3
Dec

MMOGaming News

MMOGaming News

MMOSite Interview for Aeria Games' Upcoming MMO Lime Odyssey

Posted:

MMOSite Interview for Aeria Games' Upcoming MMO Lime Odyssey


Aeria Games, one of North America's top MMO publishers, has recently busy preparing its newest MMO, Lime Odyssey. Developed by Korean-based Sirius Entertainment which founded by the former developers of Ragnarok Online, Lime Odyssey has received lots of attention from players. What on earth does this game look like? Let's find out together.

Free-to-Play Lineage II Enters Open Beta in Europe

Posted:

Free-to-Play Lineage II Enters Open Beta in Europe


An exciting new chapter has opened for Lineage II in Europe! Innova is now welcoming players into the open beta for its new free-to-play European service for Lineage II, complete with dedicated English language servers and the game's biggest content expansion to date, Goddess of Destruction.

Upcoming MMOs in December

Posted:

Upcoming MMOs in December


Question of this year: will Guild Wars 2 shout loudly to say "CBT Begin!!!" in December? Actually, we didn’t hear the new process of it for weeks and even the last race is in the dark. Everyone is curious about whether the promise will be fulfilled. On the horizon is the Christmas day. May the god bless you/us to see this gorgeous game.

Continue reading Upcoming MMOs in December.

Unleashed At Last! Fighting with N’aix in Dota 2

Posted:

Unleashed At Last! Fighting with N'aix in Dota 2


DON'T CHECK YOUR EMAIL! It's 99% not there. Apparently, Valve slow down the heroes update and concentrate on bug fix and gameplay experience enhancement. Now they send "invitations out each day at an increasing pace". Considering the overwhelming demand out there, it's a right choice. After the Thansgiving Day, on the horizon is the Christmas. Best Wishes for you. Is the best gift the Dota 2 keys? Hope Santa Clauses know how to put it into your stockings.

Assassins, Cool Killers in the Dark!

Posted:

Assassins, Cool Killers in the Dark!


Whether in solo or group play, assassins hold a distinctive foothold. Surely, lots of players reckon that assassins are too independent and can fully show their strength only in the games emphasizing solo play. Have you ever played as an assassin in MMO? And why you chose to play or not to play this class?

[Guide]Experience and Knacks to Help You Reach Lv 70 in Hunter Blade

Posted:

[Guide]Experience and Knacks to Help You Reach Lv 70 in Hunter Blade


I have played Hunter Blade since the Open Beta Test began. And lately I reached the top level, Lv70. During my hunting, I still found some experience and knacks to help upgrade.

Netgame Upcoming Title R.O.D.E Featuring Dragon Riding System Preview

Posted:

Netgame Upcoming Title R.O.D.E Featuring Dragon Riding System Preview


Netgame releases their newest game called Rise of Dragonian Era, also known as R.O.D.E. R.O.D.E. is a fantasy game of mystical characters and creatures where dragons hold the symbol of great power. It takes place in a world separated by two lord dragons, Firean and Azurian.

Star Wars The Old Republic Closed Beta Review

Posted:

Star Wars The Old Republic Closed Beta Review


I go over in the video my pros and cons as well as details about the game that will give you a better insight on if you want or dont want to buy the game in December.

Tips and Tricks from Star Wars: The Old Republic Beta

Posted:

Tips and Tricks from Star Wars: The Old Republic Beta


Hello everyone, I recently had the chance to play SWTOR weekend beta for the full three days duration and I learned some things that I find are helpful for when you are starting the actual game on Dec 20. Here they are, hope you find them useful too!
Posted by Shri Krishna

MMORPG Reviews

MMORPG Reviews

Lineage II European service has is now in Open Beta

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 10:18 AM PST

Innova has started the open beta of the new free-to-play European service for Lineage II, complete with dedicated English language servers and the game's biggest content expansion to date, Goddess of Destruction. Lineage II and Goddess of Destruction can be found there in English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish and Turkish. Innova has also [...]

More than 100.000 players have registered for the open beta of DragonSoul

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 09:39 AM PST

Neonga has announced that DragonSoul has reached an important milestone: More than 100,000 player have registered for its open beta. Some players have already reached level 50 since the open beta launched 3 days ago. Their final goal is to reach level 100, opening up even more exciting challenges. Especially this end-game phase, DragonSoul’s PvP [...]

XLGames has presented 3 new videos of its Closed beta 4

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 08:29 AM PST

XLGames has released 3 new videos of ArcheAge. The game is expected to be another masterpiece by the iconic Korean developer Jake Song, the developer of ‘Lineage’ and ‘Kingdom of the Winds’. The game is being developed by XLGames and is based on the latest CryENGINE2 and will gradually be changed to CryENGINE3. ArcheAge Log-in [...]

Aeria Games has released a new gameplay trailer and a new website for Repulse

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 06:44 AM PST

Aeria Games has released a new gameplay trailer and a new website for its latest Sci-Fi MMOFPS title Repulse. The game will be free to download and free to play, and is scheduled to enter closed beta early next year. Repulse unfolds an epic sci-fi inspired tale where humans must journey to a new world [...]

BlackLight Retribution Closed Beta is now live

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 06:18 AM PST

Perfect World Entertainment Inc., has announced today the launch of the closed beta for its F2P MMOFPS, Blacklight Retribution. In the game, players battle in near-future combat zones utilizing customized gear and weaponry to takedown opponents online. Key features include: • Customization: Inspired by advanced car tuning, Blacklight allows players to customize everything about a [...]

War of the Immortals has launched its open beta

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 06:02 AM PST

Perfect World Entertainment Inc., has launched the open beta test for its classic action MMORPG, War of the Immortals. In addition to interactive environments, and classic action-RPG gameplay, players worldwide are now exploring new content including two new zones with vivid landscapes, high-level instances, and new events. In War of the Immortals’ open beta, two [...]

Dragon Nest has released a new trailer of its cinematics and high-level action gameplay

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 04:10 AM PST

Nexon America has released today a new trailer from Dragon Nest cinematics and high-level action gameplay. And to help fans celebrate the holiday season, Nexon is also running an extended hot time event. From now through December 14, players logged in to the game from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. (PT) during the week, or from [...]

GetAmped 2 has started its european closed beta

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 03:30 AM PST

CyberStep has started today the closed beta for GetAmped2. GetAmped2 it is a free to play Beat'em up MMO that allows you to play with and against other players using various techniques and weapons and a deeper social experience. It also features a cast of characters voiced by famous japanese voice actors and an exciting [...]

Tribes: Ascend has released a new patch for its closed beta

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 02:12 AM PST

Hi-Rez has released today a new patch to the Tribes: Ascend closed beta, and the new features are: - Team Deathmatch gametype is now available for play on two maps - Token amounts required to unlock classes has been reduced - Added a "First Win of the Day" Challenge which rewards additional XP and tokens [...]

WYD Global Hardcore Holiday Giveaway Event with T3Fun

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 01:08 AM PST

T3Fun with FREEMMORPG and MMO Reviews is creating a Hardcore Holiday Giveaway Event for WYD Global. Event Period: • Distribution: December 5, 2011 – December 25, 2011 • Expiration: Starter-Prize will expire on February 1, 2012 Item Rewards: Starter-Prize • 1 pc. +15 Ultimate Grade C Weapon of choice (81 DAM OR 36% MAP) (Ancient [...]
Posted by Shri Krishna

MMORPG Videos

MMORPG Videos

Star Wars: The Old Republic: Jedi Consular vs Imperial Agent

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 01:13 PM PST

In the latest Choose Your Side video, the Star Wars: The Old Republic team discusses the merits and strengths of the Imperial Agent and the Jedi Consular. Which one will you choose?
Posted by Shri Krishna
2
Dec

General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

iPhone Banned in Syria

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 03:23 PM PST

iphoneAs peaceful protests continue in Syria, the regime of president Bashar al-Assad had what must have seemed like a bright idea in the heat of the moment. As of today, Syria has banned the iPhone from the nation. Customs inspectors in the country will no longer allow shipments of the device in, and current users are strongly encouraged to stop using the iPhone. Take that, democracy.

Syrian protesters are obviously using more devices that the iPhone to plan and report the happenings there. However, it turns out that it is a surprisingly popular device among the crowds in the streets. Several iPhone apps have been used heavily to disseminate news on the brutal Syrian crackdown. This is hardly the first time a regime has gone after technology to stifle protests, but it could be the most shortsighted. 

No other mobile devices have been affected by the new rules, so we don't imagine this is going to have a significant effect. Still, this could be one more reason for security forces and police to detain protesters. Despite the governments best efforts, people are still managing to access social networks to keep their movement alive. 

Piracy Remains Legal in Switzerland After New Study

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 03:04 PM PST

jollyThings work a little differently in Switzerland. The Swiss copyright laws allow people to download copyrighted material for personal use, which has had the entertainment industry up in arms for years. Amid all the claims of billions in losses, the Swiss government undertook a study to find out to affect of piracy on entertainment sales. The results? Well, let's just say that the Swiss won't be changing their permissive copyright laws anytime soon.

The study does stipulate that the internet is a totally different kind of distribution mechanism that allows users to access a raft of copyrighted content. However, the study goes on to explain that in Switzerland, piracy appears to have no negative impact on the amount of money people spend on entertainment. A Dutch study was also cited which shows that pirates often spend more money in the long run.

The Swiss appear fine with the reality that one-third of the adult population engages in piracy. The report says this is just the price that must be paid for progress. The entertainment lobby also got a stern warning of things to come from the Swiss report. "Winners will be those who are able to use the new technology to their advantages and losers those who missed this development and continue to follow old business models," it said. Burn.

ARM-Based Windows 8 Tablets Could Lose Desktop

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 02:50 PM PST

win8According to Microsoft-watcher Paul Thurrott, Microsoft may be working toward a future where Windows 8 tablets ship without the Windows desktop. Users of these ARM-based devices would be limited to the Metro interface. This would be a significant departure from Redmond's previous "no compromises" strategy that would have provided users both operating environments on ARM systems. 

If true, Microsoft will have essentially bifurcated the Windows 8 product into two completely different lines. The x86 users would have Metro and the regular desktop, but could ARM users get by in just Metro? it is unclear what this means for convertible tablet devices, but it's probably still going to come down to what chip a device is running. 

Removing the Windows desktop from ARM devices could allow them to be marketed differently. They would be the iPad competitor that Microsoft has been thus far unable to deliver. It would also have the added benefit of simplifying user interaction with the device. Do you think a Windows 8 tablet without the desktop will compare favorably to the iPad?

EFF Seeks DMCA Exemption for Console Modders

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 02:01 PM PST

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is urging the U.S. Copyright Office to renew and expand exemptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) that were granted last year in response to EFF's requests to protect certain modding rights. Specifically, EFF played a critical role in making it legal to "jailbreak" smartphones, and the organization wants the DMCA to grant the same freedom for electronic tablets and videogame consoles.

"In the exemption requests filed today, EFF asked the Copyright Office to protect the 'jailbreaking' of smartphones, electronic tablets, and video game consoles – liberating them to run operating systems and applications from any source, not just those approved by the manufacturer," EFF said in a statement. "EFF also asked for legal protections for artists and critics who use excerpts from DVDs or downloading services to create new, remixed works. These exemptions build on and expand exemptions that EFF won last year for jailbreakers and remix artists."

EFF Intellectual Property Director Corynne McSherry criticized the way the DMCA is written, saying it's "supposed to block copyright infringement. But instead it can be misused to threaten creators, innovators, and consumers, discouraging them from making full and fair use of their own property." Modder Geroge Hotz knows this all too well. Hotz is a notorious iOS modder who got himself in hot water when he hacked a PlayStation 3 console and then posted root keys of the PS3 on his website. He essentially figured out a way to jailbreak the PS3, which would have been legal on a smartphone. He settled a subsequent lawsuit with Sony and later landed a job with Facebook.

If EFF gets its way, the simple act of modding a console would not be illegal, though using a jailbroken console to circumvent copyright would still run afoul of the law.

"Technology has evolved over the last three years, and so it's important to expand these exemptions to cover the real-world uses of smartphones, tablets, video game consoles, DVDs, and video downloads," EFF Senior Staff Attorney Marchia Hofmann said in a statement.

Cool Site of the Week: The Punk Rock Advent Calendar

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 01:38 PM PST

punk santaIf you've ever worked in retail, you know all too well of the pain that comes with spending eight to 10 hours of the day in a store or shop this time of year. We're not talking about the flood of customers, or the frantic pleading of managers with revenue-based KPIs to sell everything in your store but doors. It's the music. No matter how much you love the holidays or dig your gig, hearing the same 40 Christmas songs looped continuously for a month will make you want to strangle David Bowie and Bing Crosby with a work sock. This, we encourage you to end the cycle of musical madness by partaking in The Punk Rock Advent Calendar, our Cool Site of the Week. 

Offering visitors one kickin' holiday-themed punk tune a day for the 25 days leading up to Christmas, The Punk Rock Advent Calendar is a site with a mission: To save your sanity from the heaping helping of musical pap most retailers, radio stations and family members try to pass off as festive.  

The 25 days of December leading up to Christmas day features a track from a different band that can also be download to your computer and rocked out to later--after all, what would an advent calendar be without a treat behind every door? Without a doubt, The Punk Rock Advent Calendar is an awesome way to ring in the holidays and make them feel like a fete worth celebrating. 

Be sure to check back every Friday for another edition of Maximum PC's Cool Site of the Week. 

 

Carrier IQ Controversy: Your Phone Is Spying On You, And Your Wireless Carrier's To Blame

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 11:44 AM PST

Have you heard about that nasty little bit of software called Carrier IQ? A security researcher by the name of Trevor Eckhart discovered the mysterious software running on his Android phone earlier this month, dug deeper into things, and found Carrier IQ, a monitoring program that comes preinstalled on several phones, tracks all kinds of data – including HTTP requests, GPS location and app usage information – and in many cases, can't be turned off. Millions of phones are affected. Carrier IQ's been found on phones from Samsung, HTC and Apple– but wireless carriers could be the real force behind the rootkit-like software.

Carrier IQ has been found on a bunch of HTC phones, and when ZDNET – who is maintaining an excellently updated article on which companies are using Carrier IQ, and which aren't – asked them about it, HTC basically fingered the blame at wireless providers.

Carrier IQ is required on devices by a number of U.S carriers so if consumers or media have any questions about the practices relating to, or data collected by, Carrier IQ we'd advise them to contact their carrier.

Well, that sucks. Which companies, exactly, are among those "number of U.S. carriers" that force smartphone manufacturers to include Carrier IQ? Again, ZDNet has the answer. AT&T and Sprint have both owned up to using data provided by Carrier IQ to "improve wireless network and service performance" and "understand device performance," respectively. Apple also said they include Carrier IQ in the iPhone, although they say they "stopped supporting Carrier IQ with iOS 5 in most of our products and will remove it completely in a future software update."

On the other hand, Verizon Wireless, RIM, Nokia, Google and Microsoft have all come out and said flat-out that they have no affiliation whatsoever with Carrier IQ, either the company or the software. T-Mobile has yet to comment on the situation.

In related news, Senator Al Franken is demanding that Carrier IQ (the company) fork over details about the program, and a class-action lawsuit has been filed against HTC, Samsung and Carrier IQ in Missouri earlier today.

Head to Head: Chromebook vs. 'Jolibook'

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 11:36 AM PST

The Chromebook is nice, but is it $500 nice? Is it really better than spending a few bucks to upgrade an old netbook into a comparable browser-based portable PC?

We took a year-old Samsung NF310 netbook with a dual-core Atom CPU, upped the RAM to 2GB, and replaced its hard drive with a 20GB Intel Larson Creek SSD, then installed Joli OS 1.2. We pitted our creation against a Samsung Series 5 Chromebook to see whether a homebrew 'Jolibook' can hang.

Round 1: Hardware

The build quality of the Samsung Chromebook is excellent, with a bright, 12.1-inch screen, powerful (if tiny) speakers, a comfortable keyboard, and a classy look. Netbook hardware varies, but the NF310, with its dual-core Atom processor, is one of the nicer 10.1-inch netbooks we've tested. Besides upgrading the RAM to 2GB, we dropped in a 20GB SSD to create a level playing field with the Chromebook's 16GB internal flash storage. The Chromebook is heavier at three pounds, four ounces (compared to the NF310's two pounds, 13 ounces), but the Chromebook's battery life is better.

Every key on the Chromebook's keyboard maps to a specific Chrome OS function (or a normal keyboard key); not so with the NF310, whose function keys we couldn't get working in Joli OS without downloading obscure Debian packages.

Winner: Chromebook

Round 2: Software

Chrome OS works flawlessly on a Chromebook, while Joli OS works to varying degrees on a huge number of devices, albeit with some quirks. For example we couldn't adjust the screen brightness on our Samsung NF310 no matter what we tried.

Chrome OS is the Chrome browser with a rudimentary local file tree and some media playback support. All apps are either browser extensions or web apps. Chromebooks currently lack support for many third-party plugins, like Microsoft Silverlight, Sun Java, or the Unity Web Player.

Joli OS includes a build of Chromium, so it has everything Chrome OS has. But it's built on Linux, so it also supports true local apps like OpenOffice—or any Ubuntu app, as long as you can dig into the OS's substructure to find the package manager.

Winner: Jolibook

Round 3: Performance

Performance is a tricky metric, and on systems like these—where we can't exactly run our Far Cry 2 benchmark or even Quake III—feel is more important than raw numbers. Here the Chromebook excels perhaps because it tries to do so much less. The Chromebook boots in around 10 seconds and resumes in three. Our Jolibook took 20 seconds to get to the login screen, and another 20 past that to load the Jolicloud desktop.

Using the Chrome browser, pages loaded more snappily and we could work with more tabs without slowdowns in the Chromebook than in our Jolibook—though, of course, we couldn't do anything else. The Jolibook's local app performance didn't feel particularly zippy, but it's a netbook, after all. What it can do, the Chromebook can do fast. What it can't do, it can't do at all.

Winner: Chromebook

Round 4: Flexibility

A Chromebook is a Chromebook. If you spring for the 3G version (or have a smartphone with a tethering plan), it can be a Chromebook anywhere, but it'll never be more than that. A Jolibook could conceivably have a 3G radio in it (if your original hardware supports it), and you can always dual-boot Joli OS with Windows 7, swap out the hard drive for a different one, change your operating system, use Bluetooth accessories, etc. You can also keep your Jolicloud desktop synched to the web and use it from any computer as a sort of personal start page. That's a nice touch (though you can do much the same thing with Chrome Sync).

Winner: Jolibook

Round 5: Price

You can get a 12.1-inch Samsung Series 5 Chromebook for $430 (without 3G) or $500 (with 100MB of 3G data per month). Acer's 11.6-inch AC700 Wi-Fi Chromebook is just $350. Each of these models ships with 16GB of local storage, 2GB DDR3 RAM, and a dual-core Atom processor. If you already have a netbook, you paid your $350-$500 last year or the year before, in which case, your cash outlay is limited to $20 for a 2GB RAM SODIMM, $100 for a 20GB or 40GB SSD, and a few bucks for a flash drive to put the Joli OS installer on. Not bad for giving a netbook a new lease on life.

Winner: Jolibook if you have an old notebook and are pressed for cash; Chromebook otherwise

And the Winner Is…

After using both the Chromebook and our homebrew Jolibook for several weeks each, we have to give the edge to the Chromebook. Its instant-on boots and resumes, excellent battery life, and sheer minimalism make it our note-taker of choice. And the 3G radio on the $500 model is handy in a pinch. Joli OS is a fine way to spruce up an old netbook, especially if you're short on cash, but the Chromebook spoiled us and we don't want a cobbled-together alternative.

Verizon Gobbles Up Cable Companies' Wireless Spectrum For $3.6 Billion

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 10:52 AM PST

Wireless spectrum: it's what powers mobile communications and wireless carriers have an insatiable taste for more, more, MORE of it. The need for more spectrum is the reason Sprint keeps bailing Clearwire out of financial hot water and why AT&T is pushing so hard for a merger with T-Mobile. Verizon has pretty much been the only major carrier that hasn't engaged in major spectrum-related deals this year – until now, that is. Today, Verizon announced it has reached a $3.6 billion deal to gobble up 122 spectrum licenses from three major cable companies.

Time Warner, Comcast and Bright House networks each own a portion of SpectrumCo, the company selling Verizon the spectrum licenses. The deal isn't straight up cash-for-spectrum, either; Verizon Wireless and the cable companies will be able to sell each other's products, too. In addition, CNET reports that both Comcast and Time Warner, who currently offer wireless broadband services that tap into Clearwire's network, will be cutting ties with that company over the next six months and switching whole-hog over to Verizon's network.

Verizon isn't being coy what it wants the spectrum for, either. "Spectrum is the raw material on which wireless networks are built, and buying the AWS spectrum now solidifies our network leadership into the future, and will enable us to bring even better 4G LTE products and services to our customers," CEO Dan Mead said in the press release.

Of course, the sale still has to be approved by the FCC, and if the FCC's recent slap-down of the AT&T – T-Mobile merger is any indication, that approval may fall under heavy scrutiny by regulators.

Browser Extension of the Week: Add to Amazon Wish List

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 10:47 AM PST

wishlistThe holiday season is upon us, and with it comes the horror of holiday shopping. At this time of year, thinking about others and spending your hard earned dough on them is pretty much requisite. While this might paste a look of joy on your nearest and dearest, every gift you purchase means there's a little less coin in the coffers for the stuff you want. This means that instead of being able to buy what you want when you want, you're gonna have to wait. Fortunately, Add to Amazon Wish List for Chrome will help you to keep your backlog of personal indulgences in check. 

Available for Chrome, Add to Amazon Wish List allows users to build a list of material needs and desires from any site on the internet. See a hat on Etsy that your head simply can't live without? Just click the Add to Amazon Wish List located in your navigation bar to capture that lid's details as well as any notes you'd like to include for future reference.

To review your wish list at any time, simply visit an Amazon website, click on the Wish List link in the site's button bar and BOOM, you're ready to engage in a bit of lustful capitalism.  

Be sure to check back with us every Thursday for another edition of Maximum PC's Browser Extension of the Week. 

 

AMD Issues Another Incremental Graphics Driver Update (Catalyst 11.11c)

Posted: 02 Dec 2011 10:30 AM PST

AMD has released another performance driver (yes, again) for its Catalyst 11.11 package. And once again, improved performance in Elder Scrolls: Skyrim takes center stage. New in Catalyst 11.11c is better CrossFireX performance scaling for AMD Radeon HD 5000/6000 series cards in Skyrim, 2-7 percent better performance in single GPU configurations, and a resolved corruption issue when enabling MSAA on Radeon HD 6970 cards.

Catalyst 11.11c also addresses other popular games, including Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Batman: Arkham City, Rage, and Battlefield 3. In addition to improved performance, AMD packed quite a few bug fixes for Rage, everything from missing shadows to geometry corruption that's sometimes seen in the Bash TV entrance.

You can download Catalyst 11.11c here.

Image Credit: Rage
Posted by Shri Krishna
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Total Pageviews

1,627,427

statcounter

View My Stats