General Gaming Article

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• Valve Kicks Off Non-Game Software Sale on Steam
• Daily Deals 10/2/12: 64GB Waterproof Flash Drive, 480GB SSD, 2TB NAS, and More
• Asus Reportedly in Talks to Acquire Motherboard Maker ASRock
• Internet Explorer Might Always Be the Most Popular Browser (Or Not)
• Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E Review
• Kingston 64GB Wi-Drive review
• Lenovo ThinkCentre M78 Desktop is All Business
• Acer's Aspire S7 Series Ultrabooks Want to Feel Your Touch

Valve Kicks Off Non-Game Software Sale on Steam Posted: 02 Oct 2012 06:08 PM PDT Big things have been happening on Steam lately, not the least of which is the recently unveiled 'Big Picture' mode for HDTVs (see our How To guide on enabling this feature). Valve also recently overhauled the Steam community, then announced plans to offer Steam on Linux in a limited beta run with just 1,000 users. If all that weren't enough, starting today, you can purchase non-gaming titles on Steam for the first time. For the first week, all non-game software on Steam will be offered at a 10 percent discount, a deal that expires on October 9th at 10AM Pacific Time. Launch titles include: ArtRage Studio Pro CameraBag 2 GameMaker: Studio 3D-Coat 3DMark Vantage 3DMark 11 Source Filmmaker As time goes on, Valve will add more non-game software to Steam, though it remains to be seen if it will venture beyond mostly game-related content. For the time being, the above is what there is to choose from, many of which will take advantage of popular Steamworks features, like easy installation and automatic updating. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Daily Deals 10/2/12: 64GB Waterproof Flash Drive, 480GB SSD, 2TB NAS, and More Posted: 02 Oct 2012 11:24 AM PDT Top Deal: It seemed like only yesterday when 8GB was considered large for a USB stick. Now, more specifically today, you can get a massive 64GB Centon DataStick for the very affordable price of $33 with $2 shipping (normally $40).  What separates Centon's stick from most is that it's waterproof up to 1.8 meters (great for when you need to swim across an ocean and deliver data to someone on an island). Furthermore, the flash drive features a shock-resistant silicon casing and a carabineer clip for you to easily lug around.  Hardware & Peripherals: Buffalo LinkStation Live 2TB NAS network hard drive (LS-X2.0TL) for $130 with free shipping (normally $170). SanDisk Extreme 480GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s SSD (SDSSDX-480G-G25) for $370 with free shipping (normally $400). Kingston HyperX 3K 2.5" 240GB SATA 6Gb/s SSD (SH103S3/240G) for $165 with free shipping (normally $250).  Apple EarPods with remote & microphone (newest model) for $29 with free shipping.

Asus Reportedly in Talks to Acquire Motherboard Maker ASRock Posted: 02 Oct 2012 11:02 AM PDT Asus, the top motherboard maker ahead of Gigabyte, may be looking to further strengthen its position by acquiring ASRock, the third largest player in the mobo business. It's an interesting development, not just because it would combine the world's first and third largest motherboard entities, but because it would be the second time Asus has owned ASRock. A quick history lesson is in order here. In 2002, Asus created the ASRock brand to sell entry-level motherboards and to target the commodity OEM market, going up against the likes of ECS and Foxconn. It gave Asus a foothold into the budget motherboard market without damaging its enthusiast brand recognition. ASRock is now owned by Pegatron, which itself was a subsidiary of Asus incorporated in 2007. Pegatron has since been spun off and is no longer connected to Asus, so now the ASRock brand Asus created is a direct competitor. Over the years, ASRock has grown from an entry-level player to a spunky builder that makes high-end boards that have been used to break overclocking records. According to Charlie Demerjian at SemiAccurate, Asus just made a bid for ASRock's motherboard division. Nothing is yet final, but reportedly, Pegatron is agreeable to the terms, so unless Demerjian's info is totally bogus, this is a deal that will likely go through. If it does, that would leave Asus/ASRock and Gigabyte as the two dominate top-tier motherboard makers, followed by MSI and ECS, which don't ship anywhere near the same volume as the other two. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Internet Explorer Might Always Be the Most Popular Browser (Or Not) Posted: 02 Oct 2012 09:55 AM PDT I used to think Mozilla's Firefox browser posed the most serious threat to Internet Explorer's dominance in the browser wars, and for a long while, it did. IE's numbers were falling and Firefox's were climbing, but then Chrome joined the battle. A funny thing happened at that point. Firefox, once the most beloved browser by users 'in the know,' took a backseat to Chrome's rapid rise, and now it's anyone's guess what the next year or so will bring. Let's have a look where things stand. As September came to a close, NetMarketShare has IE out in front with a 53.63 percent of the global browser market, followed by Firefox at 20.08 percent and Chrome at 18.86 percent. In that past two years, that represents a 7.36 percent decline for IE, 3.47 percent decline for Firefox, and a 10.1 percent rise for Chrome. Based on those figures alone, it would appear Chrome is on pace to win the browser wars, first by jumping ahead of Firefox relatively soon, and then by eventually unseating IE. A closer look at the numbers reveals a different situation entirely. For past 12 months, Chrome's share of the browser market has averaged 18.80 percent, or almost exactly where it's at today, according to NetMarketShare's data. Meanwhile, Firefox has averaged 20.75 percent, which isn't much higher than where it's at today, and IE has averaged 53.34 percent, also pretty close to where it's at today. It would appear, then, that the browser market share among the big 3 has plateaued. If that's the case, then like it or not, IE might always be the most popular browser on the planet, even if not the best option. Or maybe not. If we direct our attention to StatCounter's data, Chrome is in first place with a 34.21 percent share of the market, followed by IE at 32.7 percent and Firefox off in a distant third place with a 22.4 percent share. Looking at StatCounter's line graph, Chrome is still on the rise and IE appears to have leveled out, while Firefox is slowly trending downwards. Talk about confusing. The discrepancy in data has to do with how each firm analyzes browser usage. StatCounter compiles its data based on page views from 3 million websites, while NetMarketShare adds up the number of daily unique visitors from a collection of 40,000 websites. Is one method better than the other? That's up for debate. The only thing we can say with certainty is that trying to analyze and ultimately decipher the browser wars is a fool's errand. Which browser(s) are you using? Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E Review Posted: 02 Oct 2012 09:55 AM PDT Close, but no silver bullet The Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E doesn't lack for heat pipes: Eight of them rise from the heat exchanger up into the two sets of cooling fins. The entire thing, from aluminum fins to copper pipes and heat exchanger, is plated in a shiny nickel coat. The two sets of cooling fins are shiny and jagged, and much more stylized than the Noctua DH-14 or the Phanteks PH-TC14PE, its most obvious competitors of the coolers we've tested. The whole assemblage weighs two pounds, 7.6 ounces with both fans. Those fans—a 15cm TY-150 and 14cm TY-141—are both low-RPM 12V fans with 4-pin PWM connectors. There's something incongruous about mustard-and-olive fans with those edgy nickel-plated cooling fins. The Silver Arrow includes mounting hardware for Intel LGA775, 1366, 1156, 1155, and 2011, as well as AMD FM1, AM2, AM2+, AM3, and AM3+. Unfortunately, all the mounting brackets are finicky and complicated. The anchor plate attaches to mounting posts—either mounted through to the backplate or (on LGA2011) mounted directly to the integrated backplate—with the use of tiny Philips-head screws. Then the mounting plate goes over the back of the heat exchanger and attaches to the anchor plate with two more tiny screws. The mounting plate doesn't secure to the heatsink, so it slides around while you try to line up the screws. The fin stacks are close enough together that all but the longest, skinniest screwdrivers are too wide to fit between them. The fans attach to the cooler with wire clips, which are flimsy and difficult to secure compared to the much better clips found in the Phanteks and Noctua coolers. Like most dual-stack coolers we've tested, the Silver Arrow interferes with tall RAM heat spreaders, so you'll need to use low-profile RAM. Once installed onto our overclocked i7-3930K test bed, the Silver Arrow SB-E performed slightly behind the Noctua and a good 3 C behind the Phanteks. It was even slightly outperformed by the direct-contact Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo. For the price of the Silver Arrow you can get the Noctua, which has an easier install and slightly better temperatures, or for $5 more you can get the Phanteks, which performs even better, has a better install than the Thermalright, and comes in a variety of colors, but lacks PWM fans.

Kingston 64GB Wi-Drive review Posted: 02 Oct 2012 09:34 AM PDT Offload your bulk videos and music The concept for Kingston's 64GB Wi-Drive is a little difficult to communicate to most people, but we've decided the best analogy is real estate. Pretend you live in Tokyo or Manhattan and your $850,000 condo is just 700 square feet. What do you do with all your crap? Get a storage unit. That's precisely how Kingston's clever little Wi-Drive works. Coming in sizes of 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB, the Wi-Drive lets you offload video, images, and music onto a diminutive battery-powered device. To access the files, you simply connect your smartphone, tablet, or laptop to the Wi-Drive via Wi-Fi. Even better, the Wi-Drive allows up to three simultaneous users so it essentially operates as a personal media server. For storage-limited devices such as the Kindle Fire or small-capacity iPads, the Wi-Drive lets you live large with media. The Wi-Drive works as a small, battery-powered media server. We found the device's range to be pretty fair. It's ample enough to let you watch videos stored on it while your friend or family member also watches from their seat 10 rows behind you on the plane. Adding files is as simple as plugging the device into your PC, where it's recognized as a USB mass storage device. On your Android or iOS device, you need to install a small client available from each platform's application store. On Android units, the app lets you pick your media player of choice, so we had no problems consuming the different video formats; iOS was pickier. In places where you have Wi-Fi, you can configure the Wi-Drive to work as an access point, too. It supports WEP, WPA, and WPA2 on 802.11g/n. For the security-conscious folks, you'll want to enable encryption. By default, the device runs wide open, which could be quite embarrassing, as anyone on your flight could connect to and view your files. So unless you're Kim Kardashian, you should probably lock down the device. The Wi-Drive is almost too easy to use, but we did have a couple of issues, such as the use of a Mini USB charger. What is this, freaking 2008? Getting it to run on external power is also tricky. You can't turn on the unit when it's plugged into a charger. What you have to do is unplug it, turn it on, and then plug it back into the charger. Unplugging the charger also kicks off power, oddly. As is, the unit will give you about three to four hours of streaming before the onboard battery goes. We think that's short, but honestly, most of the devices you'll be using to watch the videos will probably be dead, too. As we mentioned, we're also confused by the use of a Mini USB port instead of Micro USB. These are fairly tiny annoyances, though, in what is otherwise a pretty solid product. What could make it better? Perhaps a microSD slot to add additional storage and a heftier battery pack for longer flights. It would also be cool to be able to drop videos on the unit once it's been mounted on your network, but that's probably making it far too complicated. As is, the Wi-Drive works pretty damn well.

Lenovo ThinkCentre M78 Desktop is All Business Posted: 02 Oct 2012 06:39 AM PDT The next time someone has the gall to tell you the desktop is dead or starts talking about the so-called post-PC era, feel free to slap them in the face with a trout (WARNING: Maximum PC will not provide bail money). Who knows, Lenovo might be right there with you. The OEM builder did, after all, just unveil the latest addition to its flagship M Series desktop line, the ThinkCentre M78. Aimed at medium to large businesses, the ThinkCentre M78 comes packing AMD A-Series Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) rather than Intel Ivy Bridge chips. The decision to build around AMD's APU platform should save businesses a bit money in upfront costs, though Lenovo touts other reasons. "Professionals in medium to large businesses need dependable, productive and secure desktops to meet the day-to-day rigors of workplace demands," said Su Lijun, executive director, global desktop marketing, Lenovo. "We built the ThinkCentre M78 to last, equipping it with great performance, security and energy-saving features in one device." Pricing starts at $479, which translates into an AMD A4-5300 APU (dual-core, 1MB cache, up to 3.6GHz, HD 7480D graphics), 4GB DDR3-1600 memory, 250GB hard drive (7200 RPM, SATA 6Gbps), DVD burner, and Windows 7 Professional. The ThinkCentre M78 is upgradeable up to an AMD A10-5700 APU, up to 1TB of storage space, up to 32GB of memory, and discrete GPU options. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Acer's Aspire S7 Series Ultrabooks Want to Feel Your Touch Posted: 02 Oct 2012 05:59 AM PDT With the launch of Windows 8 just weeks away, hardware makers are starting to announce touch-friendly systems in preparation of Microsoft's next generation operating system (OS). That includes Acer, which just unveiled what it claims are the world's thinnest touch-capable Ultrabooks: Aspire S7 Series. Like Windows 8, the Aspire S7 Series will be available to purchase starting October 26, 2012. Acer claims the S7 models are as thin as a tablet at just 0.47 inches when measured at the leanest point, and weigh as little as 2.29 pounds, at least for the 11.6-inch model. We imagine the 13.3-inch version is probably a little heavier, though still probably under 3 pounds (if speculating). Remarkably, both models boast Full HD 1080p (1920x1080) screen resolutions, an absolute rarity in the Ultrabook space, and unheard of in Ultrabooks models this size. They also feature an all-aluminum unibody design, rigid lids made of white Gorilla Glass 2 or aluminum, patent-pending TwinAir cooling technology, and a light-sensing keyboard. The S7 Series is essentially a MacBook Air for the Windows 8 crowd, and it comes from Acer. "Acer took a fresh approach to the design and development of the Aspire S7, using premium construction methods and materials," said Sumit Agnihotry, vice president of product marketing for Acer. "We also used cutting-edge manufacturing processes that are not typically used in the PC industry, but were necessary to achieve the high level of engineering and design quality we set for the S7." Under the hood you'll find 3rd Generation Intel Core i5 3317UB or i7-3517U processors and solid state drives in a RAID 0 configuration. The non-removable battery is said to provide up to 6 hours of run time, with the option of adding a second battery (and more weight) to double computing time to 12 hours. Pricing for the 11.6-inch model will start at $1,199; for the 13.3-inch model, cost of entry starts at $1,399. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

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MMO and SEO News from Gameforumer.com

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• Review: Resident Evil 6
• Lenovo ThinkCentre M78 Desktop is All Business
• Illyriad’s Dark Harvest Tournament Begins
• World of Warcraft – China players billed as “fastest” to hit level 90
• Review: FIFA 13

Review: Resident Evil 6 Posted: 02 Oct 2012 08:34 AM PDT When you first start playing Resident Evil 6, it looks like it might almost be a joke, perhaps a stealthy parody of big-budget action videogames. It begins in the aftermath of an explosion, seen from a first-person perspective, and the entire introductory sequence is littered with quick-time events. There is a helicopter. At first, things [...]

Lenovo ThinkCentre M78 Desktop is All Business Posted: 02 Oct 2012 08:33 AM PDT The next time someone has the gall to tell you the desktop is dead or starts talking about the so-called post-PC era, feel free to slap them in the face with a trout. Who knows, Lenovo might be right there with you. The OEM builder did, after all, just unveil the latest addition to its [...]

Illyriad’s Dark Harvest Tournament Begins Posted: 02 Oct 2012 08:32 AM PDT   Illyriad has begun its 6th server-wide tournament today. The "Dark Harvest" tournament marks the celebration of the "Festival of the Dead," and will last until October 31. Players must join with their Alliance to compete for control of 37 land squares throughout the world map to capture and harvest the souls of the dead. [...]

World of Warcraft – China players billed as “fastest” to hit level 90 Posted: 02 Oct 2012 08:17 AM PDT According to the Chinese media, World of Warcraft China players were the fastest in the world to hit level 90. The new level cap was added along with the Mists of Pandaria expansion update at 0:00AM (GMT +8) on 2nd October, with the first sighting of level 90 happening at 07:30AM (GMT +8) on the [...]

Review: FIFA 13 Posted: 02 Oct 2012 08:03 AM PDT I can only imagine how intimidating FIFA 13 must be for someone new to the franchise. The numerous game modes hidden within menus and sub-menus; the constantly-updating tickers, info bars and widgets all over the place calling out to you – it can leave newcomers a little lost. Even for someone like me, who plays [...]

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MMO Updates

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• Hyperspace Beacon: The SWTOR Terror From Beyond experience
• World of Tanks sets new PCCU record, boasts 40 million registered users
• The Soapbox: Own your game's mistakes
• Jukebox Heroes: Whimsy and oddity
• The Daily Grind: What characters do you love to hate?
• Analysts: Mists of Pandaria sales not so disappointing
• Marvel Heroes opens up closed beta signups
• DCUO welcomes you to the Witching Hour
• Not So Massively: Diablo III's Monster Power system and LoL's World Championships
• Get crafty for the Guild Wars 2 Halloween contest
• New Defiance video showcases set design
• The Repopulation's September update discusses housing and grouping
• BioWare's Companions 101 series looks at SWTOR's Djannis
• Anarchy Online prepares for Steam debut
• Pink Day in LA is coming to a Lion's Arch near you
• Wings Over Atreia: Bringing Lady Luck to Aion
• RIFT's Storm Legion closed beta event starts Friday

Hyperspace Beacon: The SWTOR Terror From Beyond experience Posted: 02 Oct 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Patches, Endgame, PvE, Opinion, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon, Dungeons Last week, BioWare launched its fourth major update for Star Wars: The Old Republic, Terror From Beyond. This new game content also happens to be the fourth operation (or raid) for the game. Eight to 16 players battle their way across the planet Asation, hoping to close or destroy a rift in hyperspace that has opened on this ancient Gree world. Along the way, many strange creatures and beings from other worlds attempt to stop the strike force from reaching its goal. Just like the other operations (Karagga's Palace and Explosive Conflict), Terror From Beyond continues the story of the Dread Masters. With each new addition to the story, the goal of these six Sith lords becomes more and more clear. Mechanically, this operation consists of five boss fights and a fairly linear path to the ultimate goal, a swirling vortex about a kilometer away from the starting point. Thankfully, none of the boss mechanics is a simple tank-and-spank ordeal, and the trash mobs along the way might cause a bump or two as well. This weekend, my guild ran this brand-new endgame addition to SWTOR in story-mode to get a taste of what it has to offer. I'd like to break down the experience into three major categories: aesthetics, boss mechanics, and overall impressions. Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: The SWTOR Terror From Beyond experience Hyperspace Beacon: The SWTOR Terror From Beyond experience originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

World of Tanks sets new PCCU record, boasts 40 million registered users Posted: 02 Oct 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Historical, Business models, MMO industry, News items, War, Free-to-play, World of Tanks OK, let's start with the standard disclaimer. Registered users doesn't mean active users, and in today's free-to-play climate it certainly doesn't mean paying users. That said, 40 million of anything is a fairly staggering amount, and it just so happens that Wargaming.net has 40 million registered users for its World of Tanks title. The game has also set a new peak concurrent user (PCCU) record thanks to over 500,000 players simultaneously connecting to its Russian shard. World of Tanks recently released its 8.0 patch which brought about a physics and lighting overhaul. Head to the official website to check out the game for yourself, or tune in to Massively TV this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. EDT to watch us play. [Source: Wargaming.net press release] World of Tanks sets new PCCU record, boasts 40 million registered users originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Soapbox: Own your game's mistakes Posted: 02 Oct 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous To the developers of the MMO industry, I say this to you: Your game has some pretty big issues. No, stop. Don't go consult the PR team. Don't talk with the community managers. Don't spend time explaining why those issues aren't really issues. Just say it with me. Your game has some pretty big issues. I don't care what game you call your own; it's still replete with issues, including ones that by all rights should have been fixed months ago. Just say that with me, and then possibly follow it with a "sorry." There. That wasn't so bad, was it? Kind of liberating, actually. There's a lot to be said for owning up to the failures of your game and admitting that some things are just plain wrong. I can think of great reasons to just take a deep breath, eat crow, and just say that part of your game is a mess. Continue reading The Soapbox: Own your game's mistakes The Soapbox: Own your game's mistakes originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Jukebox Heroes: Whimsy and oddity Posted: 02 Oct 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Lord of the Rings Online, Warhammer Online, Guild Wars 2, Free Realms, Champions Online, Hello Kitty Online, Miscellaneous, Jukebox Heroes I have two big announcements today. The first is that Jukebox Heroes is switching from a bi-weekly to a weekly schedule, which should delight my 30 readers and cause an epidemic of indifference elsewhere. The second is that we're going to take a week off examining specific soundtracks to have a little fun with how silly MMO studios can get. If you haven't figured it out already, this column is kind of a not-so-subtle outlet for sharing my MMO music collection with you. I don't have any firm method of collection other than I just acquire tracks that my ear tells me I'd like to hear again. So along the way, I've acquired a few oddball pieces that you probably won't find on any OST but that are notable enough to share. In some cases, these tracks represent studios' attempts (successful or otherwise) to let down their hair and be humorous. In others, these songs are parodies or one-time special events. So let's take a sidebar to look at the whimsical and odd songs of gaming. Continue reading Jukebox Heroes: Whimsy and oddity Jukebox Heroes: Whimsy and oddity originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: What characters do you love to hate? Posted: 02 Oct 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Kaliyo Djannis is one of my favorite companions in Star Wars: The Old Republic. Not because I like her as a person; she's really pretty unambiguously awful. But she's entertainingly awful, and working around the hindrances she provides makes the overall experience more entertaining. Every MMO has its important NPCs, and some of them either are just plain annoying or fade into the woodwork. But then there are the enemies you love to hate, the allies who frustrate you in amusing ways. Some of the Guild Wars henchmen (Orion and Alesia in particular) were half-useless, but charmingly so. Every Final Fantasy XI player got nightmares about running from goblins, but they had a strange charm despite that. So what about you? What's your favorite character whom you love to hate? An ally who's totally useless but makes life more interesting? An enemy who kills you in entertaining ways? Or just a story character who prompts a smile at his or her ineptitude? 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: What characters do you love to hate? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Analysts: Mists of Pandaria sales not so disappointing Posted: 01 Oct 2012 09:45 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Business models, Expansions, MMO industry, News items Last week an investment firm concluded that World of Warcraft's new Panda-flavored expansion was producing underwhelming sales numbers. This news was greeted by a collective W.T.F from everyone who has ever downloaded a game over the internet. Lazard Capital Markets estimated that Blizzard moved a paltry (by Blizzard standards) 700,000 Mists of Pandaria retail boxes. This week a separate team of analysts said, in effect, not so fast. "We think recent reports of weak retail sales for Mists of Pandaria may fail to reflect a channel shift toward a greater percentage of digital sales," Brean Murray, Carrett & Company wrote in its report. The firm went on to predict 4.5 million unit sales for Mists of Pandaria in the third quarter despite competition from subscription-free titles including Guild Wars 2. The company also estimates that WoW subscribers will number between 9.1 and 9.8 million during the same time period. Analysts: Mists of Pandaria sales not so disappointing originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 23:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: VentureBeat Via: Gamebreaker

Marvel Heroes opens up closed beta signups Posted: 01 Oct 2012 07:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Super-hero, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Marvel Heroes If you're a fan of superheroes, you are no doubt are well aware of the grave darkness approaching the genre. But there are also bright lights on the horizon, and one of them just got a fair bit brighter. Marvel Heroes has posted its first community blog entry announcing the opening of closed beta signups, giving potential players a chance to jump into the game and test it out before the rest of the world gets ahold of it. Note the word "testing" in there; it's emphasized in the blog entry as well as this is a beta meant to provide important test feedback rather than just give everyone an early look at the game. If you're still interested, the blog entry has a very straightforward signup procedure that will give you a chance to be selected for testing, with the promise of other ways to obtain beta access in the near future. Marvel Heroes opens up closed beta signups originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Closed Beta Registration Begins

DCUO welcomes you to the Witching Hour Posted: 01 Oct 2012 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Events, in-game, Patches, Free-to-play, DC Universe Online It's easily to be amused how MMOs bend over backwards to come up with an original way to title Halloween and Christmas events. DC Universe Online is throwing in this year with the Witching Hour, a brand-new event in Gotham City. The entire town is getting a spooky (and pumpkiny) makeover when the event goes live with Game Update 19. It's not all decorations, of course; there are plenty of activities to experience as well. The main villain of the event is Klarion the Witch Boy, who is stealing powers and using them for... mild mischief. But he's not all bad, since he's throwing a massive party that players will have to crash. SOE has plenty of rewards for good little trick-or-treaters, such as trinkets and outfits. The Witching Hour is scheduled for early October. DCUO welcomes you to the Witching Hour originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: The Witching Hour

Not So Massively: Diablo III's Monster Power system and LoL's World Championships Posted: 01 Oct 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, New titles, Patches, News items, PvE, Free-to-play, Not So Massively, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III, Firefall This week Riot Games revealed details of the League of Legends $2,000,000 World Championship that's just two weeks away. Dota 2 celebrated its own world champions with a new blog post dedicated to the Aegis of Champions plaque given to this year's winners of The International. Upcoming console MOBA Guardians of Middle-earth showed off its PAX 2012 recap video this week, and Heroes of Newerth revealed its new hero, Solstice, who transforms during the night. Torchlight II continues to dominate the game charts this week with impressive sales on Steam and even more impressive Metacritic scores. Upcoming free-to-play action RPG Path of Exile took another big step toward release this week with the addition of voice acting to quests. And Blizzard revealed details on Diablo III's next big patch, discussing increased legendary drop rates and the new Monster Power system that will let players customise their own difficulty levels. Upcoming FPS Firefall revealed its impressive plans for Dynamic Events this week, with both local events and global invasions on the menu. Finally, Blacklight: Retribution followed last week's sniper montage contest with details of a new sniper-focused map and a new sniper rifle that would make Counterstrike players cry. Continue reading Not So Massively: Diablo III's Monster Power system and LoL's World Championships Not So Massively: Diablo III's Monster Power system and LoL's World Championships originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Get crafty for the Guild Wars 2 Halloween contest Posted: 01 Oct 2012 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Contests, Events, real-world, News items, Guild Wars 2 Do you like Guild Wars 2? Do you like Halloween? Do you like chances to win graphics cards and other goodies? That's an incredibly convenient set of likes you've got there because it means that the Guild Wars 2 Halloween contest is pretty perfect for you. That is, it's perfect if you like making dioramas. You like dioramas, don't you? We knew you did. Contest dates and other bits of information of that nature haven't been announced yet, but the ArenaNet team wants you thinking of what sort of Guild Wars 2sy, Halloween-y scene you'd like to bring to life. Hit up the contest teaser page, and get those spooky and creative juices flowing! Get crafty for the Guild Wars 2 Halloween contest originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Halloween Contest

New Defiance video showcases set design Posted: 01 Oct 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, News items, MMOFPS, Dev Diaries, Defiance The nice thing about having a game that's tied into a show is knowing that the environment will receive lots of loving attention. For example, Trion Worlds and Syfy teamed up to provide a look at what the sets for the Defiance TV show. Given that the TV show and the Defiance MMO are going hand-in-hand, we think this is a good place to start imagining what the upcoming game will look like. The team also talks about a lot of the theory of the town of Defiance. The town is a melting pot of strange alien technology and earthbound invention and is meant to show tremendous life and potential despite the having gone through a devastating war. Skip below the cut to get an eye on the goodies yourself. [Source: Trion Worlds press release] Continue reading New Defiance video showcases set design New Defiance video showcases set design originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Repopulation's September update discusses housing and grouping Posted: 01 Oct 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Patches, News items, Housing If you're wondering what's been changing for The Repopulation through the month of September, look no further than the just-released September update from the developers. Last month saw the introduction of two major features for the game: instanced housing and a new auto-grouping system. The latter is fairly straightforward, allowing players to automatically group with others when entering an engagement area instead of competing with other solo players for content. Instanced housing, on the other hand, is meant to cater to solo players and those who aren't interested in open PvP via the nation wars system. While your own personal housing lot won't have as many options as the full city interface, it will provide an option for players who do still want to enjoy some of the fun of building up a settlement. The past month has also seen updates to the game's armor system, loot distribution mechanics, and missions. If you want to know all the particulars, take a gander at the full rundown. The Repopulation's September update discusses housing and grouping originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: End of September update

BioWare's Companions 101 series looks at SWTOR's Djannis Posted: 01 Oct 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Classes, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, PvE, Free-to-play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Dev Diaries BioWare's shining the spotlight on Star Wars: The Old Republic's NPC companions via a new blog series appropriately named Companions 101. Today's entry features Kaliyo Djannis, who serves as something of a femme fatale for Imperial Agent players. The dev blog paints Djannis as a complex character who loves to work for the Empire and manipulate her superiors. "When bringing Kaliyo along on missions, keep this in mind. She loves anarchy and respect -- but she will always have an ulterior motive," BioWare says. "Play her at her own game and keep her guessing. The minute Kaliyo becomes bored is the minute she either stabs you in the back or disappears from the ship... with most of your credits." BioWare's Companions 101 series looks at SWTOR's Djannis originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Companions 101

Anarchy Online prepares for Steam debut Posted: 01 Oct 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Anarchy Online, Business models, Previews, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries You can't teach an old dog new tricks? Don't tell that to Anarchy Online because the classic MMO is preparing to carve a place for itself on Valve's digital distribution platform. AO Producer Dave Williams writes that the title should make its way to Steam very soon. In addition, he posted a chart of all of the new subscription options and bonuses that are now available. Williams touches on a number of important developments in the most recent producer's letter, in particular some staff reshuffling and word about the server migration. Of course, what everyone wants to hear about is the graphics engine upgrade. Williams confirms that it and the new player experience are still on course for an early 2013 public beta, and he was able to show one of the new features that the engine will allow: armor meshes. These meshes will allow the Funcom team to create additional 3-D objects to stick onto armor, giving players a more unique (and updated) look. Anarchy Online prepares for Steam debut originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: October update, Subscription chart

Pink Day in LA is coming to a Lion's Arch near you Posted: 01 Oct 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Culture, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, News items, Guild Wars 2 It's October, and you know what that means! The time for Pink Day in LA is almost upon us! The Gaming World Entertainment Network's annual Guild Wars fundraiser for the fight against breast cancer will be held on Saturday, October 20th. Of course, the LA of Pink Day in LA is Lion's Arch, and there are two of those now. GW-EN's solution is to host parties in Lion's Arch in both Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2. Up to three international districts in Guild Wars will be hosted, as will the Henge of Denravi, Dragonbrand, Stormbluff Isle, Jade Quarry, Darkhaven, Sanctum of Rall, Underworld, and Desolation servers in Guild Wars 2. You don't really need to be playing a Guild Wars game to participate: GW-EN is encouraging people to tun into the radio stream and celebrate the event no matter what game they play. Maybe we'll all accept that LA can be found in our hearts, not on some server somewhere. Hit up the official Pink Day website for full details, including a prize list and information on how you can help. Pink Day in LA is coming to a Lion's Arch near you originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Pink Day in LA

Wings Over Atreia: Bringing Lady Luck to Aion Posted: 01 Oct 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Game mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-play, Wings Over Atreia I had a thought... now, don't look at me like that! I do have them! And I share them in Wings Over Atreia often. I won't always attest to their relevance, but I won't discount their existence! Boy, show a few strands of insanity and... wait where were we? Oh yes! My thought. So this week, my mind kept drifting back to the Mega Kinah Millions lottery going on now. I knew I wanted to point the event out to you guys before it closed, but something else about it was nagging at the edges of my mind. My thoughts meandered from contemplating the dream of winning all that moolah to why is the Shugo wearing a tux?, took a detour around mmm cake! and then ended up at gambling in Aion. That's when the idea hit me: Why settle for just a short-term fling with chance when you could have an all-out gambling smorgasbord? Aion is ripe for it! It's not as if gambling isn't inherent in the game anyway, with every Daeva taking part in it daily. I mean, just look at the RNG! Simply put, gambling could be quite a benefit to Aion; among other things, it could be a viable non-grinding pastime that brings more Daevas into the game. So why not ask Lady Luck to take up permanent residence? Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Bringing Lady Luck to Aion Wings Over Atreia: Bringing Lady Luck to Aion originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

RIFT's Storm Legion closed beta event starts Friday Posted: 01 Oct 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Classes, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, RIFT, Housing You know all about RIFT's first expansion. What you may not know is that Storm Legion's first closed beta event starts this Friday, October 5th. The shindig lasts through the weekend and it's open to any and all Ascended who have pre-ordered the expansion. New zones like Pelladane, Cape Jule, and the city of Tempest Bay will be open for exploration, as will the game's new Dimension mechanics. And of course you can check out Storm Legion's four new souls as well. Finally, Trion is allowing current RIFT subscribers to copy their live characters to the beta server. More info is yours at the game's official site. [Source: Trion press release] RIFT's Storm Legion closed beta event starts Friday originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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