General Gaming Article

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• Microsoft Skins Mobile Mouse 3500 with Halo's Master Chief, Goes Up for Pre-order at Gamestop
• AMD Uncages A10-7800 and A8-7600 Kaveri APUs
• 9 Horrific Game Launches
• Seagate 1TB Hybrid vs. WD Black2 Dual Drive
• Security Researchers Discover Fundamental Security Flaw in USB, No Fix in Sight
• Lian Li Introduces PC-V2130 Full Tower Case
• Newegg Daily Deals: Dell UltraSharp IPS 24-inch Monitor, Logitech G710 Plus Mechanical Keyboard, and More!

Microsoft Skins Mobile Mouse 3500 with Halo's Master Chief, Goes Up for Pre-order at Gamestop Posted: 31 Jul 2014 04:39 PM PDT An affordable rodent for Halo fans It's a bit of an odd cross promotion, but to draw attention to Halo: The Master Chief Collection for Xbox One, GameStop is offering up for pre-order Microsoft's new Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 Halo Limited Edition: The Master Chief. Microsoft outfitted its existing Mobile Mouse 3500 with a highly detailed scene featuring Master Chief in his two-tone green MJOLNIR Power Assault Armor and gold hued visor. "With this mouse, you get Master Chief and all the awesomeness that comes standard with the popular Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 such as its ambidextrous design, snap-in nano transceiver, 2.4 GHz wireless technology, and two-color battery light indicator. You also get BlueTrack Technology that allows you to use the mouse on virtually any surface including granite, marble, carpet, and wood," Microsoft said in a blog post. The Mobile Mouse 3500 uses BlueTrack technology for tracking on virtually any surface. It also features a plug-and-go nano transreceiver and up to 8 months of battery life. If you're interested, you can place your pre-order at GameStop for $30 today; it will ship in October. You can also place your pre-order for Halo: The Master Chief Collect at GameStop for $60; it ships November 11, 2014. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

AMD Uncages A10-7800 and A8-7600 Kaveri APUs Posted: 31 Jul 2014 04:17 PM PDT New APUs solve the Twitter teaser picture mystery We now have our answer to a Twitter picture teasing a new AMD A-Series APU launch that made the rounds last week. The picture showed a dozen robots on the side of a semi-truck, leading to speculation that AMD might release a 12-core APU. In a sense, that's what AMD launched today, though not in the way you might think. AMD's updated Kaveri parts released today include the A10-7800 and A6-7600 APUs, the former with 12 Compute Cores (4 CPU and 8 GPU) and the latter with 10 Compute Cores (4 CPU and 6 GPU). In a more traditional sense, the higher-end A10-7800 is a quad-core chip clocked at 3.5GHz (up to 3.9GHz via Turbo), while the A6-7600 is also a quad-core part, but clocked at 3.1GHz (up to 3.8GHz via Turbo). They both feature AMD's Heterogeneous System Architecture (HSA) that allows the CPU and GPU to tag team tasks, TrueAudio technology, Mantle support, and configurable TDPs. "The AMD A-Series APUs bring a superior level of gaming and compute experiences to the desktop PC," said Bernd Lienhard, corporate vice president and general manager, Client Business Unit, AMD. "With support for AMD's acclaimed Mantle API that simplifies game optimizations for programmers and developers to unlock unprecedented levels of gaming performance transforming the world of game development to help bring better, faster games to the PC." AMD's A10-7800 and A6-7600 are available now for $158 and $104, respectively (MSRPs). Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

9 Horrific Game Launches Posted: 31 Jul 2014 02:47 PM PDT DRM issues, poor performance, and crashing servers If you're like us, you like the Internet, but there are unfortunately downsides to the service. It seems that over the years, developers have been releasing unfinished buggy games, hoping to just patch the situation later.  While some games get better with patches and updates over time, there's really nothing that can completely erase the memory of a rocky launch. With that said, here's a look of the 9 worst PC game launches. What's the worst game launch you've experienced? Let us know in the comments below!

Seagate 1TB Hybrid vs. WD Black2 Dual Drive Posted: 31 Jul 2014 12:27 PM PDT Seagate 1TB Hybrid vs. WD Black2 Dual Drive Every mobile user who is limited to just one storage bay wants the best of both worlds: SSD speeds with HDD capacities. Both Seagate and WD have a one-drive solution to this problem, with Seagate offering a hybrid 1TB hard drive with an SSD cache for SSD-esque performance, and WD offering a no-compromise 2.5-inch drive with both an SSD and an HDD. These drives are arch rivals, so it's time to settle the score. ROUND 1: Specs and Package The WD Black2 Dual Drive is two separate drives, with a 120GB SSD riding shotgun alongside a two-platter 1TB 5,400rpm hard drive. Both drives share a single SATA 6Gb/s interface and split the bandwidth of the channel between them, with the SSD rated to deliver 350MB/s read speeds and 140MB/s write speeds. The drive comes with a SATA-to-USB adapter and includes a five-year warranty. The Seagate SSHD uses a simpler design and features a 1TB 5,400rpm hard drive with an 8GB sliver of NAND flash attached to it, along with software that helps move frequently accessed data from the platters to the NAND memory for faster retrieval. It includes a three-year warranty and is otherwise a somewhat typical drive aimed at the consumer market, not hardcore speed freaks. Both drives include free cloning software, but since the WD includes two physical drives, a USB adapter, and a longer warranty, it gets the nod. WD's Black2 Dual Drive is two individual drives in one enclosure, and it has the price tag to prove it. Winner: WD Black2 ROUND 2: Durability This category is somewhat of a toss-up, as the WD Black2's overall reliability is degraded somewhat by the fact that it has a spinning volume attached to it, giving it the same robustness of the Seagate SSHD. There's also the issue of the WD Black using the slightly antiquated JMicron controller. We don't have any reliability data on that controller in particular, but we are always more concerned about the SSD controller you-know-whating the bed than the memory, which is rated to last for decades, even under heavy write scenarios. Both drives also use two-platter designs, so neither one is more or less prone to damage than the other. In the end, we'll have to go with the Seagate SSHD as being more durable, simply because you only have to worry about one drive working instead of two.  Winner: Seagate SSHD ROUND 3: Performance Seagate is very clear about the performance of its hybrid drives, stating that they "boot and perform like an SSD," but it never says they're faster. It also claims the drive is "up to five times faster than a hard drive," which seems like a bit of a stretch. It's difficult to actually benchmark a caching drive because it won't show on standard sequential read tests, and it gets killed by SSDs in access time tests. That said, we did see boot and PCMark Vantage scores improve significantly over time. Our boot time dropped by more than half, going from 2:27 to 1:07 after several boots, and our PCMark Vantage score shot up from 6,000 to 19,000. Still, these times are much slower than what we got with the WD SSD, which booted in 45 seconds (the system had three dozen programs installed), and hit 33,000 in PCMark Vantage. Winner: WD Black2 ROUND 4: Cloning Package Both drives include free software to help you clone your old drive and, in an odd twist, both companies use Acronis software to get 'er done. Seagate's software is called DiscWizard, and works on OSes as old as Windows 98 and Mac OS 10.x. WD throws in a copy of Acronis True Image, though it only works with WD drives attached via the included USB-to-SATA adapter. We tested both software packages and found them to be nearly identical, as both let us clone our existing drive and boot from it after one pass, which can be tricky at times. Therefore, we call the software package a tie since they both perform well and use Acronis. However, WD's $300 bundle includes a USB-to-SATA adapter that makes the cloning process totally painless. Seagate makes you forage for a cable on your own, which tips the scales in WD's favor. Winner: WD Black2 ROUND 5: Ease of Use This round has a crystal-clear winner, and that's the Seagate SSHD. That's because the Seagate drive is dead-simple to use and behaves exactly like a hard drive at all times. You can plug it into any PC, Mac, or Linux machine and it is recognized with no hassle. The WD drive, on the other hand, only works on Windows PCs because it requires special software to "unlock" the 1TB hard drive partition. For us, that's obviously not a problem, but we know it's enraged some Linux aficionados. Also, the WD drive only has a 120GB SSD. So, if you are moving to it from an HDD, you will likely have to reinstall your OS and programs, then move all your data to the HDD portion of the drive. The Seagate drive is big enough that you would just need to clone your old drive to it. Winner: Seagate SSHD Seagate's hybrid drive offers HDD simplicity and capacity, along with SSD-like speed for frequently requested data. And the Winner Is… This verdict is actually quite simple. If you're a mainstream user, the Seagate SSHD is clearly the superior option, as it is fast enough, has more than enough capacity for most notebook tasks, and costs about one-third of the WD Black2. But this is Maximum PC, so we don't mind paying more for a superior product, and that's the WD Black2 Dual Drive. It delivers both speed and capacity and is a better high-performance package, plain and simple. Note: This article originally appeared in the April 2014 issue of the magazine.

Security Researchers Discover Fundamental Security Flaw in USB, No Fix in Sight Posted: 31 Jul 2014 10:54 AM PDT The bad side of USB Oh great, as if it wasn't bothersome enough knowing that all our online communications are susceptible to government spying with very little we can do about it, now we've come to find out that just by having a USB port, there exists a pretty serious security risk every time we plug in a compatible peripheral. The problem is that virtually any of the millions of USB devices out there can be reprogrammed for malicious purposes, and there doesn't appear to be much we can do about it. Security Research Labs in Berlin has given a name to the fundamental flaw in USB -- "BadUSB." At issue is that every USB device has a controller chip that controls the USB connection to other devices. Those controllers have firmware, and if reprogrammed -- which is easy to do since the USB-IF focused more on compatibility than security -- a benign device like a keyboard or mouse can suddenly turn evil. "A device can emulate a keyboard and issue commands on behalf of the logged-in user, for example to exfiltrate files or install malware. Such malware, in turn, can infect the controller chips of other USB devices connected to the computer," SRLabs explains. The device can also spoof a network card and change the computer's DNS setting to redirect traffic. Unfortunately, there are no known defenses against this other than not using your USB devices. Malware scanners can't access the firmware running USB devices, and behavioral detection isn't reliable since a BadUSB device's behavior simply looks like a user plugged in a new device. "Once infected, comptuers and their USB peripherals can never be trusted again," SRLabs added. The best analogy so far comes from ExtremeTech, which likens the situation to having unprotected sex. In other words, if you plug your USB device into another PC, you can assume it's been compromised. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Lian Li Introduces PC-V2130 Full Tower Case Posted: 31 Jul 2014 10:15 AM PDT A full tower chassis with room for multiple water cooling radiators Lian Li today added another big case to its lineup, the PC-V2130. As you might have guessed, this one sports a brushed aluminum design, a popular motif at Lian Li, and is an updated version of the PC-V2120. The PC-V2130 improves upon its predecessor by adding robust water cooling support, more versatile drive bay options, and an enhanced cable management scheme. According to Lian Li, the PC-V2130 has 94L of space inside and can support motherboards up to HPTX. There's a tool-less removable top panel that allows for 240mm or 280mm radiators. Two additional 280mm radiators can be installed at the front and bottom of the chassis. For cable management and cooling, there are 8 grommeted holes, 31mm (1.2 inches) behind the motherboard tray to hide bundles, two 140mm fans up front, two 140mm fans on the bottom, a single 120mm fan on the rear, and optional fan mounts on the top. Other amenities include dust filters, wheels to move the case, thumbscrews, stealth covers, and more. The PC-V2130 will be available soon for between $499 and $569. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Dell UltraSharp IPS 24-inch Monitor, Logitech G710 Plus Mechanical Keyboard, and More! Posted: 31 Jul 2014 09:03 AM PDT Top Deal: Think about the one thing you stare at all day during work hours. Right, the ceiling -- it's the best way to space out when you're at work. And the second thing? Your monitor, of course. Since that's the case, why skimp on an inferior panel? Be kind to your eyeballs and check out today's top deal for a Dell UltraSharp U2412M 24-inch LED Monitor for $240 with free shipping (normally $265 - use coupon code: [EMCPCHA48]. This monitor sports an In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel with a 2,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 300 cd/m2 brightness, and flexible stand (pivot, swivel, height). Other Deals: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory for $81 with free shipping (normally $90 - use coupon code: [EMCPCHA35]) Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory for $80 with free shipping (normally $93 - use coupon code: [EMCPCHA33]) Logitech G710 PLUS USB Wired Gaming Mechanical Keyboard for $100 with free shipping Corsair Hydro Series H105 Extreme Performance 240mm Liquid CPU Cooler for $100 with free shipping (normally $115 - use coupon code: [EMCPCHA77])

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MMO Updates

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• Chaos Theory: The value of The Secret World's DLCs, part 2
• Destiny previews its endgame systems
• Daum hiring industry 'veterans from western region' for Black Desert
• Final Fantasy XIV gets a real-world theme cafe in Tokyo
• The Daily Grind: I'll miss you, Vanguard
• Combatless MMO Wander releases Gamescom trailer
• WoW's Warlords of Draenor expansion is making faces at you
• Oort Online strives to create a 'universe-sized' sandbox
• World of Tanks builds strongholds for Update 9.2
• Hearthstone unlocks the doors to the Plague Quarter
• Captain's Log: Star Trek Online's eternal crafting problem
• Defiance's Silicon Valley expansion arrives next week
• NCsoft launches Lineage II's Ertheia expansion today
• APB update pwns cheaters and creates quicker matchups
• RuneFest tickets on sale this week

Chaos Theory: The value of The Secret World's DLCs, part 2 Posted: 31 Jul 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Opinion, The Secret World, Chaos Theory, Buy-to-Play Last week we began our exploration of the value of The Secret World's DLCs by looking at the cost of the additional content relative to those who subscribe, those who don't, and those who are lifetime member grandmasters. But money isn't everything to everyone. As noted previously, value is a subjective judgment determined by whatever factors are most important to the individual making the assessment. So making the call on value will depend on which category/categories are used in the judging process. With that in mind, this week we're going to delve into the content aspect of the various DLCs. Specifically, we'll look at quantity, quality, and type of content in each issue and sidestories pack. Other key factors that are of equal -- if not paramount -- importance to some players are whether or not the additional pack is necessary to further TSW's story (who wants to miss some important tidbit?) and how fun playing through it actually is. Continue reading Chaos Theory: The value of The Secret World's DLCs, part 2 Chaos Theory: The value of The Secret World's DLCs, part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 Jul 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Destiny previews its endgame systems Posted: 31 Jul 2014 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, Endgame, News Items, Consoles, MMOFPS, Destiny The team at Bungie has been talking a lot about Destiny's systems, but there hasn't been a great deal of discussion about the long-term game. What's going to keep players going in the long term? According to a recent interview with the designers, it's raiding. They'll be focused six-person runs that are meant to take a long chunk of time to accomplish, with no matchmaking services to fall back upon -- players will need to clear time, sit down, and get ready to really chew through challenging content. Not into that sort of play? There's also a set of bounties available on a daily basis, aimed at rewarding players for what they're already doing and creating a parallel progression path along that line. There are also daily challenges and Nightfall activities to keep players going. If you're looking forward to the game and want a closer look at what you can get from endgame, hop on over to the full preview. [Thanks to Olorunsegun Adewumi for the tip!] Destiny previews its endgame systems originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 Jul 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Destiny: The Endgame is only the Beginning

Daum hiring industry 'veterans from western region' for Black Desert Posted: 31 Jul 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Black Desert When Pearl Abyss announced that Korean internet giant Daum would be publishing Black Desert in the west, my first reaction was "really?" It makes a certain amount of sense, though, as having one worldwide publisher (Daum is also releasing the fantasy sandbox in its native Korea) could work in the title's favor in terms of localization and time-to-launch efficiency. On the other hand, Daum has no real presence in Europe or North America. That last point was recently addressed by Pearl Abyss Director of Overseas Business Brian Oh, who spoke with MMO Culture at ChinaJoy 2014. "Daum is looking to set up a new games business team and hiring veterans from the western region to operate the new games platform," Oh explained. The interview also delves into Black Desert's translation process as well as IP restrictions and other notables. Daum hiring industry 'veterans from western region' for Black Desert originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 Jul 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: MMO Culture

Final Fantasy XIV gets a real-world theme cafe in Tokyo Posted: 31 Jul 2014 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, News Items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, Subscription Have you ever looked at the vistas of Eorzea in Final Fantasy XIV and thought that they looked like a place you want to be in real life? Good news: You can. A new real-world themed restaurant in Tokyo called the Eorzea Cafe is opening soon, and it's based on the Carline Canopy in Gridania, complete with Eorzean dishes, beverages, and decorations. If you ever wanted to see a bladed lantern shield on the wall whilst you have your dinner, this is the place. Opening on July 31st, the cafe features drinks inspired by the jobs, moogle-themed desserts, and what appears to be a burger based on the Lord of the Crags himself, Titan. There are also PCs set up for people to play the game at their leisure. It's going to be a bit of a hike out to the Akihibara district, but where else are you going to find a Titan Burger while drinking a Dragoon cocktail? [Thanks to Kythas for the tip!] Final Fantasy XIV gets a real-world theme cafe in Tokyo originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 Jul 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Kotaku

The Daily Grind: I'll miss you, Vanguard Posted: 31 Jul 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, PvE, Opinion, Vanguard, The Daily Grind, Crafting, Sunsets Hey Vanguard. I wish you could stay longer. Yeah, you've been hanging around my hard drive since 2007, but that first year was a mess. You launched right next to The Burning Crusade, which would have been the kiss of death even if you hadn't debuted with a bunch of bugs. SOE eventually fixed you up, and the result was a niche and highly enjoyable MMO world of the kind that no one wants to make any more. You were vast, you were an explorer's dream and, stutter-step chunk lines notwithstanding, you were seamless. You had more races and classes than I can remember, though I will remember the Dread Knight and the Disciple quite fondly. I wish more people had given you a whirl. I wish more devs would copy your crafting. I wish all MMO quests were as fun as that lengthy, lovely unicorn mount chase. I'll probably get in trouble for saying so, but I wish your labyrinthine code could've led to an emulator. Most of all, though, I wish you weren't leaving. You were the first themepark I actually enjoyed, and that's no small feat. You will be missed. 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: I'll miss you, Vanguard originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 Jul 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Combatless MMO Wander releases Gamescom trailer Posted: 30 Jul 2014 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Trailers, Video, Events (Real-World), Game Mechanics, News Items, Miscellaneous, Sandbox We last looked at Wander in detail at PAX Prime 2013, but the indie "collaborative exploration" MMO has been hard at work on its cross-platform, VR-friendly, combat-free experience since then. Today, the game's creator, Loki Davison, has released a brief trailer ahead of Gamescom, where Wander will be one of a very few MMOs featured at the Indie MEGABOOTH. Enjoy the video below. Continue reading Combatless MMO Wander releases Gamescom trailer Combatless MMO Wander releases Gamescom trailer originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Jul 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

WoW's Warlords of Draenor expansion is making faces at you Posted: 30 Jul 2014 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Screenshots, Game Mechanics, Previews, News Items, Races, Subscription When Blizzard launches World of Warcraft's Warlords of Draenor expansion later this year, players will be getting more than just the long-awaited character body model upgrades; they're also getting new facial geometry. Art Director Chris Robinson wrote today on the game's official blog, Our next big focus is doing justice to the facial options. With the original models and their simplistic geometry and low-resolution textures, a lot of facial expressions were simply painted on. Now that we've moved to higher-polygon models with lips, teeth, and fully articulated faces-not to mention higher-resolution textures-recreating those same facial options isn't as simple as painting them onto a flat surface. Previously, to get a sneer out of a model, you'd just paint a sneer on its face, and that was that. To do it correctly now-and make it look great-we have to fully pose a sneer, create a custom texture, and mesh that base pose with all of the existing emotes and animations. Robinson also said that Blizzard is "committed" to launching all of the new models together rather than roll them out independently post-launch, but a later tweet indicated that Blood Elf models will not make it in for launch. WoW's Warlords of Draenor expansion is making faces at you originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Jul 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Blizzard dev blog

Oort Online strives to create a 'universe-sized' sandbox Posted: 30 Jul 2014 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Video, New Titles, Sandbox, Crowdfunding Why should your sandbox MMO be confined to one measly world? That's the premise of Oort Online, an upcoming sandbox title that involves several worlds that can be explored, conquered, and molded by players. In this voxel-based game, players will exist on the same server and can choose to fight a nasty galaxy-spanning race called the Protectors or carve out a slice of land on which to build a masterpiece. "We think fans of procedural games are going to love Oort Online! We're making a universe-sized sandbox and giving players control over what happens," developer Wonderstruck said. Oort Online has been in development for six months and is available right now as an early access prototype for funders who spend $95 or more. The crowdfunded project also has cheaper tiers for alpha and beta access and promises a package of goodies (including a chance to win instant access) for those who send out a tweet promoting the game. Get a sneak peek of Oort Online in a dev video after the break! Continue reading Oort Online strives to create a 'universe-sized' sandbox Oort Online strives to create a 'universe-sized' sandbox originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Jul 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: YouTube

World of Tanks builds strongholds for Update 9.2 Posted: 30 Jul 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Video, Patches, War, Free-to-Play, World of Tanks, MOBA Wargaming is betting that players will fight even harder than usual if it's over something they built, which is why the company introduced strongholds with today's Update 9.2 for World of Tanks. Strongholds are a new game mode in which players can lay out a virtual base and fight over it. If a clan can upgrade its base enough, it will be treated to limited-time bonuses that will cover all clan members across the game. Update 9.2 also comes with eight reworked maps, more medal achievements, HD upgrades to a few tanks, and the Fire Arc battle arena. Check out what 9.2 has to offer in the update video after the break. Continue reading World of Tanks builds strongholds for Update 9.2 World of Tanks builds strongholds for Update 9.2 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Jul 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Update 9.2

Hearthstone unlocks the doors to the Plague Quarter Posted: 30 Jul 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Free-to-Play, Trading Card Games, Hearthstone The second wing of Heartstone: Curse of Naxxramas is now open for players to explore and plunder, as the weekly rollout of this online card game expansion continues. The Plague Quarter has unlocked for players, but unlike the free taste of the Arachnid Quarter, this one will require gold to purchase. Inside the quarter, you will find Noth the Plaguebringer, Heigan the Unclean, and the big boss Loatheb. Players that master the Plague Quarter not only will be treated to new cards for their collection but can also go on to tackle two class challenges with additional card rewards. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!] Hearthstone unlocks the doors to the Plague Quarter originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Jul 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: The Plague Quarter is now open

Captain's Log: Star Trek Online's eternal crafting problem Posted: 30 Jul 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Patches, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Captain's Log, Crafting, Subscription I haven't had the chance to really dive into the new crafting system in Star Trek Online just yet, but I can tell it's certainly a valid effort to revitalize the crafting system for the third time in the game's lifespan, this time with an even more fundamental teardown. Memory Alpha is gone now, along with the exploration clusters that used to provide oh-so-many spots to analyze in the hopes of getting more materials. Back at the start of this year, the column took a look at the state of Star Trek Online's crafting and asked whether there really is a future left for it. After all, crafting as a source of items was up against the fleet stores and reputation items. Could you make something better than those systems without replacing those systems? Would it even be worth it? What could be done to clean up crafting? We've gotten our answer about what will be done, but is it a net benefit for the game as a whole? Continue reading Captain's Log: Star Trek Online's eternal crafting problem Captain's Log: Star Trek Online's eternal crafting problem originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Jul 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Defiance's Silicon Valley expansion arrives next week Posted: 30 Jul 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Galleries, Screenshots, Game Mechanics, Patches, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, Post-Apocalyptic, Defiance Trion Worlds aims to publish Defiance's next expansion, Silicon Valley, next week on August 5th. The "completely free world expansion" will bolster the newly free-to-play MMO with new story content as well as a new modifier, Encryption, for weapons and shields. Says the studio, Within the world expansion, players will find Karl Von Back has disappeared into Silicon Valley with his EGO-imbued followers, but it's not the paradise they promised. The valley is overrun with Grid, and a strange cult, the Pilgrims of the Guiding Light, have taken hold in locations across the zone. As all new mysteries unravel, the populace of Silicon Valley calls for help, and only ark hunters have what it takes to face the trials ahead. Trion intends to stream on Twitch this evening at 6 p.m. EDT to answer questions about the update. [Source: Trion press release] Defiance's Silicon Valley expansion arrives next week originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Jul 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

NCsoft launches Lineage II's Ertheia expansion today Posted: 30 Jul 2014 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Video, Lineage 2, Classes, Expansions, Lore, Patches, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Races, Dungeons Lineage II's latest expansion, Ertheia, launches today, bringing with it a new race (the Ertheia), two new classes (Ertheia Fighter and Ertheia Wizard), a new racial skill (Alchemy), new stats (Charisma and Luck), a level 99 instance (The Dimensional Barrier), and two new hunting zones for -- you guessed it -- Ertheia characters. Former players can take advantage of a welcome-back promotion that includes a pack of goodies for veteran characters and a free mount for freshly rolled toons. We've included some concept art as well as videos describing the lore and new classes below. Continue reading NCsoft launches Lineage II's Ertheia expansion today NCsoft launches Lineage II's Ertheia expansion today originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Jul 2014 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Ertheia subsite

APB update pwns cheaters and creates quicker matchups Posted: 30 Jul 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Patches, PvP, Free-to-Play, Legal, All Points Bulletin APB: Reloaded has moved beyond merely shaking a fist at cheaters to waging war on them. Today, Reloaded Games released its Open Conflict patch that contains the much-vaunted "FairFight" technology that monitors for illicit behavior and nips it in the bud on the spot. This system also publicly shames hackers and botters as they are banned so that the entire server can witness their downfall. Open Conflict also contains cloud saves for character settings and a new matchmaking mode that lumps people together based on availability instead of skill. [Source: Reloaded Games press release] APB update pwns cheaters and creates quicker matchups originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Jul 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

RuneFest tickets on sale this week Posted: 30 Jul 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, News Items, RuneScape, Free-to-Play If you're a RuneScape fan and you'll be in London on October 11th, you might want to know that tickets for this year's edition of RuneFest are now on sale. Passes are £99 each, or you can get in for free (and even get a hotel room!) with RuneScape's in-game bonds. The event starts at 10:00 a.m. local time and runs through 7:00 p.m., with an afterparty and late-night gaming scheduled through 11:00 p.m. RuneFest tickets on sale this week originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Jul 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

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MMORPG News

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• General: Heroes Online Announced by Aeria Games
• Landmark: Join Today's Live Stream for More Kerran
• General: Stash Launches KickStarter Campaign
• Defiance: Silicon Valley Expansion Free to All on August 5th
• Lineage 2: Free Expansion, Ertheia, to Go Live Today
• Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft: Naxxramas: The Wait is Killing Me!
• APB: Reloaded: Open Conflict Patch Deployed with New Anti-Cheat Feature
• General: Questing to Monotony
• Neverwinter: Headed to XBox One in Early 2015
• Elite: Dangerous: Beta 1 Released with Expanded Galaxy
• Destiny: Bungie Boasts Over 4.6M Beta Testers
• Path of Exile: The Karui Way, the First in a Series of Comics, Released

General: Heroes Online Announced by Aeria Games Posted: 31 Jul 2014 07:14 AM PDT Aeria Games has announced its entry into the MOBA genre with Heroes Online. The game is set to debut later this fall and is considered by the team to be a successor to the original Warcraft III DotA mod and was developed from South Korea's famous version of DotA: Chaos.

Landmark: Join Today's Live Stream for More Kerran Posted: 30 Jul 2014 03:25 PM PDT The Landmark team will be hosting a live stream event at 4:00 p.m. PDT / 7:00 p.m. EDT to talk about all the latest news and more talk about Kerran. You can take part by joining the Landmark Twitch.tv channel at the appointed hour.

General: Stash Launches KickStarter Campaign Posted: 30 Jul 2014 02:30 PM PDT Frogdice, the team behind Stash, has let us know that a new KickStarter campaign to bring the game to its final release later this summer. Stash is described as bringing the old-school MUD style of gameplay to a graphical generation in a multiplayer RPG environment.

Defiance: Silicon Valley Expansion Free to All on August 5th Posted: 30 Jul 2014 01:36 PM PDT Trion Worlds has announced the Defiance expansion, Silicon Valley, will be released on August 5th. The free expansion brings a new zone and a strange new cult into the game. To get players excited about next week's release, the Defiance team will be on hand later today in a live stream event on the game's Twitch.tv channel.

Lineage 2: Free Expansion, Ertheia, to Go Live Today Posted: 28 Jul 2014 05:07 PM PDT NCSoft has announced that the free Lineage II expansion, Ertheia, is set to go live today, Wednesday, July 30th. The lore brings the four original races together via a time rift and centers around their hope to finally destroy Shilen, the Goddess of Destruction.

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft: Naxxramas: The Wait is Killing Me! Posted: 30 Jul 2014 01:16 AM PDT Truth be told, I hadn't played Hearthstone in a couple of months due to the game's stagnating meta (Zoo, anyone?), but Naxxramas represented an opportunity to shake all of that up, so I dove right back in last week with the Arachnid Quarter. I have to say I am really enjoying Blizzard's approach to expanding the game's card set with adventure modes. It's a neat combination of new cards and new content. But there is one problem: the wait is killing me!

APB: Reloaded: Open Conflict Patch Deployed with New Anti-Cheat Feature Posted: 30 Jul 2014 09:20 AM PDT Reloaded Games has announced the deployment of the latest update to APB: Reloaded. Called "Open Conflict", the patch bring the new "Fair Fight" feature into the game, a server-side mechanic that keeps an eagle eye on all players to ensure that all things remain above-board.

General: Questing to Monotony Posted: 29 Jul 2014 02:52 PM PDT I'm not a partisan MMO gamer. I'll play a sandbox, a themepark, an Action MMORPG, or anything that offers me fun when I boot up the title. But if there's something made clear by recent MMO offerings, it's this: traditional questing as a means of progression is really getting tired.

Neverwinter: Headed to XBox One in Early 2015 Posted: 30 Jul 2014 08:31 AM PDT Perfect World Entertainment has announced that Neverwinter is headed to the XBox One console in early 2015 in both North America and the European Union. Neverwinter marks the first free to play title brought to consoles by PWE and Cryptic Studios.

Elite: Dangerous: Beta 1 Released with Expanded Galaxy Posted: 30 Jul 2014 08:23 AM PDT Frontier Developments has announced the release of Beta 1 for Elite: Dangerous. This release features a hugely expanded universe, up to 38,000 cubic light years' worth. The new content takes place in the realistically modeled Milky Way, centering on the Boötes constellation.

Destiny: Bungie Boasts Over 4.6M Beta Testers Posted: 30 Jul 2014 08:15 AM PDT Bungie has announced that over 4.6 million unique users took part in the recent Destiny beta events. The development team proudly stated that this is by far the largest console beta event in history.

Path of Exile: The Karui Way, the First in a Series of Comics, Released Posted: 30 Jul 2014 08:12 AM PDT Grinding Gear and Dynamite Entertainment have announced the release of the first in a series of comics designed around the as-yet unannounced Path of Exile expansion. Called "The Karui Way", the story introduces the lore behind the upcoming expansion and is for sale via digital download and later as a physical bundle complete with in-game items.

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