General Gaming Article

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• Mainstream Support for Windows Vista Ends Today
• Gaming Showdown: Playstation Vita vs iPhone 4S
• TechRadar US is Open For Business
• FCC, Cellular Carriers Introduce New Initiative To Nerf Stolen Smartphones
• Epic Games Kills Bulletstorm Sequel, Dirty PC Pirates Partly To Blame
• Researcher Creates Cheaper, More Efficient Graphene-Based Cooling Method
• Nvidia 301.24 Beta Drivers Spread The Love To All GeForce Owners
• Zotac Announces Intel 7-Series Mini ITX Motherboards for Ivy Bridge
• Kingston Launches Reasonably Priced HyperX 3K Solid State Drives
• Father of Commodore 64 Passes Away at Age 83

Mainstream Support for Windows Vista Ends Today Posted: 10 Apr 2012 05:37 PM PDT Over the weekend, Microsoft began a two-year countdown to the extinction of Windows XP (end of Extended Support), encouraging XP holdouts to move to Windows 7. Now it's the turn of Vista holdouts to seriously contemplate upgrading to Windows 7, for today (April 10, 2012) is the last day of the hugely unpopular XP successor's mainstream support phase. Hit the jump for more. But if you are an ardent Vista loyalist, there is no need to be overly alarmed. The end of mainstream support does not mean the end of all support, and you can continue using your favorite operating system just as you've done over the years -- even at the risk of seriously imperiling your social acceptability -- for a few more years. On Wednesday, Vista will enter its five-year extended support period, during which it will continue to receive free security updates. So what's the difference, you might ask? Well, non-security updates will no longer be free, and will require the purchase of an "extended hotfix agreement" within the first 90 days of the extended support period.

Gaming Showdown: Playstation Vita vs iPhone 4S Posted: 10 Apr 2012 12:59 PM PDT For those of us who remember wasting hours with the original, green-screened GameBoy, the thought that the era of portable gaming consoles may be coming to an end is a bit sad. While their TV-tethered cousins will be around for at least another generation or two, super-powerful smartphones like the iPhone 4S are calling into question the need for dedicated portable gaming devices like the new PlayStation Vita. After gaming extensively on both, we've come up with a point-by-point breakdown that we think explains why portable consoles aren't dead yet.   Round 1: Display Now this is a tough call to make. The iPhone 4S and the PlayStation Vita have two of the nicest screens we've ever seen, though they're very different. The iPhone 4S's "Retina Display" is an absolute marvel of pixel density—text and game graphics are crisp and clear. The Vita, on the other hand, has the advantage of way more screen real estate, with a 5-inch screen that dwarfs the iPhone's 3.5-inch display. The Vita's OLED screen is significantly lower-res (two screens have approximately the same pixel count, but the Vita's larger screen is much lower density), but it looks fantastic, with good contrast and bright, vivid colors. Though both screens are top class, we think the Vita's is the better choice for gaming. The iPhone's smaller screen, usually partially obscured by fingers, doesn't give game UIs any room to breathe. Winner: PlayStation Vita   Round 2: Controls Here we find the iPhone's biggest drawback as a gaming platform. The capacitive multitouch screen of the iPhone is responsive, and has been put to great use in games like Infinity Blade and Angry Birds, which distill gameplay down to a series of swipes, but there's no getting around the fact that you can do a whole lot more with buttons. The PlayStation Vita also has capacitive multitouch (by the way) but the real standouts are the dual analogue sticks and full complement of face and shoulder buttons.  Want an example? Try playing Street Fighter 4 on the iPhone 4S and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 on the PlayStation Vita. Both are ports of fighting games, but the former is a crude, oversimplified imitation, while the latter feels like the same exact game on a smaller screen. Winner:  PlayStation Vita   Round 3: Hardware It's difficult to directly compare the internals of the two systems, as neither Apple nor Sony have been very forthcoming about the exact specifications of the chips that run them: the iPhone's dual-core A5 system-on-a-chip and the Vita's quad-core ARM proc. Both systems feature PowerVR SGX GPUs—though, again, the iPhone's is dual-core, while the Vita's is quad. Both the iPhone 4S and PlayStation Vita have 512MB of RAM, and you can get the iPhone 4S with 16, 32 or 64GB of internal storage. The Vita can also be configured with 16, 32, or 64GB of storage, though it requires an additional purchase of a (new, proprietary, expensive) memory card. In terms of overall build quality, the iPhone 4S is clearly superior. The Vita is a lovely device, don't get us wrong, but it's entirely plastic and just doesn't feel as solid as the metal-and-glass iPhone. Winner: iPhone 4S   Round 4: Software Comparing the software available on the two platforms is a matter of breadth versus depth. The iPhone 4S, with its 500,000 (and counting) apps has more games than you could play in a lifetime. And lest this be confused with a quantity-versus-quality argument, a lot of them are quite good. Polished, clever, and addictive, iPhone 4S games can be a great way to kill five minutes or even an hour. But still, they're not deep. You won't find a game like Uncharted: Golden Abyss or Rayman Origins on the iPhone. These Vita titles are full-featured, console-quality experiences available on the go. Unfortunately, the launch lineup has some all-stars (all the games mentioned in this article, for instance) but also a lot of duds. Only time will tell what size of game library we can expect from the Vita in the years ahead. Winner:  PlayStation Vita   Round 5: Other Features So far, we've been comparing the two devices strictly as gaming platforms, but both include a lot of non-gaming features. Both are media consumption devices, for instance, with applications for listening to music and watching video. The Vita does this job just fine, though it can't compete with Apple's iPod heritage and wealth of content streaming and discovery apps. Both also feature front- and rear-facing cameras. The iPhone 4S's rear-facing camera is quite possibly the best smartphone camera currently available. The Vita's… well, the less said about the Vita's cameras the better. Suffice it to say, you won't be using these for anything but augmented reality games. And, of course, there's the fact that the iPhone 4S is also a phone, and has a wealth of useful non-game apps—a counterpoint to the fact that the iPhone is significantly more expensive, taking the price of a phone contract into account. Winner: iPhone 4S   And the Winner Is… If the PlayStation Vita couldn't distinguish itself as a gaming platform that's clearly superior to the iPhone 4S, it would be in big, big trouble. Fortunately for Sony, it's clear that the PlayStation Vita is simply the best way to play real, high-quality games while you're away from home. Games look better on the Vita's giant, colorful screen, and the array of physical controls opens up the whole world of responsive, fast-paced gameplay. You're not going to find the same buffet of almost-free, play-and-forget games that you see on the App Store—but you will get the kind of in-depth gaming experience you used to only be able to get on a console, anywhere you go.

TechRadar US is Open For Business Posted: 10 Apr 2012 12:18 PM PDT Just a quick head's up: TechRadar US (the editors of which sit approximately 12 feet from Maximum PC, and have been very nice about putting up with Gordon's loud and virtually-ceaseless profanity) has launched today! If you're not familiar with TechRadar, it's the biggest tech news site in the UK, and now it's live in the US with nary a "£" or "rubbish" to be found. Check it out--we bet you'll find something you like.

FCC, Cellular Carriers Introduce New Initiative To Nerf Stolen Smartphones Posted: 10 Apr 2012 10:52 AM PDT The stolen cellphone trade is brisk business here in the U.S.; according to the FCC, a third off all robberies involves a burgled handset. Why are black market phones so popular? The answer is simple: they continue to work even after being pilfered -- at least for now. Today, the government is scheduled to announce a new initiative, backed by the four major carriers, which will turn swiped smartphones in nothing more than useless electronic bricks. Eventually, at least. European networks already disable stolen smartphones, and theft rates in those countries are much lower as a result. The New York Times (and many, many others) report that under the new plan, the four major carriers -- Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint -- will begin disabling phones that have been reported as stolen. That's expected to begin inside the next six months; sometime in the next year and a half, the four carriers -- with the help of the FCC -- will establish a central database to prevent stolen cellphones from being activated on any of the major networks, effectively blocking their use completely. The FCC and the cellular carriers are also joining forces with a handful of Congressional types to try and make it a crime to fiddle with a phone's identifying numbers in order to circumvent the banhammer. "Our goal is to make a stolen cellphone as worthless as an empty wallet," New York Senator Charles Shumer told the Times. Education is another goal: carriers also plan on informing less informed smartphone owners how to track and remotely wipe their stolen handsets. Image credit: iphone4jailbreak.org

Epic Games Kills Bulletstorm Sequel, Dirty PC Pirates Partly To Blame Posted: 10 Apr 2012 10:41 AM PDT When an Ubisoft dev blamed piracy for the lack of an "I Am Alive" PC port towards the end of last year, he touched a nerve with a lot of desktop gamers -- at least if the heated comments left on the article are any indication. Now, the Jolly Roger flag-waving torrent crowd has helped Epic Games decide to put the kibosh on a Bulletstorm sequel, and not just for PC gamers. "We made a PC version of Bulletstorm, and it didn't do very well on PC and I think a lot of that was due to piracy," Epic President Mike Capps told Gamespot in an interview yesterday. "It wasn't the best PC port ever, sure, but also piracy was a pretty big problem." Since we're talking games, it's time to bust out a protip: If you don't want people pirating your game, don't treat PC gamers like second hand citizens and toss them a half-assed console port. And while we're tossing out protips, here's one for pirates: illegally downloading PC games makes developers less likely to make more of them. For what it's worth, Capps says that Bulletstorm's sales were "good, but not amazing" and he hopes a sequel pops up someday in the future.

Researcher Creates Cheaper, More Efficient Graphene-Based Cooling Method Posted: 10 Apr 2012 10:23 AM PDT A handful of technological quandaries are keeping our small, yet powerful gadgets from becoming even smaller and powerful; one of those issues -- as any iPad or Asus Transformer Prime owner can tell you -- is heat dissipation. The copper technology found in most modern day doo-dads just ain't cutting it anymore. Fortunately, an NC State researcher has devised a new way to cool down hot electronics 25 percent faster than existing technology -- and at a lower price, to boot. PC gaming lovers will understand the basics of the new cooling tech: it's basically a glorified heatsink. The heat spreader developed by materials science engineer Dr. Jag Kasichainula is made from a copper-graphene composite and attaches to <insert electronic device here> using an indium-graphene film. The combined forces of the heat spreader and film have a thermal conductivity that's 25 percent more efficient than copper alone, and thanks to the relative lack of that oh-so-expensive copper, creating the graphene-saturated tech costs less than traditional copper-based cooling methods. It's fairly slim, too, with just 200 micrometers worth of material needed. Some quick Google Fu shows that to be 0.2 millimeters thick. The full paper was published in a metallurgical materials trade publication, but NC State has a handy-dandy abstract up on their website. Via Engadget

Nvidia 301.24 Beta Drivers Spread The Love To All GeForce Owners Posted: 10 Apr 2012 10:02 AM PDT Don't worry, legacy GeForce owners; the spiffy new GTX 680 graphics cards may be getting all the headlines these days, but you haven't been forgotten. Sure, Nvidia's new 301.24 beta driver is the first to officially welcome the 600 series into the fold, but every card back to 2004's GeForce 6 series get in on the love, too, and the majority of performance improvements target GTX 400 and 500 series GPUs specifically. In the examples listed -- GTX 560/560 Ti/570/580 -- performance increases range from a comparatively paltry 5 percent or so in Total War: Shogun 2 to a whopping 20 percent boost for Skyrim and Just Cause 2 (depending, of course, on your card and configuration). Nvidia's FXAA, Adaptive Vsync, Frame Rate Target, PhysX, HD Audio and Surround technologies were all beefed up in the beta driver, too. It doesn't stop there: a bunch of SLI and 3D Vision game profiles were also added or updated. Here's the list: SLI Alan Wake Call of Juarez: The Cartel Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Deus Ex: Human Revolution - The Missing Link Left 4 Dead Orcs Must Die! Portal 2 Risen 2: Dark Waters The Darkness II 3D Vision All Zombies Must Die! – rated Fair Ghosts 'n Goblins Online – rated Good Oil Rush – rated 3D Vision Ready Postal III – rated Good Rayman Origins – rated Good SevenCore – rated Fair Stacking – rated Good Unigine Heaven Benchmark v3.0 – rated 3D Vision Ready Wargame: European Escalation – rated Good Warp – rated Good Wings of Prey – rated Fair Krater – rated Poor As always, the download page for the 301.24 beta drivers contains even more nitty gritty details as well as the software itself.

Zotac Announces Intel 7-Series Mini ITX Motherboards for Ivy Bridge Posted: 10 Apr 2012 07:14 AM PDT If Intel's Ivy Bridge ultimately crumbles, it won't be for lack of vendor support. While the tech world waits for Intel to launch its 3rd generation Core processor family, motherboard makers and system integrators are busy pushing out upgraded platforms that support the upcoming CPUs, everything from big and bad notebooks to little motherboards like Zotac's new Z77-ITX Wi-Fi and H77-ITX Wi-Fi, a pair of Intel 7-series mini ITX boards intended for anyone who wants to pack big performance into a small footprint. The Z77-ITX Wi-Fi is built around Intel's Z77 Express chipset. It has two DDR3 DIMM slots with support for up to 16GB of RAM. There are two HDMI ports, a mini DisplayPort, two SATA 6Gbps ports and two SATA 3Gbps ports with RAID 0, 1, 0+1, and 5 support, four SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports (two on the back panel and two via a pin header), eight USB 2.0 ports (four on the back panel and four via a pin header), dual GbE LAN ports, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, 8-channel audio, and overclocking options. Zotac's H77-ITX Wi-Fi is similarly spec'd, but built around the H77 Express chipset and includes a DVI-I port (along with a single DisplayPort and HDMI port), an extra SATA 3Gbps port, and just one GbE LAN port. Both boards also boast a single PCI-E x16 3.0 slot and mSATA slot. No word on when these small form factor motherboards will ship or for how much. Image Credit: Zotac

Kingston Launches Reasonably Priced HyperX 3K Solid State Drives Posted: 10 Apr 2012 06:54 AM PDT In a perfect world, solid state drives would cost less than mechanical hard drives. Not just the small capacity, low performance SSDs either, but the beefier drives with fast read and write transfer speeds and big IOPS. We don't live in a perfect world, of course, so we have to settle for reasonably priced high performing SSDs, like Kingston's new SandForce-driven HyperX 3K line. The HyperX 3K series is powered by the second generation SandForce SF-2281 processor and sport a SATA 6Gbps interface. Sequential read and write performance top out at 555MB/s and 510MB/s, respectively, on the 90GB, 120GB, and 240GB models. The 480GB model boasts 540MB/s reads and 450MB/s writes. "The new Kingston HyperX 3K SSD is specifically designed to meet the needs of budget-minded gamers, PC enthusiasts and A/V professionals looking for powerful upgrades." said Ariel Perez, SSD business manager, Kingston. "We are thrilled to offer an SSD that combines HyperX performance and Kingston quality at a lower price." Prices are as follows: 90GB Standalone: $140 120GB Standalone: $170 240GB Standalone: $320 480GB Standalone: $700 90GB Upgrade Bundle: $150 120GB Upgrade Bundle: $180 240GB Upgrade Bundle: $330 480GB Upgrade Bundle: $710 The additional $10 for the upgrade bundle gets you a 2.5-inch USB enclosure, 3.5-inch bracket and mounting screws, SATA cable, hard drive cloning software, and multi-bit screwdriver. Image Credit: Kingston via Amazon

Father of Commodore 64 Passes Away at Age 83 Posted: 10 Apr 2012 06:34 AM PDT It was big news when Apple co-founder Steve Jobs passed away, but how many people have heard of Jack Tramiel? Outside of tech circles, the answer is probably 'not many' and that's because Tramiel preferred to avoid the spotlight. At one time a taxi driver and an Auschwitz concentration camp survivor, Tramiel founded the company that built the Commodore 64, only best selling PC of all time and an iconic piece of computing history. Sadly, Tramiel died on Sunday, April 8 at age 83. His wife Helen and three sons, Gary, Sam, and Leonard, were with him when he took his last breath, Forbes reports. Whether or not a huge crowd gathers for his funeral remains to be seen, but he probably would have preferred a small, simple gathering. "I'm quite happy if people do not know me," Tramiel told CNet in an interview in 2007, the 25th anniversary of the Commodore 64. Most people don't know him, or didn't until now, which is pretty remarkable considering his impact on computing and the PC as a gaming platform. In a way, you could credit Tramiel with pioneering the idea of affordable computing for the masses. Around $600 bought a Commodore 64, which wasn't cheap in the late 1980s, but certainly attainable. "That was one of the reasons why I made sure that we reduced the price -- to make a fair profit, not to stop all the imports that came into the country... So I feel very responsible for that particular idea that I had, to give people a computer for the money, to make a computer for the masses, not the classes," Tramiel added. After being rescued by the 84th U.S. Infantry Division in 1945, Tramiel emigrated to the United States two years later. In 1953, he started up a typewriter repair business. From there, he starting building typewriters, then hopped over to calculators and, finally, computers. The rest, of course, is history. RIP Jack Tramiel.

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MMO News

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• Spirit Tales announces Live Stream event
• Lagoonia
• Pax East Preview Loadout
• Darkblood Online
• Pax East preview of upcoming champion Varus, the Arrow of Retribution
• Joymax celebrates its 15th birthday

Spirit Tales announces Live Stream event Posted: 09 Apr 2012 04:32 PM PDT KoramGame will be hosting a live stream event for Spirit Tales on April 13, 2pm Pacific (5pm Eastern). During the live stream, Colbeagle (Spirit Tales Community Manager) will offer an in-depth look at character and pet customization, PvP options, and a preview of the new features and content planned for open beta. The live stream will be available on TwitchTV (http://twitch.tv/spirittales). KoramGame will also be giving away a Tt eSPORTS Challenger gaming keyboard, in game pets, and more, which you can find out about here. Spirit Tales is preparing to launch open beta on April 25. Source: Watch the Spirit Tales Live Stream on April 13 and Win Exclusive Prizes   Sunnyvale, Calif. — (April 9, 2012) – KoramGame Ltd., a leading developer and publisher of free-to-play online games, will host a live stream event for Spirit Tales, an upcoming cute 3D fantasy MMORPG, on April 13 at 2:00PM PDT. Viewers that tune in will get a sneak peek at the world of Spirit Tales days before its open beta release as well as a chance to participate in special giveaways made available only during the course of the live stream.   WHAT Spirit Tales Community Manager and live stream host, Colbeagle, will provide viewers with an in-depth look at the game’s character and pet customization system, player-versus-player (PvP) options, and an exclusive preview of the new features and content planned for open beta.   WHERE Visit Spirit Tales on TwitchTV: http://twitch.tv/spirittales.   WHEN Live stream starts on April 13 at 2:00PM PDT (-7 GMT).   In the mean time, Spirit Tales fans can enter to win a Tt eSPORTS Challenger gaming keyboard and other prizes by simply registering for a free Spirit Tales account and leaving a comment here: http://forum.koramgame.com/thread-56526-1-1.html.   Players who register will also be automatically entered for a chance to win over $2,000 in exclusive prizes, including a new Apple iPad and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560. For more information, visit the official Spirit Tales website: http://st.koramgame.com.

Lagoonia Posted: 09 Apr 2012 03:33 PM PDT Lagoonia places players on a tropical island with one goal in mind: create a paradise. The game features sandbox style gameplay, where you and up to 15 others attempt to make the island liveable, then build it up to a comfortable spot to live. The game’s focus is all about social interaction and how players and their characters get along and thrive. Publisher: InnoGames Playerbase: ?? Graphics: Low Type: MMO EXP Rate: ?? PvP: No Filesize: N/A Pros: +Social interaction. +Plan and build with multiple people. Cons: -Not enough information available. Overview Lagoonia Overview In Lagoonia, you and up to 15 other people are tasked to build a settlement on a South Pacific island. You must work together from the ground up to provide food, water, and shelter, then start developing additional needs, such as bathrooms, waterslides, and other amusements. The game is highly focused on the social aspect of things, as players must rely on others to help them thrive. Lagoonia Screenshots Lagoonia Featured Video Click here to view the embedded video. Full Review Lagoonia Full Review Coming Soon… Screenshots Lagoonia Screenshots Coming Soon… Videos Lagoonia Videos Lagoonia Trailer Click here to view the embedded video. Links Lagoonia Links Official Game Page System Requirements Lagoonia System Requirements Coming soon. . .

Pax East Preview Loadout Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:35 PM PDT By, Michael Dunaway “Two minutes!” I hear the developer yell out. I scramble to complete my ultimate weapon creation, a six-round rocket launcher with turbo charged ammo that bounces off surfaces and explodes in incendiary goodness. I load into a test environment and squeeze off a few rounds against some stationary targets. My rockets connect and engulf the target in a wonderfully fiery explosion. Yes, this will be my tool of destruction. The weapon Ive just created is unique and one of countless weapon combinations available to players in Loadout a new F2P FPS published by Edge of Reality. Let me get this out of the way, the shear amount of weapon customization that Loadout presents to players is unbelievable. Whats more, those customizations aren’t just simple reductions in recoil or changes to firing rates. Instead the weapon changes available can completely alter how the weapon behaves in the most extreme sense. Players can choose to have their weapon fire sticky rockets, which stick to surfaces and can be customized to either explode based on proximity, delay, or manual detonation. Additionally players can opt for electrically charged rockets, which when detonated electrocute enemies within an aoe. If rockets aren’t your thing you can create a Tesla sniper rifle that fires a continuous beam of electricity from a great distance.  How about a shotgun that shoots flaming ammo that catches enemies on fire and bounces off of hard surfaces? These are just a few examples of weapons I saw when previewing Loadout at this year’s Pax East. As the match starts I load into the map with my trusty automatic pyro rocket launcher. The game mode is control point, where players have to capture control points in order to win the match. The control points spawn dynamically around the map and upon capture reward a set amount of points to one side.  The map itself is a square with a large open area in the middle and two narrow walkways on the sides connected together via a bridge in the center. The control points usually spawned in the corners of the map as well as in the center of the bridge. In this game mode I noticed how great it was to have a weapon that did fire damage. The fire lingers on targets and surfaces making it easy to inflict damage to targets long after I fired my rockets. This made it very easy to defend capture points since even if I missed my target the explosion would engulf the entire control point in flames, weakening my opponents and preventing them from passing through the area around the point.   The action comes fast in Loadout. The spawn times were short and there wasn’t a lot of distance to cover before I would encounter enemies once more. The game itself looks great using the cell shaded graphic art style we have come to love from games such as Team Fortress 2. The game offers a lot of visual feedback as well. Players bleed, catch on fire, and lose chunks of their flesh as they take damage. Death animations are also done really well.  Limbs are lost, heads decapitated, bodies burned to a crisp, and more all of which bring a great deal of satisfaction to each kill. As for Loadout’s F2P strategy the developers made sure to let me know that they aren’t going to be selling power. Pointing towards the League of Legends booth a developer remarks, “we want to do something similar to LoL, we aren’t going to make the best weapons and items available only in the shop, we want to only offer things like cosmetic changes and experience boosts”. When I asked whether a higher level player would have an advantage over a lower level player I was told there would be very little to none. Players will have the chance to win random weapon parts at the end of matches, because of this a lower level player may get lucky and receive a part that a higher level player hasn’t seen yet.   Overall I was extremely surprised and impressed with Loadout. Check back here on MMOHut in the future for more Loadout coverage and perhaps even a giveaway…..

Darkblood Online Posted: 09 Apr 2012 12:10 PM PDT Darkblood Online pits player versus player in exciting arena combat. As the descendant of a fallen hero, it is your task to discover the evil seeking to take over the world, and use mysterious powers to overcome it. Engage others in exciting, fast paced action. Utilize skills, combos. and abilities to overcome your opponents. Fight in a bloody arena, where only the strongest will be recognized. Publisher: Outspark Playerbase: ?? Graphics: Medium Type: MMO EXP Rate: ?? PvP: Yes Filesize: ?? Pros: +Fast-paced PvP action. Cons:  -Not enough information available. Overview Darkblood Online Overview Darkblood Online is a PvP fighting game where players compete against one another in arena style combat. The game features mature content, and the battles get bloody and intense. There are several arenas that players may be put into, and each one has different tactics that need to be used in order to survive. Darkblood Online Screenshots Darkblood Online Featured Video Click here to view the embedded video. Full Review Darkblood Online Full Review Coming Soon… Screenshots Darkblood Online Screenshots Coming Soon… Videos Darkblood Online Videos Darkblood Online Teaser Trailer Click here to view the embedded video. Links Darkblood Online Links Official Game Page System Requirements Darkblood Online System Requirements Coming soon. . .

Pax East preview of upcoming champion Varus, the Arrow of Retribution Posted: 09 Apr 2012 11:25 AM PDT By, Michael Dunaway Those who follow us intently know how much we play League of Legends here at MMOHut. So it should come as no surprise that when I got the opportunity to play LoL’s upcoming champion Varus at this year’s Pax East I jumped at the chance. Varus is Leagues newest range attack damage champion and has the longest non ultimate ability cast distance out of any of the current ranged carries. Varus’s Q, Piercing Arrow allows Varus to charge up a long range skill shot that does more damage and travels farther the longer its charged. However during the charge Varus’ movement speed is slowed by 20 percent. Additionally if Varus fails to cast the arrow after 4 seconds of charge time the ability fails but refunds half its mana cost. In practice this ability was extremely tricky to time correctly and I often saw people misjudge its range and miss their targets. However when the ability connected at its max range and damage it was absolutely devastating and brought flashbacks of Xerath style bombardments from a screen away. Varus’s Passive and W bring an interesting dynamic to the laning phase and subsequently team fights. Varus gains a percentage of attack speed every time he kills an enemy creep for 3 seconds. He gains even more if he gets a champion kill or assist for 6 seconds. His W meanwhile, deals bonus magic damage passively and stacks a debuff called Blight up to 3 times (similar to Teemo poison passive). One unique thing though it that Varus can actually proc these Blight stacks by using any other ability on the enemy champion while affected by Varus’s debuff. By proccing Blight, Varus deals an additional 2 percent of the targets maximum hp in magic damage. This means that Varus can use his passive proc to quickly stack Blight on an enemy champion and then use an ability to detonate it in a matter of seconds. Interestingly Varus has no reliable form of escape. He has an aoe slow on his E which works similar to Miss Fortune’s but is on a fairly long cooldown (18 seconds but this is of course subject to change before live release). Outside of his slow, his ultimate is his only other source of crowd control which is a skillshot that entangles a champion and then shortly after all champions surrounding the originally affected one. I suspect this is because Riot intends on Varus players to hang extremely far back and use his Q’s distance to deal large amount of burst damage in combination with Blight. Overall I am interested to see how Varus stacks up against other range carries. I only got a short game of Dominion to test Varus out but even so, I found it quite easy to control the flow of a teamfight from afar.  I am worried that his lack of a reliable escape will put him at a disadvantage but hopefully the damage and range on his Q make up for this. Listed below are his abilities as they appeared in the Pax East build. Stay tuned for more hands on from Pax East and be on the lookout for Varus in an upcoming patch for League of Legends! Living Vengeance (Passive): On champion kill or assist, Varus gains 40% Attack Speed for 6 seconds. On minion kill, Varus gains 20% Attack Speed for 3 seconds. Piercing Arrow (Q): *First Cast: * Varus starts drawing back his next shot, gradually increasing its range and damage. Second Cast: Varus fires, dealing 10 to 15 physical damage, reduced by 15% per enemy hit (minimum 33%). While preparing to shoot Varus' Movement Speed is slowed by 20%. After 4 seconds, Piercing arrow fails but refunds half mana. Blighted Quiver (W): Passive: Vaus' basic attacks deal 10 bonus magic damage and apply Blight for 6 seconds ( stacks 3 times) Varus' other abilities detonate Blight, dealing magic damage equal to 2% of the target's maximum Hail of Arrows (E): * Varus fires a hail of arrows that deals 60 physical damage and desecrates the ground for 4 seconds. Desecrated Ground slows enemy Movement Speed by 20% and reduces healing effects by 50% Chain of Corruption (R): Varus flings out a tendril of corruption that deals 150 magic damage and immobilizes the first enemy champion hit for 2 seconds The corruption then spreads toward nearby uninfected champions, applying the same damage and immobilizes if it reaches them

Joymax celebrates its 15th birthday Posted: 09 Apr 2012 10:25 AM PDT Games publisher and developer Joymax is celebrating its 15th birthday this month. Joymax opened its doors in April 1997, and has published Silkroad Online, Digimon Battle, Karma Online, and Digimon Masters. Last year, Joymax also merged with WeMade, expanding their team and talent. Joymax has also developed several iOS titles, including the Heavy Mach series. To celebrate, from now until April 13, 15 random players will be selected to win back all of the Silk they’ve purchased during the week (up to 1,500 Silk) in the “Large Recharge” event. The “Fortune 1500″ event will award 15 Silk to 1,500 players who have spent at least 15 Silk during this celebration week. Joymax also hints that a new event for Silkroad and Silkroad R is planned, and more news is promised for both the Silkroad and Digimon franchises. Source: HAPPY 15th BIRTHDAY JOYMAX! The Popular Game Developer And Publisher Thanks Its Loyal Fans For 15 Great Years April 09, 2012— Joymax, leading online game developer and publisher, turns 15 this month! In celebration of the amazing milestone, Joymax is kicking off a celebration to thank its loyal gamers and fans! Joymax first opened their digital doors in April 1997 and hasn’t stopped producing high-quality gaming content since. From their breakout hit, Silkroad Online, to their merger with WeMade and their successful line of iOS titles including Heavy Mach, to more recent key launches including Digimon Battle, Karma Online, Digimon Masters and many others, Joymax has been blessed with unprecedented success and a loyalty level from fans few other companies ever enjoy! Players who haven’t yet discovered the full catalog of Joymax titles can check out http://www.joymax.com/ “Our fans mean so much to us. Whether you play one day a week or every night for hours, YOU are our fans and members of the Joymax community and we want to acknowledge each and every one of you,” said Nam-Chul Kim, CEO of Joymax. “It’s amazing to see how many new players are joining us and how quickly they settle happily into their new home as a member of the Joymax community!”   Two special events will run from today until April 13th to reward all players who join games on the Joymax portal. The “Large Recharge” will randomly select 15 players to win back all of the Silk they’ve purchased during the week! This reward will be worth a maximum of 1,500 silk, so now is the perfect time to buy that special item you’ve been thinking about. In addition, the “Fortune 1500″ will award 15 Silk to a selection of 1500 players who have spent 15 silk or more during the celebration week. Moreover, Joymax has never stop thinking about benefits for their valued players, another huge event of Silkroad and Silkroad R is on planned, developed from ideas collected from the community.   Joymax is based in Seoul, South Korea with other offices around the world including the U.S.A., the U.K, the Philippines and employs over 230 staff members who care for a variety of titles including Silkorad Online, Digimon Battle, Digimon Masters, Silkroad-R, KARMA Online, with more titles under development and even more unannounced. The iOS division, developed by WeMade, has numerous successful titles including the Heavy Mach series, Viking Island and Chaos & Defense.. Joymax will have more news on both the Silkroad and Digimon franchises in the near future, and can’t wait to share the exciting news with their millions of registered players.

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