MMOGaming News

MMOGaming News


LOTRO Adds Stat Gear to Item Shop, Turbine Says It's to Help Newbies

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LOTRO Adds Stat Gear to Item Shop, Turbine Says It's to Help Newbies


Looks like some LOTRO players will worry about the item shop, because Turbine has added armors with stats into the game's store.

Dragon Nest LV60 Update might Bring You to Desert and Islamic World

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Dragon Nest LV60 Update might Bring You to Desert and Islamic World


There is a batch of Dragon Nest concept arts that show off the Islamic construction but the developer hasn't confirmed if they belong to level 60 content or not.

Silkroad-R: The Return Of The King

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Silkroad-R: The Return Of The King


Joymax announced the successful launch of their new blockbuster title, Silkroad-R.The newest iteration of the Silkroad family is its own game, with unique accounts and servers, and isas alwayscompletely free to download and play!

2D MMORPG GreenBe Online Debuts, Available on Mobile Phones

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2D MMORPG GreenBe Online Debuts, Available on Mobile Phones


The emerging South Korean game developer IDO INC is engaged in creating such games. GreenBe Online, currently under development by IDO INC with the goal of entering the market this year, is a multi-platform side-scrolling 2D MMORPG which can be played on computers and smart phones.

Dragon Nest Fan-made Music Video: Counter Attack

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Dragon Nest Fan-made Music Video:  Counter Attack


This is an music video which tells a story about a mercenary's revenge, created by a Dragon Nest player NA丶VI from Chinese server. In this video you can see 4 main classes's sombo skills.

Dungeon Fighter Online Coming to Xbox360 with Debut Trailer

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Dungeon Fighter Online Coming to Xbox360 with Debut Trailer


The game is called Dungeon & Fighter: Fall of Hendon Myre LIVE and Microsoft will be taking care of its global release and service

Breathtaking PvP Action Begins in Vindictus' M-Match Mode

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Breathtaking PvP Action Begins in Vindictus' M-Match Mode


Nexon Europe have announced today that Vindictus has received two monumental new additions to enhance the frenetic energy of its dark, intense battles.

WoW 5.0: Mists of Pandaria - Monk Preview

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WoW 5.0: Mists of Pandaria - Monk Preview


Monks are masters of bare-handed combat, choosing to draw their weapons only for devastating finishing moves. Monk healers bring harmony and balance to every group, healing even the most grievous of injuries with ancient remedies and focused spiritual arts. And few can hope to out-last the unquenchable prowess of the Monk Brewmaster, whose empowering beverages and unpredictable combat style allow them to absorb incredible amounts of punishment.

WoW: 4.3: Dragon Soul Difficulty Changes and The Follow-up

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WoW: 4.3: Dragon Soul Difficulty Changes and The Follow-up


During the scheduled server maintenance on the week of January 31, the Dragon Soul raid will become enveloped by the "Power of the Aspects" spell, reducing the health and damage dealt of all enemies in the raid by 5%. This spell will grow progressively stronger over time to reduce the difficulty and make the encounters more accessible. The spell will affect both normal and Heroic difficulties, but it will not affect the Looking for Raid difficulty.

WoW 4.3: Commonly Used Macros for Rogue

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WoW 4.3: Commonly Used Macros for Rogue


We have been preparing this article about the commonly used macros of Rogue for a long time, and we hope these macros will help you Rogues to play WoW more convenient and interesting than before.

Legendary RPG Returns! The War of Genesis 4 Made its Debut

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Legendary RPG Returns! The War of Genesis 4 Made its Debut


Recently, the South Korean company Softmax officially made public its under-development online game The War of Genesis 4: Spiral Genesis and released its first promo trailer.

WoW 4.3: Commonly Used Macros for Warlock

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WoW 4.3: Commonly Used Macros for Warlock


We have been preparing this article about the commonly used macros of Warlock for a long time, and we hope these macros will help you Warlocks to play WoW more convenient and interesting than before.

Will You Be One of The 10,000 VIP Testers for C9?

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Will You Be One of The 10,000 VIP Testers for C9?


Exceeding WEBZEN.com's expectations, more than over 10,000 appliers joined C9's first global service VIP Tester recruitment which is announced last January 6th on the first day only. As a result, the recruitment successfully ended yesterday on the 18th.

Seven Souls Online to Make Its North American Debut This Spring

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Seven Souls Online to Make Its North American Debut This Spring


NEOWIZ GAMES announces its hyper-paced combat MMORPG - Seven Souls Online. Set to launch in North America this spring, Seven Souls Online is currently accepting pre-registration for closed beta testers at the game's official website.

Is This Resident Evil 6's Viral Campaign?

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Is This Resident Evil 6's Viral Campaign?


There's a video of a woman speaking in mandarin like sending a video message about how things will be alright if they stay inside... and some of the rumors pointed to RE6 been on China too.

The War of Genesis 4: Spiral Genesis (KR) - Debut Trailer

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The War of Genesis 4: Spiral Genesis (KR) - Debut Trailer


The War of Genesis is basically the Final Fantasy of South Korea, with its success in the rather small console gaming market over at the Land of Kimchi. In case you missed it, the game is turn-based, with the first impression on me a mix of Atlantica Online with Final Fantasy's background. Enjoy the trailer!

Grant Bowler will Star Leading Role in the TV Series of Trion Worlds' New MMO

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Grant Bowler will Star Leading Role in the TV Series of Trion Worlds' New MMO


Defiance TV series will meet audience later this year and it just found its leading actor, Grant Bowler.

Cute-style Knight Age (KR) to Begin 1st CBT on Feb. 3rd

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Cute-style Knight Age (KR) to Begin 1st CBT on Feb. 3rd


Knight Age, a brand-new online RPG developed and published respectively by Korea-based Gnisoft and Sesisoft, will begin closed beta on February 3rd and an all-new gameplay video was released after it was unveiled.

MMORPG Videos

MMORPG Videos


Elsword Online: First Impressions with Ripper X

Posted: 13 Jan 2012 01:40 PM PST

After a successful game and manga launch in Korea and Japan, Elsword has finally come to North America. Take on the roles of Elsword and his friends in this story based multiplayer online action game featuring exciting anime style graphics. Start a party or go solo through hundreds of quests and watch your character grow from a young adventurer to a battle ready hero. Level up to specialized job classes and shape your destiny. Pull off some of the coolest combos with our easy to master 5 b

Continent of the Ninth Seal: Group PvP Trailer

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 06:19 AM PST

Continent of the 9th Seal players will have lots of opportunity to take part in PvP. Webzen has released a brand new trailer showing off group PvP in C9, an action-MMO set to hit closed beta status in early February 2012. Enjoy! http://www.mmorpg.com

Final Fantasy XIV: The Goobbue Mount

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 05:29 AM PST

Final Fantasy XIV players will want to work to get their Goobbue mount as it will only be available in game until the cataclysmic events that will usher in v2.0 later in 2012. To show off the mount, the team has released a new trailer. Check it out!

MMORPG Reviews

MMORPG Reviews


Vindictus has launched a new update, What Lies Beneath, and check out the new M-Match PvP mode

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 10:01 PM PST

Nexon Europe have announced two monumental new additions for Vindictus, that enhances the frenetic energy of its dark, intense battles of the game. The new episodic update, What Lies Beneath, brings a fresh quest at theRocheste's sewers. In this putrid environment, you'll be expected to lead a crusade against giant lizards, navigate your way through [...]

Jagged Alliance Online is celebrating a Closed Beta Giveaway

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 08:29 AM PST

Gamigo with FREEMMORPG and MMO Reviews are celebrating a Closed Beta Giveaway for Jagged Alliance Online. The event start worldwide less Germany start today January 18th ,2012 and will end January 31th, 2012, for Germany will begin (tomorrow) on January 19th,2012 and will end January 31th, 2012. To get a Closed Beta Key you only [...]

Combat Arms has announced a new update, Belly of the Beast, this month

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 05:25 AM PST

Combat Arms has announced a new update this January, Belly of the Beast, that includes an all new Fireteam co-op map. Infiltrate the cutting edge security system surrounding the NEMEXIS headquarters and obtain information on their mysterious, world-threatening research.

Gazillion is powering Marvel Heroes with Unreal Engine 3

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 04:18 AM PST

Gazillion Entertainment has announced that it has licensed the Unreal Engine 3 to power its highly anticipated, free-to-play Marvel Heroes MMO game for PC. This agreement enables Gazillion, to use the Unreal Engine toolset to develop a premier entertainment experience that allows players to take on the roles of revered characters such as Captain America, [...]

Eden Eternal has launched a new content update that comes with the Samurai Class, Monster Battle Arena and an Improved Territory Wars

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 02:45 AM PST

Aeria Games, has launched a new patch for its free-to-play MMORPG, Eden Eternal, further expanding upon the game's already robust content. The offerings in this content update include the new Samurai class, a totally revamped Territory Wars mode and the new Monster Battle Arena, allowing for even more intense player versus player combat. The katana-wielding [...]

WindSlayer 2 has launched a new PvP mode, King of the Hill

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 01:00 AM PST

Ignited Games has introduced a new player versus player mode, King of the Hill, to its fast paced, 2-D MMORPG, WindSlayer 2. In addition to the new mode, Ignited Games has also increased the level cap in WindSlayer 2 from 51 to 67, opening even more high-level content and additional character customization options for players. [...]

Perfect World Entertaintment has announced the launch of Star Trek Online Free-to-Play

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 12:19 AM PST

Perfect World Entertaintment has announced the launch of Star Trek Online Free-to-Play. Star Trek Online is a free to play massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in the Star Trek universe. Game features will include customizable ships and characters from the Klingon Empire and United Federation of Planets, ground, space and shipboard gameplay and unique [...]


General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article


Alien Autopsy: We Look Inside the Alienware X51

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 02:07 PM PST

Deep inside the smallest, most powerful gaming rig…ever?

Besides chocolate and coconut, oil and water, gaming and small form factor usually don't mix. That's something Alienware is hoping to fix with its new incredibly small X51 box.

Maximum PC got to dig around inside an X51 unit to see how the company managed to get desktop parts into such a miniature machine and even check out the Nvidia's top secret Optimus technology too.

Alienware had two targets in designing the new X51 desktop: make it small and make it powerful. The Alienware box is slightly bigger than a generation 1 Xbox 360 console and it's very reminiscent of business-class small form factor machines. There's a big difference with the X51 though: It has some juice.

Alienware designers told us with this size of desktop, mobile parts are often used to keep the thermals and size down but because most gamers like to upgrade, the company said it based the X51 on desktop components. Inside is a Mini-ITX motherboard using the H61 chipset and a standard LGA1155 socket with the most powerful being an Intel Core i7-2600. Why no K chip? Alienware said the H61 makes overclocking out of the question so there's no need to pay for an unlocked processor. The board features two standard DDR3 DIMM slots in dual-channel mode and a Mini PCI Express Card slot. The Mini PCI Express Card slot will be outfitted with an 802.11n chip but since it's a standard slot, will take any card. The motherboard itself is an industry standard MiniITX size and could theoretically be upgraded but the I/O shield of the machine is built into the rear plane of the machine so swapping out a motherboard would seem to require Dremelling out the I/O shield area to fit any new board.

To get more hardware inside the box, Alienware had to move from the typical small, loud and hot internal PSU to an external brick. Two options will be available: A 240 Watt brick or a 340 Watt brick. The brick plugs into the rear of the box and AC/DC conversion is done inside the machine on a board in front of the motherboard.

For storage, the X51 will mount a full size 3.5-inch desktop drive, and a slot-fed DVD burner or optional Blu-ray combo drive. There's no mount for a 2.5-inch SSD or mobile drive but Alienware designers said they expect those interested in SSDs to remove the 3.5-inch drive and use a bracket to mount up to 2.5-inch SSDs. Knowing this would be an option, Alienware said they intentionally put three SATA ports on the motherboard. The real magic though is the GPU support. Two configurations will be available at launch: A GeForce GTX 555 or a GeForce GTX 545. These are not specially designed cards with custom coolers either—these are off the shelf cards. Alienware said gamers universally want the option to upgrade cards down the road so it made sure the unit could function with off the shelf cards.

The company said it believes it's possible to run up to a GeForce GTX 580 based on the power and thermal capabilities but it has not qualified the box for it. We only saw two standard six-pin power plugs so don't pin your hopes on anything that requires insane amount of power. Realistically, Alienware said it expects GeForce GTX 560 Ti-level of graphics as a near term upgrade. Keep in mind that as vendors introduce newer GPUs, the power requirements usually go down for mid-range cards so it's not implausible to get GeForce GTX 580 performance later this year with the power needs of a GeForce GTX 560 Ti.

All X51s will also come with Nvidia's long awaited, secret Optimus technology. Optimus lets you seamlessly switch between discrete and the integrated Sandy Bridge graphics. It was actually backdoor announced by board makers when the original Z68 chipset came out last Spring but was quickly denied by Nvidia. Now nearly a year later, Optimus for desktop is finally ready. Configuring Optimus seems fairly easy and straightforward, too. Just go into the Nvidia control panel, select "Manage 3D Settings" and then you're given an option to let Optimus automagically select what to run on by looking at the 3D workload or manually select the integrated graphics or discrete graphics.

Since gamers like bling, Alienware added a dash of that with its trademark lighting on various places around the case. Like the laptop and Aurora, the X51 lets you change the color of the LEDs on the case and the keyboard and mouse using the AFX lighting applet. To show you how much thought the designers put into the box, the signature Alienware head on the front of the box can be rotated to match the orientation of the box.

We'll get a box in for review when we can, but we can say that the X51 is an impressive amount of hardware in a small box. We've seen high-end graphics, even up to GTX 580 cards in small form factor rigs before, but they're generally pretty bulky. That Alienware can stuff a 150-watt GPU into a box the size of a business-class small form factor is pretty damn amazing. To be honest, this isn't the first attempt at a small, thin gaming box. Hewlett-Packard's (Voodoo's) Firebird made a run at it with its Firebird machine, back in 2009.

While interesting and truly silent, the Firebird's use of mobile CPUs and SLI'ed mobile GPUs was a big turn off to gamers. We weren't overly joyed with the Firebird, but we did think that it was a glimpse of one possible future for desktop gaming. Alienware's X51 pretty much cements that: PC gaming is truly getting smaller and cheaper.

Two configuations will be offered, with the cheapest being $699 for a box with a Core i3, 4GB of RAM, a 1TB drive, and a GeForce GTX 545.

Android App of the Week: Dragon Go!

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 11:32 AM PST

The competition for voice activation technology in mobile products has escalated in the last six months in large part due to the launch of Siri, Apple's "personal assistant", on the iPhone 4S. Several developers have attempted to fill in the gap on Android by offering voice-centric apps that provide access to search and other functions, with mixed success. One such app is Dragon Go! by Nuance Communications.

Though it doesn't integrate into Android the way Siri does on iOS, Dragon Go! does provide easy access to a wide range of functions from a central starting point. Dragon Go! integrates with a number of popular apps such as Google Music, Maps, and Netflix, giving you the ability to quickly navigate into those apps using your voice by saying things like "Mythbusters on Netflix" or "Play Tron Soundtrack". The app also integrates with the search functionality on a huge list of websites like Weather.com or Hulu.com using commands such as "San Francisco on Weather.com" or "Last Man Standing on Hulu.com". Expect more app and website integration in future updates.

Dragon Go! is available as a free download on the Android Market.

Washington Post, NPR And The Guardian Take Up Wikipedia's Slack With #Altwiki

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 11:11 AM PST

As Wikipedia sits silent and dark for legions of despondent would-be users (who, apparently, never thought of Googling for some help around the blackout), a trio of old-school publications have stepped into the void to try and replace the collective knowledge of the Internet. The Washington Post, the Guardian, and NPR have been taking tweets from information-deprived Webizens and trying to provide answers to all life's questions, large and small. Just smack an #altwiki tag at the end of a question and the combined brainpower will try to supply you with an honest-to-goodness answer.

Even though chuckleheads have been flooding the tag with ridiculous questions – such as "Shoot, who played that guy in that thing? You know the one." – the trio of publications have still been dropping knowledge about everything from speedy mammals to the speed of light in a vacuum, along with a host of other topics. Don't mistake the help for a Stop SOPA endorsement, however, as Washington Post blogger Elizabeth Flock explains:

#AltWiki, of course, doesn't seek to replace Wikipedia, or indicate that The Post is taking a stand against the House's Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) or the Senate's Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA). It does, however, tell us quite a bit about how much 477 million people a month rely on Wikipedia.

Other crowdsource-style hashtags have popped up, too, including #FactsWithoutWikipedia and #WorldWithoutWikipedia. In fact, #FactsWithoutWikipedia seems almost as hoppin' as the #altwiki tag. You have to admire what The Post and others are trying to do here -- unless you're on The Post's research team, of course, in which case today probably really, really sucks.

Twitter user Herpderpedia takes a totally different tact, but one that brings a smile to our faces nonetheless.

Internet Statistics that Boggle the Mind

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 11:00 AM PST

We're already halfway through the first month of the new year and it's getting a little late to reflect on 2011, but in this case, it's simply taken that long to crunch and compile all the numbers. We're talking about the latest statistics from Pingdom that deal with what happened in 2011 and what the Internet landscape looked like as last year came to a close.

According to Pingom, there were 2.1 billion Internet users worldwide by the end of 2011. which is well over the population of Estonia and Iceland...combined. Nearly half -- 45 percent -- of the world's Internet population is under 25 years old, and 591 million people are rocking wired broadband subscriptions.

Some other interesting numbers:

  • 3.146 billion email accounts
  • 40 years since the first email was sent
  • 555 million websites as of December 2011
  • 95.5 million .com domain names at the end of 2011
  • 100 billion photos on Facebook

This is just a small sample of the many figures Pingdom put together, all broken down into various categories like Social Media, Videos, Images, and so forth. View them all here.

Image Credit: opte.org

Intel Now Offers Overclocking Protection Plans on Select Processors, Still Doesn't Encourage the Dark Art

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 10:26 AM PST

Overclocking is no longer the dark art it used to be, and with a little guidance, even your grandmother can push her system past its rated speed with relative ease. That doesn't mean there isn't some risk involved, and if you're truly worried about frying your processor with an aggressive overclock, then you're exactly the person Intel wants to about its "Performance Tuning Protection" plans.

"Intel is pleased to announce the introduction of a new pilot plan targeted at the enthusiast community. The enthusiast community is a critical market segment for Intel and, as such, when the opportunity arises to try out a service or otherwise address the community's particular needs, we endeavor to do so where practicable," Intel said in a statement. "In this spirit, Intel is announcing a new pilot service plan for 'K', 'X', and LGA2011-socketed boxed processors called the Performance Tuning Protection Plan. This Plan will provide certain out-of-warranty service offerings in the event of damage caused by overclocking or over-voltaging by the user. By purchasing this Plan and meeting the Plan's criteria, the user can receive a one-time replacement processor if the user's over-voltaging or over-clocking causes the original processor to fail. This pilot Plan in no way expands, changes or extends the original three year standard warranty and is simply a Plan the user may want to purchase for overclocking or over-voltaging."

The pilot Plan kicks off today and includes four resellers: CyberPower, Canada Computers and Electronics, Scan Computers, and Altech Computers. On February 13, 2012, Intel will add additional resellers to the Plan. In addition, the chip maker is offering its overclocking warranty direct to consumers at the following prices:

  • Core i5 2500K: $20
  • Core i7 2600K: $25
  • Core i7 2700K: $25
  • Core i7 3930K: $35
  • Core i7 3960X: $35

Intel is quick to clarify in a related FAQ that these plans are in no way indicative of the chip maker supporting or encouraging overclocking, though on the main page, Intel tells users: "Go ahead and push it, we've got your back."

For more info:

Peformance Tuning Protection Plan Homepage
Plan Pricing
Terms and Conditions
Genuine Boxed Processor Warranty Information

Image Credit:

XFX Radeon HD 7970 Black Edition Review

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 10:20 AM PST

XFX says "We don't need no stinkin' reference design!" 

It's not unusual to see factory-overclocked videocards ship with custom cooling solutions—a few months after the GPU launches. This time, XFX hits the ground running with their Radeon HD 7970 Black Edition. This is a factory-overclocked card with a custom cooling solution that aims to take the performance crown. Based on what we've seen to date, XFX has delivered the fastest single-GPU card on the planet.

The Radeon HD 7970 is AMD's latest GPU, with support for DirectX 11.1 and OpenCL 1.2. It's a brand-new new architecture—completely different from past AMD GPUs—built on TSMC's 28nm manufacturing process and sporting a staggering 4.3 billion transistors. In AMD's reference design, the 7970's core runs at 925MHz and its GDDR5 memory is clocked at 1,375MHz. XFX ups the ante significantly, pushing the core clock speed to a whopping 1GHz and running its 3GB of memory at 1,425MHz.


While it wouldn't be fair to call a reference-design Radeon HD 7970 a me-too product, XFX is to be congratulated for offering something special right out of the gate.

As you might imagine, the results are nothing short of amazing. We're seeing genuine performance milestones here, including a 3DMark 2011 performance score higher than 8,000 (for a single GPU), Far Cry 2 hitting 100fps at 2560x1600 with 4x AA, and Batman: Arkham City heading north of 50fps at the same resolution and AA settings. On top of that, the system idle power is just 124 watts, and a dark idle (when Windows 7 blanks the screen) draw of 110 watts. Push the card and you'll see system power consumption climb to 349 watts, but that merely puts its overall power draw into Fermi territory. XFX's Radeon HD 7970 Black Edition is substantially faster than EVGA's super-overclocked, 3GB GeForce GTX 580 Classified, and it's outfitted with just two PCIe power connectors (one 8-pin and one 6-pin). EVGA's card requires three power connectors.

XFX's dual-fan custom cooler, housed within an attractive brushed-metal housing, looks much more elegant than most of the competition. Despite using two fans, this card was noticeably quieter at full load than XFX's Radeon HD 6970, and it was almost inaudible at idle.

Aside from carving its logo into the bracket, XFX took no liberties with the outputs: The mounting bracket has two mini-DisplayPort 1.2 connectors, one HDMI 1.4a, and a dual-link DVI. Use a combination of DisplayPort and DVI-capable displays, and the card can support three-panel Eyefinity setups up to 2560 x 1600. Use one or more 1920 x 1200 (or lower res) monitors, and you can also tap the HDMI for a four-panel setup. And when DisplayPort 1.2 monitors and hubs ship, this card will be capable of supporting as many as six displays.

The XFX Radeon HD 7970 Black Edition has all the earmarks of a winner: superb performance, relatively low power consumption, and better than average noise levels. It's pricey, at $599, but no more so than other cards in its class. If you crave the fastest single-GPU card in the world, it's here—and it includes the twin bonuses of easy multi-monitor support and high efficiency.

$599, www.xfxforce.com

Stop SOPA And PIPA! A Primer

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 10:19 AM PST

You've probably read the soundbites: critics say that the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act working their way through Congress will stifle technological innovation, trample free speech and unravel the Web as we know it. Thousands of websites have "gone dark" and shut down for at least a portion of the day just to protest the depths of the bills' combined sucktitude. But do you really know why SOPA sucks? (Hint: The answer's different now than it was a few weeks ago.) Do you know which websites joined the blackout? Do you know what YOU can do to help? No? You will after reading this.

What Is SOPA?

In its current state, SOPA and PIPA basically require ad networks, payment processors and search engines to stop servicing, paying and indexing (respectively) foreign-based "rogue sites" that host or sell infringing materials ranging from illegal copies of Hollywood movies to rip-off Gucci bags. That doesn't sound too bad! But as always, the Devil is in the details.

Censorship And Shooting The Messenger

As-is, SOPA would force websites, including search engines, to delete links bound for infringing sites – a practice critics, including Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, call censorship. In fact, Schmidt says the bill would "criminalize linking and the fundamental structure of the Internet itself."

Google.com on Jan. 18th

The EFF reports that organizations would need to actively police their websites for "anti-circumvention" materials, such as links to blacklisted domains, or they could be dragged into court. Did some loser just post a comment listing the URL of a "rogue site"? If YouTube and Facebook (or YOU) aren't right on top of things, they could land in legal hot water. In fact, linking to a site that links to infringing material would technically be a punishable no-no under SOPA/PIPA. You can see why Web-based companies have a problem with this!

Proxy and anonymizing tools would also violate the law if they allowed users to visit blacklisted sites. The very services that helped the Arab Spring rise would be illegal in the U.S. itself.

The "Vigilante" Provision

BoingBoing.net on Jan. 18th

Another problem is that ISPs, ad networks and payment processors receive immunity from prosecution if they voluntarily block potentially infringing material without an injunction from a court – even if it turns out the material isn't actually, you know, infringing. The EFF points out that companies will likely trip over themselves to pre-ban content and earn immunity rather than possibly get dragged into court for inaction. Over-zealous policing would likely trample free speech and erase content protected by Fair Use laws. Due process, already a weak spot in SOPA/PIPA, could be bypassed completely thanks to the "Vigilante" provision.

SOPA's Actually Better Than It Used To Be

As bad as that is, the original version of SOPA was much, much worse. It allowed individual copyright holders to shut down ad revenue and payment processing for both foreign and domestic websites – with little proof and no government oversight or intervention required.  It also required ISPs to utilize DNS blacklisting to prevent U.S.-based surfers from connecting to infringing websites at all – a terrifying act of censorship that, if technically implemented, could threaten the stability of the Internet itself. Fortunately, those provisions were recently dropped.

So Why Are Websites "Going Dark"?

Wikipedia.org on Jan. 18th

To spread the word! The major television networks' coverage of the plight against SOPA/PIPA has been almost conspiratorially absent, as MediaMatters.org points out. In the face of mainstream ambivalence, tech companies have taken matters into their own hands – it's hard to ignore thousands of blacked-out websites, after all, especially when they include heavy hitters like:

  • Wikipedia
  • Reddit
  • Wordpress.org
  • Greenpeace
  • Mozilla
  • Flickr
  • Twitpic
  • Wired
  • ICanHazCheezburger
  • Internet Archive
  • Imgur
  • Boing Boing
  • Destructoid
  • Center for Technology and Democracy
  • Electronic Frontier Foundation
  • Minecraft

…and many, many more, some of which are only closed half the day, and most (if not all) of which can be found on SopaStrike.com. Google and Scribd aren't going dark, but they are displaying links and pop-ups to draw awareness to SOPA/PIPA. Craigslist also drops users into an anti-SOPA splash page before allowing them to continue browsing the site.

By the way, if you need to get your Wikipedia (or whatever) on, there's a way around the voluntary black outs.

How Can I Help?

It's easy! Blackout your website using one of the techniques outlined at Daily Dot, or spread awareness by changing your Twitter/Facebook pic to the STOP SOPA pic at BlackoutSOPA.org. More importantly, get in touch with your Congressional representatives and express your distaste for the bills – AmericanCensorship.org and the EFF can help you do just that.

Minecraft.net on Jan. 18

Where Do The Bills Stand Today?

All of our e-bitching seems to be doing some good. Over the past weekend, the crazy DNS blacklisting requirements were sliced from both bills, the White House issued a statement that said it basically wouldn't support the bills as they stand, and SOPA was supposedly shelved in the House (although Lamar Smith, the rep that sponsored SOPA, says he plans on pushing it in February). PIPA is still going strong in the Senate, however, and scheduled for a procedural vote on January 24th.

So there's your knowledge! But knowing is only half the battle – the other half is killing these beasts for good. Contact your Congressmen today!

SOPA Protests: How To Use Google Cache To View Blacked-Out Websites

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 10:18 AM PST

Websites with a beef against over-reaching legislation have drawn a line in the sand; today, many of them are following Reddit's lead and going black to protest SOPA and PIPA. The controversial bills have been under heavy fire recently, and the heat's bound to increase when 25 million Joe and Jill Everymen find Wikipedia cold, dark, and urging readers to contact their Congressional representatives. But you're not Joe or Jill Everyman. You're a Maximum PC reader, a tech-savvy webizen who already understands that SOPA flat-out sucks. What if you need to get your Wikipedia (or Destructoid, or Boing Boing, or…) on today?

Don't worry – there's a way around the blackout if you know exactly what you're looking for, thanks to the magic of Google's all-encompassing cache.

First, boot up your browser and head over to Google, where you'll just so happen to see a link to a page outlining Google's own SOPA/PIPA opposition. Search for whatever blacked-out page you're looking for, but be specific: you won't be able to browse blacked-out sites normally, so you'll need to find deeper links to exact content, using searches like "Reddit why is morrowind so revered" or "Maximum PC Wikipedia".

Trying to click on the link will lead you to the site's blackout message. Instead, hover over the listing, then mouse over the three arrows that appear to its right to bring up the preview pane. Underneath the direct link in the preview pane, you'll see a URL for the page, and to the right of that, you'll see a link to a cached version. Bingo! Click on that.

You'll be taken to a cached version of the page. A message at the top will tell you when Google took the snapshot. This method isn't perfect, however; you won't be able to click on links without being directed to the blackout page. (You can run another specific Google search for the linked-to content, though.) Additionally, the content might not be totally up-to-date, but content that's a few day old beats no content whatsoever, right?

Here's another useful trick for skirting Wikipedia's blackout: just disable Javascript for the site and you'll be able to browse it normally. That should work for other sites using Javascript-powered blackout methods, too, such as Wordpress.org.

When you're done circumventing blackouts, be sure to head over to AmericanCensorship.org and bug your Congressmen/women if you haven't already. And if you don't get what all the fuss is about, check out our primer on stopping SOPA and PIPA, which includes a list of notable sites taking part in the blackout.

Wi-Fi-Equipped Xoom Tablets Snarf Down OTA Ice Cream Sandwich Update

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 10:15 AM PST

When the weather gets cold and the skies turn grey, we usually get a hankering for something warm to eat. Hot cocoa, anyone? But our tummies are rumbling for something a bit cooler in these early days of winter: delicious Android-flavored Ice Cream Sandwich. Just last week, Asus' Transformer Prime received the new OS, and now, an oldie-but-goodie is getting in on the action: the Motorola Xoom.

No, not the as-yet-released Xoom 2 – pardon us, the Xyboard. Slashgear reports that this over the air update (which bears the name "IML77") is targeted for the Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi tablets alone. Interestingly, the unreleased Xyboard still rocks Honeycomb, giving it the dubious distinction of sporting an OS that's older than its older sibling's.

In any case, the update should be available now for U.S. Xoom owners. No word yet on an update for international or 4G Xoom tablets.

MPAA Head Lashes Out At Blackout "Gimmick" While SOPA Co-Sponsors Withdraw Support

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 10:05 AM PST

Hey, did you know that Wikipedia, Google, Craigslist and Reddit are trying to turn you into their corporate pawns? We didn't either, but to hear MPAA honcho Chris Dodd tell it, the "gimmick"y blackout darkening the Internet today isn't actually a way for tech sites to spread awareness about a critical issue to a possibly uninformed segment of the population – instead, it's just a "stunt," an "abuse of power" designed to punish users and elected officials alike. In related news, two of SOPA's and one of PIPA's co-sponsors have asked to have their names removed from the bill.

Normally we'd pick the juicy bits to share, but in this case, all of Dodd's rhetoric is pure gold. So here's the full text of the MPAA press release for your perusal. (Hey, should we be worried about sharing press releases if SOPA/PIPA passes?)

Only days after the White House and chief sponsors of the legislation responded to the major concern expressed by opponents and then called for all parties to work cooperatively together, some technology business interests are resorting to stunts that punish their users or turn them into their corporate pawns, rather than coming to the table to find solutions to a problem that all now seem to agree is very real and damaging.

It is an irresponsible response and a disservice to people who rely on them for information and use their services. It is also an abuse of power given the freedoms these companies enjoy in the marketplace today. It's a dangerous and troubling development when the platforms that serve as gateways to information intentionally skew the facts to incite their users in order to further their corporate interests.

A so-called "blackout" is yet another gimmick, albeit a dangerous one, designed to punish elected and administration officials who are working diligently to protect American jobs from foreign criminals. It is our hope that the White House and the Congress will call on those who intend to stage this "blackout" to stop the hyperbole and PR stunts and engage in meaningful efforts to combat piracy.

Meanwhile, PC World reports that two of the Representatives that previously supported SOPA – Benjamin Quayle of Arizona and Lee Terry of Nebraska – have asked to have their name stricken as co-sponsors of the controversial bill. A spokesman for Terry told the publication that the widespread backlash from tech companies and civil rights groups helped convince the Congressman to drop his SOPA support. CNET reports that Misouri Senator Roy Blount is doing the same with PIPA, and says that several other SOPA/PIPA co-sponsors' commitment to the bill now seems much more tenuous.

MMO News

MMO News


Star Trek Online – First Look HD

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 02:06 PM PST

To Learn More About the Game, Check out our Star Trek Page.

Star Trek Online is a Sci-fi MMORPG developed by Cryptic (the same studio behind Champions Online). Cryptic recently was bought by Perfect World Entertainment and so Star Trek Online once a P2P game has now gone F2P. In addition to ground based exploration and leveling, players can customize their ships and explore the unknown. There are a number of different ship types that can be piloted, and the player is not limited to any one ship simply because of their character type. In addition to this, the player can have a tactical, science, and engineering officer appointed to assist them on their ship, each of which infers a bonus ability and levels up on their own.

Silkroad-R officially launches

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 11:00 AM PST

Joymax has announced the official launch of Silkroad-R today.

Silkroad-R is a revised and updated version of the classic Silkroad Online, which remains online concurrently with Silkroad-R. The new version includes improved experience, removed gold drop under level 70, class and skill rebalancing, improved drop rates, improvements to the Forgotten World, and more – including increased anti-botting measures. Silkroad-R hosts separate data from Silkroad Online, so players will need to start anew.

Special events to celebrate the game’s launch includes in-game giveaways every 4-6 levels, rewards for the first 100 players to hit level 80, gift card giveaways to players who hit special leveling milestones, creative contests, and more.

Silkroad-R Introduction Video:

Source:

SILKROAD-R THE RETURN OF THE KING

Buffs, Quests, Free Items, And Amazon Gift Cards To Be Won

January 1 8 th , 2012 – Joymax, a developer and publisher of interactive entertainment for the global market, today announced the successful launch of their new blockbuster title, Silkroad-R.The newest iteration of the Silkroad family is its own game, with unique accounts and servers, and isas alwayscompletely free to download and play!Newcomers to the Silkroad franchisealongside series veterans can now enjoy the cleanest gaming experience yet. To celebrate the game's successful launch, Joymax is featuring numerous events and promotions from now until February 7th.  To find out more about Silkroad-R and or to enter one of the many events, visit the official site at http://www.joymax.com/silkroad-r/.

New players can join now for a chance to win Amazon Gift Cards by reaching level 30, 50, or 70 with randomly selected winners in February.  This give-away is in addition to all the in-game items awaiting players, starting at level three and available every 4-6 levels.  Already joined?  The race to 80 is on!  The first 100 players to hit this plateau will be gifted special Seals to upgrade their armor and weapons.  These bonus items include amazing buffs like the Berserk Regeneration Potion, HP Increasing Scrolls, Skillpoint Scrolls, Pandora's Boxes, and many other items that allow players to level faster and/or customize their players in ways they had previously not imagined.

Feeling creative?  Submit a wallpaper or greeting card to Joymax and win a coveted Hanbok Avatar Set, along with a Magic Lamp Cleaner.  Those just looking for a quick boost can pop by the NPC So-OK for a 5-hour exp buff that can be used once per day. Players seeking an even bigger boost can find a variety of items in the cash shop to enchant their items, improve their experience rate, and so much more.

"There's many aspects of Silkroad-R that we changed or improved based on user feedback, and we took a long time investigating the cash shop and evaluating each item." said Joymax CEO, Nam-chul Kim.  "Players will find all the items they love in the cash shop, but every item has been buffed in some fashion, making the Silkroad-R cash shop the strongest yet!"

In addition, a new server, Merv was added based on player feedback, to ensure that players will have the perfect gaming experiences from logon to finish.

Neowiz announces Seven Souls Online

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 10:10 AM PST

Neowiz Games, publisher of War of Angels in North America, has announced a new title: Seven Souls Online.

Seven Souls Online offers a deep fantasy world with East, West, and science fiction blended in. Three character classes – Manatech Rebels, Imperial Guards, and Exiled Avengers – will be available for play. Players will able to access special skills and power ups for each class, or use Rage Mode to transform into a monster for increased power. An enchant and cube system will also offer the chance to customize gear, with an element of randomness to offer extremely rare items if one’s lucky.

Closed beta signups are being accepted at www.sevensoulsonline.com. The game is expected to launch this spring.

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Seven Souls Online Gameplay Screenshot

Source:

NEOWIZ GAMES Announces Seven Souls Online

Hyper-paced Combat MMORPG to Make its North American Debut this Spring

Los Angeles Jan. 18, 201 2 – A series of bloody battles awaits players in the "blitz-paced" massively multiplayer online game (MMORPG) Seven Souls Online from NEOWIZ GAMES. Set to launch in North America this spring, Seven Souls Online is currently accepting pre-registration for closed beta testers at the game's official website, http://www.sevensoulsonline.com, which also features a never-before-seen game trailer.

Seven Souls Online allows players to unleash their inner demon in a fantasy world which combines the ancient East and West, fused with elements of science-fiction. Players can choose from three character classes, the magic-enhanced Manatech Rebel, the savage Imperial Guard and the cunning Exiled Avenger, and then slaughter their way through vast armies of enemies.

Additional Seven Souls Online features include:

  • Rage Mode – With the push of a button, players can turn their characters into gruesome monsters for increased attack strength and critical attack chance.
  • Book of Lost Souls – This book is one of the game's most distinctive features. It not only tells the background story, but also differentiates each class from others by providing distinctive skills and power-ups.
  • Enchant and Cube System s – Players can enjoy easy-to-use Enchant and Cube Systems to enforce or dismantle their items and weapons. The randomness aspect allows players to acquire extremely rare items.
  • Anti-Bot Seven Souls Online does not welcome hunting bots. The anti-bot system will penalize excessive hunters while rewarding loyal, quest-completing players.

"Seven Souls Online will raise the bar for free-to-play MMORPGs in the North American market," said John Nam, COO of NEOWIZ GAMES Inc. "The game is set to provide an electrifying online free-to-play experience with its distinctive features and gorgeous graphics."

Interested players can sign up to receive the most up-to-date information on Seven Souls Online by visiting the game's website, http://www.sevensoulsonline.com/. Fans also can “Like” the game on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/officialsevensouls

Pockie Ninja introduces new Chrome App

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 09:50 AM PST

NGames has announced the release of a new Chrome App, available for free through Chrome’s Web Store, for its browser-based MMO, Pockie Ninja.

The Chrome App takes players to the Pockie Ninja homepage, letting players sign in or register through Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Mangafox, or Game321. Its design is to let Chrome users instantly connect to the game through their Google accounts.

Pockie Ninja recently won several awards at BBGSite, and has earned over nine million registered players since closed beta began in March.

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Pockie Ninja Gameplay Screenshot

Source:

Annual BBG Site award votes Pockie Ninja number 1

New Chrome app released for browser-based game of the year

The annual BBG Site “Browser Game of the Year” awards (http://news.bbgsite.com/gameprize/2011/index.shtml) have voted Naruto and Bleach inspired MMO, Pockie Ninja their most popular game of the year.

Pockie Ninja steam-rolled more than a third of the annual Browser Game of the Year categories, topping 5 of the 12 available categories. The beautifully animated browser-based brawler was voted Best Graphics, Best New Game, Best 2D Game, Favourite RPG, and the Most Popular browser game of 2011.

The awards highlight the reasons behind Pockie Ninja’s considerable growth since it’s closed beta launch in March, 2011. The game has amassed over 9 million registrations to date, with gamers and anime fans alike enjoying the high-end graphical presentation, deep customisation elements, and unique ‘one character, multiple classes’ system that the MMORPG offers.

To celebrate, publisher NGames – who were also winners of the ‘Top Company’ award – have released a brand new Google Chrome App to make playing Pockie Ninja a more easily accessible experience.

The new Chrome App is available for free through the Chrome Web Store and effortlessly plugs into Chrome browsers, allowing everyone to instantly play the game via their google account. Through one click, players are taken to the Pockie Ninja homepage where they can sign in and/or register to play using their Google, Facebook, Yahoo or Mangafox accounts.

Players can also sign up for an official Game321 account, which allows play sessions on all of NGames’ products under one username and e-wallet.

The Chrome App is available now: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/fnllmdekhoodfjggoncakndldjihiiol

Eden Eternal introduces Samurai

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 09:39 AM PST

Last week, Aeria Games introduced a new major update to Eden Eternal, adding a new class and more.

The Samurai debuted in last week’s update, offering a new, powerful DPS class that utilizes both buffs and physical attacks. The update also introduced the Monster Arena, which lets players take the role of dungeon bosses in a 3v3 arena to earn Honor Stars, a revamp to Territory Wars, two new level 60 Hero’s Trial dungeons, and a Tarot Card Reader.

Aeria Games also publishes Grand Fantasia and Dream of Mirror Online.

eden-eternal-samurai

Samurai Class

Eden Eternal Gameplay Screenshot

Source:

New Content Rocks Eden Eternal

Update Includes Samurai Class, Monster Battle Arena and an Improved Territory Wars

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – January 18th, 2012 – Aeria Games, a leading global publisher of free-to-play online games, has today launched the latest patch for its highly popular free-to-play MMORPG, Eden Eternal, further expanding upon the game's already robust content. The offerings in this content update include the new Samurai class, a totally revamped Territory Wars mode and the new Monster Battle Arena, allowing for even more intense player versus player combat.

The katana-wielding Samurai class has slashed its way to Eden Eternal and is fierce in close combat. This powerful damage per second (DPS) class utilizes a variety of buffs and physical attacks such as the "Asura Slash," an airborne attack that will damage even the toughest foes.

The addition of the Monster Arena will have players excitedly queuing up, now that they have the ability to play as one of their favorite dungeon boss monsters in a 3v3 PvP action. Players will team up, and will be able to win Honor Stars that are redeemable for valuable items.

Also included in this content patch for Eden Eternal:

  • Improved Territory Wars: Players can enjoy a revamped Territory Wars where guilds band together to take down the opposing team.
  • Level 60 Hero's Trial Dungeons: Explore two brand new extensive dungeons with new bosses and gear.
  • Tarot Card Reader: The newly introduced NPC Morlin offers 10 percent bonus to a randomly selected class tree

Eden Eternal is free to download on the PC and free-to-play. For more information regarding Eden Eternal and its event schedule, please visit http://edeneternal.aeriagames.com

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