General Gaming Article

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• The 22 Best Co-op PC Games
• Newegg Daily Deals: Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2015 3 PCs, Trendnet TEW-751DR N600 Router, and More!
• Nvidia Driver Purposely Disables Overclocking GTX 900M Series GPUs
• Micron and Seagate Just Became Best Friends in the SSD Space

The 22 Best Co-op PC Games Posted: 13 Feb 2015 11:51 AM PST The couple that slays together, stays together With Valentine's Day right around the corner, we thought we would look at some of the best PC co-op games out there. And hey, if you're single, there's no better way to stem the fear of dying alone then by playing games with some friends! The list is in alphabetical order but we decided not to include games from genres such as MMOs and MOBAs. We wanted to focus on IPs that can be played not only with a small amount of friends, but with your significant other without causing too much frustration. To that end, we chose a selection of games with a broad range regarding difficulty and genres. So light the candles, open up a bottle of Bond Estates Melbury Red wine from Napa (so long as you are 21 years and older), heat up some hot pockets, and treat your significant other to a fun evening. Or just order a six pack and pizza while playing with friends. What? We heard that red wine pairs perfectly with hot pockets. So what are some of your favorite co-op games? Tell us in the comment section below! Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2015 3 PCs, Trendnet TEW-751DR N600 Router, and More! Posted: 13 Feb 2015 09:52 AM PST Top Deal: The phone rings and the caller ID shows it's Uncle Lou. Oh great. This can mean only one thing -- his computer is infected with malware. Again. You just fixed the flipping thing two weeks ago, but like clockwork, there's that bi-montly phone call pleading for help. Ugh. This time, bring him a gift in the form of today's top deal -- Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2015 - 3 PCs for $35 with free shipping (normally $50 - use coupon code: [EMCANKN67]; additional $35 mail-in-rebate). This is one of the better ones. We know, you hate paying for AV, but if you're willing to play the mail-in-rebate game, it ends up being free anyway, and that's to protect 3 PCs! Other Deals: LG 24MP55HQ-P Black 23.8-inch 5ms LCD Monitor for $140 with $1 shipping (normally $160 - use coupon code: [EMCANKN27]) Trendnet TEW-751DR N600 Dual Band Wireless Router IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, IEEE 802.3/3u for $18 with free shipping (normally $40 - use coupon code: [EMCANKN68]) WD Blue WD7500BPVX 750GB 5400 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 2.5-inch Internal Notebook Hard Drive Bare Drive for $45 with free shipping (normally $50 - use coupon code: [ESCANKN43]) Refurbished Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive for $40 with free shipping (normally $70)

Nvidia Driver Purposely Disables Overclocking GTX 900M Series GPUs Posted: 13 Feb 2015 09:33 AM PST Nvidia confirms it doesn't want you overclocking its GTX 900M GPUs To overclock or not to overclock -- it's a question every enthusiast wonders at some point or another. The primary advantage to overclocking is a free performance boost, provided you don't fry anything in the process. And of course the downsides are the various risks, from instability to cooking your components. It's those downsides that prompted Nvidia to take away the ability to overclock (or underclock) GeForce GTX 900M Series GPUs through a recent driver update. The revelation came when users discovered they could no longer overclock their GTX 900M GPUs after installing Nvidia's GeForce R347.29 driver release. Miffed and perplexed, they sought an explanation on Nvidia's forums, only to have their worst fears confirmed. A few pages in, a customer care agent for Nvidia had this to say: "Unfortunately GeForce notebooks were not designed to support overclocking. Overclocking is by no means a trivial feature, and depends on thoughtful design of thermal, electrical, and other considerations," Nvidia said. "By overclocking a notebook, a user risks serious damage to the system that could result in non-functional systems, reduced notebook life, or many other effects. There was a bug introduced into our drivers which enabled some systems to overclock. This was fixed in a recent update. Our intent was not to remove features from GeForce notebooks, but rather to safeguard systems from operating outside design limits." This is actually a restriction that's been present in the last three driver updates, though this is the first time that Nvidia confirmed it's an intentional restriction. It will be interesting to see if Nvidia holds firm on this stance. On one hand, the company is right, there are risks to overclocking, and it's especially tricky in laptops with limited cooling potential. But on the other hand, Nvidia is treating its performance oriented customers as being reckless and not particularly savvy. And maybe some are, but the consensus among those who've replied to Nvidia's post is that they should be allowed to weigh the risks and choose for themselves whether or not to overclock. "This is just outrageous behavior. Not even a word that this was 'by design' following months of complaints. I have just ordered an Sli 980m enthusiast machine. Now I find you blocked overclocking deliberately. I am so mad I cannot even comment any more without resorting to bad language," a user responded. Another person chimed in that they own a notebook with a desktop processor and when overclocking, the system scores 9,503 in Fire Strike. At stock, it scores 8,470. "That's a pretty decent difference. My GPU temps don't go past 80C and my processor doesn't go past 60C. There should at least be an exception to hybrids like mine. Otherwise, I guess this is the last driver I'm going to be updating to. I didn't pay all that money just to be restricted. Ya'll wanna gimp, then how about lowering that price," the user added. You can check out the thread for more angry responses, and then let us know what you think about all this in the comments section below. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Micron and Seagate Just Became Best Friends in the SSD Space Posted: 13 Feb 2015 08:21 AM PST Strength in numbers Memory and storage heavyweights Micron and Seagate have signed a multi-year agreement in which the two will form a "framework for combining the innovation and expertise of both companies." Or in plain English, they're going to help each other in the storage space with an initial focus on SAS solid state drives and NAND supply, and then later in the enterprise SSD space. This really boils down to the supply of NAND flash memory. It's a volatile market, and it's one of the reasons why OCZ Technology ended up being acquired by Toshiba. The fluctuating prices and unpredictability of NAND flash memory supply made it difficult for OCZ to run a business that had become primarily focused on SSDs. Selling to Toshiba made sense in that regard. Storage companies see the writing on the wall, which is that SSDs are the storage format of the immediate future. To ensure they remain competitive, they've been investing in flash memory companies -- Seagate acquired LSI's flash memory controller business and Western Digital acquired flash memory maker Virident and later Skyera, a maker of enterprise SSD systems. There's no acquisition taking place between Micron and Seagate, but the strategic partnership should ensure that both remain competitive -- it's a 'scratch my back and I'll scratch your back' type of deal. In theory, Seagate shouldn't have to worry about NAND flash memory chips and wild fluctuations, and Micron lines itself up a major buyer. "The collaboration will assure both Seagate and Micron target the growing enterprise flash market with industry-leading offerings across both of our product portfolios," said Darren Thomas (PDF), Vice President of Storage, Micron. "The relationship provides Micron access to enterprise drive technology and platforms, expanding our portfolio and accelerating our push into the enterprise market segment." There's no mention of this partnership extending beyond the enterprise space, though depending on what develops, this could be something that trickles into the enthusiast market too, especially as PCIe SSDs become more common. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

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MMORPG News

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• General: The End of Bioware’s Never-Ending RPG
• Crowfall: 5 Things that Crowfall's Countdown Could Reveal
• Heroes of the Storm: Anub'arak the Love Bug
• General: The Daily Quest - Can B2P Revive the MMO Genre?
• PlanetSide 2: Matt Higby Resigns
• General: How a Timely Video Can Make or Break a Game
• DC Universe Online: Amazon Fury Part II Released for All
• Guild Wars 2: Stronghold PvP to be Shown During Friday's Live Stream
• Star Wars: The Old Republic: Does It Actually Matter if SWTOR is Canon or Not?
• Guild Wars 2: My Greatest Fear Storyline to Return
• General: Sword Coast Legends Announced - Tabletop on PC
• General: The Daily Quest - Now What Happens to Norrath?
• General: Not So MMO - The Games that Almost Make the Cut
• Crowfall: "Buy Once, Play Forever" Revealed as Revenue Model

General: The End of Bioware’s Never-Ending RPG Posted: 12 Feb 2015 09:43 AM PST Bioware made it official this week: Shadow Realms has been cancelled. The promising idea -- a never-ending 4-versus-1 RPG -- wasn't enough to keep the tide from turning at Bioware Austin and now a wide swath of hopeful fans are disappointed. But should we be? Read on as we look at what might have happened and the gilding on this otherwise sorrowful lily.

Crowfall: 5 Things that Crowfall's Countdown Could Reveal Posted: 11 Feb 2015 04:58 PM PST The number one term applied to the development of Crowfall so far seems to be the H-word. Yes, folks, the hype train has left the station and it has a long journey ahead of it, but that's part of the fun of being an MMO fan, right? Many of us enjoy the excitement that comes from seeing a new MMO peek its head up over the horizon, as we hope and pray that it will fill the hole in our heart that was left after the last dozen games promised us the world.

Heroes of the Storm: Anub'arak the Love Bug Posted: 11 Feb 2015 06:46 PM PST Blizzard is bringing a brand new character into Heroes of the Storm in the form of Anub'arak aka The Love Bug. Players can purchase Anub'arak and his special Love Bug skin just in time for Valentine's Day. The pair sell for $14.99 from the HotS Shop.

General: The Daily Quest - Can B2P Revive the MMO Genre? Posted: 13 Feb 2015 06:12 AM PST The Crowfall team is the latest to embrace the notion that the old standards of revenue generation have stagnated and that something else needs to be brought into the mix. Up to the last couple of years, MMO revenue was generated either with subscriptions or through item malls in free-to-play games. Yet with today's more mercurial MMO community, those tried and true ways of generating cash seem to be inadequate for the task.

PlanetSide 2: Matt Higby Resigns Posted: 13 Feb 2015 04:40 AM PST A post has appeared on the PlanetSide 2 Reddit from now-former Creative Director Matt Higby indicating that he has left Daybreak Game Studio. Higby claims that he had been considering leaving Daybreak prior to the staff firings earlier this week and said that the timing, given these events, provides the opportunity.

General: How a Timely Video Can Make or Break a Game Posted: 10 Feb 2015 05:53 PM PST With Wednesday's news about the layoffs at Daybreak Game Company (formerly SOE), including Dave Georgeson and Linda Brasse, we started thinking. There could be any number of reasons those two were let go, but being some of the highest profile members of SOE's staff causes alarm. We were reminded of SOE Live just this past year, the bits of EverQuest Next info we were given... and why it just wasn't enough for the press or the fans.

DC Universe Online: Amazon Fury Part II Released for All Posted: 12 Feb 2015 11:20 AM PST Daybreak Game Company has announced that the thirteenth DLC for DC Universe Online is now available for all. Amazon Fury Part II picks up where the first episode left off and players are charged with invading the Underworld to take on Hades and Ares. The DLC is squarely focused on cooperative play and includes raids and operations. There is also a single player mission included.

Guild Wars 2: Stronghold PvP to be Shown During Friday's Live Stream Posted: 12 Feb 2015 11:01 AM PST ArenaNet developers Josh Davis and Hugh Norfolk will be on hand for a Guild Wars 2 live stream event this Friday, February 13th to show off the forthcoming Stronghold PvP mode. Stronghold will make its debut in the Heart of Thorns expansion.

Star Wars: The Old Republic: Does It Actually Matter if SWTOR is Canon or Not? Posted: 11 Feb 2015 03:27 PM PST Like the rest of the EU, Star Wars: the Old Republic was slapped with a 'Legends' imprint and sent on its merry way, and quite rightly the fans worried that it meant doom for the BioWare Austin MMO. Almost a year later, SWTOR's status has become an increasing question of debate as the new movies approach and the announcement that there will be a Cantina Tour stop at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, CA.

Guild Wars 2: My Greatest Fear Storyline to Return Posted: 12 Feb 2015 09:35 AM PST A short but significant post has appeared on the Guild Wars 2 forum penned by Lead Writer Bobby Stein. In it, Stein lets players know that the "My Greatest Fear" storyline will be returning to the game's personal story and that the personal storyline will be returned to its original order.

General: Sword Coast Legends Announced - Tabletop on PC Posted: 12 Feb 2015 09:08 AM PST n-Space and Digital Extremes have announced that they are working to bring the tabletop DnD experience to PC users with Sword Coast Legends. The game will feature five character classes and will allow players to work through what is described as an immersive story line. Most excitingly, Sword Coast Legends will offer "Dungeon Master Mode" that allows DMs to lead players through custom-created adventures, though it can also be played cooperatively as a more traditional RPG as well.

General: The Daily Quest - Now What Happens to Norrath? Posted: 12 Feb 2015 08:56 AM PST A bit of a somber Daily Quest for you all today. In the wake of Norrathian leaders Dave Georgeson and Steve Danuser, plus so many others leaving Daybreak/SOE... we have to ask the impossible. What's going to become of EverQuest as a franchise?

General: Not So MMO - The Games that Almost Make the Cut Posted: 11 Feb 2015 03:16 PM PST Multiplayer gaming isn't what it used to be. Yes, MMORPGs have cornered the market on truly massive numbers, but there are a lot of games out there that feature the ability to play with large (but not quite massive) groups of players or smaller, tight-knit groups of friends, similar to what a MMO player would do while raiding. While I am a huge fan of "true" MMOs, I just as often enjoy logging in for some quick action or fun roleplay with a more immediate game.

Crowfall: "Buy Once, Play Forever" Revealed as Revenue Model Posted: 12 Feb 2015 08:00 AM PST The Crowfall site has a trio of goodies for fans today. The first comes in the form of the first revealed spell caster called the Confessor. The Confessor's page has a small, but interesting, back story as well as both male and female screenshots.

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