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Part two of a rant that I posted last week. I'm ranting about stereotypes in the MMO Genre that do more harm to games than good. I also take the time to point out games that are smacking these tropes in the face. You should definitely read part one before reading part two.
This rant points out some of the more pervasive annoyances in the MMO genre, and shows how some companies are doing it right. Part 1 of a 2 part series.
EA has been long at work with Bioware's and Lucas Arts on the most costly video game of all time. They have been working on it for years in the time that they have been working on it there has been 4 COD video games. The new game is set to take aim at some of the biggest RPG and MMORPG video games with aggressive marketing to get users away from other games.
Ready to finally take on Deathwing? Well you'll get your chance very soon, as patch 4.3 will be hitting the main stage within the next few weeks. The update promises many exciting new features, including: Void Storage, Transmogrification, Tier 13 sets, new dungeons, and of course, the final battle with Deathwing. Whether you're new to the game or a long time player, there's never been a better time to jump into the World . . . of Warcraft.
World of Warcraft turns 7 on November 23, and to celebrate, Blizzard is playing on launching a unique commercial campaign. This Sunday, be sure to check CBS for the debut of a new addition to the What's Your Game commercial line. Previous editions have seen stars like William Shatner, Mr. T and Ozzy Osbourne advertising the game's many classes. So who do you think Blizzard got to humiliate themselves this time? On a related note, be sure to log onto WoW between November 20 and December 3...
In this episode, the guys talk about Batman: Arkham City, Battlefield 3, Kirby's Return to Dreamland, The War of the Worlds, Saints Row: The Third, Bejeweled 3, Dungeon Defenders, BloodRayne: Betrayal, Dark Souls, Puzzle Quest HD, the World of Warcraft news, the Grand Theft Auto V announcement, and more.
"There's been a lot of news circulating around the ever-prevalent World of Warcraft over the last few weeks. From the shocking announcement of Mists of Pandaria to the consistent releases of new tier gear, fans of the popular MMORPG sure have had a lot to talk about. In order to keep the chatter flowing, Blizzard has announced a new service today; one which will no doubt make Activision and Blizzard even richer. It involves making cross-realm transfers for guilds a lot easier, allowing you to ..."
"Blizzard Entertianment has registered the name “Mists of Pandaria” under registration codes that only appear on Blizzard Entertainment game names. The registration of this name could mean many different things, the most likely being a new expansion the super-popular World of Warcraft. Check out all the glorious speculation below."
"Several things have been forming dark clouds in front of the windshield of World of Warcraft. It's not just new games either, Blizzard hasn't been trying to be careful lately. But WoW needs to be, because they are slowly getting in trouble."
A nation known as a peaceful bastion of liberalism exploded in a convulsion of sheer hatred. After a terror attack with a bomb and shooting video games are taking heat after the person that did it said he played games like world at war and used games like modern warfare 2 as a training tool. Now some of the largest retailer are removing these games from there store shelf's due to a large backlash.
"Brazilian gamers have a lot to celebrate about this week. Not only did they gain access to the Playstation Store but now Blizzard is launching World of Warcraft in Brazil. The game has been fully translated into Portuguese and the subscription prices have been converted. Blizzard stated that the game would be available in Brazil later this year."
According to a Canadian astronaut, the internet in space is compared to a poor dial up signal. No online games in space! That burst some bubbles. Check out the full info on the link.
"WoW! (Sorry, had to be done). It's just been announced that widely popular MMO World of Warcraft is getting the free-to-play treatment, with developers Blizzard offering a special extended trial to users where you can use any number of characters up until a certain point which will then force you to pay if you want to continue on with that character."
"World of Warcraft is one of the fattest cash cows ever to stumble into existence. However, 2004 is a thing of the past and the games it produced are beginning to show their age. Blizzard is not unaware of the fact that WoW may soon become a thing of the past as they already have they eyes set on the future. Its developers are hard at work creating a next-gen MMO that will more than likely take over the world."
GameZone's Lance Liebl gives the top five big games that need a kick in the ass. These are games that are popular and profitable but that needs to do something different in order to remain on top. The list includes Call of Duty Black Ops, Madden, World of Warcraft, Halo Reach, and Grand Theft Auto IV.
Blizzard has release a new trailer for their upcoming patch 4.2. Check out the trailer below for Rage of the Firelands. The patch will be released on June 28th, according to speculation.
Gus Mastrapa of Joystick Division explores how video games permit great evils, connecting Lars Von Trier, Tyler the Creator, Hassan i-Sabbah and video game Nazis along the way.
For many years people have been asking a very serious question. This question first began to plague humanity in the year 2004, and it has only spread to consume more of the populous since then. A question posed by scientists, philosophers, theologians, and the common man alike, but none could come up with a definitive answer. Well, fear not good people. An answer has been found to that fateful question, that question that has been the proverbial thorn in the world’s collective side, that ques...
Astrum Nival's Allods Online goes head-to-head with Blizzard's billion dollar money maker, World of Warcraft. Find out how each game fares when it comes to features, PvP and endgame content in this three round versus matchup.
Daav from NoobFeed.com goes over all the winners in the Art of Video Games exhibition from the Smithsonian. After about a quarter decade of playing games and a bunch of platforms, NoobFeed goes over what choices are sound and what improvements or better decisions could've made the final cut. Get your nostalgia on!
Amazon.com is having a full day of video game deals today in their Gold Box including discounts on StarCraft II, World of Warcraft, Bulletstorm, and Dragon Age.
"The player base for many MMOs (Massively Multiplayer Online) comes in a variety of shapes, sizes, and emotional decay. Whether it be the socially awkward twenty-four year old with dominance issues, or the thirty-two year old ‘girl gamer’ who feels that her chest bumps are deserving of the latest and greatest equipment within the game; If you’ve played any MMO at all you are bound to run into one or the other – hopefully not both, but sadly not exactly all that uncommon of an occurrence."
"Alexander “Ocktra” Rhodes from MMOGlider, the service which provides many World of Warcraft players with an automation bot has spoken out about their company being sued by Blizzard Entertainment."
The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games by Michael Tresca is a book about the history of the RPG genre. Many gamers and even developers today don't know the background behind the role-playing genre. This book, which reads like a historical account from a long-time player that has experienced the evolution first hand, seeks to remedy that.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm makes its debut today and Warcraft addicts are going crazy over setting up their new characters in the newest lands of Azeroth. However, other Warcraft fans over the years have gotten even crazier during unfortunate circumstances involving the immensely popular MMO. Here's the five most-interested World of Warcraft freakouts.
"Although I no longer play, once upon a time I dedicated a large portion of my time to the world of Azeroth. My playtime was well over 100days, and that was just on my main character. From the minute I got home from school to when I went to bed, I would be glued to my keyboard – pausing only for dinner. Despite all this, I would not describe it as an addiction. An addiction leads to negative withdrawal symptoms when your chosen stimulus is not available. This was not the case with WoW. If I wa..."
Chinese cosplayer Mei Wai, best known for her rendition of Tifa Lockhart, proves that she is indeed a professional in the field. Instead of yet another stellar-looking female lead, we have her playing a undead priestess here. Can you recognize her under the costume?
"Ah, the power of friendship. Getting your best bud together for a friendly co-op campaign or raid can bring forth not only a new gaming experience, but memories that will last forever (cue gag reflex). However, as these gamers prove, sometimes all it takes is a difficult level or partner to turn two friends into mortal enemies."
World of Warcraft's 4.0.1 patch has dropped. It's a big patch that will change many things. Ripten has a list of all the class mechanics changes detailed.
Blizzard have announced their subscriber figures to have reached the all time high of 12 million.
This is the first announcement in regard to the subscriber base in roughly 2 years! Reasons for the delay are assumed to be associated with a troubled history with the release of the second add-on; Wrath of the Lich King into China.
"Blizzard Entertainment Inc. today announced that the insanely popular World of Warcraft has reached 12,000,000 subscribers. Released in late 2004, the MMO has gone on to monopolise the genre, introducing several star-studded advertisement campaigns, and even spawning two best-selling expansions; Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King. The newest statistic will have been aided by WOW's release in mainland China, and is expect to witness another boost with the release of a third expansion p..."
"For now, the dust has settled. Millions of Chinese players are currently wandering across Northrend, gaining levels and seeing all there is to see. The woes that have plagued them over the course of the past two years seem distant, even as China's Internet addiction treatment industry continues to thrive, and their government remains as steadfast as ever in their efforts to silence dissent and unfavorable controversy. Those things belong in a different place, one far removed from Blizzard's f..."
"This week we somehow manage to talk about games other than Planet Michael such as Civilization 5, the Dead Space 2 multiplayer beta, Halo Reach, Minecraft, the Gothic 4 demo, and the upcoming World of Warcraft patch.
We also continue our newly changed news format with the whole gang bringing up articles. We stay strong with a user e-mail regarding the hard hitting questions of deep fried Moro Bars. And then Andy forms a BonusEXP Book Club with the help of Oprah, JOIN TODAY!"
This is an article about World of Warcraft that intends to show the addictive qualities of Blizzard's MMO are the fault of the users and not the actual design of the software. This controversial view is presented by DualShockers, please enjoy and feel free to reply with your own opinions.
"The latest video game inspired art series will focus on how a MMO might appear if it were set inside of the Mushroom Kingdom. In this case, we're just going to use World of Warcraft as a base for class types (afterall - if you understand what an MMO is then you're, most likely familiar with WoW)."
"The latest video game inspired art series will focus on how a MMO might appear if it were set inside of the Mushroom Kingdom. In this case, we're just going to use World of Warcraft as a base for class types (afterall - if you understand what an MMO is then you're, most likely familiar with WoW).
To kick things off, the series will begin with Mario as a Druid. Taking gamer's back to Super Mario Bros. 3, the famous plumber is placed inside the Tanooki suit in order to become some type of ..."
"3D technology may have been around for generations but the sector has experienced rapid growth over the last year or so. Since James Cameron's Avatar gave cinemagoers a taste of its potential, professionals throughout the entertainment industry have been dreaming up new ways of utilising the hardware. With the launch of 3D televisions and broadcasting services, advocates of the technology are making a bid to ensnare a wider audience. And given that a large percentage of current generation vi..."
"Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has recently made the statement that, “The Call of Duty franchise is a force of nature. I think it is the closest thing this generation has to a Star Wars. I think it’s unique and bigger than any musical act or any movie franchise in that capacity.” While we appreciate Mr. Kotick’s enthusiasm for his product, we don’t believe there’s been a game that has come close to the cultural impact that Star Wars had when it was released in 1977. However, we humbly submit fiv..."
Blizzard's recent decision to include real names on their forums caused a gigantic uproar all over the internet. Apparently, Blizzard listened to the complaints and has just announced a backtrack on the decision
Blizzard's upcoming policy of using forum posters' real names in their posts is controversial at best, and people are in an uproar about it. Are they doing the right thing, though? Community management is an elegant art, and one that it seems Blizzard is not interested in managing. An Icrontic op/ed.
"Blizzard's World of Warcraft took the MMORPG game world by storm when it was released in 2004 and reached close to 12 million subscribers by 2009. So would it be possible that another MMORPG could topple World of Warcraft? It is according to Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter. But only if it comes from Blizzard."
The World of Warcraft Remote Auction House feature lets you do everything that you can in game when it comes to AH trading right from the web or your phone. However, purchasing or selling requires a subscription.
GameZone has broke news that a 30-year-old high school assistant principal has transmitted nude photos to a 14-year-old boy via World of Warcraft and may end up facing more charges as the police investigate further.
"Blizzard is offering up official shots of the female worgen today. The model can be seen in cloth, leather, chain, and plate armor and although it's a work in progress, it's still great to see it officially. There's no skins or hair choices available publicly, but you'll get a good idea of how the model moves from the models."
"Soon you'll be able to access the World of Warcraft auction house from any web browser or with the aid of an iPhone or iPod Touch thanks to the new WoW Remote Auction House feature. Players can get notifications on when their auctions sell or expire and even when they are outbid on auctions. The service even allows you to look at your bags, bank, and mailbox."
"BlizzCon 2010 will be held on October 22nd and 23rd in Anaheim, California. Gamers and Blizzard fans will be able to attend panels, play demos, participate in tournaments, and much more in the Anaheim Convention Center."
If you're interested in the Cataclysm beta, you must associate your computer info with your account by running a small application, and make sure you specifically opt-in to the upcoming expansion.
"The sunny beaches of the Isle of Kezan are calling. It's time for a vacation, World of WarCraft fans, and now is your chance to buy your ticket out of Northrend. Blizzard is now looking for candidates for the beta to its upcoming WoW expansion, Cataclysm."
"Joystick: We did a few special things on twitter
FoxyKazoo: yeah, i saw the retweet for Xbox points, i did not win
Joystick: yeah, and WrathChild attempted to win, she tried to finagle her way in, we had to tell her she couldn't do that. So I do wish to formally apologize for last week. It was a little rude of me, and in case some of you are wondering what it is that I did, the one thing that I am apologizing for, not everything am I apologizing for, but the one thing. I apologize for makin..."
"A thrifty gamer is a happy gamer so we've scoured the Sunday ads to find the best video game deals for this week from local stores for the Playstation 3, PSP, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, and PC for the week of May 9, 2010."
"Imagine if the 600 pound gorilla of MMORPGs could be carried around and played on a device like Apple's iPad. That's what Gaikai designer Dave Perry envisions with his Gaikai cloud-based game streaming service and he's shared a picture on his blog for everyone to see."
Players in World of Warcraft who are able to recruit a friend and complete a set of prerequisites with that recruit will receive an exclusive X-53 Touring Rockey flying mount.
Class changes to the upcoming Cataclysm expansion abound all over the web, but Icrontic has wrapped up the entire mess into a single neat article to make it easy for you to find out what's going to happen to your precious level 80.
Blizzard recently detailed their 2010 plans for World of Warcraft, beyond just "we're releasing an expansion". New dungeons, infrastructure updates, zone changes, and more are all laid out in this roadmap.
"Becoming exalted with the Wyrmrest Accord is relatively easy out of all the Northrend factions. There is an achievement for exalted and a player will be able to purchase item enchants and an exclusive flying mount."
That Gaming Site looks into "Dual Talent Specialization", a popular mechanic in the MMORPG "World of Warcraft". The ability allows players to use two special abilities instead of one.
"These days there aren’t many game experiences that you can’t get on either a console or a PC. The only thing that hasn’t managed to cross system lines up until now is the MMO genre. It’s been attempted once or twice, most notably with Final Fantasy 11, but it has never caught-fire and become hugely successful – as it is on the PC side of things. There is millions of dollars in the MMO genre and developers everywhere are scrambling to figure out a way to create the first big-time MMO for the X..."
A new battleground queuing system, the requisite class changes, and more in preparation for the coming Cataclysm, today Blizzard released major patch 3.3.3 for the venerable MMO World of Warcraft.
"Video games have been getting a bad rap by a lot of people recently, and it seems that a good deal of women (who make good points) are becoming increasingly upset at their boyfriends for spending more time playing video games than they are spending on their relationship.
Now, I don’t want to argue that women are wrong about the situation or that men are at fault for playing too much; but men do have some very good and specific reasons for involving themselves with video games. For most men..."
"Jace Hall, executive producer of ABC-TV's hit drama V: The Series and creator and star of IGN's hit web series The Jace Hall Show, tells all the critics and haters of videogames and game players “to kiss my ass” with the release on his latest song, I Play W.O.W.. I Play W.O.W. from Hall's forthcoming EP titled Video Games Ain’t Bad For You, set to be available from iTunes, speaks to the millions of people who love playing videogames."
"The General Adminstration of Press and Publication in China will allow *snip* to launch World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, an expansion pack which launched in 2007 in the U.S.
The approval is a victory for Blizzard Entertainment, a division of Activision Blizzard, which has been trying to comply with Chinese regulators — who censor content in online games — so that it can continue to operate in what has become the biggest market for World of Warcraft. Blizzard said this week it has 11..."
"The girl gamer is a rare breed of lady. Like a ninja or a flying unicorn, she remains perpetually shrouded in myth and/or shadow. Statistics would have us believe that over 40 percent of gamers are female — but come on. When was the last time you got trash-talked on Modern Warfare 2 by the dulcet tones of a woman? The fact is: you have a better chance of meeting a girl with an interest in Gauguin than gaming (girls are a lot smarter than us, y’see).
But that’s not to say that female gamers..."
""According to a recent report on Kotaku.com, Blizzard’s highly touted, and subscription-crazed massively multiplayer online title, World of Warcraft, has stabilized in the past year in terms of growth. The number of players playing it in December 2008 has not changed. Same numbers.
Of course, there are those predicting its downfall. Every new MMO that comes down the pike inevitably – though in hushed tones – gets the question about whether it will be the game that kills WoW.
Let’s get ..."
"Frank Lantz is a disarming figure. He has a serious face with the sharp severity of a Classical bust. This impression is almost immediately undercut by a welcoming enthusiasm and playful grin. The contrast between stoicism and ebullience is entirely fitting for a man of his experience and ambition. Lantz is creative director and co-founder of Area/Code, a 'cross-media' entertainment company behind Pac-Manhattan, Big Urban Game and the recently launched Code Of Everand.
It’s good that there..."
Blizzard today announced that their popular match-making service, Battle.net, will be receiving a major face lift sometime in the future, likely corresponding with the Starcraft II release.
Recently, several members of the World of Warcraft development team took time to elaborate on itemization changes coming to the MMO's next expansion, Cataclysm.
"Massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs) boast one of the largest player bases of any gaming genre. With 11 million players subscribing to World of Warcraft alone, MMOs are not only a hugely popular form of entertainment, they're also becoming an increasingly popular lab for social scientists."
GameDaily gives its own take at which RPG style is superior in the categories of the classic RPG, the MMORPG, the tactical RPG, the action RPG, most emotionally engaging (contains FFVII and Mass Effect spoilers), and the overall winner.
Though you might not agree with everything stated, it is an interesting read on a topic that continues to spur the interest of RPG fans.
"Choosing the best games of a decade is a tricky thing. It's tempting to simply pick your favorite games, but that's not considering the question deeply enough. The following titles were picked for the Top Ten Games of the Decade based on quality, innovation, and cultural influence. All ten of these games are titles that gamers will still be talking about in another ten years. With that, enjoy the list!"
Blizzard has recently released the details on their new Facebook app for World of Warcraft: Now everyone that enjoys the MMO can share their online achievements without linking them in trade chat. Let all your friends know when your guild downed that boss, or when you get that sweet purp you've had your eyes on.
Today in an official forum post, Blizzard hinted at an out-of-game Auction House service coming soon, available via the Armory website as well as an iPhone App. Follow the link for more details.
Blizzard has offered more insight as to how the company will be revamping talent trees to coincide with the launch of Cataclysm, World of Warcraft's third expansion.
"You wake up, move to your computer, and launch Steam. This has become your routine. This is "normal" to you. Are you addicted to video games or are you simply part of a growing, culturally accepted phenomenon?
Video games are fun, and it's illogical to assume that everyone will be responsible with their gaming habits. Some of us enjoy a few hours of casual play per week while others insist on spending the night in front of a screen. At the end of the day, most of us depend on games for a s..."
Remember Adrianne Curry? She was the model who revealed that she plays World of Warcraft naked.
In a recent interview with wow.incgamers.com about her bumpy ascension to modelling and her gaming life, Curry expressed interest in voice acting for games and playing a part in the World of Warcraft film.
It looks like she might have to compete with Michele Morrow.
In a recent interview with wow.incgamers.com, horror/drama actress Michele Morrow recently revealed her interest in playing the role of Lady Sylvanas Windrunner in the upcoming World of Warcraft film by director Sam Raimi.
Morrow explains how she fell in love with the MMO game and, in particular, with this character. She also discusses her love for video games and what she is currently playing. It's always nice to hear about celebrities who are true gamers.
Arguing about which class is more overpowered than another in World of Warcraft is common internet troll banter. Perhaps if people stopped bitching long enough to absorb what the developers see in the bigger picture, they might calm down a bit.
"One of the strangest challenges porn faces is competition from online games like World of Warcraft, though the connection may at first seem random. “It is all entertainment that you are getting involved in the same way as porn is entertainment,” said Aiden. “I won’t say everyone, but a lot of people in the industry play videogames. The games are competition for porn. Fans jerk off to porn and are done, but you can keep playing a game.”"
Tim Turi of gameinformer.com, discusses some interesting quotes from an interview. It makes light of the situation that Kotick could've been the one to reap the benefits, rather than the Activision+Vivendi relationship that now exists.
Blizzard released a new version of their popular WoW Armory today, with features including full 3D character rendering and animation, streaming character feeds for RSS readers, and a calendar feed.
A recent change that Blizzard made to the protection warrior class' "Warbringer" talent is causing a stir on the Blizzard forums and around fan sites.
"NVIDIA and Guinness World Records were offering VISA Gift Cards, high-end computer peripherals and memory, entrance to the expo, a custom shirt, free food and beverage service throughout the attempt and an official medal and custom-made plaque to hold the record certificate to top it all off. I'd also receive exclusive Guinness World recorder branded Nike Presto shoes. Even better: My company would be paying me for my gaming experience, because it was a great way to promote and recruit for th..."
Katers17’s video serves as her desperate plee to Blizzard, director Sam Raimi, and a call to arms for her numerous fanboys and fangirls to get her in the WoW film. Katers17 represents the classic, cute girl gamer thrust into internet stardom because...well because she's a cute girl who plays video games. Check it out and see if she’s worthy to play a Tauren lass.
"Despite the fact that the vast majority of games these days are developed for a cross-platform release, available on a combination of consoles, handheld consoles and for the PC, there is and always has been a fundamental difference between the nature of PC games and console games (or perhaps gamers?). In this feature article I’ll consider five reasons to stick to consoles and five reasons to move over to a PC for the majority of your gaming (unbiased – I personally use both)."
Game trailers are some of the most important and telling marketing pieces used by companies to tease their latest projects. Check out this inside look at how these important videos are created and how important they are for the growing interactive entertainment industry.
""Having the pleasant addition of incredibly background music to set the mood, each area felt distinctively different. The world that Blizzard created invited gamers in and had them losing track of time instantly. World of Warcraft was an addicting game that required several weeks of rehabilitation to even remove the mere thought of playing it again.""
A special treat for The Bender this week. We spend time with the gamer who loves to sue (currently Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, and Activision-Blizzard), Erik Estavillo. Special guest Raychul Moore (girl gamer, Dan Hsu's better half) joins us with this interview discussing his cases and the guy himself. Listen in at the end of the show for some random thoughts about the interview with Mike and James along with some news blips. Get us on iTunes, through Zune, or download the mp3 here
Top model Adrianne Curry posted a picture of herself playing World of Warcraft naked. Adrianne Curry plays on the Alliance side as a Night Elf Warrior named ‘Darthadri’ on the Nazgrel server.
"Following the successful UK release of the World of Warcraft Action Figure Collection Series 5 last month, originally revealed by Electronic Theatre back in October, it has been confirmed today that Series 6 will also be making it’s way to UK shores. Set to be available in March 2010, this new line-up of figures is likely to be highly-anticipated by collectors and World of Warcraft fans alike."
"Just because you're in a guild doesn't mean everything ends when you gather up new members and go on loot runs. Unfortunately there is also that awful little thing known as guild drama that comes along with running a guild. Need ways to resolve it? Well, you've come to the right place."
Blizzard Entertainment, long opposed to the exchange of real currency for in-game items, has added World of Warcraft mini-pets to their online store for $10 a piece.
"Speaking at BAFTA’s Annual Video Games Lecture last night, Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux revealed what he believes to be the 5 most revolutionary games from the past 20 years.
In a typically passionate and engaging presentation, Molyneux spoke of the need for designers to defy perceived wisdom and custom, saying, “The best innovations come from challenging the foundation stones of conventional wisdom.” The 5 games selected by Molyneux were specifically chosen for their success in doing just..."
"Australians have long become used to their draconian classification system for video games, with the lack of an R18+ rating designating some mature titles to the banned bin. But one type of game has curiously evaded the attention of Australia’s Classification Board so far--massively multiplayer online games.
MMOs such as World of Warcraft, Age of Conan, and others currently sit on Australian shelves without an official rating, seemingly in contrast with Australian law which clearly states a..."
"It has been revealed this week that a number of new action figures modelled after characters featured in Activision-Blizzard’s hugely successful World of Warcraft have been confirmed for a UK release. Following the first four series currently available will be the fifth this November, followed by a Premium Figure in January 2010."
"Enter Sam Raimi, the next great hope for movie-loving gamers. It was revealed in July that the "Spider-Man" will next (or at least soon) be turning to the massively multiplayer world of Azeroth for an adaptation of Blizzard's obscenely popular online role-playing game, "World of Warcraft." Until now, the movie's been going by the title "Warcraft" and no story details have been released. Well things have changed, and I think you fans are going to like it.
The eagle eyed fans at IncGamers spot..."
"Doctoral candidate and researcher Huon Longman, who is studying the psychological impact of the game on its players, has found relationships formed as members of teams - known as guilds in the WoW universe - help players cope better with problems in the real world."
"From the Interview:
"GS) Is there any truth to the rumor that the five level increase was a commercial decision before the game ends at 100 (again, also a rumor)?
GregS) No, no we never talked about it ending at 100 levels - I don't really no where it will end...I think our official design is that we are going to keep going as long as it makes sense. I don't know if the next expansion will have five levels or maybe we will decide we don't like that and go back to ten levels again. We just..."
During the opening ceremony of this years Blizzcon, Blizzard announced World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, the third expansion for their massive MMO which will see the old world expanded and remade.
World of Warcraft player known as 'Athene' has gathered 200 Gnomes to raid Ironforge and Stormwind in a RP server. Their goal is to hump everything in sight and establish their group now known as the 'Midget Humpers from Hell'.
"The largest event of its kind, BlizzCon is a celebration of Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft, Diablo, and StarCraft game universes and the global player communities surrounding them. At the closing ceremony on August 22, Ozzy will unleash a thunderous spectacle of rock to put the Lich King in his place and cement his own title as the one true Prince of Darkness."
PC gamers are familiar with these kinds of "surveys," and there's often a choice to opt out. However, there's some buzz over Blizzard's upcoming plans to data mine World of Warcraft subscribers, for the usual "non-personal system specifications."
It's only a week long, but not everyone in the community is happy about it -- main complaint is the lack of an opt-out option. Harmless, most likely, but wouldn't you prefer having a choice, at least?
"PopCap Games have announced the immediate availability of ten all-new World of Warcraft-themed Peggle levels. Available for free at www.popcap.com/promos/pegglewow. This all-new World of Warcraft-themed Peggle mash-up is a stand-alone version of Peggle, available for free and combining the sights, sounds and storyline of World of Warcraft with the rainbows and unicorns of your favourite peg-popping pastime."
It seems the days of players paying their way to success in MMO's could soon be coming to an end. China has announced that it is banning the sale of virtual goods for money (unless by the issuer of the title). What are the ramifications of this? Well, the days of people paying real life cash in order to get an unfair boost may be coming to an end. Also, it would undoubtedly see the number of people getting scammed or hacked by gold farmers diminish. Overall, a win-win in my opinion.
You know those little warnings that show up on games that you can play online that say the company or ESRB are not responsible for online interactions? Well those are called unclassified/unrated games, and soon, the Australian government could be banning them.
"In the aftermath of the Iranian election, the Iran governement has attempted to filter the content of electronic communication. Some web sites being blocked completely and Internet overall being slowed.
Initial exposure of the recent events have been taking place on services such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. However some could find alternative means of communicating to those outside the country.
Craig Labovitz of Arbor Networks Inc has written a detailed report on what specific..."
I have played WoW since release and while a good many things have changed in the game, one thing has not - Gilneas (or the lack of). Myself, along with many others have always wondered what lies behind that gate in Silverpine forest; well it seems like it could be potentially the next area that's going to be opened up. If you bear in mind Blizzcon is not far away then Gilneas definitely has potential to be unveiled as new content.
"I had never laid my hands on a single bit of MMO action until late 2007. Don’t get me wrong, I had always wanted to play one since the days of Everquest; but to be fair I was a bit young to be shelling out subscription fees and upgrading my computer. However, after hearing about World of Warcraft’s global success of 11 million players and counting, I had just finished with Warcraft III for the PC and I was intrigued. I had actually purchased the client disc for World of Warcraft a few months ..."
"On the heels of February’s launch of the annual Guinness World Records 2009 Gamer’s Edition, representatives were on hand at the E3 Expo this week to honour gaming publishers with brand new records.
Guinness World Record recipients included Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of the Mario franchise and more recently Wii Sports, who received the record for the Best Selling Video Game with sales of 45.7 million to date."
Two days ago, the BlizzCon 2009 sold out in record time and the only way to get tickets now is off of eBay, but you better be willing to lay down the cash. Some of the tickets for the convention are over $1000!
"31 studios from across Europe feature in the list - 26 of them in the UK. These include the likes of Rockstar North (third on the list and responsible for the Grand Theft Auto franchise), LEGO Star Wars developer Traveller's Tales (11th) and Media Molecule (18th), the developer of LittleBigPlanet - and the highest placed independent UK studio on the list."
Remember the fuss we caused with that Bayonneta: God of War killer article? That was fun, wasn't it?
Guerilla Games' (Killzone 2) Managing Director Herman Hulst is on our side with this whole thing, introducing some democracy into the mix.
Basically, for those that still bother with this 'franchise X killer' nonsense, grow up, cause the people that make these games sure aren't doing it!
Time to have some entertainment. I'am sure while you played some video games you had also some funny scenes, did you ever made a screenshot? No? Here are seven screens from gamers who did! ;-)
The PC Gaming Alliance (PCGA) has released their report for the PC gaming market in 2008. A big portion of the money from PC games comes from the MMOs, with World of WarCraft making over a billion dollars each year.
There are a lot of other interesting facts about the PC market in 2008, it's worth a look.
Following their recent move to Orange County, California, Blizzard Entertainment (odd place for a company named as such, innit?) decided to put up a 12 foot high statue of a member of the Horde in front of their offices, lest any passerbys get funny ideas (we assume).
"We scoured the internet to try and find a good number of beautiful women that play video games. The task was difficult as could be expected. In our findings we found a combination of women that have been in video game movies or voiced video game characters in games. We also found some that use games for fitness or training. Some even enjoy games with their kids.
In a handful of cases we actually struck gold. Some of these women play games fanatically and know as much about the games t..."
"An internet computer game has been condemned as being as addictive as cocaine after a teenager who played it 24 hours non-stop had convulsions.
World of Warcraft has been hugely successful in capturing the imagination of players by drawing them into a virtual universe of battles and quests.
However, it is at the centre of a growing problem of computer game addiction. any players will sit alone in their rooms for hours at a time, immersed in the lives of their fantasy character creations..."
"I didn't have any interest in watching the Oscars last night (so no, I didn't get to see Wolverine singing and dancing), but there was one piece of WoW-related news to come out of the big event. Steve Preeg is a visual effects artist who's worked on films like the Lord of the Rings trilogy and I, Robot, and last night, he won an Oscar for his team's work on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. And that's not his only achievement: he's also done everything but Sarth 3D with the guild he leads...."
"Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced plans for its fourth BlizzCon gaming convention, to be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on Friday, August 21st and Saturday, August 22nd. BlizzCon is a celebration of the global player communities surrounding Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo universes. In response to the festival's increasing popularity, this year's event has been expanded from three convention halls to four."
While gaming industry analyst Michael Cai thinks people should stop looking for a WoW killer, the truth is that World of Warcraft will eventually die, and we may start seeing the beginning of it in the next round of big MMO titles.
"There are endless discussions on gaming forums, op-ed articles posted on blogs and websites, and a general discourse about how to properly review a game. These people never shut up about appropriate etiquette and what makes a good review. Recently Stephen Totillo, of MTV Multiplayer, posted up a portion of his participation in Shawn Elliots Game Reviews Symposium where he compares game reviews to book, TV, and movie reviews. He makes the very valid point that game reviewers and gamers are co..."
Neoseeker's Lydia Sung aka RabidChinaGirl has a special Special up today in light of everyone's favourite holiday invented by greeting card companies...
Consider it a retort of sorts to GG's earlier article Top Ten Games To Play With Your Valentine -- this one's got breasts and guns and explosions and stuff.
Enjoy!
"Every so often, a game comes around that takes advantage of a unique concept, defines a genre, and pushes the medium of video games forward. Unfortunately, those kinds of games are almost always disregarded by gamers in favor of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Crisis 4-B and Metal Gear Solid: Snake is really old.
Those games aren't always bad in themselves; the problem is in the gamers that flock to such games. Likewise, the games on this list are not bad games; their existence merely ushere..."
"Video game publishers and retailers are risking hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines by illegally selling online role playing games such as World of Warcraft without age classifications.
The games industry believes there is a legal loophole exempting online games that don't have a single player component from classification requirements but this view is contradicted by the federal and state attorneys-general.
World of Warcraft, with more than 11.5 million subscribers, is the most p..."
As the season of romance gets closer and closer, people are finding different ways to express their love or recognition for their own special someone. beavotron from the Penny Arcade forums decided to produce his own gamer themed Valentines - and no, unlike VGCats' Scott Ramsoomair, the variety of games is not limited to Nintendo! Check out his unique way of sharing the love: mediguns, fire, and... vomit.
We certainly got excited when an article was submitted concerning a Master Sword becoming a reality. Thanks to Sub-Zero of unrealitymag.com, you can check out eleven others as well in his gallery! (Including a Master Sword as a twelfth)
(More pictures in Source)
"One is a pure, bubbly and pretty-as-pink princess who rarely reveals even the skin of her ankle. The other is a sassy, sexy and no-nonsense computer program who has spent her entire existence in the nude. Within the tightly linked and extraordinarily small world of videogame voice acting, however, these two women are the exact same person."
"You know, its not that I don't like people. People are cool. I really do enjoy getting to know people in general. But for the most part, I don't want to participate in headset banter. In some circles, one might label me a jerk.
Don't get me wrong though. I'm not a complete tool. If I'm playing something that involves heavy strategy or tight verbal coordination, I'm throwing on the headset, no question. Call of Duty or Left 4 Dead would be a generally disastrous experience without voice cha..."
Neoseeker pet murloc Adrian goes undercover to get the scoop on Figure Prints, the studio which offers WoW players a groovy custom figure production service. As it turns out, they're based right here in Vancouver, so getting in was the easy part. But Adrian sold his soul for all sorts of interesting info from the man behind FP himself, like FP's monthly output, the balance between Horde/Alliance figure requests, and all them new-fangled Death Knights the studio has to deal with.
World of Warcraft now has 11.5 million active subscribers, continuing to solidify its place as the world's premiere MMORPG. According to the story, Blizzard credits the increase in server populations with the release of Wrath of the Lich King. For those of you living under a rock, World of Warcraft is a massively-multiplayer online role-playing game set in a fantasy world developed by Blizzard Entertainment (now Activision-Blizzard).
"We have been playing:
Assassins Creed (PS3), PixelJunk Monster (PS3), Rock Band 2 (Xbox 360), Call of Duty 4 (Xbox 360), Street Fighter HD Remix (PSN), Playstation Home Bowling (PS3), Lost Planet Extreme - Extreme Colonies Edition (Xbox 360)
Playstation Home talk
The NEWS:
Atari buys Cryptic Studios
Ubisoft is not pleased with this news
Team Ninja and the Smash Bros. Brawl guys working on a new TMNT
Capcom is on to those RE5 rippers
Is Jill dead!?!?
UGO to buy 1UP?
..."
"The owner of the restaurant said he created the diner in the hope that people who share his enthusiasm for The World of Warcraft would find a comfortable gathering place.
In addition to the interior decoration, game features dominate the menu selection. Diners choose from dishes named after denizens of the virtual world."
"It seems that entirely too often, people wonder what it would be like to see their favorite video games in real life. This results in a nearly infinite number of fan-made videos of varying levels of quality. Ive done my best to find 12 great ones that span Mario Bros. to Portal. Its abudantly clear that Ive probably missed a large number, so feel free to leave your favorites in the comments. Ready
start!
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OMG RPG of gamepro.com has compiled a list of the top ten swords from video games!
So what came first? The Master Sword from the Legend of Zelda series and is it any surprise when fans do stuff like this? The Buster Sword from Final Fantasy VII came in second with Frostmourne of the Warcraft series in third.
Read on to discover the awesomeness of each!
"First, I want to point out that the PC gaming industry is not dead, or dying. It's changing, perhaps, but multi-million dollar game sales (that aren't just casual games) prove that it's still going strong. In fact, I would argue that World of Warcraft is actually helping the PC gaming industry, even if it is ruining lives."
As unbelievable as it may seem, 4 years ago World of Warcraft launched. Now several years, failed relationships, lack of sleep and basic hygine later - Blizzard is offering a cute little baby polar bear familiar to all gamers who login today. For those of you who haven't logged off yet since yesterday, you will need to logoff and logon again to receive your gift.
Also make note - only one character per account can receive the polar bear, so be careful.
"The 15-year-old boy and his friends were exploring the "Wrath of the Lich King" expansion pack when he suffered what appeared to be an epileptic seizure, it was reported Monday.
"They played all day and all night. Maybe they got a few hours of sleep. They ate a little food and breakfast at their computers," the boy's father told the Kvällsposten newspaper in Sweden."
Jason Michaels of collegehumor.com has made quite the comical article indeed. Editing the cover art for certain games, he chose ten games to murder with puns.
Some of them are pointing out rather funny truths, others are just plain rude!
"Our intrepid reporter and videographer were both on hand for the launch event in Anaheim, CA for Blizzard's Wrath of the Lich King. As if you thought you had heard the last about the expansion by now, not a chance! Here is their short video segment taped at the event. Also available is their photo..."
"I think you're looking at the last generation of consoles. I don't think Sony or Microsoft is going to make another console. The problem is that great graphics, which is what used to differentiate a console, are a commodity. Everybody's got it. You can't buy a PC that doesn't have Xbox or Nintendo-quality graphics anymore."
"GS: Many Paladin-players are upset about the recent nerfing of their protection abilities in order to 'fix' the over-powered retribution ones. Do you have anything you would like to tell them?
TC: Well, we definitely still feel like the Paladins are very competitive tanks. We have been really pressed with Lich King to make sure that all of the tanking classes remain viable in all their different specs. Its definitely something that is very important to us to make sure that every tank out t..."
""I went mad - I was so hurt. I just couldn't believe what he'd done," Amy said, of finding her feckless hubby having pretend sex in a game with a stranger.
"I looked at the computer screen and could see his character having sex with a female character. It's cheating as far as I'm concerned."
"The solicitor wasn't at all surprised - she said it was her second divorce case involving Second Life that week," she added.
Amy's Second Life alter-ego was called Laura Skye. Pollard's was call..."
Blizzard has apparently gone trigger happy with their ban hammers this season. Anyone who has taken Diablo 2 or Starcraft online knows there are a fair few people who cheat. (I myself encountering a another player in Diablo 2 who wouldn't die even when his health was drained five times over) Blizzard is fighting back now however banning over 350000 accounts between the two games. Along with over 7000 World of Warcraft players. I'd love to see their faces when they realize what's happened.
That's right. Your tax dollars are going to the development of AI so sophisticated that you think it's a human being. And how are they going to test it? By throwing it into the proverbial online fire that is World of Warcraft. So next time you yell for a healbot you might actually get one! Oh, and they're also making some other leaps in technology that could possibly change the face of modern warfare as well.
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Zenimax Online Studio's Matt Firor has had an interview with RPGVault, in which he states that there is no better time than now to begin production of a new MMORPG to enter the market and challenge the massive behemoth in the sector, World of Warcraft. He also gives us some details into what aspects of the games they should be looking at focusing on, and who needs to be on the team for them to succeed.
An interesting look in to this aspect of gaming and perhaps a glimpse of insight into t...
"So what hope is there for the PC? Unfortunately, things look grim, though there is hope in unusual places. Of course, MMOs will help to keep PC gaming alive; I dont think WoW will be leaving us anytime soon. And with the increase in casual gaming by women (playing arcade or card games online), those kind of game sales will help to booster the PC as well.
In addition, an alliance was formed earlier this year, including Intel, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Advanced Micro Devices, all companies wit..."
GameIndustry.biz got a chance to speak to Frank Pearce of Bllizzard Entertainment about a wide assortment of things, ranging from Warcraft and Warhammer, to the current MMO scene, to upcoming RTS and how they expect to build on past experiences with Diablo III. We also get a little bit of a look at the inside workings of the company. Worth a look for all interested in seeing where Blizzard Entertainment is going to be going next!
World of Warcraft has just gotten over 11 million subscribers, and is the world's biggest and most played MMORPG for the PC. It was the game that sold the most copies in 2005, and in 2006, coming in second to an expansion pack of the game!
"With over one hundred performers - including a number of international musicians - and even more people behind the scenes, Echoes of War is a fitting tribute to the epic legacy that Blizzard Entertainment has established with its music..."
Beckett Massive Online Gamer got a chance to have an interview with Jeff Kaplan, going through a series of issues, changes and problems with World of Warcraft, such as ease of play for many characters, new challenges, achievements, and so on!
Unfortunately, the videos cannot be supported by GameGrep's video system, so please hit the source and have a look see at the two part video interview!
"This is a truly heartwarming story about a developer really showing their dedication to the fans. Sadly, this is where the heartwarming part ends. A few months ago, Ezra suffered a stroke, and on Monday, he passed away, never getting to realize his dream of becoming a tester and developer for Blizzard. Video games can't solve all problems, of course, but it is really nice to hear about a community coming together to care about a little boy who loved this industry so much."
The WoW tournament for the BlizzCon 2008 that was held in the Anaheim Convention Center - located in California - has finally come to a hault, with German-based team "Nihilum Plasma" taking the grand prize of $75,000 and a replica Frostmourne, the blade in Wrath of the Lich King.
Check out the seeds and videos of the matches in the source.
"Wired.com: When I told my community, the greater Wired, um, "people," that I was going to be coming to Blizzcon they wanted to know ... a couple months ago we talked about the Activision merger ...
Morhaime: Yep.
Wired.com: ... You seemed really happy about it. Everything seemed to be working out pretty well, you seemed genuinely pleased about it, and not being, like, the PR-business-diplomacy guy ...
Morhaime: Sure. "PR-business-diplomacy guy?" [Laughter]
Wired.com: Are things ..."
In the past, players have been frustrated with falling from their Mount when trying to cross over water on WoW. At the BlizzCon 2008, it was revealed that after Wrath of the Lich King comes out on November 13th, a patch will fix that problem.
What really makes you say wow? Well this news story certainly will make you go wow... since one gamer alone has done what no man gamer has done before:- Played World of Warcraft using 36 accounts... and most of all... he plays on them simultaneously...
That's right... he goes on raids with a lot of characters... all controlled by him. Spending a total of $5711 on subscriptions, it most definitely an expensive hobby that this guy has... be sure to check out what he thinks of this in his own...
"With some games, ESRB ratings can be either too damning, or not restrictive enough. How many parents buy their children copies of games like Halo 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV, regardless of the warnings on the box, pamphlets shoved into their hands by concerned Best Buy employees, or simple common sense? On the hand, there are plenty of other games that the ESRB just rates poorly. Mass Effect gets an M rating for fictional alien violence, but Call of Duty (which is based on actual military event..."
After having a conversation with his friend Allen about trying to convince him to play the recently released MMO called Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, Adam LaMosca - who writes for The Escapist - lists all the reasons why some people are just not attracted to MMO-type games, such as his friend.
World of Warcraft Developer Blizzard has been awarded $6 million due to the sales of the controversial MMO Glider software. In July, it was ruled that the bot author had violated WoW's licence agreement.
WiiFit? How about WoWFit!
Warbiking - a growing trend where players hook up electronic bicycles to their computers and use that to control their travels in the digital realm of Azeroth.
One player has reportedly lost over 100 pounds via this method.
Oh, did I mention they sometimes cosplay while doing so?
Everyone goes through their stages where they find an addicting game that they just can't stop playing (mine was SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo). You're up late at night, you brush off your friends, your grades start slipping: All for a video game.
Jordan Deam's first addiction was Diablo II while ongoing his senior year. Later, he found World of Warcraft in college, which also devoured a portion of his life. Now, he has the game titled Peggle, developed and published by PopCap Game...
Bonnie Nardi and the University of California has been given $100,000 to study the game of World of Warcraft. She wants to study up on why American Players wanted to mod the game more than others. Wondering why they'd give her all that money to study the game.
Here is what she will probably be spending:
* WoW - $19.99
* Burning Crusade Expansion - $29.99
* Pre-order Lich King Expansion - $39.99
* Hot Alienware PC - $3,000.00
* Strategy guide - $24.99
* 12 mont...
It seems that the rumours were true after all. Wrath of the Lich King, the second expansion for World of Warcraft, will release on the 13th of November 2008.
[World of Warcraft Forum]
""WoW Subscribers were previously unable to move their characters from a server that pitted them against AI opponents realm to one that also allowed player vs. player combat, though paid transfers have been around for a while.
'As the state of the game has matured substantially since the inception of Paid Character Transfers, we will now be allowing PvE-to-PvP transfers on a full-time basis to provide players with more mobility and freedom to easily play with their friends,' the company sta..."
"Q: How interesting has it been for you to watch the success of World of Warcraft?
Frank Pearce: I don't know if I'd describe it as "interesting" as much as exhausting. We've got almost 3000 employees worldwide now, and the majority of that growth is due to the success of World of Warcraft.
As a company we've found ourselves spread very, very thin - because the World of Warcraft community has a voracious appetite for content. That development team is 130 people, they're working on conten..."
When an avid WoW gamer entered the world of warcraft, he was stunned to find the streets lined up with dead female gnomes... However it wasn't till he zoomed out till he discovered what was actually going on... the Gnomes were in fact an advertisement by a gold farming company. Take a look at the screenshots below.
Another week has passed, which means it's time for some Australian game sales!
Mario Kart Wii has snatched the lead from the Wii Fit game, the Wii Play bundle is still selling steadily in third, followed by the oh-so-popular Super Smash Bros. Brawl and SingStar Amped.
Most of the games in the overall sales list are either the from the Wii or the DS. With all the success Nintendo has been having lately, I'm not surprised. To check out some console-specific sales, hit the source.
All...
NPD has released the PC games that have sold the most for the week of August 10-16, and World of Warcraft is on top once again. Things look almost the same as last week's list.
1. World of Warcraft: Battle Chest
2. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe
3. World of Warcraft
4. Spore Creature Creator
5. Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice
6. World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Expansion Pack
7. The Sims 2: IKEA Home Stuff Expansion
8. Diablo Battle Chest
9. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
10. Warcra...
From last week World of Warcraft: Battle Chest has moved up 2 to get the top spot, and the Sims 2 Double Deluxe moved down to second place. Blizzard (maker of World of Warcraft) made the games of half of the list.
Here are the top ten selling PC games of the week of August third.
1. World of Warcraft: Battle Chest
2. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe
3. World of Warcraft
4. Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice
5. Spore Creature Creator
6. Diablo Battle Chest
7. Warcraft III Battle Chest
8. ...
""...remember you are one of the chosen by the Lich King himself. You are given several tasks, killing civilians among them until you eventually sneak your way to the Scarlet Crusades docks. You find out that they're changing their name and heading up North for unknown reasons. Once at the docks, this was the first time I encountered a mounted weapon in the form of a giant cannon. Well, you blow them to high hell and escape narrowly on a skeletal gryphon...""
""Looks like after a barrage of folks whacking Blizzard servers, taking them offline several times, all the tickets for the upcoming BlizzCon expo have been sold. Blizzard is holding the event on October 10th and 11th at the Anaheim Convention Center (in Anaheim, CA). Tickets were $100 dollars a piece and there is no word on how many were sold.
What we do know for sure is that we have been offered two press passes for the event and will bring you the latest coverage from the expo as it unfo..."
Craig Sherman, who blogs for EDGE Online, has noticed how the video game industry has taken great strides in incorporating the trends on the Internet. He notes that no matter what it is, a social network or a browser-based game, they are both always trying to create more user interaction. Sherman goes on to explain how video games are taking a page out of the web's book and creating better gaming experiences.
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"Eventually, our plans are for the Achievement system to become an account-based system, [lead World of Warcraft designer Jeff Kaplan] explained.
When the new Blizzard Accounts are active, a players WoW points can be added to an overall score dubbed an account holders Blizzard Level. Its basically a gamerscore, Kaplan said, when I made reference to Xbox Lives Achievement system. For now the points are just a WoW character score. As we graduate to that Blizzard Account syste..."
"Plenty of people use non-expensive laptops and desktop pcs for simple school projects, music management, and web browsing. A lot of these people are also gamers, but don't buy games for their PCs because they think that their setup can't handle anything beyond Bejewled. Well they're wrong. I happen to be one of those gamers. I got my laptop last Christmas and ignorantly popped in the Orange Box and after the lengthy install, dove into Half-Life 2. It wasn't pretty. I thought my computer was g..."
"Some would argue that D3 takes place 20 years after the events of Diablo II - in a happy, joyful world where cute/cuddly bunnies hop around with butterflies in golden-green-meadows under rainbows of bliss. But honestly, this is Diablo: the very word means "devil" in Spanish. It HAS to have demonic creatures, hellish baddies, and dark, creepy themes. Blizzard certainly hasn't forgotten that. Sanctuary ain't no Azeroth, and D3 ain't no WoW 2!"
"Melissa asks, I think my boyfriend is addicted to the game World of Warcraft. How can I get him to stop playing that game and spend more time with me?
Dear Melissa there is a direct correlation between the amount of time that you are naked and the amount of time your boyfriend spends time with you. This is science. If he knows hanging out with you will eventually, at the end of the night, lead to a good ole' fashion romp in the hay I guarantee he will be raiding your dungeon more often. Tr..."
"Have you been considering free-to-play for World of Warcraft, and if you did, what would the Blizzard way of free-to-play look like?
PS: I dont envision us changing the business model for World of Warcraft. Its been working really well in each of the markets.
The game has been designed in such a way to where we determined the business model to wrap that around what the game experience was. Given that were not looking to significantly modify the overall gameplay experience, which is I..."
"An Australian man was arrested recently after he convinced a 15-year-old girl he met while playing World of WarCraft to run away from home to be with him. He even paid for the trip. How sweet.
The 31-year-old Anthony Taylor formed a relationship with the less-than-half-his-age girl, which eventually led to sexual messages and phone calls. The girls father found out about the relationship and threatened to kill Anthony, so Anthony did what any self-respecting pedophile would do he sent ..."
With today's gamer requiring a fast paced, highly action oriented, and not all that thought provoking game - it is no wonder we have seen the decline of traditional point and click RPGs like most of us grew up with back in the day. I enjoyed spending literally days of my life playing these games, maxing out stats, collecting every secret - no matter how pointless, and growing pale in my basement with my only source of light being the television and and power button for weeks on end.
LordCh...
A new expansion for "World of Warcraft" will be released:"Wrath of the Lich King - Death Knight Hands-on".
The biggest new is that you will be able to create a Death Knight. Unlike the others, you can only keep one per account server. After creating one, you will find yourself in the middest of the "Plaguelands". Your Death Knight will have an incredible and rare blade, carved with red runes.
At first it might look pretty difficult, as the its skills are limited, but that's until you m...
If you're a whiny nerd with a WoW account, here's what you probably sound like. Warning: If you aren't a WoW player, there's a fantastic chance that you won't have any hint of an idea what this article is talking about.
A hysterical look at the state of the political world between Obama and McCain done- how else - with World of Warcraft in game models. Fair. Balanced. Biased. If you take notice of their names you can see how it relates to each candidate, Obama and McCain.
Direct downloads from providers such as Steam can now provide direct content to the gamer without him or her ever having to leave their respective houses. There are many PC only games that have brought PC gaming back to the forefront, instead of the projected lingering behind consoles and dying out. Online PC gaming is also responsible for helping this growing trend.
You might remember these people when they were using the Wii Balance Board to surf Google Earth. They have now made a new video of them using the Balance Board to control WoW! The man is controlling the character by shifting his weight forward and when he leans his body, it controls the camera.
In a move of startling originally Blizzard are apparently going to introduce a point system for doing particular tasks much like the current Achievement system for the Xbox 360. Which will be implemented in the next expansion Wrath of the Lich King.
This rumor posted on Deathnkight.info has not been confirmed by Blizzard yet and is only in the Alpha stages even if it is real but it certainly is a interesting move the massive MMO.
"A psychiatrist specialising in treating those who worry about spending too time playing videogames has said pornography is more accepted than World of Warcraft.
"People feel a lot of shame around computer games," Dr. Jerald Block told The Boston Globe. "Whereas, it's socially acceptable to have a porn problem.
"As a society we understand that porn is something people do, and you can see a psychiatrist and get treated for it."
Dan Loton, a graduate of Psychology from Victoria University, made a research project to find out if game addictions are related to social life and your self esteem for his honors class. Loton's study found that only one percent of gaming addicts effected how shy they are, but none of the problems could be directly tied to video games.
EA has said today that they have acquired the company ThreeSF and its video game network Rupture. ThreeSF and Rupture used to belong to Shaun Fanning, you might know him as the founder of Napster. A person close to the deal said that EA bought them for $30 million. This was also reported by TechCrunch, but both companies have just confirmed it now.
"Police say Jones drove to Boise from Birmingham, Alabama, and picked the teen around 7 a.m. on May 28th.
The pair was found at 9:30 a.m. Pacific Time today and are in the custody of the Franklin County Sheriff's Office in Washington state.
Authorities say Julian appears to be in good physical condition.
Boise Police detectives have contacted the teen's family who are relieved to know she's been found and is unharmed."
""That's actually something we talk about every expansion," Brack admitted when asked about top-end visuals. "I'm positive we'll talk about it next expansion."
"A lot of people continued to play with the original client, because it was faster, or they preferred it, or were just used to it or whatever," the producer said, adding a note of caution. "And so for me as a game developer, the idea that we would spend so much time and energy on something and have people go, 'meh, that's not really ..."
"The videogame industry has been one of the hardest hit, with over ten million World of Warcraft addicts alone. That's ten million people chasing the dragon, in the hopes they can kill it and score some epic loot. To peer inside the mind of an addict is to peer into the void, where all the concerns that you and I take for granted having shelter, food, clothes, and a steady supply of money from our whores no longer matters. All that matters is the drug. All that matters is the next fix.
..."
Do you think Uwe Boll is finally getting the message that his movies are bad? He has ignored the gamers' pleas for him to stop making movies and he even believes that he has more talent than Micheal Bay, George Clooney and Steven Spielberg!
But when Boll asked Blizzard if he was allowed to make a World of Warcraft movie, the answer was a resounding "Hell No!"
Penny Arcade have posted the results of their Ten Word World of Warcraft Story contest, complete with comic renders of the top three winners (pictured).
Note: This content contains language that may offend readers.
"The9 Limited (NASDAQ: NCTY) (The9), a leading online game operator in China, today announced that Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft, the subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) has achieved a record peak concurrency of 1 million, the highest concurrency since the game's commercial launch in June 2005, following the launch of its new expansion pack, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, in mainland China on September 6, 2007."
"On a personal note this was the hardest list I've ever attempted to write. All of these girls are villains in some way, with exception of the Horde. It was a ridiculous quest to find a female in a video games who wasn't attractive. And not just attractive, drop dead, unrealistically gorgeous. I hate to ruin a simple list like this, but why? Why are there no normal to ugly looking females, let alone fat ones. I mean I hate to break it to you people, fats real. People are bitching about how the..."
"We rarely do contests, but this seemed like a good time, and we knew the right people. Between Blizzard and Upper Deck, they have unloaded a truly revolting amount of merchandise on us, and we'll be passing this largesse over to the readership in a frictionless manner: three piles of stuff so gigantic that you will quite literally never need to purchase another card. You will, of course, because you won't be able to help it. Even so, you won't need to: four boxes of boosters, tournament playm..."
Gamers have a large voice in America. Ron Paul recognized it, and now it seems that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have as well, albeit unintentionally. If you don't like political talk, you might want to avoid WoW at times where many Americans are on, at least until it's decided which candidate will receive the Democratic nomination. The competition between Obama and Clinton is so fierce right now that people are chatting about it in World of Warcraft, annoying others like huntyr who us...
Want to relax? Play video games! A new research study shows that people are more relaxed after playing a game, reducing their stress and aggression levels.
In your face, violent game critics. If games have been reported to relax people, then why don't you let gamers take their anger and aggression out on virtual people and objects to blow off steam?
According to Charles Blair, deputy director for the CTIS, World of Warcraft's infamous "Corrupted Blood" epidemic of 2005 is a good source of study for terrorist behaviour. Apparently the deliberate spread of the disease offers unique insight that can't be simulated by computer models. For the parents who have kids keen on infecting their Pokemon with the Pokerus, beware: this is where terrorism starts!
Those of you in the UK who pay World of Warcraft may be in for a surprise if you've been paying through a Visa or Mastercard issued through Halifax. They've decided to ban the majority of transactions with Blizzard they get due to fraudulent usage. The good news? If you want to pay with that card, you can contact the bank and arrange for your payments to go through. Otherwise, start paying with a different card.
"As part of the Love is in the Air event in World of Warcraft, Weighted Companion Cubes from Portal (if you didnt already know that I will incinerate you) have been seen in such locations as Stormwind and Undercity."
"Official Statement:
We will be offering free character moves from selected high population realms to lower populated realms, assisting in population dispersal. The ability to move a character on the selected source realms will become available on Thursday, January 31 at 3:00 PM PST, and are scheduled to run until Thursday, February 7 at 3:00 PM PST....
(Full statement at source)"
"Blizzard has announced that the most popular MMORPG in the world, World of Warcraft, has reached yet another landmark - 10 million subscribers. The game now has 2 million subscribers in Europe, over 2.5 million in North America, and approximately 5.5 million in Asia."
"Ok, so we gotta ask why on earth a character that doesn't kill anything? Doesn't that feel like pulling teeth? I prefer doing stranger stuff, as opposed to grinding high-end instances. Once, my 70 mage was in Southshore, and someone was asking directions to Ghostlands in zone chat. I told him how to go through EPL. Then I clicked on him, and he was something like a level 12 Draenei hunter. I asked him why he wanted to go there, and it turns out he wanted a red cat for a pet -- so I escorted..."
"Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul's internet regiment has come to World of Warcraft-- a group of his supporters are planning to form a guild on Whisperwind and do a march from IF to Stormwind (which means they'll probably be Gnomes or Dwarves, which is too bad, because I liked the idea of "Trolls for Ron Paul") on New Year's Day at 8:30pm EST."
"General Information - Athene is a paladin on Emeriss, but not just any paladin. His 5v5 team has dominated the realm for quite some time now being number one in the arena ladders. However this is not how Athene became popular. Over the course of one month he published a lot of clips on YouTube, with what some would define as "explicit content", which was not exactly the case. In fact there is nothing explicit in his videos and come to think of it, they are much more original and entertaining ..."
"World of Warcraft commercials are highlighted by the likes of William Shatner, Mr. T, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and now Verne Troyer, who are keen to convey their chosen avatar to the viewer while waxing lyrical about their respective strengths."
"The unsuspecting moose immediately obeyed its territorial instincts and focused its attack toward the boys frightened sister. Immediately obeying his own gaming instincts, young Hans recalled that taunting was always a good way to successfully draw a monster away from a weak in-game ally in World of Warcraft."
As we've seen from T and others, Van Damme brings his personality into this WoW commercial promotion, and it's easily a classic! Hell, he speaks...French here?
A new commercial for the currently most popular MMO, World of Warcraft features A-Team star Mr. T in what can only be described as LOL. Well, at least I got a laugh out of it. Is it just me or does he look like he hasn't changed much at all since the 80's?
Strange but true, a World of Warcraft account was sold to a new owner for £5000 early this month. For those of us who aren't British, that's 7000 euros or approximately $10,000 US dollars.
The night elf Rogue, Zeuzo, was in possession of some of the rarest items in the game, but, unfortunately for the new owner, the account was banned within five days.
13 new screens have been released for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. They show off locations such as Grizzly Hills and Daggercap Bay. Go to the source for the rest of the screens.
""1/10 MMORPG Players Develop Physical Relationships With Others"
And no, I dont mean other people period, I mean with their actual in-game friends, although that would be hilariously pathetic =D . The thought of a Tauren and Orc getting it on though is absolutely disgusting. Sure, Ive gotten a lap dance in Goldshire before, but we were both human and she needed the gold for college or a mount or something
Anyways, Nottingham Trent University has done a research study which reveals ..."
"Sadly however, World of Warcraft: The Wrath of the Lich King is still yet to be dated for official release. Existing currently as a tantalisingly out-of-reach extension to the sprawling WoW experience.
So, to make those saliva glands work overtime to the point where your armour is growing rusty from the inside GamerSquad thought it best to bring you a meaty slice of Lich King temptation, in the form of a developer interview from this years Blizzcon, as well as the official Lich Kin..."
"Comedy Central has revealed that those who purchase the tenth series of South Park on DVD will also receive a 14-day trial to the World of Warcraft.
The link between Blizzard's monster of a game and the crappily-brilliant animated show that centres on a group of troublesome pre-pubescent kids is the Emmy-nominated episode, "Make Love, Not Warcraft," which aired last October. It features Cartman and the gang ridding the MMORPG of a hugely powerful Warcraft obsessive intent on ruining the g..."
Those fluent in the lore of Warcraft III will know that Lich King Arthas Menethil sits on The Frozen Throne in the continent of Northrend. Just as The Burning Crusade debuted with a trailer of Illidan Stormrage's voice superimposed over an AMV, the initial trailer of WLK features the perspective of Arthas, and the ultimate goal of the expansion as defeating him.
Some of the highlights of the expansion:
No official date is set, but rumor has it being released early next year, most likely near the same time that Burning Crusade was released.
A 12 year old boy from California ran away after his parents took away his game, World of Warcraft. He was given the game for his birthday and he's been playing continuously, sometimes 15 hours at a time, nonstop. The parents took the game away, worrying about the addiction. The boy then disappeared. Then, her son called them, hours later, saying that he was hiding in his friend backyard. He then returned, and was allowed to play occasionally.
At least he didn't burn down his house and ki...
"If rumours are to be believed, World of Warcraft developer Blizzard is to use next month's BlizzCon event as a platform to announce the second expansion to its hugely popular Massively Multiplayer Online game - an opening up of the continent of Northrend.
The speculation is based on a leaked music sheet with scores named Northrend 1, 2, and 3, which are to be played by the Video Games Live orchestra at BlizzCon this year."
"When a human is found unconscious on the shores of Kalimdor, with no memory of who he is or how he arrived there, how will he survive? Enslaved by an Orc Shaman, he must fight for survival against members of both the Alliance and the Horde. Will he strike the uneasy balance with the other races he'll need to find the secrets of his past?
Now the best part of this new info is that you can already subscribe to get your paws on this new World of Warcraft Comic Book series by Wildstorm / DC C..."
"While many game developers don't throw a lot of love in the direction of Mac users, Blizzard isn't one of them. In fact, they declare their love for Apple users in many ways. The release their games on CDs that'll run both the Mac and PC version of the game (since Diablo II: Lord of Destruction), have Mac-specific patch notes and bug fixes, and built-in iTunes support. Now, in the upcoming patch for World of Warcraft, 2.2.0, they've added in-game video-capturing utility for Macs."
Yep...now I've seen just about everything. iPhone's appearantly able to handle WoW, and the graphics aren't half-bad, haha. It's a lot tougher to use than a computer, but with some practice it can be done. WoW addicts may think about getting the phone xD
"AN AUSTRALIAN woman has been arrested in the US for trying to lure her young internet boyfriend to Australia.
It is believed Tamara Broome, 31, might have been set up by the boy's parents.
Ms Broome told her housemate they paid for her to travel to the US this week so "they could sort it all out".
Instead, Ms Broome was met by three detectives as she tried to board a train near the teenager's home town in North Carolina.
She was charged with attempting to abduct a child after a..."
Tamara Broome, 31, was arrested last week after allegedly attempting to abduct a 17 year player after they forged a relationship through the hit MMO, World of Warcraft.
As Ms. Broome says it, the parents of the boy actually set up the meeting but when she arrived in North Carolina she was arrested and is now in jail with a 2 million dollar bond with the possibility of up to two years in jail if found guilty.
"Last week, we reported on players now being able to show their stuff from the WoW Armory on a social networking website. Now, Facebook has an updated World of Warcraft Import tool from GuildCafe that allows players to search for people in the same realm."
Are you thinking about going to Blizzcon this year? Well, maybe this well help seal the deal. Blizzard will be giving away beta keys to attendees of Blizzcon, this year. The game in which the beta keys are for is unknown at this point in time. However, one is to assume that it might be for the recently announced Starcraft II.
Along with the beta key you will receive a redeemable code to obtain a Murloc suit for one of your characters in World of Warcraft. Can anyone say Murloc Raid?
Blizzard is surely trying to make this week their week with all the news they have in store for us. First the huge news on the 19th in regards to their latest game and now they have released information in regards to their latest upcoming patch 2.1.0 Black Temple.
Included so far is a flash video trailer which introduces a familiar character to the Worldcraft series, Illidan the Betrayer.
Listed on the WoW patch notes page can be found on the 2.1.0 changes which will take place once imp...
I find this to be simply amazing. If you have 10 minutes to spend, watch this. It's a tragedy made using wow characters and environments but it's really well done. I have no words to express how I feel about it but for a non-professionally made video this is superb. It beats anything I've watched on TV or anywhere by far lately.
"In our continued efforts to combat cheating in World of Warcraft, more than 114,000 accounts have been closed across Europe in the month of April for the use of bot programs. The banned accounts were taking part in activities that violate the World of Warcraft Terms of Use, specifically, using unauthorised third party programs to automate game-play. Such behaviour not only negatively impacts the games economy, it diminishes the achievements of those who play legitimately.
It is our goal..."
Blizzards hit MMORPG, World of Warcraft and Visa have teamed up to bring to you 13, yes 13 different WoW styled credit cards for your spending needs.
The offer an introductory APR rate of 0% and then 9.99% after that. Also, with your first purchase on your new World of Warcraft Visa you will get a free month of game time. So, signup for a credit card, buy a bag of chips with your visa, get a free month of WoW. Cancel said credit card and not only do you have a nice looking WoW credit card ...
A disturbing story that you might think is impossible. Well, apparently it is. A man was repeatedly killing a character in World of Warcraft and making it harder for that player to play (ganking). As he soon found out, it was someone's wife and her husband and two friends of his broke into the man's house. They broke his fingers and his wrist with clubs then devastated his computer and any gaming systems they could find.
It's his fault really, first he insults a woman in an online game, th...
Test Realms for all World of Warcraft players are now live and you can check out the new patch incoming for yourself. For full patch notes go
http://www.wow-europe.com/en/info/underdev/testrealm.html
You thought you were the one with no life? Think again!
Simply amazing! You jut got to love those creatures!
"The latest patch notes can always be found at
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/patchnotes/test-realm-patchnotes.html
The Black Temple
The Temple of Karabor was the center of draenei worship until its
priests were slaughtered by demonically corrupted orcs. In the
massacre's aftermath the warlocks of the Shadow Council seized the
structure and gave it a new name: the Black Temple.
When the Alliance invaded Draenor after the Second War, the orc shaman
Ner'zhul hastily opened several ..."
"PARIS, France. April 12, 2007 -- Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced plans for its second BlizzCon gaming convention. BlizzCon is a celebration of the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises and the players who have helped make them so popular around the world. This year's event will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on August 3 and 4, and will feature various activities for attendees to take part in.
"We were gratified by the response to ..."
![Box shot of World of Warcraft [Europe]](http://i.neoseeker.com/boxshots/R2FtZXMvUEMvUm9sZS1QbGF5aW5nL01hc3NpdmVseV9NdWx0aXBsYXllcg==/world_of_warcraft_frontcover_small_mQHFyJytCsiaYe0.jpg)