General Gaming Article

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• Twitch Enables Copyright Scans and Limits Archiving of VODs
• AMD Reportedly Gearing Up to Sell Radeon-branded Line of SSDs
• Graphics Analysis: Wolfenstein: The New Order
• Microsoft May Ditch the Charms Bar in Windows 9
• Microsoft Squashes $350 Xbox One Rumor
• Newegg Daily Deals: Corsair CX600 600W PSU, AMD FX-6300 Processor, and More!
• Samsung is Top Dog in U.S. Smartphone Market
• Philips 28-inch 4K Ultra HD Monitor Debuts at Discounted $600 Price Tag, Now Available Online
• Crossblade Ranger is Asus ROG's First AMD FM2+ Motherboard

Twitch Enables Copyright Scans and Limits Archiving of VODs Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:34 PM PDT Copyright infringements results in VODs being muted Back in May it was rumored that Google was looking to purchase Twitch for $1 billion. While we wait for confirmation on this rumor from either side, Twitch is making some big changes. According to its official blog, Twitch has enabled copyright sweeps and has limited archiving of video content. Twitch announced that it has partnered with Audible Magic to help scan past and future VODs for any copyright music that might have been used during live streams. While scans will look for music owned by Audible Magic, or controlled by its clients, Twitch also revealed that the scans will look for in-game and ambient music.  30-minute blocks of VODs will be scanned and, if any copyrighted music is detected, the audio for that block of time will be muted and the volume controls disabled. However, Twitch stated that such scans will not happen during live broadcasts only for past broadcasts and highlights. In addition, the company has also made changes to how long it will archive past broadcasts and highlights. The most immediate change was the removal of the "Save Forever" button. For regular streamers, VODs will now be saved for only 14 days while Turbo Subscribers and Partners will have their past broadcasts and highlights stored for 60 days. Providing a reason for why past VODs would no longer be stored indefinitely, Twitch CEO Emmett Shear said, "We found that the vast majority of past broadcast views happen within the first two weeks after they're created. On the days following, viewership reduces exponentially. We also discovered that 80 percent of our storage capacity is filled with past broadcasts that are never watched." With these changes, will you continue to use Twitch to stream your gaming sessions? Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

AMD Reportedly Gearing Up to Sell Radeon-branded Line of SSDs Posted: 07 Aug 2014 02:16 PM PDT The SSD market could become more competitive It appears that AMD might not be satisfied with just manufacturing GPUs, CPUs, RAM, and APUs. According to KitGuru.com, and a couple of leaked slides, AMD will sell Radeon R7-branded SSDs that will compete with other manufacturers such as Kingston, Samsung, and OCZ. Looking at the available slides it appears that there will be three Radeon R7 SSDs. The hardware will have a read speed of 550MB/s and is expected to have a four-year life expectancy. There will be 120GB, 240GB, and 480GB versions dubbed the Radeon R7 120G, Radeon R7 240G, and Radeon R7 480G.  While the reading speed of all versions will be 550MB/s, the 120GB model will have a slower write speed at 470MB/s whereas the 240GB and 480GB models will have a write speed of 530MB/s. In addition, the drives will only be available in the 2.5-inch form factor and includes 256-bit AES encryption.  AMD has not officially confirmed the existence of the Radeon-branded SSDs though some sources, such as ComputerWorld, claim that the company has confirmed the devices and that it will make an announcement next week. Do you think the AMD Radeon R7 SSDs are a good idea? Or does AMD have enough on its plate? Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Graphics Analysis: Wolfenstein: The New Order Posted: 07 Aug 2014 11:03 AM PDT We compare Wolfenstein: The New Order's low, medium, high, and ultra settings with pics and video For this graphical analysis feature, we examine the graphical capabilities of Bethesda's Wolfenstein: The New Order. When the first-person shooter was released on PC, it had tons of graphical glitches, which included long load times and massive texture pop-in issues. Luckily, most of these problems have been sorted out with a few patches. Now the new Wolfenstein title is known for being a beautiful-looking game, so we wanted to take this graphical behemoth for a test run to see how it looks across its different graphics presets. Is this game going to show off your graphics card in all of its glory? Read on to find out! Testing Methodology: We wanted our tests to be easily replicated, so we ran the game in 1080p, using Wolfenstein's preset graphics options, which include "Low," "Medium," "High", and "Ultra". We should mention that the point of this test is to analyze image quality and visual fidelity. This is not a frame rate performance test. We captured our screenshots and video with a fairly beefy gaming rig, which sports an Intel Core i7 4770K CPU, 8GB of 1600MHz G.Skill RAM, and a GTX 780 video card. The settings we used for each test are shown in the screenshots below: Low Settings Medium Settings High Settings Ultra Settings Video Scene Analysis: Note: You can click on the images below to see an animated GIF comparing the scene running across low, medium, high, and ultra settings. Mech Scene: The first scene has the main character, William Blazkowicz, inside of a mech suit. When the game is rendering in Low settings we see very little detail in our character's clothing. His sleeves gain more texture and color as we go from Low to Ultra settings. The mech suit also has some differences going from Low to Ultra settings, but they're very minimal. For example, the gauges on the left-hand side gain more texture and lighting as we ramp up graphical fidelity. The rest of the scene looks almost the same across all four presets. Yes, there are a few extra textures sprinkled into the landscape in High and Ultra settings, which Low and Medium don't have, but again, this a very small difference and you really have to pixel peep to notice them.   Soldier scene: In the Soldier scene above, we see there's less texture and definition in the soldier who's standing in the left corner of the screen. His clothing gets more texture as we go up in graphical quality. The same can be said for the soldier in the middle of the screen too. The texture quality of his clothing is better in Ultra than in Low settings, but the rest of the scene looks almost the same across the other presets. The dark colors and low lighting in this scene's background make it hard for us to discern any other meaningful differences. Airplane scene: The hardest scene to tell any difference between the three presets is the Airplane scene. We couldn't see anything inside the aircraft which looked noticeably different. The ocean in the game's Ultra preset looks the best of the four scenes, but that's the only noticeable difference we could effectively draw here. The interior of the cabin looks very similar across all four presets.  Conclusion: Analyzing Wolfenstein's different visual settings, we were surprised by how hard it was for us to tell the difference between any of the game's four presets. At times, we really had to dig to bring out the nitty gritty details. In general, we found that characters look more fully realized the higher you crank up the settings. If you're not looking at soldiers on screen, the game looks very similar across all the settings. The similar look and feel in all four presets is in part due to Wolfenstein's dark color palette. When Wolfenstein adds in more textures onto gray, black, and brown surfaces, it can be hard to notice much of a visual improvement. If the game was brighter and offered a wider color palette, it may be easier to pick up on the differences. Regardless, as it stands, it doesn't look like Wolfenstein: The New Order is going to shock and awe anyone at the highest settings, at least not compared to the game's lower presets. Which game would you like us to do a deep dive graphical analysis on next? Let us know in the comments below! Follow Chris on Google+ or Twitter

Microsoft May Ditch the Charms Bar in Windows 9 Posted: 07 Aug 2014 11:00 AM PDT Will you miss the Charms Bar? It's only a matter of time before we see how much Microsoft learned fom Windows 8/8.1 and the feedback it received from users. Windows 9, otherwise known as Threshold, will usher in a new era of Windows, and early indications point to a different design philosophy than the one that drew criticism in the current version of Windows. For example, one of the rumors floating around is that Windows 9 will get rid of the Charms Bar. According to Winbeta.org, Windows 9 will be very different from Windows 8/8.1 with the desktop taking center stage once again. Part of that entails getting rid of the Charms Bar, at least for the desktop version -- there's a chance Microsoft will retain the Charms Bar for tablets. "We can confirm that Microsoft have been toying with multiple different ways they could implement a new charms menu which is fluent and makes sense for mouse users. One method that we heard about that stands out is having a button up near the window controls that once pressed, would reveal the Search, Share, Devices and Settings charms from the top of the window (there's no need for a Start Button for desktop users in the charms)," Winbeta.org says. Microsoft may also remove Charms altogether, though it gets a little complicated since a bunch of Modern UI apps depend on it for certain features and functions. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Microsoft Squashes $350 Xbox One Rumor Posted: 07 Aug 2014 10:38 AM PDT That ad you saw for a €349.99 Xbox One? It was posted in error, Microsoft says Console gamers had reason to be excited when an online ad depicted the Xbox One getting a price cut to €349.99, which hinted at a global price cut. Unfortunately, that excitement was short lived. Microsoft threw a wet blanket on the rumor and confirmed with our sister site, Tech Radar, that the Xbox One listing with a reduced price was made "in error" and that it doesn't have any current plans to lower the price. Microsoft already lowered the price of the Xbox One this year by removing the Kinect motion control sensor as a mandatory part of the package. In doing so, Microsoft has been able to offer the standalone console for $399 instead of $499, putting it on par with Sony's PlayStation 4. There have also been rumors that Microsoft will release some Xbox One bundles in the near future, including one on August 26th that will package Madden NFL 25 with the $399 Xbox One. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Corsair CX600 600W PSU, AMD FX-6300 Processor, and More! Posted: 07 Aug 2014 10:14 AM PDT Top Deal: How much would you pay for a quality power supply? A million dollars? Ten million dollars? One hundred million dollars? As if! Sure, we're exaggerating on the cost of a reliable PSU, but wait until you see today's top deal -- it's for a Corsair CX Series CX600 600W Power Supply for $35 with free shipping (normally $65 - use coupon code: [EMCPBPC24]; additional $20 mail-in-rebate). In additon to a low price tag, this PSU sports 80 Plus Bronze certification, long cables, and low noise operation. Other Deals: Crucial MX100  2.5-inch 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive for $105 with free shipping (normally $115 - use coupon code: [EMCPBPC99]) WD Red 4TB IntelliPower 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch NAS Internal Hard Drive for $160 with free shipping (normally $175 - use coupon code: [EMCPBPC27]) AMD FX-6300 Vishera 6-Core 3.5GHz (4.1GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W Desktop Processor for $110 with free shipping (normally $120 - use coupon code: [EMCPBPC22]) Asus M5A97 R2.0 AM3+ AMD 970 + SB950 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS for $79 with free shipping (normally $89 - use coupon code: [EMCPBPC26])

Samsung is Top Dog in U.S. Smartphone Market Posted: 07 Aug 2014 09:56 AM PDT Samsung extends lead over Apple in U.S. smartphone sales Apple will almost definitely see a significant surge in iPhone sales after it announces the iPhone 6 in September, but for now, Samsung leads the U.S. market in smartphone shipments. According to latest data from Conterpoint Research, Samsung's share of the smartphone market in the U.S. grew to 36.1 percent, up from 33.9 percent in the same quarter a year ago. It also topped overall mobile phone shipments with a 37.3 percent share in Q2. It's mostly a two-horse race between Samsung and Apple, the latter of which saw its smartphone share drop to 29.7 percent, down from 32.2 percent a year prior. As for overall mobile handset shipments, Apple claimed a 25.9 percent share in Q2, which is 11.4 percent less than Samsung. "However, the upcoming holiday season quarter Q4 as usual would certainly be an 'Apple' quarter as it unveils its new iPhone in September which means Samsung will have to pull off a feat with the upcoming Galaxy Note 4 to maintain share as Galaxy S5 demand begins to taper off," Counterpoint says. It's rumored that Apple will release two versions of the iPhone 6, one with a 4.7-inch display and another with a 5.5-inch screen. If Apple indeed goes big, it could entice Android owners to jump ship, as larger size screens is one of Android's selling points. Those who still prefer the open platform and flexibiliy it affords, however, will be unlikely to switch. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Philips 28-inch 4K Ultra HD Monitor Debuts at Discounted $600 Price Tag, Now Available Online Posted: 07 Aug 2014 08:59 AM PDT Save $200 off the MSRP Philips this week unveiled its new 28-inch 4K Ultra HD display, model 288P6LJEB, which boasts a 3840x2160 resolution. As you've heard a million times before, that's four times the resolution of Full HD 1080p. That translates into more on-screen real-estate to work with, and to entice early adopters to make the leap, Philips has made available its new display for a special price of $600, saving you a couple of Bennies over its $800 MSRP. The 28-inch 4K panel features a color depth of 1.07 billion colors. It has a 1ms response time, 300 cd/m2 brightness, a pair of 3W speakers, 170-degree (H) / 160-degree (V) viewing angles, built-in USB hub with two USB 2.0 ports and two USB 3.0 ports, a DisplayPort, VGA, DVI-D, and HDMI with MHL. Using MultiView technology, you can connect multiple devices to the monitor such as a PC and laptop and view them side-by-side simultaneously. You can order Philips's monitor now. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Crossblade Ranger is Asus ROG's First AMD FM2+ Motherboard Posted: 07 Aug 2014 08:13 AM PDT Loaded with gamer friendly amenities When you see the Republic of Gamers (ROG) tag on an Asus product, you know the company has it done it up right, and that's certainly true of the division's first ever AMD FM2+ motherboard. Asus ROG makes it debut into FM2+ territory with the Crossblade Ranger, a high end motherboard packed with features and technologies designed to give gamers an edge on the virtual battlefield. Even the LAN port is beefed up. Asus opted for a "state-of-the-art" Intel GbE LAN port with better throughput and lower power consumption than competing solutions, which is further aided by GameFirst III, an exclusive ROG technology that assigns top priority to game data packets. The cherry on top is LANGuard Ethernet socket technology, which is comprised of advanced filtering components with low impedance capacitors to reduce noise and improve throughput. It also includes ESD and surge protection. On the audio front, the board boasts SupremeFX 2014 with PCB isolation techniques to minimize electromagetic interference (EMI) and premium ELNA audio capacitors for precise 7.1-channel audio that's on par with the best soundcards, Asus says. There are four DIMM slots that support up to 64GB of DDR3-2666 memory, two PCI-E 3.0 x16 slots, a single PCI-E 2.0 x16 slot, two PCI-E 2.0 x1 slots, two standard PCI slots, 8 SATA 6Gbps ports, 6 USB 3.0 ports, 8 USB 2.0 ports, and lots more. The Crossblade Ranger will be available this month for $160. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

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MMO Updates

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• Meet Haku, one of Path of Exile's new Forsaken Masters
• Pathfinder early access starts September 15, cash shop structures revealed
• Star Citizen's Arena Commander open to all backers
• The Daily Grind: Do you (still) pre-order MMOs?
• The Stomping Land is switching to Unreal Engine 4
• SMITE reworks Nu Wa, adds treasure boxes
• ArcheAge will host another closed beta event next weekend
• Defiance launches the Silicon Valley update
• RIFT launches patch 2.8, Madness Wakes
• World of Warcraft will offer minipets and nostalgic gameplay for its anniversary
• DC Universe Online unleashes the Halls of Power
• The Stream Team: Island hopping to Landmark's Foundation Museums
• Check out 93 minutes of Skyforge's gameplay
• Albion Online founder's packs available for purchase
• Heroes & Generals hosting free veteran weekend

Meet Haku, one of Path of Exile's new Forsaken Masters Posted: 07 Aug 2014 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Expansions, Patches, Previews, Free-to-Play, Path of Exile The titular feature of the upcoming Forsaken Masters update for Path of Exile comes in the form of seven notable NPCs who have special tasks -- and rewards -- for the players. Each master is willing to train players and bestow upon them special hideout decorations, hideout tilesets, and crafting options. Yesterday the team unveiled the third Forsaken Master, Haku the Armormaster. Haku is an armormaster who wants you to do a bit of ghostbusting while recovering an ancient spirit that's near and dear to his heart. We've got a quick video featuring the Master and his insane missions after the break! Continue reading Meet Haku, one of Path of Exile's new Forsaken Masters Meet Haku, one of Path of Exile's new Forsaken Masters originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Aug 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: YouTube

Pathfinder early access starts September 15, cash shop structures revealed Posted: 07 Aug 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Sandbox, Pathfinder Online GoblinWorks has posted some "major announcements" on its Pathfinder Online website. They include the start date for early enrollment (September 15th) as well as tweaks to early enrollment packages and a new Explorer Access package. Gameplay-wise, the firm has unveiled premium cash shop items, which it says "are not going to be mechanically superior to player-character crafted items." Two of the items will regenerate power, though, so it's worth reading the full explanation if you're concerned about potential monetization intrusions in your fantasy sandbox. Finally, GoblinWorks talks up Pathfinder's individual player structures, which are also available via the cash shop. Base camps serve as adventure-sustaining settlements when you're far from home, and they remain active for five days once deployed. Once they despawn, they're on a 15-day cooldown. They're priced at $50. Smallholdings are also available and feature "a substantial amount of local storage" for $200. Pathfinder early access starts September 15, cash shop structures revealed originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Aug 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

Star Citizen's Arena Commander open to all backers Posted: 07 Aug 2014 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play Cloud Imperium released Star Citizen's July update this week, which says that the dev team has "finally achieved victory" in its long battle with the game's pre-alpha rubber-banding issues. Arena Commander multiplayer is "playing like we originally intended," the firm explains, and as a result the module has been made available to all eligible SC backers. The rest of the update letter details happenings at all of CIG's studios around the world. [Thanks Cardboard and James!] Continue reading Star Citizen's Arena Commander open to all backers Star Citizen's Arena Commander open to all backers originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Aug 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: July report

The Daily Grind: Do you (still) pre-order MMOs? Posted: 07 Aug 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business Models, Culture, MMO Industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind As we reported yesterday, Activision says that pre-orders are declining across the game industry. Here in MMOland, pre-orders are still kind of a thing, but they're also being supplemented/supplanted by early access sales. What about you, personally, though? Do you (still) pre-order MMOs, whether for the in-game goodies or just out of general excitement? Why or why not? 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 (still) pre-order MMOs? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Aug 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Stomping Land is switching to Unreal Engine 4 Posted: 06 Aug 2014 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Sandbox Dino-delay or evolutionary upgrade? The situation might be both for The Stomping Land, which has been on the down low while its developer works to bring it to a new game engine after the old engine lost studio support. "It has been quiet in The Stomping Land community but that is certainly not the case behind the scenes!" Developer Alex "Jig" Fundora told Kotaku. "The game is being moved to Unreal Engine 4 to take advantage of technical and creative opportunities, and while the game was so early in development, I didn't want to keep working for years with a game engine (UDK) that had officially lost support by Epic. The move has put a bit of more work on my plate, but the already discovered opportunities using UE4 are exciting, and I'm confident fans will be satisfied with the long-run decision." The dinosaur-themed survival sandbox went into early access this past May 30th. The Stomping Land is switching to Unreal Engine 4 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Aug 2014 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Kotaku

SMITE reworks Nu Wa, adds treasure boxes Posted: 06 Aug 2014 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play SMITE got a bit of rework this week, with new skins, a new Zeus model, and a complete update of Nu Wa headlining the changes. Hi-Rez also added RNG treasure boxes to its fantasy/mythology MOBA as well as several tweaks to custom game functionality. View the complete update notes via the links below, and don't forget to have a look at the new skins video after the break. [Thanks Sorenthaz!] Continue reading SMITE reworks Nu Wa, adds treasure boxes SMITE reworks Nu Wa, adds treasure boxes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Aug 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

ArcheAge will host another closed beta event next weekend Posted: 06 Aug 2014 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, News Items, Free-to-Play, ArcheAge, Sandbox Trion Worlds has announced that the third ArcheAge closed beta event, dubbed Blood & Bounty, will run from 7 a.m. EDT on August 14th to the same time on the following Monday. The studio noted in a producer letter today that the last beta event was focused on sorting out the billing interface, adjusting the marketplace, and catching bots and scammers, the last of which was, according to the team, "a little overzealous" in that systems apparently flagged legitimate accounts in addition to problem players. Trion is also continuing to tweak the complicated labor system. If you're not already in the beta, your chance to receive an invite will improve this round; Trion promised that it will be more than doubling invites to those who signed up via the official site. ArcheAge will host another closed beta event next weekend originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Aug 2014 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: ArcheAge dev post

Defiance launches the Silicon Valley update Posted: 06 Aug 2014 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Consoles, Defiance It's time to take it to the ruins of California in Defiance's latest patch, which introduces a large free expansion in the form of Silicon Valley. Karl Von Bach has disappeared into the region with plenty of his followers, but it turns out that the area is slightly less pleasant than advertised. Specifically, it's overrun with a cult called the Pilgrims of the Guiding Light as well as Grid, giving players plenty of things to shoot. The team behind the game has put together a new trailer to help players get excited about a trip through the valley. Aside from new missions, players can unlock new outfits and synergies, new weapon mods, and an expanded EGO cap. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start shooting; those cultists aren't going to deal with themselves. That's the Acolytes of the Getting Out Of Your Way Conveniently -- that's not even in this expansion. [Source: Trion Worlds press release] Continue reading Defiance launches the Silicon Valley update Defiance launches the Silicon Valley update originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Aug 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Update page

RIFT launches patch 2.8, Madness Wakes Posted: 06 Aug 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Patches, Endgame, News Items, Free-to-Play, RIFT, Dungeons It's not quite time for the next RIFT expansion, but it is time to prep for it. Patch 2.8: Madness Wakes adds a new series of quests to lead into the story of the next major version update, with players heading to Tempest Bay to confront some dark dreams. That pairs up with the addition of a new five-person level 60 dungeon, Nightmare Coast, with new items and quests to send players after a mysterious cult. Players also have access to a revamped auction house (which has caused some player consternation regarding its fees), major updates to the Pyromancer soul, and the ability to see the source of an item when inspecting another player. There are also various bugfixes, balance changes, and the like. Check out the full patch notes here, and if you're ready to start gearing up for the game's second expansion, log in and start getting crazy. Continue reading RIFT launches patch 2.8, Madness Wakes RIFT launches patch 2.8, Madness Wakes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Aug 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: RIFT 2.8: Madness Wakes patch notes, The new Auction House

World of Warcraft will offer minipets and nostalgic gameplay for its anniversary Posted: 06 Aug 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Events (Real-World), Game Mechanics, Patches, PvP, Endgame, News Items, PvE, Dungeons, Anniversaries, Subscription As World of Warcraft gears up for its 10th anniversary in November, Blizzard has announced its plans for celebrating. Of note, the team is creating a 40-player raid finder version of Molten Core for "max-level" characters, who can "relive the experience of hunting down Ragnaros and his minions" and snag a new mount and achievement. A new deathmatch-style battleground will also be opened in an attempt to replicate the early Tarren Mill/Southshore PvP experience. If you don't really care about nostalgic raids and PvP, how about some free stuff? WoW will bestow a Molten Corgi minipet on everyone who logs in during the event. World of Warcraft will offer minipets and nostalgic gameplay for its anniversary originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Aug 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Blizzard blog

DC Universe Online unleashes the Halls of Power Posted: 06 Aug 2014 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Trailers, Video, Patches, Endgame, News Items, Free-to-Play, Consoles, DC Universe Online It's been years since DC Universe Online launched, and yet players have spent all of that time without nearly enough material on the New Gods. But that's changing now; the Halls of Power part I DLC has just been released, and that includes exactly what you'd expect if you know who the New Gods are. Darkseid's son Kalibak and the villainous Mantis are seeking out relics beneath the surface of Apokolips and New Genesis, leading Mister Miracle and Big Barda to recruit heroic forces to stop their malevolent designs. The DLC contains two new Raids and one new Operation for eight players, along with an Alert and an Operation for four players. It also offers six new Skill Points, new styles and gear, new feats, and all of the other widgets like base items that you'd expect. This content is available now for players on both consoles and PCs, so even if you're not versed enough in DC lore to understand what's going on, you can still take part and start smashing (or helping) the villains. [Source: Sony Online Entertainment press release] Continue reading DC Universe Online unleashes the Halls of Power DC Universe Online unleashes the Halls of Power originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Aug 2014 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Stream Team: Island hopping to Landmark's Foundation Museums Posted: 06 Aug 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Free-to-Play, Livestream, Sandbox, Housing, The Stream Team, Player-Generated Content, Landmark Part of the allure of Landmark is the ability to help create EverQuest Next. And now that the winners for the first racial building contest are up for display on Landmark's Foundation Museums island, Massively's MJ is taking a tour. Want to see what fellow players have envisioned for the Dark Elves? Join us live at 4:00 p.m. EDT to take a look at the winning pieces all in one place. As a bonus, there are more codes to give away! Game: Landmark Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Wednesday, August 6th, 2014 Time: 4:00 p.m. EDT Enjoy our Stream Team video below. Continue reading The Stream Team: Island hopping to Landmark's Foundation Museums The Stream Team: Island hopping to Landmark's Foundation Museums originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Aug 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Check out 93 minutes of Skyforge's gameplay Posted: 06 Aug 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Video, Skyforge Seeing is believing, da? Oh, that "da" is "yes" in Russian, which is a language that you'll need to be intimately familiar with if you desire to understand all of the commentary that comes with the following Skyforge gameplay video. Even if your Russian Rosetta Stone hasn't come in the mail yet, you can probably get the gist of this video even so. Most of it is a guy running around fighting, although you can see various menus and get a feel for how the game handles movement and world interaction. Check it out after the break and let us know what you think! [Thanks to Dystopiq for the tip!] Continue reading Check out 93 minutes of Skyforge's gameplay Check out 93 minutes of Skyforge's gameplay originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Aug 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: YouTube

Albion Online founder's packs available for purchase Posted: 06 Aug 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Promotions, Sandbox Let's cut to the chase: You want to know how much it'll cost you to get into Albion Online alpha program in September? Fifty bucks. Thirty dollars if you're willing to wait for next year's beta. Now that your curiosity is sated, let's talk about the trio of founder's packs that Albion Online has just made available to buy. The least expensive tier is the veteran pack at $29.95, which comes with beta access in Q1 2015, in-game currency, and 30 days of premium access. The epic and legendary packs are $49.95 and $99.95 respectively, and include (among other goodies) access to the summer and winter alpha program, special nametags, cosmetic outfits, and even (in the case of the lgendary pack) mounts. Various questions about the founder's packs have been answered on a separate FAQ page. [Thanks to Laurence for the tip!] Albion Online founder's packs available for purchase originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Aug 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Founder's packs

Heroes & Generals hosting free veteran weekend Posted: 06 Aug 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Historical, Business Models, Events (In-Game), MMO Industry, PvP, News Items, War, Free-to-Play World War II shooter/strategy hybrid Heroes & Generals is celebrating its first 30 days on Steam by hosting a free veteran weekend. Reto-Moto's title is free-to-play, but of course you'll progress faster and probably enjoy yourself more if you pony up for the game's veteran access. Starting Friday, August 8th, you can enjoy said access for free through Monday August 11th. Veteran membership grants a 25 percent XP boost, 50 percent credit and warfund boosts, a 25 percent ribbon XP boost, and more. If you're already a vet, Reto-Moto is adding 72 hours to your membership! Heroes & Generals hosting free veteran weekend originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Aug 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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• Pathfinder Online: Cash Shop Functionality Detailed in New Blog
• Path of Exile: Catarina - Master of the Dead Revealed
• General: Latest "You've Been Chosen" Video Asks a Cryptic Question
• Defiance: Silicon Valley Expansion Now Live
• Warhammer 40.000: Eternal Crusade: Tank on Tank Action to Shine in Next Live Stream
• Perfect World International: Chill of Luneska Coming August 19th
• General: Moonrise: How Undead Labs is Taking on Pokémon with Style
• DC Universe Online: Halls of Power Part 1 Arrives Today
• World of Warcraft: New Events to Celebrate WoW's First Decade
• Guild Wars 2: Points of Interest #4 Answers MMORPG.com Questions
• Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft: Curse of Naxxramas Military Quarter Opens
• ArcheAge: How ArcheAge Captures the ‘Elder Scrolls’ Spirit Better Than ESO
• Albion Online: Site Redesigned & Founders Packs Revealed

Pathfinder Online: Cash Shop Functionality Detailed in New Blog Posted: 07 Aug 2014 08:17 AM PDT The Pathfinder Online site has been updated with a new developer blog post that gives fans and backers a look at how premium items for purchase with real-world dollars will work. Of specific note is the blog's acknowledgement of player concerns that the game will become "pay to win" and, somewhat conversely, how players who purchase these buildings can rest assured that their purchases are persistent even through "destruction".

Path of Exile: Catarina - Master of the Dead Revealed Posted: 07 Aug 2014 04:41 AM PDT Grinding Gear Games' Path of Exile is set to receive its second major expansion on August 20th, and we caught up with CEO Chris Wilson to reveal two of Forsaken Masters' big new features: the Witch Catarina, Master of the Dead and the Standard Challenge League coming with the expansion: The Rampage League. Read on for all the details.

General: Latest "You've Been Chosen" Video Asks a Cryptic Question Posted: 07 Aug 2014 05:16 AM PDT The third in a series of Bioware's "You've Been Chosen" videos has been released to get fans curious about the big Gamescom announcement regarding the famed RPG studios' next project. In the new video, a young woman walks through grass muttering "It's not my fault" as the camera pans back to a scene of devastation. As the video ends, the cryptic question "Can you control your power?" is asked.

Defiance: Silicon Valley Expansion Now Live Posted: 06 Aug 2014 01:35 PM PDT According to a press announcement from Trion Worlds, the latest content update for Defiance, Silicon Valley, is now live. To celebrate the release of the expansion, Trion has released a new trailer to show off the location and some of what players can expect.

Warhammer 40.000: Eternal Crusade: Tank on Tank Action to Shine in Next Live Stream Posted: 06 Aug 2014 01:31 PM PDT Behaviour Interactive has scheduled the next Warhammer 40k: Eternal Crusade live stream event for this Friday, August 8th. During the now-weekly event, the team will be showing off tank vs tank game play with the Lascannon and Quad Gun. The team will also be on hand for a live Q&A with stream attendees.

Perfect World International: Chill of Luneska Coming August 19th Posted: 06 Aug 2014 12:53 PM PDT Perfect World International is ready to expand again with the imminent arrival of the Chill of Luneska story update on August 19th. Chill of Luneska will build on guild vs guild features with an all new Territory Resource War feature, and will also feature new high-level quests, streamlined systems and more.

General: Moonrise: How Undead Labs is Taking on Pokémon with Style Posted: 06 Aug 2014 11:55 AM PDT Moonrise may not seem like the logical next game from State of Decay creator Undead Labs. But UL is a studio filled with gamers that play everything, and mobile games are kind of a big deal so it makes sense to us that while they plug away on their next zombie-themed title, they might try something in that arena. But instead of a craptacular Candy Crush clone, we're getting what looks to be a fantastically vibrant new RPG based around collecting and fighting monsters.

DC Universe Online: Halls of Power Part 1 Arrives Today Posted: 06 Aug 2014 11:29 AM PDT DC Universe Online players will want to check out the game today as the arrival of the latest DLC has come. Called "Halls of Power Part 1", the DLC features five new co-op missions, fourth world villains and heroes, new gear and more.

World of Warcraft: New Events to Celebrate WoW's First Decade Posted: 06 Aug 2014 11:10 AM PDT Blizzard Entertainment has taken the wraps off of the first events that will usher in World of Warcraft's 10th anniversary this November. Players will be able to take part in a new PvP experience built around the classic Southshore vs Tarren Mill struggle, gain a new Core Hound mount and snag a Molten Corgi pet simply for logging into these first events.

Guild Wars 2: Points of Interest #4 Answers MMORPG.com Questions Posted: 06 Aug 2014 11:02 AM PDT The latest edition of the Guild Wars 2 video series, Points of Interest, is now live. In addition to talking about The Dragon's Reach, our own Bill Murphy trotted over to ask the questions submitted by MMORPG.com readers! See if your question was answered.

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft: Curse of Naxxramas Military Quarter Opens Posted: 06 Aug 2014 09:58 AM PDT The third wing in the Hearthstone single-player campaign, Curse of Naxxramas, has opened up. The Military Quarter joins the Plague and Arachnid Quarters with two more yet to come.

ArcheAge: How ArcheAge Captures the ‘Elder Scrolls’ Spirit Better Than ESO Posted: 04 Aug 2014 05:55 PM PDT In the first of what we hope to become a regular feature on the site, we're presenting you a guest column written by a reader of MMORPG.com. Kyle is a longtime reader of the site, and approached us with a unique take on why ArcheAge appeals to him while Elder Scrolls online did not...

Albion Online: Site Redesigned & Founders Packs Revealed Posted: 06 Aug 2014 08:59 AM PDT The Albion Online site has been completely reworked to give fans and players easier access to the information they want to know about the forthcoming title. In addition, the first details have been revealed about Founders Packs. Founders Packs, each with a variety of in-game perks, can be purchased for $99.95, $49.95 or $29.95. Purchasers will gain access to Albion's alpha test.

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