This past weekend, pro-gamer Sam “Milkfat” Braithwaite set a new world record for Longest Strategy Game Marathon.
Sam played a 76-hour marathon run of Heroes of Newerth, beating the original world record of 52 hours. The attempt ran four days and was held at Howie’s Game Shack in Mission Viejo, CA, and was sponsored by S2 Games’ Marketing Team and GUNNAR Optiks.
The event was also held on behalf of Doctors Without Borders, a charity organization created to provide impartial medical aid across the world for people threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe. The event raised $3,700 in donations, which will be matched by S2 Games, and completed by Sam’s donation of ad revenue from his twitch.tv live stream.
Heroes of Newerth Gameplay Screenshot
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Heroes of Newerth Community Member Smashes Guinness World Record
76-Hour World Record Set for Longest Strategy Game Marathon
(Kalamazoo, MI) – February 3, 2012– History was made this weekend when pro-gamer Sam "Milkfat" Braithwaite finished a 76-hour marathon run of Heroes of Newerth (HoN) – the session-based, multiplayer, action-RPG title, developed by S2 Games – breaking the former World Record of 52 hours for Longest Strategy Game Marathon. The World Record breaking attempt lasted 4 days from January 26-29th at Howie's Game Shack in Mission Viejo, CA. S2 Games’ Marketing Team was on location to sponsor and support Sam throughout the entire event. GUNNAR Optiks was also in attendance supporting Sam and ensuring his eyes were well protected for the long haul.
"I've been training for this for months," said an exhausted Sam after breaking the record without sleep for the first 52 hours, "Even at the hardest times, I felt like I had to keep going for the charity and accomplish what I had set out to do." Sam's goal for the event, in addition to setting a World Record, was to promote Doctors Without Borders (http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org), a medical humanitarian organization providing independent, impartial aid in more than 60 countries to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe. Sam helped raise over $3,700 in donations during the event, which will be matched by S2 Games. Sam will also donate all ad revenue generated from his twitch.tv stream during the event to the charity.
The World Record attempt was streamed in its entirety through Sam's personal www.twitch.tv/milkfat stream, which garnered over 1.5 million views over the weekend. Footage of the event is currently being processed into DVD format for submission to Guinness, who will validate the world record run. The validation efforts will not only verify time spent playing, but will also maintain that a conditional rule set designed specifically for a World Record marathon of HoN, was followed at all times.
"Sam's commitment to his World Record goal has been extremely inspirational," said Laura Baker, Director of Marketing at S2 Games. "When Sam approached us with this idea and told us about the Doctors Without Boarders charity, we immediately knew we wanted to support his efforts. It's amazing to have devoted community members such as Sam."
Aeria Games has revealed more about the Muris, one of the three playable races in Lime Odyssey. This includes new screenshots and the race’s opening cinematic.
The Muris are described as “fun-loving, mischievous, and spread trouble wherever they go.” Located in Pripet, a town in the Shimmering Island of East Orta, the Muris will encounter areas including Star Bridge, Thistlebury Tea Garden, and more. Muris will have all battle classes available to them: Warrior, Thief, Mage, and Cleric. Each race in Lime Odyssey has its own unique starting location.
Aeria Games also publishes Dream of Mirror Online and Eden Eternal.
Lime Odyssey Muris Race Screenshots:
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Aeria Games Spotlights the Muris Race for Lime Odyssey: The Chronicles of Orta
New Cinematic Featuring the Muris Race Has Been Revealed for Highly Anticipated Free-to-Play 3D MMORPG
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Feb. 3, 2012 – Aeria Games, a leading global publisher of free-to-play online games, today revealed the opening cinematic for the Muris race, one of the three playable races in Lime Odyssey: The Chronicles of Orta, its highly-anticipated 3D massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Lime Odyssey is currently in production and will be published in North America by Aeria Games in 2012.
As the cinematic demonstrates, the Muris in Lime Odyssey are fun-loving, mischievous, and spread trouble wherever they go. However, they are good-natured about their tricks and are so charismatic that they prove difficult to dislike. The Muris are centralized around the town of Pripet in the Shimmering Island of East Orta from which they begin their journey. From a Star Bridge and Thistlebury Tea Garden to windmills and forests, this floating world features many surprises.
These curious tricksters have all current Lime Odyssey battle classes available to them:
Warrior – Warriors are tanks, but also fairly balanced between defense and offense. Warriors are the masters of straightforward battle.
Thief – Masters of shadows, misdirection, and speed, Thieves are powerful characters when properly implemented.
Mage – Standing in both darkness and light, the great mages of the land wield the elements and the power of necrosis.
Cleric – Useful in battle in more ways than just support, Clerics provide powerful ranged support in addition to their strong healing abilities.
The vast continent of Orta is home to a diverse collection of races and tribes. Players can choose from a variety of customization options to design their ideal character – create a bold young Human thief, a battle-hardened Turga, or a diminutive Muris- the choice is theirs! Each race begins their quest in a unique starting location.
Lime Odyssey: The Chronicles of Ortawill be free to download and free to play. Interested players can learn more about Lime Odyssey and sign up to participate in the upcoming closed beta test at: http://limeodyssey.aeriagames.com.
Super Monday Night Combat is a Third Person Action MOBA published by Uber Entertainment. SMNC has a similar playstyle to League of Legends with the camera and combat style of LOCO. However instead of spells players use guns and futuristic abilities to push waves of robots towards the enemies money ball (base). The game features a high level of customization allowing a player to customize each game character individually to support their playstyle. In the video above I play the character Karl. To learn more about Super Monday Night Combat check out the official MMOHut Super Monday Night Combat page which includes a detailed review, tons of screenshots, and additional videos.
Super Monday Night Combat is a new, free-to-play version of the original Monday Night Combat emphasizing strategy. With upgrades across the board, players can expect intense, third-person combat with unique game modes.
Publisher: Uber Entertainment Playerbase: ?? Graphics: High Type: MMO – Third Person Shooter EXP Rate: ?? PvP: Multiple game modes Filesize: ??
Pros: +Players can upgrade and customize their characters. +Lethality reduces from the original MNC. +Diverse game modes.
Cons: -No more one-hit-kills. -Weapon upgrades are cosmetic. -Gameplay rules are significantly different from the original MNC.
Overview
Super Monday Night Combat Overview
Get ready to earn your sponsorship, gunners – choose a Pro and get to work in the relentless arenas of Super Monday Night Combat! Carrying on the tradition from the original Monday Night Combat, Super MNC upgrades the game from the user interface and graphics to weapons, skill balance, pro choice, map selection, and game modes. Players select a character (known as a “Pro”) from one of six classes: Assault, Tank, Support, Assassin, Gunner, and Sniper. Each class comes with its own unique skill set, and Pros in Super Monday Night Combat can also upgrade their skills, level up, and work toward earning endorsements and more in the metagame.
A new game publisher and developer, Infernum, has announced the closed beta for its first online offering: Brick-Force.
Brick Force calls itself a “sandbox shooter,” and will be available for the browser, iOS, and Android. Players can build maps and even worlds with bricks, creating their own comical world. These same environments can then be used in matches against computer or player opponents. This means that players will be able to build their own arenas for shooter-style combat.
Brick Force will begin its closed beta on February 28, with open beta and release coming later this spring. Players can register for the closed beta at the game’s website, brick-force.com. Players who participate will get an exclusive in-game helmet for open beta.
Brick-Force Gameplay Screenshot
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Brick-Force Closed Beta Will Begin This Month
Start date for the sandbox shooter is announced
BERLIN, Germany – February 2nd, 2012 – The Berlin based publisher and developer Infernum announced today the start date of the closed betafor its sandbox shooter, Brick-Force. Selected players will be able to experience the sandbox shooter starting February 28th. The open beta and official release of the online game will follow in the spring.
Fans that wish to participate in the closed beta can register on the official website www.brick-force.com. But there is another brick in the wall: All players who register for the beta will be rewarded with an exclusive in-game helmet, once the open beta is underway. Blasting through Brick-Force‘s shooter mode, beta participants will be equipped perfectly for the cross-platform online game.
Those who prefer building instead of blasting still have much to look forward to with the satisfying sandbox mode. This creative mode will be playable not only in the browser but also on iOS and Android. Brick by brick, players will have the freedom to create the worlds and maps that they’ve always dreamed of, limited only by their imagination.
Brick-Force – Build, Share, Play
This sandbox shooter allows players to create worlds and maps that they’ve always dreamed of, brick by brick. They can also share these virtual playgrounds with the community and use them as the backdrop for fast paced shooter hunts against fellow players or computerized opponents. This comic style online game is built on the ‘Unity 3D’ engine and will be playable directly in a web browser. The ‘sandbox’ mode, in which players use simple building blocks to construct complex environments, can be played on social networks and mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Brick-Force is being developed by Korean game developer EXE Games as a co-production with Infernum. Beta and launch of the free-to-play title in Europe and North America are planned for spring 2012. www.brick-force.com
GamesCampus has released new screenshots of some of Carte’s card art, along with descriptions of each nation.
Carte will feature a 65-card deck system, featuring one hero and an assortment of attack, defense, and utility cards. The game divides players into five nations, which have been given further descriptions today, as follows:
* The Sacred Empire of Saike is led by its priesthood and defended by angels. In the last war, Saike was ravaged by the army of Kaideron, the Kingdom of Darkness. While Saike’s populace continues to suffer in the aftermath, the angel Irene Belle has declared a holy crusade against Kaideron. As the knights and angels of Saike march forth, the entire continent is once again plunged into conflict.
* The kingdom of Kaideron exists for the glory of its master, Belial. Belial has ruled the Kingdom of Darkness with a cruel and unforgiving hand since the ancient days when gods still walked amongst men. Even with the armies of Saike on his doorstep, Belial shows no weakness and merely waits patiently for the next of his innumerable plots to come to fruition.
* The nation of Archan has traditionally been devoted to the pursuit of knowledge, but newly appointed general Pietro Frigo has greater ambitions. He has spread a web of secret alliances throughout the continent, and this war is the fulcrum upon which his destiny turns.
* The forest union of Sierrion proclaims neutrality in the current war. Their leader, Serya Tasdelen, shows public support to neither side, but there are whispers of an army gathering in the depths of the forest and secret meetings between her and the mages of Archan.
* The empire of Aspire, home of the finest warriors and strongest steel in all of Arcadia, seeks conquest. Emperor Torsten II sees the war as an opportunity to strike when the other nations are weak and expand his empire’s grasp. But there are those within the empire who have a different vision for Aspire, one that does not include Torsten II.
GamesCampus also publishes Shot Online and Asda 2.
Carte: Card Art:
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GAMESCAMPUS’ CARTE HAS A REAL STORY IN THE CARDS
Sunnyvale, Calif. (February 3, 2012) – Armies, Heroes, Weapons, and Stories are all awaiting you in a deck of 65 beautiful cards! Leading online game publisher GamesCampus.com (www.GamesCampus.com) tipped their hand with new assets for their first global online trading card game, Carte, due to go into closed beta later this month. Players in Carte can build the deck they want to build, all wrapped in a story dripping with rich lore full of drama, betrayal, and valor. Pre-registration is now open and card gamers can dash over to http://carte.gamescampus.com and become among the first to experience all of the card-slinging action when Carte enters beta in February 2012.
Carte takes place on the continent of Arcadia, a land the gods have abandoned, where five nations battle for supremacy. Players joining Carte will be gifted a starter deck for each nation, so they can explore both the deck building possibilities and the underlying story expressed through the cards. Each nation in Arcadia has its own heroes, villains, and plots to be unveiled as the game progresses.
The Sacred Empire of Saike is led by its priesthood and defended by angels. In the last war, Saike was ravaged by the army of Kaideron, the Kingdom of Darkness. While Saike’s populace continues to suffer in the aftermath, the angel Irene Belle has declared a holy crusade against Kaideron. As the knights and angels of Saike march forth, the entire continent is once again plunged into conflict.
The kingdom of Kaideron exists for the glory of its master, Belial. Belial has ruled the Kingdom of Darkness with a cruel and unforgiving hand since the ancient days when gods still walked amongst men. Even with the armies of Saike on his doorstep, Belial shows no weakness and merely waits patiently for the next of his innumerable plots to come to fruition.
The nation of Archan has traditionally been devoted to the pursuit of knowledge, but newly appointed general Pietro Frigo has greater ambitions. He has spread a web of secret alliances throughout the continent, and this war is the fulcrum upon which his destiny turns.
The forest union of Sierrion proclaims neutrality in the current war. Their leader, Serya Tasdelen, shows public support to neither side, but there are whispers of an army gathering in the depths of the forest and secret meetings between her and the mages of Archan.
The empire of Aspire, home of the finest warriors and strongest steel in all of Arcadia, seeks conquest. Emperor Torsten II sees the war as an opportunity to strike when the other nations are weak and expand his empire’s grasp. But there are those within the empire who have a different vision for Aspire, one that does not include Torsten II.
Carte is a fast paced global online trading card game. Choose a Hero, build a deck and launch into exciting battles with fierce weapons and allies from the deep storyline. Create and master endless strategies with an arsenal of spells and creatures to conquer your opponents. The continent of Arcadia is entering the greatest conflict it has ever seen, and the battles will play out on the card table of Carte.
For more information about GamesCampus.com or Carte, please visit carte.gamescampus.com
Perfect World Entertainment has released information for its next expansion for Perfect World International – Descent.
Descent will launch on February 15. The content is geared for high level players, and introduces a new zone, Morai, for players above level 95. The new area includes new quest hubs and two new dungeons. New tier sets will be available for players through both the main storyline, reputation, and more. There are three factions in the region (Order of Corona, Order of the Shroud, and Order of Luminance) that players can ally with.
All classes will receive new skills that are promised to be “game changing,” such as Archers being able to cloak, as well as a skill rebalancing. All territory maps will also be reset on February 14 to prepare for the new game systems. From then on out, territory maps will be reset every six months, with a prize for the faction that wins at the end.
Perfect World Entertainment also publishes Jade Dynasty and Forsaken World.
Perfect World International: Descent
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Perfect World Entertainment is happy to announce its latest Perfect World International expansion — PWI: Descent!
Launching on February 15th, Descent will bring a host of new features and content to the beautiful and robust game that started it all.
Head over to the Teaser Site to watch the video, view screenshots, and sign up for the special launch gift!
Descent’s Storyline
Long ago, evil specters roamed about the universe aimlessly. Perfect World's creator, Pan Gu, having mercy on them, created a world just for them – the distant realm of Morai. The sole gateway to Perfect World from Morai was placed in Elysium Village, and a protective enchantment ensured that creatures remained in their respective worlds.
Until now.
Elysium Village lies in ruins, the protective enchantment destroyed, its inhabitants' lifeless corpses scattered on its stone paths. Someone is organizing the evil specters of Morai, amassing a terrifying army in preparation for a full-scale assault on the cities of Perfect World. The leaders of the allied races have conferred, and a preliminary expedition mission into Morai has been planned. It now falls on the shoulders of Perfect World's mightiest heroes to enter the portal into hostile territory…
Main Features
Much of PWI:Descent’s new content is geared toward higher level players, so if you’re looking for a new angle in high-end PvP or a new path to 105, you’ll be very pleased with what you see come launch day.
Beautiful New Zone
The land of Morai, accessible to players level 95 and above, can only be reached via an NPC in Elysium Village, and then afterwards via a special Teleporter NPC in each of the main racial cities. Morai is a vast land with a dynamic landscape, many new quest hubs, dozens of new quests, and two new dungeons. Upon arrival, you will be tasked with finding out who destroyed Elysium Village, as well as the evil force behind the sudden organization of Wraiths in Morai.
Powerful Brand New Gear
PWI: Descent will bring the addition of several brand new high-level gear sets of varying quality. While the lowest tier sets will be attainable simply through the main story-line, the more powerful sets will require a bit more skill and persistence, as well as a good relationship with the Order that you choose.
Join an Order
As you begin questing in Morai, you’ll happen upon three Orders vying for control of the region – the wise Order of Corona, the scheming Order of the Shroud, and the mercurial Order of Luminance. Upon choosing an Order to enlist in, you’ll gain access to a number of distinct perks, from powerful gear to unique high-level skills, to special vanity pets.
New Class Skills and Existing Skill Balancing
Easily one of the most exciting aspects of the Descent expansion is the fact that all ten character classes will be receiving brand new skills. These aren’t your run of the mill new skills either — we’re not talking about a second heal or another DoT, we’re talking about real game-changers; things like Archers gaining the ability to cloak and Clerics gaining the ability to lay waste. In addition to these brand new skills, there will also be balance changes to currently existing skills. Tactics and strategies will no doubt be changing when Descent hits, and players will have to adapt or be destroyed.
Territory Map Reset
And finally, get ready, because we will be resetting the territory maps on all US and EU servers on February 14th during that night’s maintenance! For each server, one champion will be declared — the faction holding the most territories come Monday the 13th.
From here on out, we would like to make Territory Map resets a regular, more frequent occurrence because it promotes competition, reduces the opportunity for a long-standing server monopoly, and creates a more dynamic TW landscape. So from now on, Territory Wars will be broken up into 6 month-long seasons.
And what of the champion? The faction crowned at the end of each season will receive a special prize which will likely change from season to season. In the event of a tie, the champion will be determined by 3v3 armed combat between the factions’ most powerful warriors. We’ll also be working on a way for champions and past champions to be displayed proudly on the PWI website.
Now, for this reset, although technically there was no “season”, we would still like to reward the dominant faction on each server. So to this end, after this reset occurs on the 14th, we will be sending each server champion:
10x Shadow Fox 20x Scarlet Fox
So as you can probably tell, we’re extremely excited to be bringing this expansion to you — we feel that it’s truly some of our best work yet, and we can’t wait to see you all in Morai on February 15th.
To Learn More About the Game, Check out our Lime Odyssey Page.
Lime Odyssey is a 3D Fantasy MMORPG published by Aeria Games. Said to be the spiritual successor to Ragnarok, Lime Odyssey and features 3 races and 4 base classes to choose from. Lime also has a unqiue crafting system with specific crafting outfits and gear. This trailer highlights the starting area and backstory of the Muris race. Lime Odyssey is set to come out later in 2012. To learn more about Lime Odyssey check out the official MMOHut Lime Odyssey page which includes a detailed review, tons of screenshots, and additional videos.
To Learn More About the Game, Check out our C9 Page.
C9 Continent of the Ninth is a fantasy MMORPG published by Webzen. In C9 players can fight hordes of monsters in dungeons using action combat moves and combos similar to that of action console games. There is no auto attack or lock on aim in C9 every attack must be executed and aimed manually. Players can play up to three classes each with a unique fighting style and abilities.
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I love Half-Life, but somewhere around E3 2010 I resigned myself to the fact that Half-Life 3 won’t see the light of day anytime soon. Steam, Portal, Left 4 Dead, Dota 2, Counter-Strike, as well as some projects we’ve probably never heard of seem to keep Valve busy (and rich) enough for the time being. Not all fans are so patient. A Steam group named, A Call for Communication (CFC), is hosting an event called “A Red Letter Day” and asking players around the world to play Half-Life 2 this weekend at 2:00 P.M. Eastern, 11 P.M. Pacific, with the hope that Valve will take notice and begin to share more information about the future of the series.
Years of listening to forum-posters demand things of game makers with a remarkable sense of entitlement and lack of shame has led me to expect little constructive work to come fans, but CFC’s positive tone and earnest message managed to shake me of my cynical world view (if only for a few moments). The group even goes out of their way to encourage positive interaction between Valve and fans on their official site:
“The lack of communication between Valve and the Half-Life community has been a frustrating experience. While continued support for current and future products is greatly appreciated, fans of the Half-Life series have waited years for a word on when the franchise will return. So, Instead of focusing efforts in a negative and disrespectful way, we have decided to gain Valve’s attention by delivering a basic message:
Your oldest and longest running fanbase would like better communication.”
While fans have attacked Valve for various things in the past, these conflicts usually result in a cadre of spoiled man-children embarrassing themselves by demanding that cater to their exact tastes or wishes. A hacker stole Half-Life 2′s source code and then tried to justify his actions by claiming Valve faked their E3 2003 HL2 demo, “I’d like to point out this is what you wanted Valve to release on 9/30/03…I’d like to point out the E3 demo was one big fake by Valve.” I’m not sure if that’s better or worse than the time fans threatened to boycott Valve because they announced a sequel to a game they loved.
I sincerely hope that protesters maintain the respectful tone throughout the rest of the process. Reddit and other gaming communities seem to be following in the spirit of the event, at least for the time being. Whether or not Valve responds, CFC is taking a step in the right direction for the industry.
Posted by: admin in Gaming News Find related article at: http://www.1up.com/news/surprisingly-constructive-protest-planned-half-life_2
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It is not common for me to post about gaming-related deaths and accidents, but the way this unfortunate gamer passed away is something I would really like to share and warn you gamer folks about.This Taiwanese man was playing League of Legends (LoL) for 23 hours straight in an internet cafe (or cybercafe), and no one was aware of his death till a couple of hours later.
As you can see, his whole body is frozen in a fixed position, with both hands apparently still holding on to the mouse and keyboard. There were around 30 other gamers around who were oblivious to his demise, each engrossed in their own games. Without pointing fingers at anyone, League of Legends Taiwan was having a 400% bonus IP event for a couple of days during the wee hours.
A pack of medicine related to heart attack was found in the deceased’s belongings. I urge everyone, be it you are healthy or currently suffering from some illness, to take appropriate breaks after a few room-based games or after a couple of hours of dungeon raiding.
Posted by: admin in Gaming News Find related article at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/02/taiwanese-man-dies-after-23-hours-of.html
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Just a wee competition for our readers: we're giving away a retail copy of APB Reloaded: The Boxed Special Edition plus an APB Reloaded t-shirt to one lucky totalpcgaming reader drawn from the proverbial hat.
The APB Reloaded Boxed Special Edition includes the full game, a permanent Magnum for all characters on one account, a Cisco Car, 500 G1 credits and a 30-day premium account pass. That's more than £30 worth of in-game goodies.
To win these prizes, simply send us an email with your address in the body and 'APB Reloaded comp' in the subject header. Competition closes 10 February. Good luck!
Posted by: admin in Gaming News Find related article at: http://www.totalpcgaming.com/competition/apb-reloaded-giveaway/
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(Beta signup) As some of you folks might know, the Closed Beta for the much anticipated Free to Play online shooter, Firefall, is now going on. Under strict NDA rules, there is not much information being leaked *smiles* until further notice. To feed those hungry players who are not in Closed Beta 1, Shacknews (link) has posted a recent interview footage with the CEO of Red 5 Studios, Mr Mark Kern, talkng more about the game’s development.
Hoping for a shot at the game’s Closed Beta still? From what I read, more keys will be given out after the first phase ends, so signup at the game’s official website (link) now! Before I forget, players will also stand a chance to win an exclusive in-game pet (link) as well. What are you waiting for?
Posted by: admin in Gaming News Find related article at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2011/09/firefall-shacknews-interview-with-mark.html
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Reflecting the fact that last year’s Supreme Court decision, which reaffirmed videogames qualify for First Amendment protection in the United States, wasn’t quite clear enough for everyone, Oklahoma state representative William Fourkiller has introduced a new piece of legislation sure to draw the ire of gamers.
HB #2696, as reported by Gamasutra, would see an excise tax of one percent levied against the sale of any and all violent videogames in the state of Oklahoma. That immediately raises the question of what constitutes a violent videogame — Call of Duty is undeniably violent, but would a game where bears can punch each other count as violence? Fortunately the proposed bill provides specific criteria: a violent videogame is considered to be any game to have received a Teen, Mature, or Adult Only rating from the ESRB.
This is problematic in that a Teen rating especially is not reflective of the level of violence in a game. Guitar Hero World Tour was rated Teen, as was The Sims 3, though would anyone consider either of those to be violent videogames? In the case of movies it would be like taxing a comedy without a hint of violence that is rated PG-13 or R because it contains nudity and/or profane language. It doesn’t make sense.
The money collected from this tax would be going to a good enough cause: half of it would go to the Childhood Outdoor Education Revolving Fund, while the other half would go to the Bullying Prevention Revolving Fund, both of which would be created as a part of the act.
If the bill were to be passed — and at this point it has not gone anywhere — it would be put into effect as of July 1, 2012.
The Entertainment Software Association, the same group that was in support of SOPA not long ago but was involved in the fight against the California law that reached the Supreme Court last year, is obviously displeased with the bill.
“Taxing First Amendment protected material based on its content is misguided,” said Dan Hewitt in a statement shared with Gamasutra. “We are disappointed that even in the wake of an overwhelming decision in the United States Supreme Court finding proposals such as this to be patently unconstitutional, there are those who still try to attack video games with outdated notions of our industry.”
It was, perhaps, wishful thinking to believe these sorts of bills would go away following the Supreme Court’s ruling. But if not for that reason, the state of California being ordered last month to pay the ESA’s legal fees should have been a wakeup call. California has in total been forced to pay in excess of $1.3 million to the ESA, while other states have paid more than $1.7 million to cover the cost of the ESA’s legal fees.
While I can’t claim to be intimately familiar with Oklahoma’s financial status, the potential for paying out hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars in legal fees can’t be considered a good use of taxpayers’ money — particularly when that money could go directly to groups like the ones this proposed tax would fund.
Angels Online, or Angel 'Love' Online, is a 2D Fantasy MMORPG. Perhaps the game's most notable features are its unique graphic style and its incredibly large selection of playable classes (fifteen). The premise of the game's story is original as well. Angels Online is set in the world of Eden, an obvious biblical reference to the Garden of Eden, where there is no division between heaven and the human world.
Publisher:IGG Playerbase: High Graphics: Low Quality Type: MMORPG EXP Rate: High PvP: Arena / Event only Filesize: 999 MB
Pros: +Unique graphic style. +Catchy music. +Fifteen playable classes. +Players can upload their own avatars. +Extensive crafting system.
Cons: -One character per server per account. -No option to change controls. -Stats and skills level passively.
Angels Online is a unique 2D Fantasy MMORPG by IGG. The game is set in the mythical world of Eden where both angels and humans roam the world. The game's most notable features are its original graphical style and the large number of playable classes. Start your adventure in Angels Online in Angel Lyceum, a college that trains angels, and work your way up to becoming an angel protector! Like Magic World Online, Godswar Online and With Your Destiny, Angels Online has a built in game bot called 'Angel Baby' which can be set to level up automatically while away from the computer. The game's fourteen playable classes are:
Combat Classes
Protector - Protectors have the highest physical defense and hitpoints in the game. They are the most powerful tanks in Angels Online. Warrior - Warriors have the highest melee damage of all the combat-oriented classes. They can use dual axes or hammers and have fairly high hitpoints. Spearman - Spearman can deal the most damage to heavily armored enemies, as their weapons can ignore some armor. Spearman have less hitpoints than warriors and protectors but they have more MP. Swordsman - Swordsmen have the highest speed and agility of the melee-oriented classes. They can deal incredible amounts of damage in a relatively short period of time, but they have low defense and less hit points than the other melee classes. Archer - Archers are the only class that can deal physical damage from a distance. They are very capable of dealing large amounts of damage from a distance but are extremely vulnerable in melee range.
Magic Classes Summoner - Summoners wield powerful curse and summoning spells. They can summon powerful undead minions and cast dark spells. Wizard - Wizards are the primary offensive spellcasting class in Angels Online. They can cast destructive direct damage spells, but they consume a lot of MP, so keep some MP potions on hand. Magician - Magicians are a balanced spell casting class. They have strong nature spells and a mix of recovery and buff related spells as well. Like all of the other magic oriented classes, Magicians have low hitpoints and are vulnerable in melee range. Priest - Priests are the primary 'healing' and 'buffing' class in Angels Online. They are extremely valuable to their party, but are weak by themselves.
Crafting Classes Weaponsmith - Weaponsmiths are good at forging powerful metal weapons, digging ore and controlling robots. They are melee-oriented classes that can wear leather armor. Armorsmith - Armorsmiths, as the name implies, are capable of forging armor and controlling robots. Like the weaponsmith, they can wear leather armor. Tailor - Tailors are good at weaving magician robes and leather armor. They are also capable of fishing, as well as controlling robots. Like the other crafting classes, Tailors can wear leather armor. Technician - Technicians can develop robot accessories and ornaments. They are adept at collecting and controlling robots. Chef - Chefs are proficient at cooking healthy food that enhances abilities. They are adept at collecting, fishing and controlling robots.
Angels Online System Requirements
Minimum Requirements: OS: Windows 2000 / XP / 98 / 95 /ME / Vista CPU: 800 MhZ Pentium 3 or Equivalent AMD processor RAM: 256 MB Memory HDD: 1.5 GB Free Graphics Card: Any Direct X 8.0 compatible VGA Card
Recommended Specifications: OS: Windows 2000 / XP / 98 / 95 /ME / Vista CPU: 1 GhZ Pentium 3 or Equivalent AMD processor RAM: 512 MB Memory HDD: 1.5 GB Free Graphics Card: Any Direct X 8.0 compatible VGA Card
(Beta signup) Just to be clear, GFACE is a separate entity itself but the company is being backed by Crytek, the famous game engine developer behind CryEngine. So what is GFACE? Well, for me it looks like a harmonious merge between Steam, EA Origins, Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus. Yes, all 4 of them combined. Excited yet?
For the gaming part, it reminds me of Google Plus, adding contacts into “circles”, but now able to launch games straight from the browser. Basically, the game lobby is the browser (GFACE page) itself. And no, this function is not limited to just casual web games. Even Crytek’s upcoming CryEngine 3 online shooter, Warface (link), is available to be played on your browser without downloading the game client!
Like I mentioned, GFACE is really the ultimate combination of some of the most popular social media websites and programs now. Do take a closer read at some of its functions at the official website, given in the link above. And sign up for beta now!
Posted by: admin in Gaming News Find related article at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/02/gface-crytek-aims-to-merge-gaming-and.html
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With WAKFU's launch rapidly approaching later this month, the information is pouring forth fast and furious from this free-to-play title. One of the biggest questions that players have at this stage is just how a game is going to make its money, and in the case of WAKFU, Ankama is certainly hoping that the experience is fun enough to warrant a regular subscription.
If you're already on board with the WAKFU philosophy and wish to subscribe for a premium membership, then Ankama has a few great pre-launch offers for you. By signing up for three, six, or 12-month plans, you can net yourself plenty of in-game items as well as the esteemed title of "WAKFU Pioneer."
Ankama has also published a helpful chart illustrating the differences between the F2P and subscription plans -- such as whether or not you can become an eco-terrorist (we kid you not). Other differences include the ability to own a home vs. set up an in-game shop, how many professions you can master (six vs. 16), and whether or not you can run for office.
Despite the fact that video game addiction lacks both a definition and a diagnosis, "researchers around the world continue to investigate methods of determining, treating, and preventing" it, according to Gamespot.
The American Psychiatric Association recently rejected a movement to incorporate game addiction into its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, but that hasn't stopped folks at the National Development and Research Institute from publishing the findings from a survey conducted with 3,380 adult gamers.
The study found that five percent of participants reported "moderate to extreme problem game-playing." Commonly reported problem titles included Call of Duty, the Grand Theft Auto series, online poker games, and World of Warcraft. The team concluded that "there is evidence to suggest that problem game-playing is linked to particular kinds of game genres," and that further research is needed.
If those words don't give you chills of anticipation, then perhaps you need to take a gander at the video for the brand-new featured episodes coming soon to Star Trek Online. Titled "The 2800," the video begins by showing an invasion fleet popping out of a wormhole as the Federation and Klingons scramble to respond.
During this story, the Jem Hadar will be staging a massive attack upon Deep Space Nine, and it's up to players to warp in and save the game.
The 2800 will debut in the game on Saturday, February 11th, following this weekend's second anniversary celebration. You can watch the full video after the jump!
Something fascinates me about many of the more vocal commenters on Massively. No matter what game is launching, re-launching, closing, expanding, or going free-to-play, someone usually has to make it known that he doesn't play MMOs at all anymore. The fact that he's still reading about MMOs on Massively is a compliment to us, but I'm always curious about what drove him away from actually playing.
So if you're a former MMO player and you still like to keep up with the news, let us know why. What drove you away? What makes you still read about it? Are you holding out for the next big MMO, or is it something more?
Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
It's time for This Week in MMO, kids, and no, you don't need to adjust your televisions monitors. That is not Gary Gannon behind the mic this week, but it is Mike Schaffnit, and he's joined by Mike B. and Jason Winter for the customary MMO news roundtable.
Tops on the agenda is TERA, which went from announcing its launch date to having a potentially launch-affecting lawsuit leveled at it by NCsoft. As the week wore on things got a bit better thanks to pre-order announcements (and the associated closed beta invites), but there's still a bit of a cloud hanging over En Masse's maiden title that our trio discusses at length.
Other newsy bits include The Secret World's new trailer, World of Planes namechange, and the overbearing nanny-state that is South Korea. Check out the full show after the break.
One of our readers was kind enough to point us to two sites that, once again, were stealing our posts without crediting our authors or anything like that. (I don't mean "this post looks suspiciously similar"; I mean abusing copy and paste.) Unfortunately, while we're aware of these things, there's not a whole lot we can do other than request that the sites get taken down. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't, but it's all we can do. I guess it's nice to be good enough that your work is worth stealing without credit? That's something.
This week's installment of Ask Massively isn't going to focus on that, however. Instead, we're going to focus on the recent spate of MMO litigation and the potential for a boxed RIFT expansion. If you have a question you'd like to see answered in a future installment of Ask Massively, mail it along to ask@massively.com or leave a comment in the field below. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity.
It seems as if the recent brouhaha over THQ's future was a bit overblown, as were concerns about the fate of the firm's Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium Online MMO. Our sister site reports that DMO is on track for "fiscal 2014 and beyond" based on a THQ earnings report released today.
We consulted our corporate-speak decoder rings and determined that fiscal 2014 translates to April 2013, which puts the launch window slightly behind the original target date, according to Joystiq.
Last month THQ debunked a rumor tweeted by Kevin Dent that had the firm canceling its entire 2014 catalog and prepping for a firesale.
Gamespot, meanwhile, is reporting that THQ is actively seeking publishing partners for the game.
It's hard to believe that it's already February and that spring is now within striking distance. City of Heroes feels the season coming on strong, which is why it's bringing back its Spring Fling holiday event from February 8th through the 27th.
The event this year will be a mix of the old and the new. Returning from the past are tangles with Arachnos, quests to fetch underwear for Eros, and a smackdown of Snaptooth. New for the 2012 season are a couple of additional missions for the restless hopeless romantic in all of us -- Widow in Red and Valentines -- with accompanying badges.
The former quest will have players looking into the love life of Lord Recluse (Match.com has no entry for "super-villain," much to his dismay), while the latter will send heroes all across the game world looking for valentines to deliver or redirect. The Valentines missions reward players with temporary powers such as Arrows of Romance and Arrows of Jealousy.
DC Universe Online's Game Update 9: Assemble For Battle is now live and operational, and it brings with it a few very interesting features, especially for players interested in group content. One of said features is the addition of role-optional alerts. As any MMO player knows, there's often a rather large population disparity between various roles. Generally, there's a ton of DPS with much lower numbers of tanks and healers, which can make finding a group a PITA if you're in the former camp.
As of this update, all alerts are considered role-optional, which means the longer a group waits in the group-finder for a certain role (such as a tank or a healer), the less picky the group-finder will be about filling that role. For instance, if a healer can't be found after a substantial period of time, the role will be filled by another available role. This is possible thanks to the team buff. Any time three or more group members are within range and line-of-sight of one another, the whole group will gain a buff to compensate for missing roles. For instance, a group missing a tank will get a damage mitigation buff, a group without a healer will get a health regeneration buff, and so forth. The official post notes that "the buffs are by no means a replacement for having the actual role in your group. But with some self-reliance, it will... allow you to complete the Alert successfully." For the full details on the new system, plus other features such as Novice Raids, click on through the link below to the official site.
This is sharp contrast to some of the early analyst responses before subscriber numbers were released, as well as some suspicions that the game was falling after a few first-patch fumbles. Whether the game will rise further or stabilize where it is remains to be seen, but it's certainly making a strong showing out of the gate, and the financial sector is taking note.
EverQuest II players will probably be familiar with the name Smokejumper, the forum handle of the EverQuest franchise's Executive Producer Dave Georgeson. Georgeson has served as Executive Producer for EverQuest, EverQuest II, and the upcoming EverQuest Next while simultaneously filling the role of Producer for EverQuest II. As you might imagine, that's quite a lot of work for a single person. With that in mind, Georgeson announced on the official EQII website today that Holly "Windstalker" Longdale has rejoined SOE in order to take over the position of EverQuest II's Producer.
Holly also takes the opportunity to introduce herself to the community, remarking that "the opportunity to be a producer on this team is surreal and certainly perfect." She goes on to say that "EverQuest... has had a place in [her] life for well over a decade now," making it clear that she's not just some corporate suit who doesn't care about the game -- she's a player who is passionate about the game and is in-tune with the playerbase. To read the full announcement from Smokejumper as well as the follow-up by Windstalker, just click on through the link below.
Did that grab your attention? Nexon is sure hoping it did, as the company is in the throes of its "Get a Hat Trick!" promotion. For the next month and a half, players who dive into Vindictus, Dragon Nest, and Dungeon Fighter Online and get to level 20 in all three games will have a shot at several nice prizes -- including the above 2012 BMW M3. So, in effect, just by playing MMOs, you could be netting yourself one of the sweetest rides in town.
While Nexon has already handed out awards for the third and fourth place winners, there are still prizes left for aspiring gamers. First of all, everyone who gets a hat trick (as defined by achieving level 20 in the above three titles) will be treated to $20 worth of in-game items. Additionally, three players will get an Alienware Aurora desktop computer, and 30 people will win $50 "Karma Koins."
As for the Beemer, the prize will only be unlocked if 30,000 players achieve hat tricks by March 15th -- and even then, only one car will be given away after that. So good luck and may the game be with you!
Guild leading is often as much about managing personalities as it is about managing the nuts and bolts of the game. In previous columns, we've looked at all sorts of issues that guild leaders have to solve, and at the root of almost all of them is some sort of personality clash. Show me a nice blend of personalities, and I'll show you a happy guild that will stick together for years.
What makes guild leading so difficult, though, is that unlike real-life leaders, guild leaders need to manage two identities for every member. There's the real-life identity of the player, and then there's the identity of the in-game character, and they aren't always the same. If you talk to a guild that's met at a guild gathering or convention, one of the things you'll always hear is how a particular member is so different from his in-game character. In game, for example, he might be a rough-around-the-edges general, but in real life he's a quiet teddy bear.
MMOs give us the opportunity to be someone completely different from who we are out of game, and even non-roleplayers will sometimes behave differently when they're playing. But Star Wars: The Old Republic has taken away some of our power to construct our own identities in game. In this edition of The Guild Counsel, Let's look at how that's happened and whether it will affect the way we game.
It's been a while since we've featured a PlanetSide 2 lore update, mainly because more interesting gameplay info was on offer from Sony Online Entertainment. In the absence of new vehicle screens and Matt Higby Q&A's, though, we'll happily tell about the latest story-centric update to the official site (hey, some PS2 news is better than no PS2 news, amirite?).
Last night's blurb features one Tom Connery (presumably no relation to Sean, since it's the year 2640). Connery is prone to making holovid records of his life in the Terran Republic, and his latest is a somewhat harrowing account of a collapsing wormhole and the plight of the 40,000 colonists stuck on the wrong side of it. Click over to the official PS2 website for the full report.
Just a wee competition for our readers: we're giving away a retail copy of APB Reloaded: The Boxed Special Edition plus an APB Reloaded t-shirt to one lucky totalpcgaming reader drawn from the proverbial hat.
Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's 
