New dungeon intro for GW2. Looks like something that would play before your first time entering the instance. Looks pretty interesting. What do you think?

The next few months are going to be incredibly exciting for MMO gamers with Tera, Guild Wars 2, and Star Wars the Old Republic reaching critical hype stages. As a star wars fan I'm incredibly interested in what a new MMO with the franchise could bring. Thankfully, the new intro cinematic has been released and let me tell you, it's awesome.


Unfortunately though, a good pre-rendered video sequence does not make a good game. The verdict is still out on KOTOR:O as it seems to feature clunky combat animations and a terrible combat system but hopefully these things can be fixed during its beta cycle. I have every faith they will be.

Well, it's been a few weeks since the Rift head start and I have to say that despite a few flaws, I've had a great time. A lot of people would say that the game is a WoW clone but I'm personally inclined to believe they're incorrect. The game itself has far more in common with Warhammer than WoW and it seems the only copy and paste job from WoW to Rift is the UI. This itself is a great idea because I've always found it a pain to get used to radically different UI systems when switching from game to game. On top of basically porting the WoW UI (and disallowing third party addons, which is a different beast for another post,) the devs also implemented several features that were developed as third party addons for WoW such as snowfall keybinds and several buff mods. Basically the overall "similarities" between WoW and Rift end there in the same way that the similarities between WoW and EQ end at the fact they're both MMO's.

Levelling in Rift was an excellent and refreshing experience. The game itself never got boring with so many specs to try out for my class. Rift uses a system where you are given 9 different talent trees that you can pick three of at any given time. This allows for a lot of leeway in class roles and playstyles. Ever wanted to tank as a rogue or cleric? You can in rift! Want to do truckloads of elemental magic damage as a Warrior? Spec Riftblade! On top of all the possibilities you have for class customization the actual process of levelling is enjoyable as well. Each zone feels unique and has its own backstory that adds to the overall lore of the game. Mob skins and models are rarely reused between zones and when they are the zones tend to be ~20-30 levels apart so you don't get bored of seeing the same old thing.

The best part about the Rift levelling experience is that there's just so much to do. You can play through the game like you would in any standard MMO by simply doing quests. There are also "Saga" quests that span the entire levelling experience and reward you with epics upon completion at level 50. If you start to get bored with quests you can grind on the multiple rift invasions that are up in a zone at any given time. These reward excellent experience and work around the same principle as public quests from Warhammer. They also give good blue and epic quality items if you do enough. Just like any other MMO, there are also numerous dungeons spanning your level range you can run at any given time. Finding groups for these isn't even an issue because classes are capable of doing so many different things. You'll rarely sit around waiting for a tank or healer and instead get to cut straight to the action!

The game does have its downsides though. Roughly one or two quests in each zone seemed to have a bug that would have to be worked around in order to complete them. Dungeons were also slightly overtuned for the casual MMO player. While it isn't really a bad thing that dungeons are difficult, many players would much rather prefer a mindless frag fest for free exp while levelling and I can completely understand that sentiment at times. However, the biggest flaw this game has comes in the form of one of its zones, Iron Pine Peaks. This zone is a huge nuisance for numerous reasons and I highly suggest bringing a friend with you if you decide to quest there. It really seems like the zone could benefit from some fine tuning.

At the end of the day, Rift is a really fun and unique game that I've found a lot of enjoyment in. I plan on continuing to play it at level cap and next post I'll have some info for you regarding the expert mode dungeons that are completable at level 50! Congrats to Trion on a fantastic game and I highly suggest any seasoned MMO player pay Telera a visit!

Well, it's about that time of year. After Blizzard's press release yesterday I kind of figured they were getting ready to announce Blizzcon. The event will run Oct. 22-23 at the Anaheim Convention center again despite the rumors floating around about Vegas as a possible location.

Of course, the announcement of Blizzcon is only the beginning. Expect lots of hype for the upcoming Cataclysm expansion as well as Starcraft II and Diablo III. Don't forget that tickets will be going on sale within the coming months and be prepared! It looks as if Blizzard plans on implementing the same queue system from last year. This means tickets will sell out incredibly fast and they will only be available for online purchase.

More information about the convention can be found at the official website for the event.

Personally, what I find most exciting about Blizzcon's date is that it gives us a good window for the Cataclysm expansion's release date. Blizzard has never released a major patch, let alone an expansion before the convention. Instead, the try to push them out the week after the convention, slightly before Christmas. So, look for Cataclysm to hit shelves early November!

As a former student of Michigan State University, I feel obligated to post this. It might be a little bit out of the ordinary from the other gaming news I post, but I feel as if it's pretty cool and deserves a post.

Taken from: http://kotaku.com/5494790/in-this-life+saving-minesweeper-game-the-mines-are-real

Every year upwards of 20,000 lives are lost in war-torn countries due to unexploded ordinance such as land mines. Can a video game educate children about land mine avoidance where traditional methods have failed?

That's the hope of Corey Bohil, a visiting assistant professor at Michigan State University's Department of Telecommunication and project lead on Undercover UXO. Undercover UXO is a simple computer game that sees players navigating a pet through a maze in order to find food. Throughout the maze are the telltale warning signs of unexploded ordinance - dead cattle, disturbed ground, and the shells of burnt-out vehicles - which the player must report to a local inspector lest they risk losing their pet.

"The goal of the project is to teach children in Cambodia and other at-risk areas to recognize and avoid unexploded ordnance," said Corey Bohil. "If the player recognizes the indicators and avoids them, then the pet finds the food and everyone is happy."

The project began life as a student project in a class taught by Bohil called "Collaborative Game Design." The motivation behind the game's development were shocking statistics from the United Nations Mine Action Service, which estimates annual unexploded ordinance related deaths at around 20,000, along with the failure of traditional teaching methods.

"For years the local communities would try to teach people how to avoid landmines," Bohil said. "They would have presentations made to community elders, publish booklets, and nothing would work."

As a long time hardcore WoW player and gamer I can’t possibly explain how excited I am for the new Final Fantasy MMO. I’ve been involved in the WoW raiding community for about four years now, but before that I was a hardcore FFXI player. I had to say that I was a little worried about this new release, but with Square releasing new screens like this I’m incredibly pumped.

More Screens available at the link below:

http://www.thelostgamer.com/2010/03/11/final-fantasy-xiv-receives-a-ton-of-new-screens-artwork/?nggpage=2

Taken from: http://kotaku.com/5486758/portal-2-adds-multiplayer-co+op-new--familiar-characters

Officially released details on Valve's sequel to Portal were scant. Fortunately, retailer GameStop comes through with some major details, including the addition of a two-player cooperative campaign mode and all-new characters.

Gametops's description of the PC and Xbox 360 game indicates that Portal 2 is due later this year—the online retailer lists an October 26 release date—bringing with a cast of "dynamic new characters" and "never-before-seen areas of the Aperture Science Labs." And yes, as hinted at earlier, players will be reunited with GLaDOS.

The only details on Portal 2's multiplayer mode from GameStop are that it will feature its own unique story-driven campaign. The "new mode forces players to reconsider everything they thought they knew about portals," requiring players "to not just act cooperatively, but to think cooperatively."

Here's the full product description.

Coming this holiday. Portal 2 is the sequel to 2007's Game of the Year and draws from the award-winning formula of innovative game play, story, and music that earned the original over 70 industry accolades. Features single and multiplayer co-op modes. The single-player portion of Portal 2 introduces a cast of dynamic new characters, a host of fresh puzzle elements, and a much larger set of devious test chambers. Players will explore never-before-seen areas of the Aperture Science Labs and be reunited with GLaDOS, the occasionally murderous computer companion who guided them through the original game. The game's two-player cooperative mode features its own entirely separate campaign with a unique story, test chambers, and two new player characters. This new mode forces players to reconsider everything they thought they knew about portals. Success will require them to not just act cooperatively, but to think cooperatively.