley Temple, mainly because of the time period her movies were made in, is still charming. A Christmas Story is very, very charming. Reese Witherspoon's work in Election? Oozes charm. Roy Orbison? Cool and charming, despite looking like a grandmother.

The same applies to MMORPGs. Seriously. Some games are trying to be way too cool, and should just relax a bit. Be fun. I recently discovered one of the most charming games yet in Zentia.

Continue reading Free for All: Charmed, Zentia, I'm sure

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, New titles, Free-to-play, Casual, Free for All

Free for All: Charmed, Zentia, I'm sure originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 10:00 am

Fantastical Fraulein Mumor returns for a third event in Final Fantasy XI

Final Fantasy XI's upcoming summer event, another installment in that Fantastical Fraulein Mumor stage show and part of the overarching Sunbreeze Festival, probably isn't going to make much sense to people not familiar with the game. Veteran players, of course, are familiar with the magical warrior Mumor and her struggles against the joy-killing efforts of demon king Ullegore. They're also most likely aware of the conflict from the year before, in which she faced off against the Archfiend Uka and befriended her. And while non-players are now scratching their heads, players are either rolling their eyes or looking forward to this year's installment.

Whichever camp you belong to, the stage show (in which Mumor and Uka face off against the new dance trio known as "Cream Puff") and the other games of the summer event will be rolling around on August 1st. Lasting through the 17th, the event will most likely be similar to last year's festivities, offering a wide variety of mini-games, cosmetic rewards, and of course the dance battle between Final Fantasy XI's resident magical girl and her opponents. Read the full rundown for more of the backstory, and look forward to the event itself in just under a week.

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Culture, Events, in-game, News items, Consoles, Humor

Fantastical Fraulein Mumor returns for a third event in Final Fantasy XI originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 9:00 am

Plants Vs Zombies PC Game of the Year details (but with no Michael Jackson zombie)

Filed under: Casual

Earlier this month we reported that Popcap Games will be releasing a PC/Mac "Game of the Year" edition of their tower defense game Plants Vs Zombies. At the time Popcap would not say specifically what new content will be added to the Game of the Year version but a recent visit to our local GameStop retail store had a pre-order mock-up of the game on display.

The mock-up stated that in addition to new achievements, the Game of the Year edition will allow players to create their own zombies and then see their custom undead creations in the game itself. GameStop is currently showing a release date of August 10 for Plants Vs Zombies Game of the Year.

One thing that won't be in the game is a zombie that looks like Michael Jackson. According to MTV Multiplayer, the Jackson estate frowned on having a "dancing zombie" that looked like an undead version of the late King of Pop in the original version of the game. Popcap, who clearly don't want to go through a costly legal battle, have issued a statement saying that the dancing zombie will be replaced with another version, saying, " The phase-out and replacement process is underway."

Plants Vs Zombies PC Game of the Year details (but with no Michael Jackson zombie) originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 9:00 am

R.U.S.E. gets September 7 release date for US

Filed under: RTS

In just a few more weeks an RTS game that has been long in development and suffered through some delays will finally be released. No it's not StarCraft II; that game is finally out. We are talking about R.U.S.E., the WWII themed game of deception and trickery.

The game from developer Eugen Systems and publisher Ubisoft will finally be released for the PC and other platforms on September 7 in the US, according to a "tweet" from Ubisoft community manager Aymeric Evennou. The game will be released in Europe on September 9. While the game has had a couple of beta and "free preview" events on Steam there's no word if an actual demo for R.U.S.E will be released.

R.U.S.E. gets September 7 release date for US originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 8:00 am

The Daily Grind: Out on the town

There are an awful lot of things to do in most MMOs. Sometimes it's the diverse spread of activities available in a game like Final Fantasy XI; other times it's the tiered progression of dungeons in a game like World of Warcraft. Either way, it's all fun, but with a long-term goal in mind. Except that sometimes you wind up getting sidetracked, and the next thing you know you're rolling a new character just to participate in a massed player event, or dancing in the middle of nowhere and giving money to passersby.

Everyone needs a break from the serious from time to time, a chance to head out and just do something silly but fun. One could even argue that roleplaying is by and large something unnecessary for the game itself, but still a fun diversion. In a genre that's occasionally prone to feeling a lot like work, it's good to get the option of stepping back and just enjoying yourself. What's the last activity you took part in that wasn't even remotely progress-oriented but was just fun for the heck of it?

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Humor

The Daily Grind: Out on the town originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 28 July 2010 | 8:00 am

Big Download's News Bits & Bytes - July 27

Filed under: FPS, RPG, Simulation, Strategy, Starcraft II

Things in StarCraft II land have calmed down a bit but there's still some excitement in the air about the game and about other PC game developments:

• You can now purchase and download the StarCraft II soundtrack via iTunes for $9.99.
• Is this a teaser site for Irrational Games' next title?
• AMD has released the new 10.7 ATI Radeon Catalyst graphics drivers.
• Steam has a sale of Everquest and all of its expansion packs in one bundle for $14.99.
• Steam also has Trainz Simulator 2010 on sale.
• Impulse has added some of Bethesda Softworks' older games to its line-up, although don't expect Fallout New Vegas to be added thanks to its use of Steamworks.
• Direct2Drive offers a playable Federation Ferengi as a free bonus if you get Star Trek Online from them.
• You can now watch that Ghost Recon Alpha live action teaser trailer on GameTrailers.com.
• Medal of Honor and Linkin Park? Apparently so.
• Just watch this. It's funny.

Big Download's News Bits & Bytes - July 27 originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 27 July 2010 | 10:00 pm

Bring a little color to your ride in Fallen Earth

As you scour the wastelands in Fallen Earth, most likely you're taking advantage of the situation by getting yourself a vehicle. Not just any vehicle -- you want something that's flashy, functional, and durable. A fair amount of storage would help, too. Yet for all the options given to players, you've been largely restricted to the main colors of the game world for your new roadster until now. The first phase of color customization is hitting the live servers tomorrow, and it brings with it the option to pay a Garage Manager a fee and pimp your ride with a nice new paint job.

Four paint and dye kits are being added to the crafting of dyes, with each one working on a different range of vehicles and offering the same selection of colors. On top of that, there are eight additional kits of higher rarity -- three of which are found out in the world, and five of which are crafted from new rare components. While our preview gallery doesn't seem to include Safety Orange, Hot Pink, or Powder Blue among its selection, you can take a look to see just how slick your Fallen Earth wheels will look after the patch.

Filed under: Galleries, Fallen Earth, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Post-Apocalyptic

Bring a little color to your ride in Fallen Earth originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 27 July 2010 | 9:00 pm

Feature: Starcraft 2 Unboxing

Filed under: Features, RTS, Strategy, Starcraft II

Starcraft 2 is finally out, but there are still some sitting on the fence as to whether they should get the regular or Collector's Edition of Blizzard's latest game. We got our mitts on the Collector's Edition and all the goodies inside, and we're taking a look to see if they are worth the extra $40 we paid for them. After all, $100 is not exactly chump change in this economy.

Continue reading Feature: Starcraft 2 Unboxing

Feature: Starcraft 2 Unboxing originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 27 July 2010 | 9:00 pm

StarCraft II launch events now on video

Filed under: Video, Starcraft II

Last night was a huge night for the PC game industry as StarCraft II launched at midnight around the world in various countries' different time zones. Now developer Blizzard has released a video showing off some of the activities at the events for the release of the long awaited sci-fi RTS game.

The video shows the official Blizzard launch events that occurred in Seoul, South Korea along with Paris, France and Blizzard big "hometown" launch event in Orange County, California. As you can see in the video the official Blizzard launch events were well attended with lots of copies of the game being bought and signed by Blizzard team members.

By the way, our review of StarCraft II is coming along. Since, as we reported last week, everyone got the game at the same time it may be a few days before we will be able to completely go through the title's single player campaign, challenge levels and of course multiplayer.

StarCraft II launch events now on video originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 27 July 2010 | 8:00 pm

Codemasters offering free LotRO store points at Gamescom

If you're attending Gamescom this year, you've probably got a pretty heavy schedule planned. There will be plenty to do, but you might want to carve out some time to head to the Lord of the Rings Online booth, because Codemasters has a nice gift for those attending.

The news of LotRO's impending free-to-play status was pretty big, and Codemasters will be offering signups at its booth this year. If you've not signed up to join the game when it becomes F2P, do so at the Codemasters booth in hall 8.1, booth A31 and get a little thank-you gift in the form of 10 € worth of LotRO store points.

The offer is available every day of Gamescom.

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Events, real-world, News items, Free-to-play

Codemasters offering free LotRO store points at Gamescom originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 27 July 2010 | 8:00 pm

38 Studios moves next door to Rhode Island for 75 million smackers

Two weeks ago we reported that Rhode Island was attempting to woo 38 Studios away from Massachusetts with a tempting $75 million loan guarantee. Today we've gotten word that Curt Schilling's company has indeed taken the bait, and will be relocating to The Ocean State due to this sweet incentive.

While there's no definite timetable on the move, Mass High Tech reports that this loan guarantee comes with a few strings attached: 38 Studios will receive partial loan payments only upon meeting certain milestones, and the company has to put all of its assets up for collateral. The loan comes from a special $125 million program to create high-tech jobs in Rhode Island, and the state hopes that 38 Studios will account for up to 450 new jobs once it arrives.

Curt Schilling promised to "protect the loan guarantee that's been given by the state with the same passion and interest that I'm protecting my own investment in this company." 38 Studios recently announced that its single-player RPG, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, will be published by EA next year, with its MMO -- code-named "Copernicus" -- to follow.

Filed under: MMO industry

38 Studios moves next door to Rhode Island for 75 million smackers originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 27 July 2010 | 7:00 pm

Direct2Drive brings back its Indie Games Bundle sale

Filed under: Downloads, Indie

If you wanted to get into the indie games scene but were afraid to do so, Direct2Drive has just revised its Indie Games Bundle sale for its customers. For a limited time you can get 10 of the most well known and acclaimed indie games in one shot for just $29.95. That's compared to a price of $134.50 if you had to buy each game individually.

The games in the bundle include World of Goo, Puzzlegeddon, Gish, The Maw, Braid, Cogs, AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! -- A Reckless Disregard for Gravity, Osmos, Machinarium and Crayon Physics Deluxe. All of the above games are good in our opinion and some are true classics. It's a deal that you don't have to steal.

Direct2Drive brings back its Indie Games Bundle sale originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 27 July 2010 | 7:00 pm

AMD announces Gaming Evolved PC gaming marketing program

Filed under: Hardware

The PC processor and graphics chip maker AMD is in a bit of a pickle. It makes processors that are second to Intel in terms of market share and while its ATI division has been making progress on its biggest rival Nvidia in terms of performance Nvidia's graphic chips are still the market leader for PC gaming. Now AMD has announced a new marketing program that's aimed specifically at PC gamers.

The marketing program is called Gaming Evolved and according to AMD's web site, the program is all about one thing, "Gamers Come First". The site adds, "We will listen carefully to gamers, create solutions and technologies that closely align to their wants and needs, and fulfill our "Gamers Come First!" mandate to the PC gamers of the world." The site also says AMD will listen to game developers as well, saying, "We will deliver the technical support and guidance needed to adopt new technologies like Direct X 11, and provide the indispensible business support that game developers need to help make their games a commercial success"." Big Download plans to contact AMD to get more concrete info on what its new Gaming Evolved program will mean to the PC games industry.

AMD announces Gaming Evolved PC gaming marketing program originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 27 July 2010 | 6:00 pm

Game On! The cast of The Guild releases new music video

They've done it again. Almost one year after the ridiculously catchy "Do You Wanna Date My Avatar," the cast of The Guild has released a second video.

Game On begins with Codex trying to back off of gaming a bit. "People say it's weird," she says. Zaboo, with his typical over-the-top enthusiasm, has hired an entire troupe of dancers to lure her back in.

It's a fun video with shades of Benny Lava in some of the subtitles, and the typical antics of our favorite Guildies are in full force. Vork is stoic (read what you will into the meaning behind his faux-Vishnu costume), Clara and Bladezz are ogling various dancers, Zaboo is flailing about, and Tink is strutting her stuff.

Check out the video on The Guild's site.

Filed under: Video, Culture, Humor

Game On! The cast of The Guild releases new music video originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 27 July 2010 | 6:00 pm

Sony Online to introduce free-to-play EverQuest 2 Extended

Filed under: MMO

Sony Online has already achieved some success with its casual free-to-play MMO Free Realms. Today the developer has announced that it is now bringing that free-to-play business model to its EverQuest series with EverQuest II Extended. Unlike Turbine who turned Dungeons and Dragons Online completely into a free-to-play game (and will do so for Lord of the Rings Online this fall) EverQuest 2 Extended is being handled as a separate game from EverQuest 2 that launched in 2004. Sony Online states that EverQuest 2 will continue with its monthly subscription model and will continue to get updates and content expansions.

EverQuest 2 Extended will allow players to check out a large portion of the EverQuest II game world for free via a new download client that will allow players to start playing the game in minutes. However there will also be ways to pay for access to even more content. You can check out the rather extensive options for EverQuest 2 Extended at the game's official web site. The beta for EverQuest II Extended is expected to launch on August 17.

Sony Online to introduce free-to-play EverQuest 2 Extended originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 27 July 2010 | 5:00 pm

Aion free account reactivations, double XP incoming

Dust off your wings and brush up on your flying technique, as NCsoft is picking up the tab for your return to the world of Atreia (at least for a weekend). Beginning Friday, July 30th at 11:00 a.m. EDT, all inactive Aion accounts will be reactivated free of charge. If that's not enough to excite the daeva in you, double XP will be in effect as well. Both promotions conclude Monday, August 2nd at 6:00 p.m. EDT.

Whether you're coming back to check out the game revisions included in the 1.9 patch, grabbing a few levels in preparation for 2.0, or just looking to kill time and catch up with some old friends, it's hard to beat the price and faster advancement to boot. Read the full announcement at the official Aion website.

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, News items

Aion free account reactivations, double XP incoming originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 27 July 2010 | 5:00 pm

Star Trek Online Season Two officially begins; price lowered to $19.99

Filed under: MMO

As we reported last week, Cryptic Studios has launched "Season Two" for its sci-fi MMO Star Trek Online. Subscribers to the game can now get the free content update. In addition publisher Atari has permanently lowered the price of the game to just $19.99.

Season Two adds a ton of new features and content to Star Trek Online including raising the level cap to 51, adding new missions for the playable Klingon faction, new "Tier 5" ship, mini-games such as Dabo, and the new Federation Diplomatic Corps that tries to explore and peaceable setting conflicts. Starting in August, new weekly missions will be added to the game that center on defending an alien race called the Deferi from a new threat.

Star Trek Online Season Two officially begins; price lowered to $19.99 originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 27 July 2010 | 4:00 pm

SDCC 2010: A new Super Hero Squad Online trailer in the Mighty Marvel tradition

If you're looking for a superhero MMO, you have a lot of options these days, which is part of the reason that Gazillion Entertainment has gone in a very different direction with Super Hero Squad Online. Rather than being a more adult-oriented game, it features colorful characters in a cartoonish setting, with an emphasis on family playability. Some players are going to immediately turn up their noses and sneer at the idea, of course, but after viewing the latest trailer, it sure does look like fun.

The trailer, straight from SDCC 2010, features a variety of standbys within the Marvel universe that most viewers will have no problem recognizing. It's evident from the footage that the game is placing a high emphasis on retaining the feel of each signature hero's skills and powers, even if the stylized graphics might throw some players for a bit of a loop. Take a look at the trailer just past the cut, and keep your eyes peeled for more information on Super Hero Squad Online as we approach the release date in 2011.

Continue reading SDCC 2010: A new Super Hero Squad Online trailer in the Mighty Marvel tradition

Filed under: Super-hero, Trailers, Video, New titles, Previews, News items, Casual, Kids, Family

SDCC 2010: A new Super Hero Squad Online trailer in the Mighty Marvel tradition originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 27 July 2010 | 4:00 pm

Exclusive: EQII F2P interview with Dave Georgeson

Earlier today SOE dropped the F2P bomb that is EverQuest II Extended, and Massively was on the front lines to bring you the scoop first. We also sat down with lead producer Dave Georgeson to chat about the particulars of the new service, as well as get his take on where the industry is heading.

He had a number of interesting nuggets to share, about not only the game's alternate F2P business model, but also the fact that SOE is keen on respecting the wishes of its core player base.

Read all about it after the cut.

Continue reading Exclusive: EQII F2P interview with Dave Georgeson

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play

Exclusive: EQII F2P interview with Dave Georgeson originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 27 July 2010 | 3:30 pm

StarCraft II News Bits and Bytes

Filed under: RTS, Starcraft II

Not surprisingly there's a lot of StarCraft II-related news bits for the first day of sale for Blizzard's RTS sequel.

• StarCraft II currently doesn't support anti-aliasing but PC Games Hardware has found a workaround for Nvidia GeForce card users (sorry ATI Radeon users; you are out of luck)
• Financial analyst Michael Pachter believes StarCraft II will sell 3 million copies in its first week.
• Another analyst, Colin Sebastian, is predicting the game will sell 4.5 million copies this quarter and 6.5 million in the publisher's fiscal year.
• Fellow PC RTS game make The Creative Assembly is praising Blizzard's commitment to PC gaming.
• However Jagex head man Mark Gerhard believes that Blizzard is "probably very arrogant - perhaps even over-self-assured"

StarCraft II News Bits and Bytes originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 27 July 2010 | 3:00 pm

SDCC 2010: Up, up and away at the DCUO panel

Are you pumped for DC Universe Online after watching the recent "Who Do You Trust?" trailer or our own interview with John Smedley? We can hardly blame you -- it's tough being a superhero waiting in the wings. While we count down the days until its November 2nd launch, there's a lot more DCUO goodness to be had.

Massively was on hand at the DCUO panel at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, where Jens Andersen, Chris Cao, Marv Wolfman, Jim Lee and Mark Hamill (who is reprising his voice work as the Joker) were on hand to answer questions about DC's upcoming title. Hit the jump for the full skinny on time travel, heroes, villains and Bat-shark repellent.

Continue reading SDCC 2010: Up, up and away at the DCUO panel

Filed under: Super-hero, Interviews, Massively Event Coverage, DC Universe Online

SDCC 2010: Up, up and away at the DCUO panel originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 27 July 2010 | 3:00 pm

EverQuest II jumps on the F2P bandwagon

Despite assurances as recently as last month that EverQuest II wouldn't be going free-to-play, Sony Online Entertainment today announced that the game is doing just that... sort of. EverQuest II Extended is slated for a beta launch on August 17th, and features a separate server set providing all of the game's original content via the insanely popular F2P business model.

"The very nature of an MMO is change, and the decision to create Extended was fueled by evolution of the industry landscape," says EQII lead producer Dave Georgeson. "By offering two services side by side we have given the power to our players to determine the program that best fits their game play style."

Extended will allow access to all zones through The Shadow Odyssey, sans subscription, credit card info, or software purchases. Players will be able to purchase additional perks (such as races, levels 80 - 90, statistical gear, and potions) through the marketplace. Existing EQII subscribers will also be able to transfer their characters to the F2P servers, albeit without their gold. Bags, no-trade items, and attuned items will be transferred. Extended also offers a yearly subscription priced at $200 USD, which equals out to $16.66 per month. SOE is chipping in 60 Station Cash to make up the difference.

Check out the membership matrix for all the details on the new service, and stay with Massively for our interview with Dave Georgeson later today.

[Update: That interview can be found here.]

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Business models, MMO industry, News items

EverQuest II jumps on the F2P bandwagon originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 27 July 2010 | 2:05 pm

StarCraft II Contest II - Win one of three StarCraft II Zboards and Mouse Pads

Filed under: Contests, Hardware, RTS, Starcraft II

StarCraft II finally launched last night and we know that lots of you are using your mouse and keyboard furiously to play Blizzard's sci-fi RTS sequel right now. But wouldn't you want to play the game with a keyboard specifically designed for the game and on a mouse pad with some StarCraft II imagery? Of course you would.

That's why Big Download wants to offer three StarCraft II editions of SteelSeries' Zboard PC gaming keyboards as a giveaway to our readers. These keyboards have special keys and software designed especially for use in StarCraft II. We will even throw in a SteelSeries OcK mouse pad with StarCraft II character Tychus Findlay staring up at you. You can check out an image of the mouse pad after the jump.

How do you get a chance to win the keyboard and mouse pad bundle? It's actually pretty easy:

• To enter, post a comment on this contest page.
• The comment must be left before 11:59 pm Eastern Time on Thursday, July 29
• You may enter only once.
• Three winners will be selected in a random drawing.
• The winners will be sent a SteelSeries Zboard StarCraft II edition (valued at approximately $70) and a SteelSeries StarCraft II OcK mouse pad (valued at approximately $15)
• Click Here for complete Official Rules. You must be a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) who is 18 years or older to enter this contest

Our thanks to SteelSeries for the donation of the prizes for this giveaway. Good luck. Don't forget that we are still giving away three copies of StarCraft II with the deadline of Wednesday at 11:59 pm Eastern time to enter. And stay tuned all this week as we will have even more StarCraft II related prizes to win.

Continue reading StarCraft II Contest II - Win one of three StarCraft II Zboards and Mouse Pads

StarCraft II Contest II - Win one of three StarCraft II Zboards and Mouse Pads originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 27 July 2010 | 2:00 pm

GameStop acquires web-based game portal Kongregate

Filed under: Biz, Browser

Game retailer GameStop has said it wants to expand its digital game offerings and today the company did exactly that. Today GameStop announced that it had acquired the web-based game portal Kongregate. The site is home to over 30,000 web based games and 10 million users. Indie developers can gain revenue via micro-transactions and via ads. Financial terms of today's deal were not disclosed.

Kongregate's co-founder Jim Greer has posted up a funny FAQ on today's GameStop acquisition along with a video of Greer on the same topic (stay until the end of the video, by the way). Greer states that all employees of Kongregate will stay in their offices in California and that the site will continue to offer free games for its users. There are plans to give Kongregate users a way to link to GameStop's new PowerUp rewards program.

GameStop acquires web-based game portal Kongregate originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 27 July 2010 | 1:00 pm

GoG.com adds Space Quest 1, 2, and 3 as game bundle

Filed under: Downloads, Adventure

The classic Sierra Online-published Space Quest adventure games are no strangers to the DRM-free web site GoG.com. The site is already home to a bundle that collects the fourth, fifth and sixth installments of the humorous sci-fi game series. Now GoG.com has announced that the first three Space Quest games are available to purchase and download in a bundle.

The games, now owned by Activision, feature the space janitor Roger Wilco as he tries to fight for "truth, justice and really clean floors.' The first three games in the series were released in 1986, 1987, and 1989, respectively, and were very funny send-ups of sci-fi cliches as well as other events related to pop culture. You can download the Space Quest bundle from GoG.com now for $9.99.

GoG.com adds Space Quest 1, 2, and 3 as game bundle originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 27 July 2010 | 12:00 pm

38 Studios to move to Rhode Island; Demiurge head wants them to stay in Boston

Filed under: Biz, MMO, RPG

Earlier this month we reported that 38 Studios was considering moving its main headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts to Rhode Island in order to secure loans from that state's government. Today Boston.com reports that the Rhode Island Economic Development Corp. has indeed voted 8 to 1 to give 38 Studios a whopping $75 million in loan guarantees to move to the state. 38 Studios claims it will bring 450 jobs directly to Rhode Island by the end of 2012. If the developer shuts down operations, the state will have to repay the loans.

The game studio, founded by former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, just announced its first game last week, the fantasy RPG Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning, which is being developed by Maryland-based Big Huge Games. 38 Studios' main office is working on a fantasy MMO code named Copernicus.

Another Massachusetts-based game developer, Demiurge Studios, made the unusual move of emailing to the press an open letter written to Schilling. The letter, which is also available on Demiurge's web site, asks Schilling to reconsider moving 38 Studios out of the Boston area. Demiurge's CEO William Reed states, "As 38 Studios' in-development MMO grows, you will soon realize that although the capital you have secured will fund your endeavors, the most vital and necessary component to completing your project is the vast pool of talent and resources you are leaving behind." Reed adds that members of 38 Studios who don't want to move are "more than welcome to join the team at Demiurge Studios, the state's soon-to-be largest independent game studio."

38 Studios to move to Rhode Island; Demiurge head wants them to stay in Boston originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on 27 July 2010 | 11:00 am