| Kitsu Saga shuts down July 14 Posted: 12 Jul 2011 05:14 PM PDT Kitsu Saga will be shutting down entirely this Thursday, July 14. Aeria Games cites that the game did not “bounce back” despite content improvements and updates. Players who spent AP since May 2 will get a 100% AP refund, and the server has a 10x boost of loot drops, energy and experience gains until its shutdown at 3pm Pacific. Aeria Games also publishes Grand Fantasia, Eden Eternal, and Dream of Mirror Online.  Kitsu Saga Gameplay Screenshot
Source: Dear Kitsu Saga Players, We regretfully inform you that on July 14th, 2011, Aeria Games will be closing the Kitsu Saga servers permanently. As many of you may be aware, we had high hopes for Kitsu Saga. Unfortunately, even after all the improvements, content updates and additional changes added, the life of Kitsu Saga did not bounce back fast as we had hoped. So despite our best of efforts we are no longer able to support the game. This was a very difficult decision for us and has only been made after much deliberation. We like thank those who played Kitsu Saga and especially those who stuck with it through the more difficult times. Again, we apologize to you for these unfortunate circumstances. Shutdown Schedule
We have put together a schedule that will lead into the item mall and server final shut down. Item Mall Closing: 07/01/2011 @ 3pm PST
Server Shutdown: 07/14/2011 @ 3pm PST AP Spender Compensation:
As a thank you to our customers we have decided to return 100% of the AP spent to all Kitsu Saga to players within the last 60 days from today (May 2nd, 2011-July 1st, 2011). However, because of the large nature of refunds, please allow up to 7-10 business days after July 14th, 2011. Free Loot Box:
The end is near so go out with a bang! Get FREE AP items here. Server Bonus
We will also be giving 10x server bonuses of Loot, Energy and XP until the shut down is complete.
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| Age of Heroes begins in MapleStory Posted: 12 Jul 2011 04:26 PM PDT The second update of MapleStory’s “Chaos,” the Age of Artisans, is now live. The update adds a new crafting system, letting players find items around the world that they can combine in recipes to create new items and weapons. Players can use Smithing (armor/weapons), Alchemy (potions/pills), Accessory Crafting (belts, rings, etc), as well as Mining and Herbalism gathering skills. Some of these items will also be special “fluff” items, like the ability to create a potion which grows the player to a giant size. A new personality trait system is also being introduced. Players can strengthen traits that include Ambition, Willpower, Insight, Diligence, Charm, and Empathy; these traits add special boosts that will help players with various tasks in game. MapleStory is published by Nexon, which also publishes Mabinogi, Combat Arms, and Vindictus.  MapleStory Gameplay Screenshot
Source: A Work of Artisans Weapon crafting and personality trait systems bring an all new flavor to MapleStory "Chaos" is in full effect in MapleStory, the 2-D side-scrolling MMORPG from Nexon. Hot on the heels of the Age of Heroes Chaos content update, the Age of Artisans is the second major Chaos update to sweep Maple World. The Age of Artisans brings an entirely new weapon and item crafting system to MapleStory. Players will now be able to pick up various items around Maple World that combine to form recipes to craft powerful items and weapons. Once a recipe is concocted, players can use the Smithing technique to create armor and weapons, Alchemy to craft potions and pills, and Accessory Crafting to make belts, rings and more. Mining and Herbalism techniques can also be used to gather more raw materials that enhance crafting skills. In addition to the crafting system, a personality trait system is also part of the Age of Artisans update. This system will grant players the opportunity to further define their characters by strengthening various traits, including Ambition, Willpower, Insight, Diligence, Charm and Empathy. Each personality characteristic provides a distinct aid throughout quests or battles: Ambition and Willpower will help strengthen resolve; Insight will allow players to see items' hidden potential; Diligence helps with masterful crafting; Charm allows players to enhance how they express themselves in-game and Empathy raises players' MP and helps avatars gain EXP during quests. Players should be on the lookout for unique crafting techniques that let them show off to fellow Maplers. For instance, alchemists will be able to create a potion that lets their avatar become enormous, while smiths will be able to create android sidekicks that aid them through daily quests. Chaos events are also in full swing. Players can experiences various bonuses which include finding exclusive crafting recipes and experiencing increased chances to discover higher level items and crafting recipes.
More details about the Chaos summer update series will be announced in the coming weeks. MapleStory is available to download and play for free at http://maplestory.nexon.net. To learn more about MapleStory, visit http://facebook.com/maplestory.
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| Hellbreed reveals class info Posted: 12 Jul 2011 03:28 PM PDT Hellbreed, a new browser-based action RPG published by Gameforge, is currently in closed beta, and is now revealing more details about its three playable characters, the Warrior, Huntress, and Siege Master. The Warrior wears heavy armor and masters melee, using either axes, swords, or shields in one- and two-hand varieties. He can summon Squires and other troops, or call up stakes from the ground. Warriors can train as Battlemasters, focused on damage, or Resilience, focused on defense. Warriors can make bandages that they can use in battle. The Huntress fights at ranged, and uses arrows of several varieties, including fire and paralysis. She can also summon wolves, bears, spores, and bolts of lightning – or transform herself into a werewolf. The Huntress can specialize as a Creature Master, specialized into improving her summons, or a Markswoman, focused on speed and stealth. The Huntress brews potions to heal her in battle. The Siege Master is capable of using war machines in battle, including a buzzsaw and grenades, and heals his wounds by cauterizing them. He can train further as a constructor, which improves war machines and allows him to research new machines, or as a besieger, who focuses on damage output and breaking through walls and gates. GameForge also publishes OGame, BiteFight, Ikariam, and 4Story.  Hellbreed Gameplay Screenshot
Source: Hellish good: The characters of Hellbreed Skills and Specialties of the Siege Master, the Warrior and the Huntress Karlsruhe, Germany, 8th July 2011 – In the browser-based action RPG Hellbreed by Gameforge, international leading provider of online games, the player bravely faces off against the creatures of Darken and attempts to reunite the world of Manjuri, which has been broken into fragments by the gods. At the beginning of the game you can choose between one of three playable characters – the Warrior, the Huntress or the Siege Master. As is common in RPGs, Hellbreed also offers you the chance to train your character in a specific field as you level up. The Siege Master
Anyone who enjoys fighting hordes of enemies in melee combat will like the Siege Master. He is a fun chap to be around, and he enjoys drinking a barrel or two of ale for supper and telling of his adventures in the divided world. Skills: The Siege Master has a unique ability at his disposal. He can make use of war machines in battle. These include a mighty buzzsaw that appears beneath his opponents, and small grenades that explode, causing fire damage to several enemies at the same time. Specialties: As he develops, the Siege Master can either train as a "constructor" or "besieger". Constructors are dedicated to improving existing war machines and researching new ones. They don't just care about maximising damage – the number of shots and the service life of the war machine is also important to them. The besieger, on the other hand, is much more concerned with how best to come crashing through thick stone walls and iron gates. A true Siege Master also has no use of bandages, ointments or healing potions. Wounds are healed the traditional way – by cauterising them! The Warrior
The Warrior is a master of melee combat and is able to wear heavy armour, and this makes him an opponent that is difficult to fell. He is man to whom honour is everything, and he has dedicated his sword to protecting the weak. A Warrior is not choosy when it comes to selecting his weapon, and he will take what he can get, whether it be a one-handed or two-handed weapon, an axe, a sword or a shield. Skills: His crushing blows can bring down giants and trees. He can summon Squires and call upon troops to stand by him in battle. And when hordes of enemies threaten to overrun him, he can call upon sharp stakes that rise from the ground. Specialties: A Warrior can train either as a “Battlemaster”, which helps him to inflict more damage, or he can opt for “Resilience”, which makes it even more difficult for enemies to damage the already difficult-to-defeat hero. A warrior wouldn't be a warrior if he couldn't treat his own wounds. To this end, he is skilled in the production of bandages that he can use at any time – even in battle. The Huntress
The Huntress is nimble, skilled and usually fights from a distance. She loves nature and avoids throngs of people. Should anyone ever manage to get her talking, they would do well to be superbly acquainted with the local flora and fauna. Skills: The Huntress is a master of long-range combat, and has at her disposal not only normal arrows, but also fire arrows and paralysing arrows. However, the Huntress is no less a force to be reckoned with in melee combat. She can summon companions such as wolves or bears to support her in battle. She can call up deadly spores or bolts of lightning from thin air to bring her opponents to their knees, but her most powerful incantation is the "Metamorphosis", which transforms her into a werewolf. Specialties: If you enjoy exploring the world with an animal companion at your side, you will probably want to train as a "Creature Master". Even though a wolf may seem tame as he accompanies the Huntress, he will transform into a ravaging beast in battle and defend his mistress with his life. A Huntress that trains as a markswoman, on the other hand, will focus on being faster, stealthier, and deadlier. This training provides her with many skills that are of use to her in long-range combat. As a child of nature, the Huntress is familiar with the healing plants of the world and uses them to brew healing potions that assist her in battle.
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| Lucent Heart begins its commerical launch Posted: 12 Jul 2011 03:11 PM PDT Lucent Heart officially launched its item mall today, marking the game’s “commercial” launch in North America. The item mall will include outfits, convenience items, cupid keys (which lets players pair up with their friends through the Cupid system), and more. To celebrate, players can enter the “Ruffle Raffle” event this week, with a chance to win in-game outfits and limited edition Lucent Heart t-shirts. Cupid Keys will also be 25% off. Lucent Heart is published by Gamania (beanfun), which also publishes Hero: 108 Online and Bright Shadow.  Lucent Heart Gameplay Screenshot
Source: Gamania Digital Entertainment today is proud to announce the North American item mall opening of its highly anticipated free-to-play zodiac-inspired social MMORPG, Lucent Heart. Everyone can now access the new item mall for unique outfits and convenience items. For a limited time Cupid Keys will be sold at a 25% discount, allowing players to be automatically matched with their friends. And those looking for free items can enter the Ruffle Raffle event, running all week, with an in-game outfit and limited edition Lucent Heart t-shirt as prizes: http://us.forums.beanfun.com/index.php?/topic/7283-cool-ruffle-raffle-win-3day-sets-tshirt/. "We want to thank our fantastic community for their support during Lucent Heart's recent betas," said David Wong, COO of Gamania. "We're very happy with how smoothly the game has progressed up to this point and there's a lot to look forward to with future updates and features. I think players are going to be amazed at how much content we're planning to bring over, it's going to be an exciting year." Lucent Heart is [NA] Gamania's newest free-to-play MMORPG. Brought over from Japan where it has won numerous awards, Lucent Heart's North American debut has been making waves with its unique social design and community-centric focus. While questing in the land of Acadia, players will find that their greatest reward isn't the treasure at the end of a dungeon; it's the friends they made along the way. Players can use the official website to download the client, sign up and play at: http://us.beanfun.com/lucentheart/, and meet the community at the official Lucent Heart Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/lucentheart, or forums: http://us.forums.beanfun.com/.
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| Black Prophecy launches Episode 1 Posted: 12 Jul 2011 02:41 PM PDT Black Prophecy has released its first major update today – Episode 1: Inferno in Tulima. Tulima is a new sector where players can visit the new hub, Enzo’s Emporium, which features new story missions for players level 14 or higher, new jobs, and new dynamic missions. The update also removes construction times, adds the new flak cannon, and adds new special skills that lets players activate attack drones, overload weapons, or push enemies away with a shockwave. The messenger system and interface have also been revised. Black Prophecy is published by gamigo, which also publishes Loong, King of Kings 3, and Cultures Online.  Black Prophecy Gameplay Screenshot
Source: The universe is burning! Black Prophecy – Episode 1: Inferno in Tulima is live. Hamburg, July 12, 2011 – Today is the day: the space combat MMOG Black Prophecy is celebrating the release of its first expansion “”Episode 1: Inferno in Tulima.” With this new add-on, publisher gamigo and developer Reakktor have not just expanded the game mechanics but also introduced a wealth of new content. A trailer to “Episode 1: Inferno in Tulima” can be viewed on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJv3KzOF1Lw Tulima was once a vacation paradise where the wealthy could enjoy cocktails in the warm glow of the twin suns. Now the aliens are going to use the sector as their launching pad for an invasion. The sector contains the new hub, “Enzo’s Emporium”, and will provide new story missions that continue the epic story of the conflict between the Genides and Tyi for players at level 14 and higher. There are also plenty of new jobs and dynamic missions waiting for brave pilots. “Episode 1″ will also introduce a number of improvements to Black Prophecy. For example, construction times are now a thing of the past: Ship modifications are now completed immediately, so players can jump right back into action. A new type of weapon, the flak cannon, add even more explosive excitement to battles. These have also been made more dynamic and thrilling by the new special skill system: Players can activate attack drones, for example, or overload their weapons temporarily to make life difficult for their enemies. When the vast emptiness of space gets too crowded, experienced pilots utilize a shockwave to push away attackers within a set radius. Other changes have been made to the game to help improve gameplay based on feedback from the community. These include an overhaul to the messenger system as well as a customizable interface. Information about all the new content of “Episode 1: Inferno in Tulima” can be found on the game’s official website.
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| Battleswarm to shut down Posted: 11 Jul 2011 05:41 PM PDT Reality Gap, publisher of Battleswarm and Monato Esprit, has announced that it has sold its titles to another company. While Monato Esprit will be republished with new revisions and content, Battleswarm was not part of the sale and will shut down this Saturday, July 16. MetaTIX, the game’s virtual currency, will not be refunded to any player.  Battleswarm Gameplay Screenshot
Source: Dear Battleswarmers, We all hoped things would get better again, and we all tried our very best to get Battleswarm back up with tons of players and new features etc. But after a long struggle Reality Gap is in the process of a sale to a new company who specializes in children's games. Battleswarm is not part of that sale, so we will have to shut down the game. The servers will be up and running until July the 16th 2011. Reality Gap's Monato Esprit and several other titles will most likely be re-launched by this company totally revamped and lots of content added. There will be more support in-game and via the helpdesk, and it will be a good but new fresh start! Having said that, the purchasing of MetaTIX will be frozen, for now please don’t purchase anymore MetaTIX unless you plan to use them all within the next 15 days. There can be no refunds of any kind, so enjoy spending/sharing or giving away your last MetaTIX! It has been a very wild ride with many ups and downs and we want to thank every single one of you for your endless support, your input and all the fun times we've had the past years! Not the best news in the world to give you.. but try to enjoy the last few weeks of Battleswarm! Thank you! <3 Reality Gap, Inc.
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| K.O.S. to relaunch in August Posted: 11 Jul 2011 05:32 PM PDT K.O.S. Secret Operations has announced that it will completely relaunch on August 1 on a new game portal. In addition to getting a new game portal, K.O.S. (which will now go under the name K.O.S Secret Operations Amped) will be wiping all game data, with the exception of Blynk credits. The game will also be adding new weapons and enhanced gear on August 10, after the transition. K.O.S is published by YNK Interactive, which also publishes Rohan Online and Seal Online.  K.O.S. Secret Operations Gameplay Screenshot
Source: K.O.S.-Secret Operations will be amped to be the next best competitive cyber FPS e-sport. K.O.S Secret Operations Amped will be launching its new weapons and enhanced gear on August 10, 2011, and competition to become the best FPS fragger will begin. K.O.S Secret Operations will be closing on August 1, 2011 & all data will be cleared. All remaining Blynks will be transferred over once you integrate your existing Dontblynk account to the new portal. A step-by-step guide on how to transfer Blynks will soon be available. New website and item mall on the new Portal will be announced at a later date. Make sure you check here for the latest upcoming information.
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| Aida Arenas suspends closed beta Posted: 11 Jul 2011 05:03 PM PDT Aida Arenas, which began its first closed beta test on June 30, has suspended its second closed beta test indefinitely. No reason is given as to why the beta has been suspended, but it is fair to assume the publisher may simply be adding more polish or fixing crucial bugs in the game before releasing the next beta. Aida Arenas is published by Gamerkraft, which also publishes Freejack.  Aida Arenas Gameplay Screenshot
Source: GamerKraft regrets to announce that the second closed beta test for Aida Arenas has been delayed indefinitely. This means that the closed beta servers will not be online this weekend as previously announced.We want to thank everyone who came out last weekend to participate in the first closed beta test and we apologize for this sudden turn of events.
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| Battle of the Immortals dates Titan update Posted: 11 Jul 2011 04:14 PM PDT Battle of the Immortals has placed a release date on its upcoming Titan update: July 13, this Wednesday. The Titan update will feature a new instance (Titans’ Throne) that can be completed once per day with at least 3 level 115 players, and will reward a new set of Soul Gear plus the artifact Thunder. Two new maps, Black Dragon Lair and Giants Kingdom, will also reward Soul Gear. Battle of the Immortals is published by Perfect World Entertainment, which also publishes Forsaken World, Jade Dynasty, and Perfect World Online.  Battle of the Immortals Gameplay Screenshot
Source: Perfect World Entertainment is pleased to announce that Battle of the Immortals players need to wait no more as the Titan Content update will be launching this Wednesday, July 13!
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| Elfender officially launches Posted: 11 Jul 2011 03:01 PM PDT Elfender officially launched at the end of last week, on July 7, and has announced it now to the world. All new players will get a starting bonus to help them along their way. Elfender is a browser-based tower-defense game, borrowing elements from Plants Versus Zombies, trading card games, and role-playing games. Players can PvE or PvP, placing plants versus zombies in the Chamber of Fight and battling it out for rewards. The game also features missions, quests, puzzles, customization, shops, in-game e-mail, and crafting. Elfender is published by Clapalong, which also publishes Batheo and eDragon.  Elfender Gameplay Screenshot
Source: Elfender finally meets the world! Power Hosts Technology Limited, the publisher of Elfender, confirmed its release on 7th Jul, 2011. The online game community will have to prepare for another round of fierce competition between games mixing all the edges of MMO, RPG, PUZ, LVG and TCG. Elfender is most likely to get the upper hand! http://www.clapalong.com/?action=promotion!ldp&utm_campaign=Elfender_S1&utm_source=m&utm_term=ma013 Every player who registers on clapalong.com to play Elfender will be given newcomer packs and loads of bonuses. Currently they are featuring payment promos that give you a great head-start. Make a decent purchase and you wait for gifts rolling like snowballs. Elfender adapts appealing features from the popular game Plants vs. Zombies and combines them with many other awesome elements. Elfender is a highly anticipated browser-based tower defense game mixing all the edges of MMO, RPG, PUZ, LVG and TCG. In this game, you can experience the fun of management, exploration, puzzle-solving and so much more. Elfender offers stimulating powerful PVP and rich PVE of varying difficulties whose success can only be guaranteed by accumulated wisdom and courage with your co-gamers. The warring sides occupy their own zones in the Chamber of Fight to place plants or zombies strategically and see who gets the upper hand. The images of characters are definitely the highlight. All in all, the gameplay is familiar if you were a fan of Plants vs. Zombies, however, there are also many surprises waiting for you. Elfender supplies all kinds of missions and quests which may lead to bountiful rewards for you to level up quickly and achieve a winning streak in the fantasy world. Besides, the dashing clothes and glamorous dress available will give you an incredible customization experience and unique visual feast. There are Shops to purchase what you need, e-mail system to bond with your buddies, crafting factory to better utilize those gathered items and so forth. The brilliance of Elfender can really not be described in full detail here. You must play it by yourself to fully understand it. Elfender has just been released and what are you still waiting for?
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When Google updated its search algorithm a few months back, many so-called content farms saw their search ranking take a big hit. One site that feels it was unfairly targeted is now claiming that by making a few changes (some of them very minor) they were able to claw back 
China's a great place to go if you want to find a company to manufacture some hardware components, but it's a little less awesome if you want to, say, blog about making those components. The country's ramped up its assault on the Internet over the past few years, jailing "immoral" citizens and shutting down websites left and right. Now, China's bragging about its heavy-handedness; the country boasts that its iron grip strangled the life out of over 1.3 million websites last year alone.
Q, everyone's favorite gadget-smith, never got the respect he deserved. The job carried some great perks, sure – getting his hands on all that cutting-edge tech must have been awesome, and Q stayed immaculately dressed – but in the end, it was always James Bond who got the glory and the tricked out Aston Martins. Q and his friends might end up with the last laugh, though. The British government is warning that it's losing computer whizzes left and right as the allure of big paydays and fast cars are sucking geeky government agents into the private sector.
RunCore, a Chinese manufacturer of solid state drives (SSDs) for consumers, enterprise, and military applications, just announced a new line of mSATA SSDs -- T50 -- based on the SandForce SF-2281 controller. These are the first mSATA drives to support SATA 6Gb/s and are aimed primarily at high-end ultraportables with a maximum I/O performance of 60,000 4K random write IOPS and 35,000 random read IOPS.
A Minnesota man is finding out that you can actually serve hard time for actling like an all-around jackass online. That can take many forms, but in this case, Barry Ardolf received an 18-year prison sentence for essentially terrorizing his neighborhood through a series of cyberattacks in retaliation for having the cops called on him by his neighbors. It gets more bizarre.
Some marriages are doomed from the start. For example, did anyone think that Drew Barrymore and Tom Green would grow old and funny together? Like those two, Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman barely lasted five months before untieing the knot. Couples get divorced for many reasons, and according to some "cyber widows," technology and the Internet can drive a wedge between partners who otherwise had a happy and healthy relationship.
