MWLL: Latest Update

Cccccheck it out here: http://www.mechlivinglegends.net/forum/index.php/topic,4977.0.html

So many sexy pix from the playtest. It looks fuckin' awesome.

Champions Online: Beta Coming in Mid-August?

Aion or Champions Online? Or both? I've already pre-ordered Aion. I really enjoyed CoV for a while (well, while there was content), so if CO is going to follow the CoX formula...will it be worth it?

Not to mention I'll be sucked into BF1943 and MW2 in November. OohhhHhhh yeaaahhhhhh! CO better have monkeys that pick up lizootz to regain my interest!

Champions Online Open Beta - Some Clues

By: Colin June 26, 2009

Yesterday, I spent the day hanging out at Cryptic HQ in Los Gatos. Despite the pressure of the impending massive launch of Champions Online, the development of Star Trek Online and, reportedly, a ’secret’ third project, the team have found time to make some physical moves, with community, marketing and customer services shifting offices, albeit only across the road. Champions Online developers have stayed right where they are. Nobody in their right minds would try to move those guys at this particular juncture.

The launch date of September 1 looks to be ON, despite the fact that Beta feedback has been coming in thick and fast, and the team are wasting no time responding to player notes on the game. Trust me, there’s a lot of work going on right now and responding to feedback is much more than a mere formality. I interviewed half a dozen people yesterday, and they were all working on stuff directly germane to Beta feedback.

At one point, I spotted all the Big Bosses holed up in a meeting in the aquarium (large glass office) staring balefully at a ferociously complex chronology chart projected onto the wall. Every function of the game’s polishing and release phase slotted into place, each in their own colors (greens and purples are favored). They were in there for a while. There wasn’t much in the way of jolly japes going on. It looked like nitty gritty.

We’re still two months away from the September 1 launch of the PC game, so there’s plenty of time to get things done. Within that time-frame, an Open Beta needs to be organized. I can say that a firm date has been penciled in and although it’s not 100% confirmed it is slap bang in the middle of August.

My advice is if you have a vacation to Outer Mongolia, or maybe a fishing trip in the mid-Atlantic planned for central August, cancel it now!

As you’re probably aware, lots of detail has to be finalized before final announcements are made, mostly technical and legal stuff, but also the partners who’ll be involved in the Open Beta.

The Open Beta is really just there to make sure the technical infrastructure works, and there are no Snafus pre-launch. As far as game design and major bugs are concerned, they should be done by then.

Generally, Open Beta comes with some sort of special offer on the retail release of the game and subscription, so watch out for announcements along those lines in the near future.

Oh yeah, I also spotted a room full of large brown boxes, located in the marketing dept. After investigation, it turned out that these were stuffed with Champions Online T-shirts (very simple design - logo on a dark background) which I expect to feature in media and live-event contests in the very near future. I grabbed one, for research purposes.

Aion: Closed Beta Event #3 - Coming soon!

Closed Beta Event #3 - Coming soon!

The next Aion closed beta event is coming your way on July 2-6, 2009. Enjoy a long weekend of fun in Atreia as testing concentrates on first 20 levels of the Elyos and Asmodians (yep, that's right, Elyos AND Asmodians). Choose your side and tell us all about your escapades in Elysea and Asmodae in this exciting event.

We thank all of our players in our first two closed beta events. Your feedback has been invaluable!

For this event, participants must have a full-access beta key or have received an invitation for the third closed beta event specifically. (Single event keys for the first two beta events are no longer valid.)

There's more than one way to join in the fun:

• FilePlanet is giving away keys to the third closed beta event on Monday, June 29. These keys are limited to North America only; please visit FilePlanet for more details.

• Players who have pre-ordered Aion have access to all beta events. You can pre-order online at NCsoft.com or through participating retailers, including GameStop, Amazon, Best Buy, and EB Games Canada.

• Keep an eye on the Aion team Twitters (@aion_ayase, @aion_amboss, @aion_liv, and @aion_xaen) and Aion Facebook page for your chance to score an invite.

Updated notes for the latest game changes and additions are coming soon.

The third closed beta event starts on July 2 (12:00 PM PT, 9:00 PM CEST, 8:00 PM BST) and we look forward to seeing you there!

BF3: Definitely On Its Way!

Can one ever get enough BF? Don't think so! So here's some moar good news for us FPS lovers!

Posted by Patrick Klepek - Wednesday, June 10, 2009 11:40 AM

Electronic Arts Confirms Battlefield 3 In Development Posted by Patrick Klepek - Wednesday, June 10, 2009 11:40 AM

Criterion Games working on a Need For Speed game wasn't the only surprising bit of news that Electronic Arts chief operating office John Pleasants tucked into his presentation at the William Blair Growth Stock Conference I listened to today. Pleasants confirmed he's seen DICE's work on Battlefield 3.

"I've had the luxury of looking at Battlefield 3 over at DICE in Sweden and was highly impressed by the way the team is working on that product," he said. "Of course, that's not [coming out] in the fiscal year, but that is a product that is looking very good."

Gamers worried that Battlefield: Bad Company, Battlefield Heroes and Battlefield 1943 were a three-pronged answer to fans demanding a third Battlefield don't have to worry. Battlefield 3 is coming!

DDO Goes F2P!!???

I just saw this article making the rounds!

Turbine Announces DDO Unlimited!
June 09, 2009
TURBINE® ANNOUNCES DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ONLINE®: EBERRON UNLIMITED™
Free Digital Upgrade Introduces Unlimited Free Play and Raises Level Cap; Beta Begins Today

WESTWOOD, MA – June 9, 2009 – Turbine, Inc. announced today the start of the Beta program for Dungeons & Dragons Online®: Eberron Unlimited™ (DDO Unlimited), a free digital upgrade for Dungeons & Dragons Online®: Stormreach™. DDO Unlimited will raise the level cap and add major new content, as well as make the game free to play for everyone. The new DDO Unlimited delivers heart-pounding game play featuring the industry’s best combat system, a massive world with state-of-the-art graphics and gameplay, and a rich set of features that until now could only be found only in premium subscription-based MMOs. Launching later this summer, DDO Unlimited will introduce an innovative new pricing model that allows players to download and play for free, purchasing adventure packs, items, and account services a la carte from the new DDO Store, or to subscribe to get unlimited access to all of the game’s content. Players interested in getting a sneak peak of the new DDO Unlimited can sign up for a chance to participate in the Beta program at http://www.ddo.com.

“Our team has spent years crafting DDO Unlimited into a powerhouse experience featuring cutting-edge graphics, a kick-ass combat system, high level content, and cutting-edge social tools. Today marks a major milestone as we prepare to launch the world’s most exciting free MMO,” said Kate Paiz, Senior Producer.

“Turbine is blazing a new trail with an innovative new pricing structure that will deliver a new era of choice for the growing market of online gamers, and we are very excited to invite players to work with us in the DDO Unlimited Beta program as we redefine how people play and pay for MMOs,” added Fernando Paiz, Executive Producer.

DDO Unlimited delivers the best combat of any MMO and the most heart-pounding action this side of a keyboard, plus a lot more!

Brand New Content & Features – DDO Unlimited will deliver a new class, increase the level cap, introduce new adventure packs including a new 12-player raid, major combat improvements and more!

The Fiercest Combat – DDO Unlimited features an extraordinary and heart stopping combat experience that requires players to fully engage in the battle by relying on their wits and reflexes in real time. No more clicking skills and watching the action from the sideline.

Mind-blowing Visuals – Explore a vast and dangerous online world that features the most advanced graphics in the industry and is stuffed with the legendary monsters, glorious treasures, devious traps, mind-bending puzzles and endless adventures from the world’s best known RPG.

Full-featured MMO – Experience sophisticated systems found only in the best games including auctions, arena death matches (Player versus Player), NPC hirelings, gambling, crafting, and powerful social tools for finding a group, forming a guild or planning an epic raid!

Easier Than Ever! – DDO Unlimited gets you playing in minutes instead of hours, using new proprietary Turbine technology. Creating a new character is incredibly simple with guides and templates that speed you through the process. Features an all-new new player experience that gives gamers their first taste of excitement quickly while teaching them how to play solo or with a group of fellow adventurers.

DDO Unlimited is based on the world-renowned DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® franchise of Wizards of the Coast LLC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc.® (NYSE: HAS), under license to Infogrames Entertainment S.A.® Published by Atari, Inc.®, DDO has been enthusiastically received by many gaming critics, including The New York Times, PC Gamer, Game Informer and many more. For the latest information, please visit www.ddo.com.

I'll try anything if it's free! Wahhooo. Signing up for beta now!

Aion: Closed Beta 2 June 19th - June 22nd, 2009

Sauce:

Looking ahead: Closed Beta Event No. 2

With a few days of beta testing behind us I can happily and confidently put my bow and daggers on the shelf, breathe out, nod and smile. There were a few quirks to sort out in the beginning, but we've definitely had a lot of good and exciting feedback coming out of this first Beta event to help us in our continued work of launching Aion. We will be taking a break from testing tomorrow morning at 08.59 for anyone in Central Europe or tonight just a minute before midnight if you're on the US west coast (link: Beta Schedule).

Moving onwards; I can inform anyone who hasn't kept an eagle eye on the "Beta Schedule" thread of the next time we'll be able to re-visit our Daevan homeworld Atreia: Closed Beta event no.2 (CBT2). The event is scheduled to start Friday, June 19th (9:00 PM CEST, 8:00 PM BST, noon PT) and to end on Monday, June 22nd (8:59 AM CEST, 7:59 AM BST, Sunday 21st 11.59 PM PT).

In CBT2 we will want to focus on the very first area of Asmodae and have therefore set the level limit to 10, primarily to make sure it's properly run through, but also to allow testers to stop and perhaps smell the flowers more, to dive into the quests and quest texts more carefully and to better explore the arch-classes. More information will come shortly and more beta events are definitely set to arrive in the future, so stock up on those canned beans (okay, maybe something else) and stay tuned!

Mail Call: Global Agenda's "No Elves Movement"

Read the entire newsletter online here:

http://hi-rez.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/hi_rez.cfg/php/enduser/doc_view.php?1=AvUG~wplDv8S8Oj~GkEe~yL~Jvsq~4r~Qy6cqjr~

And watch the movie of course! Because every time an elf dies, an angel gets its wings:

E3 G4TV: Modern Warfare 2 Hands On Vid

Video Game - E3 2009 - E3 2009

I watched this and have to say that November isn't coming around quick enough! Is it can be time to drive over people in snow mobiles?

FFIV: The Teaser Site!

If you haven't visited, yet, and you love the FF world (read: you got trapped in FFXI for years as well), check out:

http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/

Pretty seckasy...but with so many games going on, will I venture back to HNM dramz?

Aion: Early Access from Game Stop Pre-Orders

I actually did this a few days ago but I was late posting it...for those of you that "ZOMGAGZZ NEED AION FIX NAO!!":

Aion: The Tower of Eternity
Exclusive in-game items as well as early access!
Fly into a visually stunning world where you fight in an epic celestial war between twin races of winged beings. Personalize your online experience like never before through in-depth character creation, advanced crafting, and extensive item customization.
Get it first with In-Store Pickup!

As far as I can tell, the version you download for the E3 Preview weekend (going on right now!) is pretty much the Chinese OB client complete (?) with the inability to listen to the voice choices.

But it don't matter cos' I got mine!

SWTOR: Wow Wow Wee Waa! E3 Cinematic Trailer

Video Game - E3 2009 - Video Game Trailers

Just wow.

So hot.