General Gaming Article

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• Oh Snap! Exasperated Judge Says Apple's 'Smoking Crack' with Long Witness List
• GPU Shipments Bucked Downward PC Trend in Q2, Jon Peddie Research Says
• Game Changing Google Play Gift Cards Exposed Online
• Good Times Keep Rolling for Lenovo, Profits Jump 30 Percent in 2012
• Nvidia's New "Sweet Spot" GPU: Three GTX 660 Ti Cards Reviewed
• Report: Trinity Desktop APUs to Hit Retail on October 1
• Creative Debuts Ultra High Performance Z Series Sound Blaster PCI Express Cards
• Nokia Sales Chief Puffs Chest at Samsung on Twitter
• Plantronics GameCom Commander Headset Uses Military Grade Noise Cancelling Technology

Oh Snap! Exasperated Judge Says Apple's 'Smoking Crack' with Long Witness List Posted: 16 Aug 2012 01:13 PM PDT U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh can hardly contain her frustration with Apple and Samsung over their court room shenanigans, first by snapping at the latter for leaking disallowed evidence to the public, and now to the former for submitting a long witness list. Koh suggested Apple's attorneys were "smoking crack" if they thought they could summon nearly two dozen rebuttal witnesses in the waning hours of litigation. "I am not going to be running around trying to get 75 pages of briefings for people who are not going to be testifying," Koh told Apple's lawyer Bill Lee, according to CNet. "I mean come on, 75 pages! 75 pages! You want me to do an order on 75 pages? Unless you're smoking crack, you know these witnesses aren't going to be called when you have less than four hours." Some on the outside looking in have accused Koh of favoring Apple at times, particularly when she didn't allow Samsung to present evidence that it felt was crucial to the case. But in recent days, Koh appears to have run out of patience with both companies. She was a bit terse when encouraging CEOs from opposing sides to try and work out a settlement agreement one final time, and the latest comment is a clear indication that she's had enough. "If it turns out I went through 75 pages for people who are not going to be called, I am going to think of a proper tax for that," Koh said. Kind of gives new meaning to the term 'Apple tax,' no? Apple's attorney, meanwhile, ensured Koh that he's not smoking crack, though he might be playing with fire. The same is true for Samsung. According to All Things D, Koh threatened to shorten trial time if both sides keep inundating the court with paperwork. "I'm billing time because you all are being unreasonable," Koh said. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

GPU Shipments Bucked Downward PC Trend in Q2, Jon Peddie Research Says Posted: 16 Aug 2012 09:40 AM PDT Nearly every player invested in the GPU market experienced a "good, if not great quarter" in Q2 as overall graphics shipments rose 2.5 percent sequentially and 5.5 percent year-over-year, according to data released today by Jon Peddie Research. Intel enjoyed the biggest gains in both desktop (13.6 percent) and notebook (3.8 percent), which isn't surprising now that CPUs with integrated graphics are the norm and not the exception. Intel remains the market share leader with a 62 percent slice of the pie, way ahead of AMD at 22.7 percent and Nvidia at 14.8 percent. "We found that graphics shipments during Q2 2012 bucked the downward PC trend and rose 2.7 percent from last quarter as compared to -1.5 percent for PCs overall. GPUs are traditionally a leading indicator of the market, since a GPU goes into every system before it's shipped," JPR said. Mobile is playing a big role in all of this. According to JPR's data, AMD's APU shipments dropped 13.8 percent in the desktop from Q1 and 6.7 percent in notebooks, though the chip designer had a 55.8 percent increase in notebook IGPs. Nvidia, meanwhile, saw its discrete desktop GPU shipments slide 10.4 percent compared to last quarter, while it's mobile discrete shipments rose 19.2 percent. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Game Changing Google Play Gift Cards Exposed Online Posted: 16 Aug 2012 09:05 AM PDT One advantage Apple users have had over their Google brethren is the ability to stock up on iTunes currency in the form of gift cards, which make great stocking stuffers and birthday gifts for anyone wielding an iOS device. At long last, it looks as though Google has finally gotten on the ball with gift cards of its own, redeemable in the Google Play store (formerly known as Android Market). Pictures of what appear to be legitimate Google Play gift cards popped up on Android Central in blurry, shrink wrapped glory (why is it that leaked photos are almost always of crappy quality?). They show $10 and $25 currencies with "Music, Movies, Books, Apps, & More" plastered along the bottom. The sultan of search hasn't officially announced or confirmed the existence of Google Play gift cards, so there's no official word on what other currencies will be availalbe, what stores you'll be able to find them, and when they'll be available. Even with all the unanswered questions, this is something every Android fan should be excited about. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Good Times Keep Rolling for Lenovo, Profits Jump 30 Percent in 2012 Posted: 16 Aug 2012 08:50 AM PDT Lenovo's investors have to be loving life right about now. The OEM is on top of its game and kept the sales momentum going by announcing yet another strong quarter in which net income (profit) for the three month period ended June topped $141.1 million, up 30 percent year-over-year. Lenovo's PC consumer business in mature markets has more than quadrupled in mature markets since 2008, and the company nearly doubled its PC revenue in emerging markets outside of China, the OEM said. "Growing share and profitability is hard in this market...but we DID IT!," Lenovo chairman and CEO Yang Yuanqing emphatically reported (PDF) in the company's latest financial statement. Lenovo's sales figures totaled $8.01 billion, a 35 percent year-over-year jump compared to $5.92 billion in 2011, and a 7 percent increase sequentially. That actually fell "slightly below" what analysts were expecting according to a poll conducted by The Wall Street Journal, but the way things have been going for Lenovo, investors have little to complain about. At a time when PC sales are slumping, Lenovo has figured out a way increase shipments across the board. Notebook sales were up 27 percent year-over-year, while desktop shipments experienced a 21 percent growth rate, Lenovo said. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Nvidia's New "Sweet Spot" GPU: Three GTX 660 Ti Cards Reviewed Posted: 16 Aug 2012 08:03 AM PDT When Nvidia launched its new Kepler architecture earlier this year with the GTX 680, the question on everyone's minds was what features Nvidia would sacrifice in future cards to hit lower price points. With the arrival of the $299 (base price) GTX 660Ti we have our answer, and thankfully it is "not much" as this card is very close to the blazing-fast GTX 670 (itself a slightly stripped down version of the GK104 GPU from the GTX 680) both in terms of specs and performance. It has the same number of Cuda cores (1,344), texture units (112), and SMX's (7) as the GTX 670. The only real differences between the GTX 660 Ti and its beefier cousin the GTX 670 are the ROPs (the 660 Ti has 24 to the 670's 32), the L2 cache (384KB versus 512KB), and the memory bandwidth (192-bit versus 256-bit).  We've collected cards from Gigabyte, EVGA and MSI that offer a range of clock speeds, cooling shrouds and price points to see how this new card fares in the heat of battle.  Specifications   MSI GTX 660Ti Power Edition When one Frozr just isn't enough The MSI GTX 660 Ti is an overclocked version of the 660 Ti, hence the name Power Edition. The company has pushed the core clock speed up 105MHz from the reference design and given the Boost clock quite a bit of latitude as well. Memory speed is 1,502MHz, just like the reference design and all the cards in this roundup. Keeping the whole things frosty is an elaborate cooler with a funny name—Twin Frozr—that is comprised of two heatpipes embedded into a flat, wide array of aluminum fans.  Two decently sized fans squat down on top of the heatsink and do an amazing job of keeping temperatures in check: we never saw the card go above 61C under full load, but it was easily the loudest cooler in this group when run at full load. The fan spun down nicely once the stress was relieved, like a college student exhaling after a tough final exam.   MSI continues to use its "Twin Frozr" cooler, though the latest version seems louder than before In testing the MSI card dominated the proceedings, at least when compared to the other 660 Ti cards, taking victories in seven out of ten categories, and losing by whisper-thin margins to the Gigabyte card in the other categories. When we put the card under full load the GPU clock automatically increased from the stock 1020MHz to 1215MHz, which is a decent overclock given that the card does it automatically.  The bundle includes a scant pair of molex to six-pin power connectors and a software CD that includes the easy-to-use Afterburner overclocking program. It lets you tweak the card's voltage, clock speeds, fan speeds and even capture activity logs but we found it had a few issues and is not the most intuitive piece of software we've seen, especially for newbies.  We like the MSI card a lot and it's clearly the fastest in this group. But we don't like the fact that it's also the loudest, and its accessories "bundle" is severely lacking.     MSI GTX 660Ti Power Edition PICKLES Top performance; great OC software; snazzy SPROUTS Loud fans; skimps on accessories $309, us.msi.com   Gigabyte GTX 660Ti OC Version Big fans of overclocking The Gigabyte card is also an overclocked card, having a stock GPU clock speed of 1033MHz, which is 118MHz higher than stock. It also features a decent overclock on its Boost Clock that gives it a ceiling of 1,111MHz when overclocked. The card includes a massive cooling apparatus that features twin 100mm fans blowing down onto aluminum fins fed by two fat copper heatpipes connected to a heat exchanger. The cooling setup is so big it overhangs the edges of the card a bit, but we don't mind—it was the quietest card in our testing by a clear margin and remained silent even under full load—an impressive feat for a card that is overclocked this much.  Not the fanciest-looking fans, but they're quiet and they work. Though the Gigabyte card was not as fast as the MSI board, it was nipping at the MSI's heels in every test and even beat it in two of the tests by the slimmest of margins. In reality, we can easily call it a wash between these two cards, and say they are both the fastest in this group of cards. One area in which the Gigabyte was the clear winner was in clock speeds, as it used GPU Boost to pump itself up to a surprising core clock speed of 1,241MHz, up from its 1,033MHz stock clock speed. It was also the quietest card in our tests, despite having the highest clock speeds.  Like the MSI board the bundle that comes with the card is minimal, including just two molex to six-pin power cable adapters and a CD with its OC Guru II software and drivers. The OC Guru software gets the job done but is not easy to use, and lacks any on-screen instructions.  The Gigabyte card is the most expensive card in this round—by $10—and is easily worth it. We are happy to pronounce it Kick Ass by virtue of its speed and quiet operation.     Gigabyte GTX 660Ti OC PCB Totally silent; great performance PCP Bundle is lacking; software hard to parse at a glance $319, www.gigabyte.us   EVGA GTX 660Ti Super Clocked A perfectly cromulent card Though the EVGA GTX 660 Ti looks like a reference card don't let its standard-looking cooling shroud fool you. This is certainly an overclocked card, though its overclock is the most modest in this grouping at just 65MHz above reference speeds. Its Boost Clock frequency is also lower than the other cards at just 1,059MHz. The board features a very short 7" circuit board, compared to over 9 inches on the other cards, but its extra-long cooling shroud makes the card just as big and long as the others.  EVGA's shroud, like its clocks, hews closer to reference than the others. The EVGA did not win in any of our benchmark tests, but it was close in all of them and usually off the pace by just a handful of frames. We're not too surprised about this as this card had the lowest clock speeds of any in the test, running up to 1,123MHz when under 100 percent load, which is a 100MHz deficit compared to its competition. The card did stay cool and relatively quiet though, running at a steady 65C even when  pushed for hours under at 100 percent full-load. We would describe the noise level as worse than the Gigabyte but not as bad as the MSI board: noticeable but not annoying.  Surprisingly, though this board looks like it's the most boring in the group it includes the best bundle of accessories including a VGA-to-DVI adapter, two power supply cable adapters and a sheet of EVGA stickers that are kind of cool.  As it stands the EVGA is a tough sell since it doesn't excel in any one area compared to the other cards here. We hear it will be releasing a more powerful FTW version in the future, and we can't wait to check that card out when it arrives. This card is a solid offering but there are better options available.    EVGA GTX 660Ti SC COOLER Decent performance; relatively quiet; good bundle DROOLER Slower than the others; not totally quiet. $309, www.evga.com Bringing guns to a gunfight Since Kepler launched we've been waiting for a mid-range card utilizing Nvidia's latest architecture, and now that it's arrived we're not disappointed. All three GTX 660 Ti's pushed out more-than-playable framerates on all of our games, at 1920x1200, with all settings maxed and 4X MSAA (Shogun 2 is the only game we played at 1080p instead of 1920x1200). We also tested the cards at 2560x1600 (again at maximum settings and 4x MSAA), and framerates were above 30fps in all but a few benchmarks: Unigine Heaven, STALKER, and Shogun 2 hovered in the high 20s and low 30s, while the punishing Metro's framerates at 2560x1600 were in the low teens.  Benchmarks Best scores are bolded. Our test bed is a 3.33GHz Core i7 3960X Extreme Edition in an Asus P9X79 motherboard with 16GB of DDR3/1600 and an AX1200 Corsair PSU. The OS is 64-bit Windows Ultimate. All games are run at 1920x1200 with 4XAA and all settings maxed, except for the 3DMark tests, and Shogun 2, which is run at 1080p High settings.   The 660 Ti cards' $300-320 price range puts them firmly between the Radeon HD 7870 and 7950 in price, and their performance is right between the two Radeons as well. The 660 Tis trounce the 7870 GHz edition, and gives the 7950 a run for its money as well. Unless and until AMD drops the price of the 7950 there's no reason to buy it over the 660 Ti. AMD pushed out special clock-boosting BIOS updates to some reviewers' reference 7950s earlier this week, but not to us, and we test against retail cards anyway, so that won't factor into our reviews.  Compared to the GTX 560 Ti 448, the GTX 660 Ti isn't groundbreaking. If you have a 560 Ti there's no reason to spend $300 on a 660 Ti; you're better off getting a second 560Ti. But if you're coming from an older midrange card (or an even older high-end card), or building a new rig, the 660Ti is a great choice.

Report: Trinity Desktop APUs to Hit Retail on October 1 Posted: 16 Aug 2012 07:22 AM PDT Even though it has been almost three months since AMD first began shipping 2nd-generation A-series "Trinity" mobile APUs, there is still no sign of their desktop counterparts. The last we heard of the desktop Trinity APUs from the Sunnyvale-based chip maker was back in July. But even back then the company merely reassured everyone that the release of the chips was "on track." With the company still unwilling to commit to a release date, there is plenty of speculation surrounding the release schedule of these desktop APUs. Like a number of reports before it, the latest, which comes courtesy of Japanese site Hermitage Akihabara and includes the first pictures of the upcoming chips, also points to an October release—October 1 to be precise—for 2nd-generation A-series desktop APUs. Just to be clear, we're not talking about OEM availability here, but general retail availability; actually, these chips have been shipping to OEMs like HP and Asus since June. If the report is accurate, the chips will arrive just in time for the release of Windows 8, which is scheduled for October 26. Here is a quick rundown of the specs of the Trinity desktop chips that will be hitting the market sometime later this year: These chips will need motherboards with the chip maker's new socket FM2, a 904-pin socket as opposed to the 905-pin one that worked with Llano APUs. As for the Fusion Controller Hub, you'll have a choice between two chipsets: the A75 and A85X. It's important to note here that the latter includes eight SATA 6Gb/s ports and RAID 5 support, whereas the former doesn't. Image Credit: Hermitage Akihabara

Creative Debuts Ultra High Performance Z Series Sound Blaster PCI Express Cards Posted: 16 Aug 2012 06:22 AM PDT Multi-core processors and vastly improved onboard audio solutions have all but rendered discrete audio cards obsolete, just don't speak such nonsense to Creative, which just unveiled a new generation of Sound Blaster soundcards. Three new cards comprise the company's new Sound Blaster Z Series, including the Sound Blaster ZxR, Zx, and Z, all three of which are PCI Express parts. "The audio landscape for gaming and entertainment on the PC has changed. As content creation and consumption evolves with the interactivity of the Internet, our vision is to enable the best listening experiences for music, video and games, and to transcend the basic concept of sound quality as a specification with enabling technologies that allow users to completely customize their PC audio," said Low Long Chye, Director of Product Marketing for Audio. "For audio playback, we use studio-grade components to deliver outstanding fidelity, and then greatly enhance the listening experience by implementing our SBX Pro Studio suite of audio technologies." Pricing starts at $100 for the Sound Blaster Z, the entry-level model in the three-card lineup. It boasts 120dB SNR and supports 192KHz direct pass-through to analog out. For $50 more, the Sound Blaster Zx adds an external ACM (Audio Control Module) with a built-in dual microphone array and mic/headphone I/O connections. And then there's the Sound Blaster ZxR, which shares the same hardware and software features as the Zx but adds a DBpro daughter card that offers optical output and 123dB analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) with RCA Aux-in and optical input. The ZxR will sell for $250. Creative says the Sound Blaster ZxR and Zx will be available in December; the vanilla Z version will be available in October. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Nokia Sales Chief Puffs Chest at Samsung on Twitter Posted: 16 Aug 2012 05:56 AM PDT Have you ever seen a couple of nerds try to trash talk each other? If not, you may get your chance, as Nokia's Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Chris Weber, took to Twitter to call out rival Samsung and warn the company that it's bringing its A-game with its next generation Lumia device. It's not an earth shattering tweet by any means, though you don't often see company execs calling out their rivals. "Samsung take note, next generation Lumia coming soon," Weber posted to Twitter, sparking a flurry of comments in the process. Samsung hasn't responded, nor does the handset maker really need to, at least not yet. It can let the numbers speak for themselves, and according to the latest data from research firm Gartner, Samsung leads all other companies in mobile market share. Smartphones are a large reason why. "This quarter's growth was driven by record sales of Galaxy smartphones, meaning smartphones now account for 50.4 percent of all Samsung mobile devices, or 45.6 million units," Gartner said. "Demand for the new Galaxy S3 was particularly strong, exceeding Samsung's own expectations, with a reported 10 million units reached in the two months after its release. The Galaxy S3 was the best-selling Android product in the quarter and could have been higher but for product shortages." The upcoming Lumia device Nokia is using as a catalyst to trash talk the competition is expected to launch in early September ahead of Apple's iPhone 5 announcement. It will run Windows 8 and is rumored to include a 4.3-inch touchscreen, dual-core S4 Snapdragon processor, and support both NFC and 4G LTE. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Plantronics GameCom Commander Headset Uses Military Grade Noise Cancelling Technology Posted: 16 Aug 2012 05:23 AM PDT We lent an ear to Plantronics so the company could tell us all about its new limited edition GameCom Commander headset built for professional gamers. In short, Plantronics claims they took a noise cancelling headset developed for military applications and adapted the design for gaming. That sounds like overkill, until you factor in that professional and semi-pro gamers often find themselves surrounded by thousands of competitors, and when you're in a confined space with 3,000 people, things tend to get a little boisterous. The GameCon Commander "distills the roar of the crowd into a silent current of energy" so you can focus on the on-screen action without being distracted by all the chatter. In doing so, Plantronics claims its headset can reduce background noise by up to 85 percent, or approximately 20 decibels, and reduce transmit background noise by up to 80 percent, or 18 decibels. In addition to advanced noise cancelling technology, the GameCon Commander boasts a flexible wire boom type microphone (noise cancelling, natch), a ruggedized ear cup design, full spectrum stereo, Dolby 7.1 USB dongle, a pair of 3.5mm plugs for analog soundcard connections, quick connect controls to PC, breakaway cords for mobile/tablet applications, and a case for tournament travel and storage. Plantronics says it will limit production to 10,000 GameCon Commander headsets, which you can pre-order today for $299. Orders will ship in September. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

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MMO and SEO News from Gameforumer.com

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• Power Rangers Online (KR)
• Appeals Court Empowers Police to Track Suspects by Cell Phone Sans Warrant
• The Five Lamest Final Fantasy Characters
• Review: Unchained Blades
• Monster Hunter Frontier (JP)

Power Rangers Online (KR) Posted: 16 Aug 2012 08:26 AM PDT As an avid fan of the Toku series in Japan including Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, Garo, Gridman etc, I was just as surprised as anyone else when Power Rangers Online was announced 2 weeks ago (link). Already onfirmed to be … read more »

Appeals Court Empowers Police to Track Suspects by Cell Phone Sans Warrant Posted: 16 Aug 2012 01:00 AM PDT Privacy advocates aren’t going to like this one, but a 2-1 ruling in the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has given law enforcement officials the legal right to track suspects by cell phone in real-time without … read more »

The Five Lamest Final Fantasy Characters Posted: 15 Aug 2012 11:00 PM PDT Few thrills in gaming can compare to recruiting an awesome character in an RPG. On the flip side, few disappointments are greater than being saddled with a total load. Fans embrace Final Fantasy for its exceptional stories and characters, but … read more »

Review: Unchained Blades Posted: 15 Aug 2012 09:00 PM PDT I’m not the biggest RPG nut, but over my last decade of gaming, I have appreciated most of the RPGs I’ve played. After starting on Pokemon, I’ve played a Final Fantasy or two, and even delved into Persona. But until recently, I’d never even … read more »

Monster Hunter Frontier (JP) Posted: 15 Aug 2012 08:22 PM PDT (Benchmark download) So, Monster Hunter Frontier Japan will be having a huge update which will apparently change the game to “Monster Hunter Frontier 2″, adding in tons of new content, including monsters, areas, weapons, character actions and more. Seeing that … read more »

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Latest Gaming and MMORPG Updates

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• Power Rangers Online (KR)
• Appeals Court Empowers Police to Track Suspects by Cell Phone Sans Warrant
• The Five Lamest Final Fantasy Characters
• Review: Unchained Blades
• Monster Hunter Frontier (JP)

Power Rangers Online (KR) Posted: 16 Aug 2012 08:26 AM PDT As an avid fan of the Toku series in Japan including Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, Garo, Gridman etc, I was just as surprised as anyone else when Power Rangers Online was announced 2 weeks ago (link). Already onfirmed to be … read more »

Appeals Court Empowers Police to Track Suspects by Cell Phone Sans Warrant Posted: 16 Aug 2012 01:00 AM PDT Privacy advocates aren’t going to like this one, but a 2-1 ruling in the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has given law enforcement officials the legal right to track suspects by cell phone in real-time without … read more »

The Five Lamest Final Fantasy Characters Posted: 15 Aug 2012 11:00 PM PDT Few thrills in gaming can compare to recruiting an awesome character in an RPG. On the flip side, few disappointments are greater than being saddled with a total load. Fans embrace Final Fantasy for its exceptional stories and characters, but … read more »

Review: Unchained Blades Posted: 15 Aug 2012 09:00 PM PDT I’m not the biggest RPG nut, but over my last decade of gaming, I have appreciated most of the RPGs I’ve played. After starting on Pokemon, I’ve played a Final Fantasy or two, and even delved into Persona. But until recently, I’d never even … read more »

Monster Hunter Frontier (JP) Posted: 15 Aug 2012 08:22 PM PDT (Benchmark download) So, Monster Hunter Frontier Japan will be having a huge update which will apparently change the game to “Monster Hunter Frontier 2″, adding in tons of new content, including monsters, areas, weapons, character actions and more. Seeing that … read more »

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MMO Updates

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• Gamescom 2012: CJ Games showcases upcoming games in videos
• Gamescom 2012: World of Warcraft reveals Mists of Pandaria opening cinematic
• D&D Online's Song of Druid's Deep screenshots released
• Gamescom 2012: New LotRO dev diary about warsteeds
• The Daily Grind: Do you really want MMO innovation?
• Gamescom 2012: FFXIV servers shutting down ahead of relaunch, A Realm Reborn beta planned for this fall
• Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn 'scalable' for next-gen consoles
• EverQuest's Hero's Forge cosmetic system goes live
• Why I Play: Vindictus
• Gamescom 2012: Neverwinter shows off lore trailer and prepares for 2013 launch
• Free for All: Here's looking at you, Remnant Knights
• WildStar Wednesday discusses the importance of items
• Enter at Your Own Rift: First impressions from returning players
• Gamescom 2012: Funcom teases The Secret World's New York raid with new screens
• A Mild-Mannered Reporter: City of Heroes' Issue 24 is coming
• Gamescom 2012: SOE reveals new PlanetSide 2 trailer
• Knight Age open beta events begin August 28th
• Gamescom 2012: End of Nations trailer spotlights customization

Gamescom 2012: CJ Games showcases upcoming games in videos Posted: 16 Aug 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Horror, Trailers, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items Back at E3, Massively had the chance to chat with folks from CJ Games Global about a number of their upcoming games, including the horror-themed shooter Hounds, the medieval strategy game Monarch, and the urban action shooter District 187: Sin Streets (formally called Sin Streets Online). For Gamescom, the company showed two short trailers highlighting some of the in-game action of both Monarch and Hounds. Hounds will feature five types of gameplay, including end-game raiding and PvP. The game is scheduled for a fourth-quarter release in 2013. Planned for release just before that in Q3 2013, Monarch utilizes soldiers-for-hire to siege opposing territories in large-scale combat. Check out the in-game footage of both titles in the trailers after the break. [Source: CJ Games Global press release] Continue reading Gamescom 2012: CJ Games showcases upcoming games in videos Gamescom 2012: CJ Games showcases upcoming games in videos originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gamescom 2012: World of Warcraft reveals Mists of Pandaria opening cinematic Posted: 16 Aug 2012 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Expansions, News items, Races Ever since Blizzard announced that the opening cinematic for World of Warcraft's next expansion Mists of Pandaria would be revealed at Gamescom 2012, fans have been patiently waiting to watch the introduction of the Pandaren in the popular fantasy MMORPG. Now the wait is over: Watch as the black and white kung-fu master takes on two warring combatants in the video after the break. Continue reading Gamescom 2012: World of Warcraft reveals Mists of Pandaria opening cinematic Gamescom 2012: World of Warcraft reveals Mists of Pandaria opening cinematic originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: WoW Insider

D&D Online's Song of Druid's Deep screenshots released Posted: 16 Aug 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Patches, News items, Free-to-play It's been a little while since Dungeons & Dragons Online's Menace of the Underdark expansion came out, which means it must be time for a content update. Surely enough, Monday, August 20th, will be playing host to the launch of the game's Update 15: Song of Druid's Deep. The update will bring in a new Monster Manual and a brand-new adventure pack with new dungeons and exciting monsters. You can get a sneak peek of three of the dungeons -- Outbreak, Overgrowth, and Thorn & Paw -- right here! Check out the gallery below to get a glimpse of what awaits you in the Song of Druid's Deep. [Source: Turbine press release] Gallery: D&D Online update 15: Song of Druid's Deep D&D Online's Song of Druid's Deep screenshots released originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gamescom 2012: New LotRO dev diary about warsteeds Posted: 16 Aug 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, News items, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries Last week we brought you news about Lord of the Rings Online's warsteed mechanic, accompanied by a video with people talking about that mechanic. The time for talk has gone; now is the time for deep chanting, epic music, and glorious in-game footage of warsteeds in action. Straight from the show floor of Gamescom comes a new video featuring LotRO's mounts for the Riders of Rohan expansion. These mounts come in three armor tiers, have slots for individual armor pieces, and have customizable skills. They also look pretty snazzy as they carry you into battle. Check out last week's video to learn more about mounts, or skip below the cut to check out this week's video if all you need is the pounding of drums and the thrill of battle. Continue reading Gamescom 2012: New LotRO dev diary about warsteeds Gamescom 2012: New LotRO dev diary about warsteeds originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Do you really want MMO innovation? Posted: 16 Aug 2012 06:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Daily Grind, Roleplaying Sony Online Entertainment's new SOEmote feature debuted in EverQuest II last week, and you could almost hear the yawns from the game's core community. While our own Karen Bryan was willing to give the feature an objective go, most of the EQII vets I know have been disinterested at best and downright hostile due to the "wasted development time" at worst. SOEmote's mixed reception was both predictable and irritating, as it often seems to me like MMO gamers cry for innovation out of one side of their mouths and decry it from the other side on those rare occasions when it happens. Granted, SOEmote isn't a combat- or endgame-focused innovation, but isn't that the point? Shouldn't MMO devs be spreading their creative wings and giving us new things to do that aren't the same old hotbar-spamming gear grind? So how about it, morning crew -- do you just want more progression, or do you really want MMO innovation (and if so, what kind)? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind! The Daily Grind: Do you really want MMO innovation? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gamescom 2012: FFXIV servers shutting down ahead of relaunch, A Realm Reborn beta planned for this fall Posted: 16 Aug 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, Interviews, MMO industry, Massively Interviews, Massively Event Coverage, Final Fantasy XIV Final Fantasy XIV players, take note: Your days are numbered. Er, at least your days spent in the original FFXIV world. When the game's rebirth, called A Realm Reborn, occurs later this year, the game's servers will be taken offline. Rather than overlap the two versions of the game, Square-Enix director/producer Naoki Yoshida says the original servers will be taken offline "some day in the near future," precipitating an alpha and then a beta for the game's relaunch later this year. "Basically what's going to happen is that the current story is still continuing now, but some day in the near future -- and we'll make sure we tell the players what day that is -- something is going to happen in the story, and at that time, the servers are going to shut down," Yoshida told us in a group interview this morning at Gamescom. The reason for the shutdown is less thrilling than you might think. "Basically the player data will be taken over into the new game. So, to convert all this new data for the new systems, we need a certain amount of time to do this. There's so much data, so many thousands of characters that we must do this for. And so we have to shut down the servers," he said. Yoshida was quick to point out that players will have plenty of warning ahead of the shut-down (consider this your first heads-up). He also notes that the original game's userbase will be prioritized in A Realm Reborn's beta queue and that players will "be able to use their current characters in the beta test as well." Though that may not be at the kickoff of the beta, he says, "We're working in a way to try to get it as close to the beginning of the beta test as possible." A Realm Reborn is headed to both PlayStation 3 and PC later this year. Every summer, the gaming industry descends on Cologne, Germany, for Gamescom, the world's largest trade fair for interactive games and entertainment. Massively's on the scene in 2012, bringing you all the best scoops, impressions, and interviews from the MMOs at the show! Gamescom 2012: FFXIV servers shutting down ahead of relaunch, A Realm Reborn beta planned for this fall originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn 'scalable' for next-gen consoles Posted: 16 Aug 2012 04:07 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, MMO industry, Massively Interviews, Massively Event Coverage, Final Fantasy XIV When Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn launches later this year on PC and PlayStation 3, each version will represent a scaled version of the game's highest settings. But with talk of next-gen consoles getting louder and louder, does it make sense to stick with the PlayStation 3? Square Enix producer slash director Naoki Yoshida thinks so, but that doesn't mean he isn't prepared for the looming next generation of game consoles. "The biggest thing is because we promised we'd release on PlayStation 3, and there are still a lot of players out there waiting for us to release a PS3 version. Before we talked about losing the trust of the player base with the original release of XIV, and getting that trust back. One of the things to get that trust back is to fulfill our promises. That promise being that we'd release on the PlayStation 3," Naoki said in a group interview today at Gamescom. "That doesn't mean we're not looking to the future. We realize that things will be coming, and then making the game compatible for these systems is something we're currently thinking about," he added. Of course, "until Sony and Microsoft actually make an announcement," he said, "we can't make an announcement." Yoshida said that his team's flexibility with FFXIV is due to the game's new engine. "With this new engine, it's very scalable. It runs on low-end PCs and high-end PCs. So, when new technology comes out, we can easily scale it to that high end." Yoshida went on to show the game running on a colleague's Sony Vaio laptop, sporting a Core i5 processor. While the graphics were scaled down for the lower end specs, the game still ran smoothly and looked quite impressive. "This is at about 70 percent optimization," he added. FFXIV: A Realm Reborn will launch on both PC and PlayStation 3 "this year." Every summer, the gaming industry descends on Cologne, Germany, for Gamescom, the world's largest trade fair for interactive games and entertainment. Massively's on the scene in 2012, bringing you all the best scoops, impressions, and interviews from the MMOs at the show! Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn 'scalable' for next-gen consoles originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 06:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EverQuest's Hero's Forge cosmetic system goes live Posted: 15 Aug 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, News items, Free-to-play All you EverQuest players better put on your fiercest faces and get ready to hit the catwalk 'cause the game's cosmetic armor system is officially live. The new feature, known as the Hero's Forge, will provide players the means to craft and discover a number of new cosmetic armor pieces so that they can strut around Norrath in the finest fashions. But much like that Versace handbag you've had your eye on (don't deny it), haute couture in Norrath doesn't come cheap. The Hero's Forge will have to be unlocked separately for each individual character on a player's account, and the only way of doing this is via a real-money transaction in the SOE Marketplace at the slightly ridiculous price of 1200 Station Cash ($12 US) per character. Looks like you can put a price on beauty. Nonetheless, players eager to get a fashionista fix can head on over to the Marketplace to get hooked up. [Source: Sony Online Entertainment press release] EverQuest's Hero's Forge cosmetic system goes live originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Why I Play: Vindictus Posted: 15 Aug 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Opinion, Free-to-play, Vindictus, Why I Play I've noticed a curious trend among the Massively staff when it comes to the Why I Play column: The writers here tend to choose games you wouldn't necessarily expect them to choose. MJ Guthrie, who is the wind beneath our Wings Over Atreia, wrote about why she plays the Secret World. Patrick Mackey, our former Champions Online caped crusader and lately our League of Legends legend, wrote about why he plays Global Agenda. Shawn Schuster, our boss-in-chief, wrote about the little MMO that could, WURM Online. Jef Reahard, our stalwart sandbox supporter, wrote about Lord of the Rings Online. And Larry Everett, our Jedi master, wrote about, well, Star Wars The Old Republic, but my point is that the Why I Play column seems to be a place for us to write about the games we play when we're not "gaming." That brings me to my choice for this week: Vindictus. Each week, I express my fondness for RIFT, EverQuest II, and various kid-friendly MMOs, but about a year ago, I began to do an MMO walkabout and sampled a bunch of games, many of which I livestreamed with Massively's Jeremy Stratton. I really enjoyed most of the MMOs we played, but one that stood out for me was Vindictus. There's something about the game that makes it my favorite game away from gaming, and I'll attempt to explain why in this week's Why I Play. Continue reading Why I Play: Vindictus Why I Play: Vindictus originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gamescom 2012: Neverwinter shows off lore trailer and prepares for 2013 launch Posted: 15 Aug 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Events, real-world, Launches, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, Neverwinter Neverwinter, the upcoming action-based free-to-play title from Cryptic Studios, will be making an appearance at Gamescom 2012 as well as GenCon Indy 2012 and PAX Prime 2012. It will not be making an appearance as a launched game, however, as the official launch date has been pushed back from late 2012 to early 2013. Attendees to these conventions will be able to play an early build of the game, and press members will also be given a tour of the game's player-generated content tool, the Foundry. For those not able to attend the conventions, the team behind the game has put together a new lore trailer for Ebon Downs, one of the game's many dungeon areas. The short story is that a necromancer is using an artifact to raise an army of undead, but there are more details to be unearthed about the artifact in question and the perils within the barrows. Check out the trailer past the break and new screenshots in our gallery below. [Source: Perfect World Entertainment press release] Gallery: Neverwinter Continue reading Gamescom 2012: Neverwinter shows off lore trailer and prepares for 2013 launch Gamescom 2012: Neverwinter shows off lore trailer and prepares for 2013 launch originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Free for All: Here's looking at you, Remnant Knights Posted: 15 Aug 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Bugs, Culture, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, Casual, Humor, Free for All Sometimes I forget how nice it is to jump into a bright, cartoony world. MMOs can be such serious business these days. Remnant Knights, published by GameSamba, fills the need for escape into a wacky world. It's a truly free free-to-play game that hails from overseas. You know the type: a cash shop attached to an absolutely free client, no pay walls like the ones we see in Western freemium titles, gloriously cartoony and unabashedly cute. Remnant Knights plunks players down in a world of two schools: the Owl Academy and the Dragon Academy. I received a higher-level education with my press account, which made me a member of the Owls. Unfortunately there were no available slots left for me to create a new character, but let me tell you what I found anyway. Hint: It's wacky. Continue reading Free for All: Here's looking at you, Remnant Knights Free for All: Here's looking at you, Remnant Knights originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

WildStar Wednesday discusses the importance of items Posted: 15 Aug 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Endgame, News items, WildStar WildStar's developer dispatches all have a theme: "Play the way you enjoy playing." That's borne out in the latest installment of WildStar Wednesday, in which Economy team leader Jeremy Wood discusses the ins and outs of the game's reward system. Wood explains that his team is responsible for making sure that players have the rewards needed to keep them playing, and in a game focused so heavily on differing player paths, that can be a tall order. WildStar will allow players a hefty amount of customization for items, including a dye system and modifications to existing equipment. Players can also expect to receive rewards of attractive and useful gear through every path rather than to be limited to one or two endgame pursuits. Even once you reach the top tier of items, there won't be a single "best" piece; the game will offer several different items for different playstyles. Take a look at the full article to get a broader picture of what the game will offer players to keep them invested to the endgame and beyond. WildStar Wednesday discusses the importance of items originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: WildStar Wednesday

Enter at Your Own Rift: First impressions from returning players Posted: 15 Aug 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Opinion, RIFT, Enter at Your Own Rift What do a statistician, a tinkerer, a party guy, a time-challenged player, and my better half all have in common? They're a handful of gamers who have recently been playing RIFT with me, and many of them have come back after a break from the game. It's pretty much been one coincidence after another that they've all come back around the same time, and while we all get along swimmingly, we all have differences in our playstyles that make this group a decent representation of the RIFT demographic on the whole. Would the game hook in everyone? Would the second time be the charm? Hear their impressions in this week's Enter at Your Own Rift. Continue reading Enter at Your Own Rift: First impressions from returning players Enter at Your Own Rift: First impressions from returning players originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gamescom 2012: Funcom teases The Secret World's New York raid with new screens Posted: 15 Aug 2012 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Galleries, Screenshots, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, The Secret World Funcom has let slip the first details of The Secret World's first raid at this week's Gamescom convention in Germany. Said details take the form of four screenshots showing player characters duking it out with some sort of tentacled monstrosity in the streets of New York. A company press release says that "players will be introduced to the story by listening to the accounts of characters that have taken refuge in the New York subway system, and eventually players will battle a monster that towers over the skyscrapers in the middle of Times Square." Also of note is the game's new three-day trial. Registration is free (but must be completed by August 19th). If you manage to finish 30 missions during your trial period, you'll earn an extra two days of play time. Check out the new screens in the gallery below. [Source: Funcom press release] Gallery: The Secret World Gamescom Gallery Every summer, the gaming industry descends on Cologne, Germany, for Gamescom, the world's largest trade fair for interactive games and entertainment. Massively's on the scene in 2012, bringing you all the best scoops, impressions, and interviews from MMOs at the show! Gamescom 2012: Funcom teases The Secret World's New York raid with new screens originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: City of Heroes' Issue 24 is coming Posted: 15 Aug 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Game mechanics, Patches, Opinion, Free-to-play, A Mild-Mannered Reporter When I first started doing my "next time on A Mild-Mannered Reporter" routine, I knew that there would be a problem -- namely, that every so often I would find out some news that makes my preview incorrect. In this case, it was the preview of Issue 24 that dropped on the same day my column came out, which meant I couldn't write about it then. But I can write about it now, so that's good. I'll freely admit that even as a fan of City of Heroes, I hadn't been super-azzed about Issue 24. It wasn't that I thought it would be awful; it just hadn't really roped me in. But now that all of the features are laid out in front of us, I find that it's actually looking a lot more interesting. There's some cool stuff here, and in what may be the most welcome news, it's stuff focused on a variety of the game's elements. Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: City of Heroes' Issue 24 is coming A Mild-Mannered Reporter: City of Heroes' Issue 24 is coming originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gamescom 2012: SOE reveals new PlanetSide 2 trailer Posted: 15 Aug 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2 The last PlanetSide 2 trailer was a bit... eh, well, let's not beat around the bush. It was kinda cheesy. Thankfully Sony Online Entertainment has gotten back to what it does best with a rip-roaring romp through the battlefields of Auraxis courtesy of a new clip released at Gamescom. Galaxies? Check. Ground armor? Check. Infantry, jetpack, and air-to-air combat? Check, check, and check. The new video hits all the sweet spots, so have a look-see after the break! Continue reading Gamescom 2012: SOE reveals new PlanetSide 2 trailer Gamescom 2012: SOE reveals new PlanetSide 2 trailer originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: YouTube Via: PSU

Knight Age open beta events begin August 28th Posted: 15 Aug 2012 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Contests, News items, Free-to-play The stars must be in an almightily peculiar alignment on August 28th because everyone wants in on that action. A Joymax press release today announced that Knight Age, a new free-to-play MMO, will enter open beta testing on the 28th. When the open beta does kick off, players will all be blessed with a double experience buff as a celebration of the game's Facebook page getting 3,000 Likes. Keep getting people to push that Like button to unlock new reward pellets! To help you bide the time until testing opens, a number of contests are kicking off. There are a whopping 17 events planned to entertain and entice players between now and the end of open beta testing (whenever that is). Lucky winners can get in-game items like helpful goodies or pets that will carry over into launch, and especially lucky winners can get stuff like a brand-new laptop. Prospective players can pre-register for open beta by creating a Joymax account and following the game's Facebook page for updates on contests and more. [Source: Joymax press release] Knight Age open beta events begin August 28th originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gamescom 2012: End of Nations trailer spotlights customization Posted: 15 Aug 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Video, New titles, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, MMORTS Whether they're sporting traditional or tie-dye or polka-dots, players meeting on the battlefield in End of Nations won't have to worry about blending in with the crowd thanks to the variety of customization options available in the Armory. Trion Worlds released a trailer at Gamescom 2012 showcasing some of these available customizations in the upcoming free-to-play MMORTS. The customization in the Armory, however, goes beyond just a colorful outer shell; players also use this feature to set load outs, design and create companies, and modify units. Want different armaments? The Armory is where you get them. Check out the variety of options as well as some in-game footage in the trailer after the break. And players interested in experiencing the feature for themselves can sign up for the beta on the official site. Continue reading Gamescom 2012: End of Nations trailer spotlights customization Gamescom 2012: End of Nations trailer spotlights customization originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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