World Play Online - RSS News Feed

WoW: WotLK in stores now!

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:58:12 EST

IRVINE, Calif. - November 13, 2008 - Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. announced today that World of Warcraft®: Wrath of the Lich King™, the second expansion for the world’s leading massively multiplayer online role-playing game, is now on sale in North America, Europe, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Russia. The expansion will be in stores beginning November 14 in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, and available on November 18 in Korea and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Details regarding the launch of Wrath of the Lich King in mainland China will be announced at a later date.

"Wrath of the Lich King contains some of the best content we’ve created for World of Warcraft," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment®. "We appreciate the valuable feedback from our beta testers and the continued enthusiasm and dedication of players around the world, and we look forward to seeing them in Northrend."

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King sends players to the cold, forbidding continent of Northrend, where the malevolent Lich King Arthas Menethil seeks to bring an end to life on Azeroth. Players will fight Arthas’ undead army and unravel the mysteries of Northrend as they quest through new zones and dungeons, acquire potent new skills and abilities, engage in epic open-world player-vs.-player warfare with siege vehicles and destructible buildings, wield the runic power of World of Warcraft’s first Hero class -- the death knight -- and much more.

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King is now available at retailers on DVD-ROM for Windows® XP/Vista and Macintosh® at a suggested retail price of $39.99. A special Collector's Edition of the expansion is also available at a suggested retail price of $69.99. This limited-edition package includes the expansion, The Art of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King hardcover book, an exclusive in-game pet, a behind-the-scenes DVD, two World of Warcraft Trading Card Game starter packs and two exclusive cards, a mouse pad featuring a map of Northrend, and the official World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King soundtrack CD.

On November 13, the official soundtrack will also be available for purchase and download on the iTunes Store (www.iTunes.com), with three exclusive tracks available only on iTunes.

The Wrath of the Lich King expansion requires the original World of Warcraft game, available for a suggested retail price of $19.99, along with World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade®, which sells for $29.99. These two products are combined in the World of Warcraft Battle Chest®, available for $39.99. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King has received a Teen rating from the ESRB.

For more information on World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, please visit the official website for the expansion at www.worldofwarcraft.com/wrath.

World of Warcraft's Subscriber Definition
World of Warcraft subscribers include individuals who have paid a subscription fee or have an active prepaid card to play World of Warcraft, as well as those who have purchased the game and are within their free month of access. Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days are also counted as subscribers. The above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or cancelled subscriptions, and expired prepaid cards. Subscribers in licensees' territories are defined along the same rules.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft® and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment's track record includes ten #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's online-gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active users.

Warhammer - State of the Game

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 13:05:08 EST

Folks,

After over three years of work and one of the smoothest launches in MMORPG history, WAR is moving quickly towards the end of its first month. This is a perfect time to take a look at where we were, where we are and where we are going. First, on behalf of everyone at Mythic, I would like to thank you for your interest in our game. While it is impossible for me to personally thank all 750K+ worldwide account holders, please know that we are grateful for your support to date and the support we hope you will show us in the future. It’s been a long road to get where we are today but it has been a worthwhile journey. While I might be tempted to say that the future’s so bright we have to wear shades, as you’ve seen from our podcasts, we’ll even wear those indoors.

So, as to where we are today, WAR is doing fabulously. We are one of, if not the, fastest selling MMORPG out of the blocks and we are also one of the most highly rated MMORPGs of all time. While the game is off to a great start, we still have a long way to go before we can declare WAR a major long-term success. That success will only come by being focused on making a great game even better. How we are going to accomplish this begins with our first major patch (1.1), the subject of this State of the Game message. While WAR is truly a glorious MMORPG, it is not perfect and over the last month our primary focus has been to correct bugs and tweak a few things here and there. We’ve stayed away from major feature or career changes until we’ve had plenty of time to gather and analyze the data from our players. Having done that, we can now move on to what we are going to do over the next couple of months, culminating with the release of patch 1.1 later this Fall.

Let’s start with what we know is some truly exciting news. I’m happy to announce that in December, the Black Guard and the Knight of the Blazing Sun will officially be part of WAR. We have very special plans around their appearance and in our next newsletter we will provide full details about that exciting and rather novel event. When they were cut from the game launch plans earlier this year, I said that the Black Guard and the Knight would be part of WAR only when they were great and deserved their place alongside all of WAR’s other compelling classes. I also said that we would not charge any additional fees for this new content or put it in a separate expansion pack; that’s not how we operate. We’ve kept to that plan and with the introduction of these two classes, Mythic shows that once again we are happy to keep giving players more value for their subscription dollars than any other MMORPG developer.
Creating an MMORPG, especially an RvR-focused MMORPG, which runs perfectly on all types of PCs, is one of the most challenging technical aspects of game development. While the performance of WAR is great on most higher spec machines, we know that we can improve its performance on lower spec machines. We’ve been working non-stop to improve that performance and we’ve got a number of things going into the game between now and 1.1 that we expect will help to address everything from crashes to desktops (CTDs) to stuttering. We have a number of other client changes that will improve things such as propagation and ghosting.

Thanks in part to WAR’s success; our mail system that worked well in Beta has been straining to keep up with the heavy demand placed on it. It’s functional and it works, but it can also be slow and cumbersome to use. In all fairness to the team, the system’s problems have been magnified by the demand of having so many servers and players using it at the same time. That’s not an excuse though and we are working hard on deploying a substantially improved mail system for this patch. We will continue to enhance WAR’s mail system until it is one of the best mail systems found in any MMORPG.

Moving on to some more good news for our RvR players; we have brought additional resources to bear on, and augment, our RvR gear and overall itemization. In 1.1 (and beyond) we will be doing a myriad of things for our RvR players, including improving gear drops, increasing drop rates, and implementing an RvR-influence system to compliment the current PvE-influence system. We will also be giving players more incentive to engage in open RvR by improving the rewards for both assaulting and defending in RvR. WAR is an RvR-centric game and we will continue to do whatever is necessary to encourage people to join in RvR and reward them when they do so.

Other changes for 1.1 include major additions to the chat system (item linking and more) as well as continued work on our targeting system, including adding Main Assist and Target of Target. In addition to the server balancing methods that have worked so well over the last week, we will also be offering the first server transfers to our players to continue to help even out the server populations. These transfers will be free of charge but they will be limited to moves off high-population servers to select mid-population servers or off of low-population servers to a selection of mid-population servers. Much like we are doing now, we will select certain mid-population servers and let people transfer there. Once they reach a certain population level, we’ll remove them from the list and give their spot to another server. We will publish the list ahead of time so players can plan their moves accordingly.

While that might seem like a lot for a month, we’re not done yet! We’ll also be adding more exciting content to the game, including fourteen entirely new quest chains, two new Lairs, and many more Tome of Knowledge unlocks! This is only the first of what will be our ongoing content updates to WAR and it is a great start.

So, that about wraps it up for this first annual State of the Game, so without further ado…

Okay, so I was joking, we’re still not done. Over the last month the team has been looking at all the careers and building up a list of issues/concerns to address. Almost every career is going to see some changes and love coming their way and there are very, very few changes that will be seen as reductions to a career’s abilities. The Combat and Careers team has spent the last month looking at the changes that they want to make with an eye towards making improvements and buffs, not removing or weakening abilities. I won’t go into details here but the vast majority of careers all have nothing but love coming their way. Of course, we will continue to monitor and track all the class data so expect, like every other MMORPG, changes to the careers to be an ongoing process.

Well, that just about wraps my first WAR State of the Game and I hope that it has given you some insight into what we are going to be doing over the next month or so. This is by no means a comprehensive list of everything we are working on and I won’t go anywhere near talking about general bug fixes. The items mentioned above are just some of the highlights of our first major patch and I hope you agree that there is a ton of good stuff coming down the pipeline.

As required by lawyers everywhere, here’s the usual disclaimer that this letter is a guide to what we hope to include in this upcoming patch and not a guarantee of any kind. We are working on many things right now and my letters, as always, are just the tip of the iceberg. Fellow WARriors, we have a lot more big surprises coming your way that I will address in my next State of the Game message and it’s going to be a doozie.

Once again, I thank you for your support, patronage and interest in WAR.

Mark Jacobs

VP, GM Mythic Entertainment

{Source}

Gladz Interview

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:53:33 EST

When was Gladz founded and why?

Joe Jenninz, Jerico, and Blaze Mace founded the Gladiatorz Clan in February of 2001. As to why we were founded, it had everything to do with fun, friendship, and mutual protection— a necessity in a time when the whole world of Runescape was open to player vs. player combat. I now defer to the paraphrased words of Joe Jenninz from May 6th, 2001, when asked a similar question, as this question really is the founders' to answer.

"Well, most must wonder, how did this shit all start?! Well, Jerico and I [Joe Jenninz] have always been with each other— childhood friends— but the missing link, Blaze Mace, was a different story. As a newbie, I was wondering around Barbarian Village, when I met someone in Peska's Helmet Shop. As a newbie, I asked him if he had armor or something I could use. Blaze Mace answered that he could smith me armor, but I'd need some cash. Blaze left, and to no avail, I scurried off to make money. Out of the kindness of his heart, Blaze Mace gave me the armor for free, on the condition that I would try to give him some gold when I had some. Well, he did this for me numerous times, being as I died often as a newbie. Our friendship grew as we talked, fought, and walked together. Then Jerico came into the picture. Seeing my armor, he wanted some for himself. I asked Blaze for some, and secretly gave it to Jerico, but after a while of doing that, it got annoying. I finally introduced Jerico to Blaze Mace and we all started hanging out together. Time went by as the three of us trained and had a good time together. One day, Blaze comes to me offering to make a clan. I agree, and together with Jerico, we come up with the name Gladiatorz. After this, our then small clan voted me leader, Blaze Mace was named head smither, with Jerico as my second in command. That is the story of this all started... incase you wanted to know."

What has been the hardest obstacles to overcome since the birth of Gladz?

Around new years 2007, the clan nearly met it's demise. In fact, if it wasn't for our most dedicated core of members, it very well might have. Over the preceding months, rifts that had formed between groups within the clan, combined with the actions of some "bad-apple" ranking members, and some bad decisions by the leadership of the clan, caused a chain of events that led to a mass exodus of members. Most of the clan world thought that The Gladiatorz had finally met their end, but on the inside we did everything but give up hope. At the time the situation seemed miserable, but in retrospect, it was a huge opportunity for the clan. Under leadership both new and old, and with the support of our core of truly loyal members, we remodeled the clan. Making it through the darkest time in our history and coming out on top made us a stronger clan. We wouldn't have made it through it had we not bonded together and worked toward a common goal - the preservation and betterment of our clan, our home, our family.
By the end of the summer of 2007, we faced 3v0luti0n X in war. The clan world predicted an effortless win for 3v0, but with superior tanking, piling, and overall organization, The Gladiatorz walked out with an easy victory. We were back. By the end of the year, with the defeat of the Lithuanian Forces, we had fought our way from the bottom of the barrel, back into the top 10 warring clans in Runescape.

What is Gladz really about? Warring? Its members? Other?

What are we really about? Friendship, fun, community, loyalty, honor, respect, fighting, joking around, and the list goes on. There is no one aspect that drives us forward. We are a collection of people from all over the world who have found a mutual place to call home. Some of us shine on the battlefield, while others are masters of the art of brewing. I like to think that our versatility as a clan makes up some of the glue that has held us together and shown us so much success over the years.

What is special and unique about Gladz and what makes Gladz one of the strongest most lasting clans theres been in Runescape?

Aside from our solid core of "Gladz for life" members, the main reason that we have remained a consistently large, successful clan over the past 7.5 years is the fact that we are always changing. Like most clans, we have a constant influx of new members that add their personalities to our mix, but at the same time, our clan has been able to evolve with Runescape and the desires of our members. We evolve so much that people who come back after only a year will find themselves as part of a new experience— except for one thing. That one thing, that thing that has been constant through our long years, is our strong sense of friendship and fun. We have members that come back after years of absence, and even if it takes some time to acclimate to the changes, they are able to immediately step back in and assimilate into the community. This is what keeps us strong. This is what makes being a Gladiator something special.

What have been some of the most special or amazing moments Gladz has ever had?

Every generation of Gladiator (and there are a lot of generations) would no doubt give a different answer to that. We all have memories of posts, people, and events from the clan that we will carry with us for years to come, if not the rest of our lives, but the "moments" that everyone can generally agree on are the time leading up to official wars and then the wars themselves. The following is a quote from an unknown person who was not even in our clan:
"Oh, I am sure it will be a good fight, but see, the Gladiators have something about them. Before every war, they seem to get it... This pride. It's really awesome to see it. When The Gladiatorz go to face an opponent, they are virtually unstoppable. Not because they have 230+ members, not because their HP average is 85+, but because when they set to do something, it happens.
I think that if DI had showed up at that war, they would have been crushed.
Where do we get all our war strategies from? Where do we get half of the RS clan history from? What made or broke clans?

The Gladiatorz."

As someone who has been in the clan all its long years, I can vouch for that. I only wish others could experience the clan as we did leading up to and then the post-DS war period, where we took our place as the number one warring clan in Runescape. It doesn't get much more amazing or special than that.

What is the longest war and why did it last so long?

I have no idea! However, we can tell you that many of the old wilderness "run-ins" would last for hours on end. Members of both clans would return after death until their banks ran dry, and then return some more. Because of the tremendous drain on player wealth, we usually limited "returning" fights to once-per-week, and kept our other fights as regular PK trips or arranged mini-wars.

What is the most epic win gladz has ever had?

Without a doubt, the most amazing war we have ever had was the war against the Dark Slayers in 2006 for the #1 warring rank. They were the number 1 clan at the time. Unbeatable before we warred them, and unbeaten after, all the way until their closure. Once again, we were predicted to lose, but when the war commenced, there were 160 DS members facing an unprecedented 220 Gladiatorz. The Dark Slayers put up an amazing fight and kept the war exciting until the end, where The Gladiatorz stood victorious. We had taken our place as the number one warring clan in Runescape.

What has made Gladz stay alive so long?

We have, and have always had, an enduring core of endlessly loyal members. These people don't just say "Gladz for life"— they mean it. Not just our original members from 2001 who still stick with us, even though they haven't played Runescape for years, this core has shifted and evolved, including active and retired Runescapers from all ages of our clan, and some of our newest members, in whom you can still see that spark. That flame. A clan is nothing without its members.

Who has been your worst rival?

To put a play on one of the catch phrases that has defined us through the years ("Power comes and goes, but greatness is forever"wink, rivals come and go, but The Gladiatorz are forever. We've had quite a few rivals over the past seven and a half years, must of whom have died out!
Over the years we have had many, many rivals, some fun enemies, and many malicious ones. To name a few others from the past 7.5 years (not in chronological order): Sabres (later became allies), Death Corps, Dark Sabres, Mystic Dynasty, Mystic Knights, BDK, Zeonic Force, and Dark Slayers.
More recently, after The Black Knights left The Alliance in 2005, they decided that we had been holding them back and that we were their enemies and rivals. Things got pretty nasty from both sides after a prominent BK member spread some lies about us through their clan. There was a series of skirmishes and run-ins that culminated in a full out war. With the largest single clan turnouts in clan-world history by both sides, BK were the last men standing on the battlefield. We later found out that BK had cheated, but that was after the fact. After that, BK slumped to the point where they couldn't compete with us on any scale. A bit later, in addition to cheating and such in a few fights, BK tried to crash a Gladz war, so we blacklisted them for their skullduggery. A few months back in the CWPL, we had agreed to make an exception and fight them again. The fight was set and ready to go, and the clan community at large was hyped up for the fight, but a few days before the fight was to take place, BK dropped out of the league and refused to honor our fight. Thus reaffirming their spot on our blacklist.

How does Gladz handle flaming and/or other types of negative situations?

We have a strict warning/punishment system that helps us weed out the undesirables. Offenders either learn to control themselves, or are shown the door. We pride ourselves on having a positive community.

What is your main message to the community regarding Gladz? If you could tell the community anything to help them, what would it be?

There is no victory without sacrifice. No success without failures. In the words of J. K. Rowling, "We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided."

Saturdays War Lineup

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 22:44:42 EST

Saturdays Warring News:

Corruption vs Divine Forces PKRI

Starting

CoR - 70
DF - 80

Ending -

+192 kill lead

CoR - 74 (631 kills)
DF - 56 (439 kills)

Winner: Corruption

Runescape Dynasty vs The Stricken Cards PKRI

Starting:

Rsd: 32
TSC : 30

Ending:

Rsc: 34
TSC: 33

Winner: RSD

Eternal Honor vs Violent Resolution PKRI

EH Starting: 65 Players

VR Starting: 64 Players

EH Ending: 69 Players - 515 Kills (Prior to a couple of VR members constantly exiting and entering the portal.)

VR Ending: 36 Players - 309 Kills

Winner: EH

Adelias vs Crimson Raiders

Starting:

Aids: 32
CR: 28

Ending:

Aids: 32
CR: 25

Winner: AIDS

Teambloody vs Lethality:

TB: 9
Lethality: 7

Ending:

TB : 8
Lethality: 0

Winner: Teambloody

TCL + MMA vs DW + TRI

Starting:
Tcl + Mma = 53
Dw + Triforce = 44

Ending:

Tcl + mma - 48
Dw + Triforce = 40

Winner: TCL + MMA

CL vs EOS

Starting:

CL: 49
EOS: 39

Ending:

CL: 55
EOS: 9

Winner: CL

GOD vs PE

Starting:

GOD: 11
PE: 11

Ending:

GOD 5
PE: 0

Winner: GOD

TNC vs Exodus

Winner: TNC

DI vs TT

Starting:
DI: 66
TT: 59

Ending:
DI: 75 (468 kills)
TT: 75 (465 kills)

Winner: DI

SE vs TR

Starting SE - 50 people TR - 35 people?

Ending - SE 55 - TR 0 ( Called off returning after 25 minutes )

Winner: SE

FT vs TMC Rank Fight

Starting:
FT: 51
TMC: 63

Ending:
FT: 24
TMC: 0

Winner: FT

IF you want your clan fight added pm a admin

WPO 1st Runescape PKRI Tournament!

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:47:06 EST

Sign Up Here

Runescape PKRI Tournament October

Tournament Structure:

Start Date: Oct. 15th
End Date: Nov. 25th

Set up:

This is a tournament Round Robin. Every clan will be issued atleast 3 fights. PKRI's will be a kill count of 200 kills. First clan to 200 kills will win the round. Being a round robin this is similar to a sporting tournament. Ranik will not matter. This Tournament is for the ranks of the WPO Rank system for RS.

2 Losses and you stop fighting for placement of rank. Ranks will then fight for the position of rank on the WPO rank system for runescape. This system will allow clans to fight many levels of different clans. Due to it being a round robin style of fighting. This means Clans will automatically fall into ranks that best suit them. Once ranks are placed, this will mean ranks can start building towards ranks.

And the Winner Is...

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:14:35 EST

Sick Mic!!!

We say, "way to go" and great job on recruiting all those people. It landed you more ticket entries than the others allowing for a sleek and easy breezing over the competition. Mic will be receiving his Xbox 360 via mail within the next 7-10 days. He'll be playing new games on easy street thanks to World Play Online.

Make sure to keep an eye out for all the next contest coming soon!

Warhammer goes live; WAAAGH!

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:56:38 EST

Folks,

Three years after our journey with Warhammer began we are ready to present our initial realization of Mythic Entertainment’s latest MMORPG, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. It has been an interesting journey, full of ups and downs and moments of great joy and moments of sadness. In the end though, what we have brought forth is our vision of an epic Warhammer Fantasy world. The world you are about to enter is one full of greatness and glory but it is not the vision of one person or even of one company. It is a vision that has been brought about through the shared vision and efforts of everybody involved here at Mythic, Games Workshop and at EA. With our partner GOA in Europe, GigaMedia in Taiwan and future partners in other parts of the world, we hope to bring this vision everywhere. WAR will not teach the world to sing (or to dance) but we do hope it can teach the world to WAAAGH!

Rob and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in making Warhammer Fantasy come alive in this game. Whether it is our partners and friends at Games Workshop, Electronic Arts or GOA, you have helped us make this game come to life. However, our greatest thanks go to our team and our studio, without whose hard work and dedication over these last few years this day would not have been possible. We thank you all very, very much.

I hope you enjoy your adventures in this world and I promise you one thing, that everyone at Mythic has worked very hard in bringing this game to you but it is simply the first step in our journey. We have a long way to go on this new road and I hope it will be one that we can take together, for a very long time.

Mark Jacobs & Rob Denton
Mythic Entertainment

{Source}

WPO Game Database up and running!

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 09:00:00 EST

World Play Online Welcomes the Game Database!

World Play Online has many plans to make the future of online gaming more interesting and exciting for the gaming community. As unbeatable ideas pop into our heads, they go down on paper and on the list of things to do. The Games Database, created by WPO for the community, was on that list to do and is up and running smoothly as of today!

We have done much planning of what features to add to this database, and are going to continue to think of new features to add with time. Some features the game database currently has are:

- Checking off games you currently play/enjoy.
- WPO game ratings for the games listed.
- Commenting on the game overall.
- Links to the website of each game.
- Links to the publishers of the game.
- User Rating from the people.
- The games you choose show up in your profile.

Like stated before, ideas are piling up for the future of our Game Database. We plan to add to it until everyone is worn out from endless content. The body of the database is up and running, now all hands point to making the database more useful and fun for its users. As the database grows, we encourage more people to start using it, and to get more people you know using it as well. We have big plans for the database, so patience and active use with it will only make it grow! This is only one of many projects WPO plans to do for its users, so we hope you enjoy the database and the many ideas that will be put into it in the future!

- WPO Staff

Wrath of the Lich King Release Date

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:43:01 EST

In the frozen wastes of the north, the Lich King Arthas Menethil rallies his undead army and schemes to bring an end to all life on Azeroth -- and in a couple of months, you'll begin your epic journey into Northrend to confront the Lich King and his minions yourself. Blizzard Entertainment's second expansion to World of Warcraft -- Wrath of the Lich King -- will be in stores on November 13 in North America, Europe, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Russia, and on November 14 in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. The expansion will be available in Korea and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on November 18, and the launch timing for China will be announced at a later date. For more information, read the press release or visit the Wrath of the Lich King website.

Wrath of the Lich King will be available in both a standard edition and a special Collector's Edition (in select areas). The Collector's Edition will contain an art book, behind-the-scenes DVD, exclusive in-game pet, and more. For pictures and a complete list of contents, check out the Collector's Edition website.

Retailers in North America are currently taking pre-orders for the game. Reserve your copy now online!

WAR Deploys to retail stores

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:23:34 EST

Mythic Entertainment Lets Loose the Armies of WAR as the "Day of Reckoning" Approaches

FAIRFAX, Va. - September 15, 2008 - Mythic Entertainment, an Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) studio, today announced that the highly-anticipated MMORPG, Warhammer® Online: Age of Reckoning™ (WAR), will ship tomorrow to retail stores across North America, Europe, and Oceania in preparation for launch on September 18th. WAR set a company record for the most retail pre-orders placed by consumers for a PC title in EA's 26 year history. Overall, the company has sold 1.5 million units of WAR to retailers.

Based on the popular tabletop game from Games Workshop, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is an epic fantasy MMORPG featuring innovative Realm vs. Realm™ game play that pits the armies of Order and Destruction against one another on the battlefield to determine the fate of nations. Hundreds of thousands of players have already joined the battle in the open beta, and soon the time will be at hand for players the world over to pledge their allegiance to the armies of WAR.

"This is truly a historic day for both EA and Mythic as we prepare to send more copies of WAR to retailers than any other newly launched MMORPG in North America and Europe. Over the course of our beta, over a million gamers throughout the world sent a clear signal to us - they want WAR, and we are more than happy to oblige them," said Mark Jacobs, co-founder and general manager of Mythic Entertainment. "In three days the real battle begins � we have declared September 18th the 'Day of Reckoning,' and WAR will soon be upon us!"

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is rated "T" for Teen by the ESRB and is available for PC at an MSRP of $49.99. WAR will be the first MMORPG to open its servers simultaneously in North America, Europe, and Oceania when it goes live on September 18th, 2008. For more information, visit http://www.warhammeronline.com

###

About Warhammer® Online: Age of Reckoning™
Experience the glory of Realm vs. Realm™! Declare your allegiance and join hundreds of thousands of mighty heroes on the battlefields of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, the new MMORPG from Mythic Entertainment, the creators of Dark Age of Camelot™. Enter a grim fantasy world of perpetual conflict to fight for the Realms of Order (Dwarfs, High Elves, and Empire) or Destruction (Greenskins, Dark Elves, and Chaos). Invade enemy lands, besiege imposing fortresses, and sack sprawling capital cities for the glory of your Realm. Wield devastating magic and deadly weapons, battle monstrous creatures, and join your brothers-in-arms in epic Public Quests™. Climb the Bastion Stair, carry your Guild Banner into battle, and unlock the infinite secrets of the Tome of Knowledge as you travel the world. Sharpen your blade and unleash your inner mutation; the Age of Reckoning has begun and WAR IS EVERYWHERE!

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA™, EA SPORTS Freestyle™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2008, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle, POGO, Mythic Entertainment, Dark Age of Camelot, Public Quests, Realm vs. Realm, and Game Time are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Games Workshop, Warhammer, Warhammer Online, Age of Reckoning, and all associated marks, names, races, race insignia, characters, vehicles, locations, units, illustrations and images from the Warhammer world are either ®, ™ and/or �© Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2008. Used under license by Electronic Arts Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Dreamlords Race to 1234!

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:11:15 EST

"Race to 1234!"

Play Dreamlords to enter a raffle to win 1 of 2 prizes:
* Grand Prize - Nintendo DS Lite or 20,000 AP
* Secondary Prize - 5,000 AP

All you have to do is play Dreamlords between now and September 30 and reach 1234 Gnosis. We will automatically enter you in the drawing.

Rules & terms:

Only players with a gnosis level above 1234 in the Aeria Games release of Dreamlords: The Reawakening will be entered.
Only one account per person is allowed.
A grand prize winner in the United States can pick between a Nintendo DS Lite or 20,000 AP. A grand prize winners outside of the US must take the AP prize.
The secondary prize is 5,000 AP no matter the country of residence.
The player must have an active, valid Aeria account.
Contest ends 7:00PM (PST) on Sept 30. Please allow 1 to 2 weeks to announce winners.
No purchase is necessary.

If you don't have Dreamlords already, you can get it at Dreamlords Main Site

September 11 News

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:10:46 EST

To start off todays news, be reminded that on this day, seven years ago, a great tragedy occurred. Many Americans are mourning the lost, and honoring the brave.

Real World News

The PAX(Penny Arcade Expo) was a great success, but many of the staff are disappointed in the performance they put on this year. Much of the problems were due to not being prepared for the number of people. They hadn't enough space for all the eager people, the lines were a bit too long for some to make it to shows, not enough merch for all the excited gamers; but they are planning already for next year to be prepared. Aside from the problems, PAX was a great success and it was a great experience. PAX employees and guests were surprised by how powerfully the sub-culture pulled them together and are proud of how they have grown.

Gamer News

Today, World of Warcraft has released its PvE-to-PvP Paid Member Transfers. This is now a full-time available option for all subscribers and can be used to transfer a character from realm-to-realm or to an entirely separate account. For more information on this feature, visit the Official Blizzard site.

Warhammer Online is getting close to it's release, and they are going all out to make it happen. The beta they have running is helping them greatly with all the small bugs, and now that it has been open a few days they have fixed quite a few. Mythic Entertainment was also surprised when Gamestop pulled out a hidden stash of Collector Edition subscriptions. But that was good news for gamers that hadn't gotten their hands on a copy, because ME had agreed to provide the necessary codes for all the benefits and access to the beta. But the beta is soon to be over, as the new servers for the full game are going up September 14th! Public launch for non-CE owners is September 18th, as September 14 is the Head Start release. So far, four server types have been announced: Core, Open RvR, Roleplay, and a Roleplay/Open RvR server. They have disclosed that more server types will be released as needed. For more information on the Warhammer Online servers, click here.

WPO News

World Play Online has been busy trying to get ready for the official release, which has been postponed to October 1st for a combination of issues. But lately, the staff have been hopeful about the development and growth. WPO Head Developer, meth0d, says "We are working hard to get ready (for launch); games database, new forum layout, entirely new layout for WPL, and many other changes are in the works."

"During this time, WPO is putting it's minds together for the launch of the games database system, expanding the community forums and adding our own fansites for the games we represent. WPO is using our own gaming insight to produce the best of the best for the site as a whole before it's grand opening," says WPO CEO Jake. WPO has been meeting, discussing, making, testing for the past week constantly, and have high hopes for how it will come together in the end.

Something very important to WPO is member population. WPO wants to grow and expand, but really wants to support it's dedicated members. Bountyhuntur said "What we are trying to do as of now is work with what we've got. We have a large Runescape member base, and our Shaiya base is growing. For our current members, we want to provide content useful to them, but we want to invite new members from all different online games to join us. We enjoy interacting with our members and want to build a diverse, dedicated community." Meth0d has great hopes for the growth of WPO, "We hope to have 1000 members by 2009."

"All in all, we at WPO want you. No matter what game, age, or ability level on the game you play, your input is very important to us." - Ravi, WPO Admin

Copyright �©2008-2009 World Play Online - Worldplayonline.com™ - All Rights Reserved®
This article is property of WorldPlayOnline.com & the original Author as denoted below. Use of this article on any other website is strictly prohibited unless permission is granted by the author. Third party images and content are the property of their respective owners.

Links/Sources:
www.pennyarcadeexpo.com
www.warhammeronline.com
www.worldofwarcraft.com

Aion Hands On Report

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:22:48 EST

When I was getting ready for PAX I was told one of the primary reasons for going would be to check out Aion. PAX would be the first time the general public in North America would be getting their hands on the game. Much like most people out there, I really didn’t know a lot about the game. In fact I was going in with a lot of preconceived notions and assumptions. It is a Korean made game after all, so as such it comes with certain stereotypes. I’ve played more than my share of Korean MMOs and I have to say for the most part the majority of those stereotypes exist for a reason. While at PAX I spent probably an hour chatting with various members of the development team and probably between two and three total hours playing the game.

First of all, a little background on the game for those of you who haven’t really been following it much yet:

Aion: The Tower of Eternity takes place on the world of Atreia. The world is split into two halves with a collection of shards and ‘islands’ between them. There are three factions in the game, but adding a twist to the normal faction based games out there, one of them is entirely NPC controlled. The two player controlled factions are the Elyos and the Asmodian. Foregoing the stereotypical ‘good vs. evil’ setup, Aion’s factions are more along the lines of ‘light vs. dark’. The Elyos (the light) live on the bottom half of the world, where the sun still shines and everything is still bright and pretty. The Asmodian (the dark) live on the top half of the world, where the only light they receive comes reflected from the Elyos world below, giving everything an ominous glow to an otherwise dark world. The third faction is the Balaur, the ancient enemy of all the people of Atreia, whose constant war is what led to the cataclysm that split the world apart. Between the two halves of the world lies the Abyss, the game’s primary PvP area.

Now to the good stuff, all the juicy info I managed to get out of the various developers I talked to. Most of my tour was handled by Brian Knox, the Associate Producer, though various others came and went throughout the hour, including the main producer. This is going to be rather sporadic as we jumped from topic to topic as they came to my mind. I’ll start off with character creation: Aion’s character creation is set up in a multi-tier system. You start off by picking your faction; Elyos or Asmodian. Then you pick your archetype: tank, support, melee dps or ranged dps. From there you select one of two classes per archetype. For those who aren’t as concerned about the appearance of their character, you can take the simple route of just picking through a couple of pre-generated faces, hairstyles, etc. But for those who want absolute control over how their avatar looks, you can then drill down and adjust just about anything you can imagine using sliders. There is also a ‘random’ button for the impatient among us. Playing around with that for a while brought up some pretty funny combinations; it seems that you don’t have to keep everything proportional with the sliders, resulting in some characters with big heads or extra long necks and such. Another great addition to the character creation system is a preview option, which will let you see how your character will look with some example mid and high level gear.

One of the first questions I had about the game was the grind. We all know how much of a grind Korean games can be. As it was explained to me, Aion will definitely be the exception to this notion. Max level is 50 and the leveling pace will be on par with World of Warcraft’s, which really isn’t that bad at all. When I asked how this was being received in Korea, where the game is already in beta, I was told that they love it. Grind heavy games are really all they’ve ever known over there according to Brian, and now that they’re experiencing different setups, they’re really enjoying it. WoW is hugely popular over there and so far the feedback on Aion’s leveling pace has been very positive.

Next up I asked about character customization (skill wise) and alternate leveling. Aion will have a system they’re calling the Stigma system. Your character will have five Stigma slots into which you can place skills/abilities from other classes. So if you want to give your melee class a little bit of healing, or maybe a little caster firepower you can. This allows you to customize your character’s abilities to more fit your play style without completely changing the class. Also while PvPing in the Abyss you earn Abyss Points, which translate roughly into something similar to Realm Points if you’ve ever played Dark Age of Camelot. Much like DAoC’s Realm Ranks, you gain PvP ranks as you collect Abyss Points from PvPing and you are able to buy Abyss items. Titles seem to be all the rage in MMOs as of late, and Aion doesn’t disappoint in this department either. There is an extensive title system and the titles in this game actually provide bonuses to attributes and such. Another system you can use to further customize your character’s combat ability is the manastones which drop as loot quite often. Your weapons and armor have slots that you can use these manastones to imbue extra bonuses on the gear. During the time that I spent playing the game they seemed to drop fairly often and provided all kinds of different types of bonuses. There also appears to be at least one other way to mix up the abilities on your character. While snooping around in the auction house I noticed one of the searchable categories was “Skill Books” so it seems that you may be able to find skill books to add skills to your character as loot/drops, but I was unable to get any information on that, so merely speculation at this point.

Speaking of the auction house, it seems Aion will feature both an auction house system and a personal store system. I asked about the crafting system and was basically told to not expect a reinvention of the wheel here. They’re going with a pretty typical trade skill system in Aion, so if you’ve crafted in an MMO you probably know what to expect here. Recipes will apparently come with both skillups and as dropped loot items. The in game mail system does have one really neat feature, or at least I thought so. You can pay slightly more for “express delivery” when shipping some items to a friend. Which basically means, if you’re out raiding a dungeon or something really far from civilization, you can send out a plea over your guild chat or through a tell to a friend, who can then buy you some potions and have them delivered directly to you. Very handy, I can’t count how many times I’ve had to run back to town for potions or such in a game only to get back and find the area I was in had respawned or someone else had moved in and was camping it. Ever been in a game and found an extremely cool looking set of armor, but the stats/bonuses on it weren’t as nice as the crappy looking stuff you’re wearing? Well, consider that problem solved in Aion. It seems you will have the ability to ‘combine’ two different sets of armor, making the one you want to wear for its bonuses look like the one you want to wear for its appearance. And forget a simple dye system; in Aion you’ll be able to add particle effects to your gear. There will also be a system in place for uploading your own custom guild emblem, which will be displayed in various places on your character for showing off your guild allegiance. The guild system itself seems fairly typical of MMOs and there will be an alliance system for grouping multiple like-minded guilds together.

Combat in Aion seemed very fast paced and fun when I was playing it. There is an extensive combo system in the game with a lot of branching paths. Combos will trigger both reactive and passive effects. Some will lead up to more powerful attacks; others will trigger buffs, etc.

Naturally though, the biggest feature in Aion is the flight. The devs I talked to went out of their way to stress that flying in Aion is not just a mode of transportation. The flight in the game is there because of the combat system, it’s all about the aerial combat. Flying really isn’t meant to be used to get from point A to point B, though if you want, you certainly can. You are limited in the amount of time you can stay airborne, and if you don’t keep an eye on your timer, you WILL plummet out of the sky like a rock. And there are skills in the game targeted solely at the aerial combat (knockdowns, for example). If you thought knockdowns were a useful skill when fighting on the ground, wait ‘till you nail one a couple hundred feet in the air. And as you’re fighting in the Abyss, beating back the opposing factions, you’re gaining influence. Influence seems to affect most things throughout your homeland, the higher your faction’s influence in the Abyss is, the cheaper items become in shops for example.

Another interesting feature that I learned about was the random portals. As explained above, the world is split in half and each faction has their own part, which is primarily PvE. This is where you’ll do all of your leveling and such to get ready to head into the Abyss. However, just to throw a little twist into the system, every so often a portal will appear randomly in the world. It won’t stay open for very long, I was told five minutes tops, but that’s subject to change based on tester feedback. While this portal is open, anyone who stumbles upon it can go through to the other faction’s main areas and wreck havoc. As soon as you die you are sent back to your own world and the portals are meant to be pretty rare, so this should add a little bit of suspense to your PvEing without adding the full on ganking that a truly open PvP environment brings.

As far as PvE content goes, it looks like there will be plenty to keep all the PvE junkies out there happy. There are the typical MMO style random quests as well as a pretty extensive storyline set of quests. One cool feature I stumbled upon while playing was that the entire dialogue is saved in your quest journal, for those times when you’ve forgotten a small detail of what you were told to do and don’t feel like going all the way back to town to talk to the chap again.

So to wrap up what I’m sure is quickly turning into a short novel, I didn’t go into this with very high expectations. Like a lot of people out there, I’ve tried a lot of the Korean made MMOs and just couldn’t get into them. While they’re not my cup of tea, they obviously do very well and people out there like them. Given that, I really didn’t anticipate Aion being much different, but I was wrong. The time I spent playing the game was a blast. As I’m sure most people have already seen by the various screenshots and videos around the web, the game is stunningly beautiful. Even in the short amount of time I was playing I actually felt like I was accomplishing something. I did quite a few quests, found nice gear and manastones, and explored quite a bit. Aion has definitely moved quite a bit higher on my ‘most anticipated’ list and I’ll be keeping a much closer eye on what’s happening with it.

Source: mmorpg.com , Richard Cox

Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 09:45:50 EST

Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort's defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry finds himself more and more drawn to Ginny, but so is Dean Thomas. And Lavender Brown has decided that Ron is the one for her, only she hadn’t counted on Romilda Vane's chocolates! And then there's Hermione, simpering with jealously but determined not to show her feelings. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

IN THEATERS JULY 17, 2009.

News taken from: www.HarryPotter.

IRC

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:10:19 EST

WorldPlayOnline now has an IRC channel for you to communicate with your friends and peers that is tons faster than messages back and forth! Although we have a channel, it is on the normal server (irc.swiftirc.net) and we will continue to use WPL (WorldPlay Live). In other words, the IRC channel is not a substitute for WorldPlay Live, the live chat that our website uses but it is a different means of communication. We know that while playing RuneScape, using IRC is easier with mIRC, SwiftSwitch, and SwiftKit so we're attempting to make things a little easier for you.

Our official channel is #WPO so don't forget to drop by and chat with your peers :)

Also, keep your eyes on WPL as we are updating it and have brand new layouts AND multichat. Both of these updates WILL happen before the end of this month!

Perfect World International Beta: Now Live

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 23:08:10 EST

Open Beta is now Live!
Tuesday September 2, 2008

PERFECT WORLD INTERNATIONAL LAUNCHES OPEN BETA
Popular Free-To-Play MMORPG Provides All Gamers Open Access to Full Game

September 2, 2008 – Redwood City, CA - Perfect World Entertainment Inc, a wholly owned US subsidiary of Perfect World Co., Ltd., today announced the beta for its highly anticipated online game “Perfect World International” is now open to all gamers. As the closed beta comes to an end, new and existing gamers will be provided open access to “Perfect World International” where they can fully immerse themselves in the expansive world and create permanent characters that will remain in the game through launch and beyond.

“With millions of players worldwide and a successful closed beta launch in North America, we are excited to now introduce an even larger audience of gamers to Perfect World International as it enters the open beta phase,” said Dr. Alan Chen, CEO of Perfect World Entertainment Inc. “We are confident that our premium content, skillful approach to game design, and excellent execution will redefine the free-to-play market in North America while establishing Perfect World Entertainment as a leading provider of interactive entertainment.”

“Perfect World International” is the English-based, international version of Perfect World II, one of the most successful 3D MMORPGs worldwide. With its expansive feature set and unique artistic elegance, “Perfect World International” offers an immersive online world that players can enter free of charge, earning in-game currency to upgrade their character and further enhance their game play experience. The game features one of the most in-depth character creation interfaces seen in any game to date, numerous quests full of lore and depth, and an extensive selection of items and fashions. Unique MMORPG features such as Territory Wars will delight gamers and increase replay value as they explore and battle across the ever-expanding game world.

Additional game features include:

o 3 Unique Classes – Human, Winged Elf, and the Untamed, each with their own look, feel, and game mechanics. Each character class has different skill trees, which cater to the user’s visual tastes as well as their intrinsic needs as a gamer.
o Guild/Clan System – Guilds enable chat between members, creation of guild emblems, guild versus guild battles, and control of existing territories.
o Territory Wars – Guilds can own territories and battle for their control. Weekly battles support up to 80 vs. 80 and winners receive a virtual monetary reward determined by the amount of territory occupied.
o Mount System – Large selection of custom mounts, including flying mounts and the unique ability to mount and carry other players. Players have the unique ability to fight while on their mounts both in PvP (Player vs. Player) and PvE (Player vs. Environment).
o Costumes – Players have the ability to fully express themselves through their in-game characters by customizing clothing, and creating fully personalized avatars. These customization items can be bought from the item mall or traded with other players in the game.
o Free Roaming Map – Large variety of terrains and scenery and no “zoning” or front loading when entering a new area.
o Consequence – Character abilities change based on their decisions and their allegiance to good and evil as they align themselves with either side.
o Marriage System – Both players will have an online notice, and a wife/husband title. Marriage requires an item from the Cash Shop which is worth around 30$ in Perfect World item shop currency.
o Crafting System – Players can select and raise four different crafting skills. Blacksmithing (creates weapons), Tailoring (creates armor), Jewelry (creates various jewelry and arrows), and Pharmacist (creates potions and hierograms).
o World Events – Aside from day-to-day game play, players can also participate in World Events that regularly take place in the game and allow players to obtain unique items. These include treasure hunts, horse races, jungle ruins quests, etc.
o Exceptional Localization – Perfect World Entertainment has gone through great lengths to fully re-localize Perfect World into English, while at the same time ensure that the Chinese mythology and lore continue to enrich the end-user’s experience.

Players can find additional information on “Perfect World International” and gain access to the game by visiting: http://www.perfectworld.com.

____________________________

Source: Perfectworld.com

China: 4 Million Addicted To 'Unhealthy' Games

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 22:26:17 EST

Around four million Chinese youths are addicted to the Internet and “unhealthy” online games, according to claims made by the state controlled Beijing Times.

The newspaper report suggests that “Internet-addicted teenagers” account for around 10 percent of China’s total Web users under the age of 18. According to an AFP report of the story, the claims were made by Li Jianguo, a vice chairman of the standing committee of the National People's Congress.

The committee is calling for stricter monitoring of games that have illegal or inappropriate content. The committee’s definition of “unhealthy” includes extreme violence, games with sexual content and those in which Chinese nationals are featured as the enemy.

The Chinese government has already attempted to tighten control of content in online games, requiring operators to submit monthly monitoring reports on standards, particularly in regards to foreign-developed games which may make reference to touchy subjects such as Taiwan or Tibet.

In addition to this, publishers have been forced to include technology which reveals a user’s real name and identification number, as well as a plan for technology that automatically logs players off after a set number of hours of continuous play.

Source: Gamasutra.com , David Jenkins

HELLBOY II

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:22:40 EST

With a signature blend of action, humor and character-based spectacle, the saga of the world's toughest, kitten-loving hero continues to unfold in Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Bigger muscle, badder weapons and more ungodly villains arrive in an epic vision of imagination from Oscar®-nominated director Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy).

After an ancient truce existing between humankind and the invisible realm of the fantastic is broken, hell on Earth is ready to erupt. A ruthless leader who treads the world above and the one below defies his bloodline and awakens an unstoppable army of creatures. Now, it's up to the planet's toughest, roughest superhero to battle the merciless dictator and his marauders. He may be red. He may be horned. He may be misunderstood. But when you need the job done right, it's time to call in Hellboy (Ron Perlman).

Along with his expanding team in the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense—pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), aquatic empath Abe (Doug Jones) and protoplasmic mystic Johann—the BPRD will travel between the surface strata and the unseen magical one, where creatures of fantasy become corporeal. And Hellboy, a creature of two worlds who's accepted by neither, must choose between the life he knows and an unknown destiny that beckons him.

News taken from: http://www.blacktree.tv/hellboy2.php

WANTED

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:39:19 EST

25-year-old Wes (James McAvoy) was the most disaffected, cube-dwelling drone the planet had ever known. His boss chewed him out hourly, his girlfriend ignored him routinely and his life plodded on interminably. Everyone was certain this disengaged slacker would amount to nothing. There was little else for Wes to do but wile away the days and die in his slow, clock-punching rut.

Until he met a woman named Fox (Angelina Jolie).

After his estranged father is murdered, the deadly sexy Fox recruits Wes into the Fraternity, a secret society that trains Wes to avenge his dad's death by unlocking his dormant powers. As she teaches him how to develop lightning-quick reflexes and phenomenal agility, Wes discovers this team lives by an ancient, unbreakable code: carry out the death orders given by fate itself.

With wickedly brilliant tutors — including the Fraternity's enigmatic leader, Sloan (Morgan Freeman) — Wes grows to enjoy all the strength he ever wanted. But, slowly, he begins to realize there is more to his dangerous associates than meets the eye. And as he wavers between newfound heroism and vengeance, Wes will come to learn what no one could ever teach him: he alone controls his destiny.

News taken from: http://www.blacktree.tv/wanted.php

Game Video of the Week

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 09:39:22 EST

Some sweet moves huh? What do you think about the dance dance revolution that Guild Wars has?

New Cinematic Trailer for Warhammer Online

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:16:26 EST

The creators of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, Mythic Entertainment, have released a new cinematic trailer for their game. The extreme detail within the trailer gives out a new level of excitement as you watch the Armies of Order defend their city Altdorf from Goblins, Chaos, and Dark Elves alike. This enemy is out to achieve one goal: to burn and kill whatever is in it's way.

As you watch the trailer, you will see the city of Altdorf being under siege by a massive army of Destruction. The creatures storm through the city as the defenders of Order work together to fend off the enemy as best as they can. You will see multiple races using multiple combat styles to kill the opposing militants. Arrows, fire, and steel fill the air as the battle pushes on. You can really get a sense of the intense emotion of hate as you stare at the constant fighting throughout the siege. The trailer gives a false sense of security as you see one man falls to his knees, and another comes to take his place.

As the battle goes on, you see bodies pile upon each other. Gifts of fatal wounds are being exchanged back and forth, until you finally reach the end of the trailer, where the fighting gets to a point that is beyond interesting. The problems have only begun.

You can watch the trailer at www.warhammeronline.com

Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 07:47:00 EST

The first thing that Adam Mersky, Director of Communications at Turbine told me was, “Nobody delivers as much content as Turbine.” Over the course of Gen Con 2008, I’ve learned that may be completely true. Turbine has the excellent habit of never neglecting its fans, even if the game is nine years and has already been updated one hundred times. The idea behind this is one of fan loyalty and a sense of duty.

One game Mersky really takes pride in is Lord of the Rings Online and its upcoming expansion called “Mines of Moria.” The expansion was originally unveiled at Connect ’08 in March, but development on it keeps rolling. The new ideas being introduced, and the epic dungeon of Moria is sounding pretty good. As a Tolkien fan, I have to say I was highly impressed by Turbine’s offering. Their commitment to the fiction of Lord of the Rings seems as true as their commitment to continually updating their material.

Lord of the Rings Online has always been about the authentic recreation of not only the framework of the orginal trilogy, but the culture and subtext included as well. A good indication of Turbine’s dedication to this effect is that several staff members have the ability to read and write in Elvish. The Mines of Moria expansion will be no different. As Mersky informed me at the event, there’s pressure at Turbine to make sure that everything translated to the game is as authentic as possible.

In the Fellowship of the Ring, the Mines of Moria were almost a rite of passage for both the Hobbits and the rest of the fellowship. The trials and tribulations encountered on that specific segment of the journey forged trust and cooperation between the members of the group. Even the seemingly untimely demise of Gandalf had its glorious repercussions for Sauron and his evil. Lord of the Rings Online players will be able to walk in the shadows of the fellowship’s descent and eventual escape from the ancient Dwarven stronghold. When I was told it was going to be after the fact, I was a bit in shock. The marketing device for the expansion is an image of the Balrog. My fears were somewhat assuaged after I asked about the possible omission of the Balrog when Mersky stated that Turbine will indeed have a “very cool way to experience the Balrog.”

Visually, the Mines of Moria are aimed to please the eye. The new dramatic lighting system will make every nook and cranny as ominous as Tolkien wished them to be. The dungeon itself will be a massive construct, and described as “robust.” New technology will make the entire dungeon completely seamless and continuous, with zero loading screens. The technology is called “dual-height mapping,” and essentially, it creates landscape underground. It’s essentially inverting mountains and making them ceilings in the Mines of Moria.

Another cool feature of the expansion is the new ability for players to forge “Legendary Items.” Legendary items are weapons, and class-related equipment players will be able to imbue and grind with the hopes of creating a weapon that will rival the legacy of Bilbo’s Sting. The hope is that this system will eventually replace the need for players to endlessly grind for weaponry and equipment. In addition to Legendary Items, two new classes will be introduced, and the level cap will be raised to 60.

The expansion wasn’t playable at Gen Con this year, but it will be available for the first time at PAX in a few weeks. Personally, I’m not the biggest MMO fan on the planet, but I was really impressed with what I saw and was told. The dedication to Lord of the Rings Online is superb, and I’m welcoming Mines of Moria with excessively open arms.

Source Brad Nicholson, destructoid.com

Command & Conquer 3

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 02:41:43 EST

March, 2047. A massive nuclear fireball explodes high in the night sky, marking the dramatic beginning to the Third Tiberium War and long-awaited return of the most groundbreaking Real-time Strategy franchise (RTS) of all time.

The critically-acclaimed Command & Conquer™ (C&C) series returns with Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars™ (C&C 3). Setting the standard for the future of RTS gaming once more, C&C 3 takes you back to where it all began—the Tiberium Universe.

In 2047, Tiberium has blanketed the Earth, which is now divided into zones based on the level of Tiberium infestation. Pristine Blue Zones represent 20% of the planet's surface and are the last refuge of the civilized world. Partially habitable Yellow Zones make up 50% of the planet's surface; most of the world's population lives in these war-torn and ecologically ravaged areas. The remaining 30% of the planet is uninhabitable, a Tiberium wasteland swept by violent Ion Storms. Red Zones are like the surface of an Alien planet.

The infamous Kane has returned to lead the Brotherhood of Nod in a massive global assault on the Global Defense Initiative and the few remaining Blue zones left on the planet. Only you can stop him. The fate of humanity – and the planet – is in your hands.

Featuring state-of-the-art, next-generation graphics, an epic story with live action, full-motion video sequences, and the classic fast-paced C&C style of play, C&C 3 sets the standard for the single player RTS experience.

When you decide to test your skills online, a suite of truly innovative features, such as the ability to transform online battles into a spectator sport, unfold.

Welcome back, Commander.
Key Features
Fast, Fluid, Fun

The ultra-responsive, smooth-as-silk gameplay C&C invented is now better than ever, intuitively placing your entire arsenal at your fingertips.
Over 30 Single Player Missions

In a vast open-world 'theatre of war' where each decision you make matters, you'll experience one cohesive, epic story told from the unique perspective of all three warring factions.
RTS as a Sport - Battlecast™

Observe, broadcast, and compete in thrilling online battles with innovations including all-new interactive spectator modes, VoIP communication, player commentary, and more.
Story Like You've Never Seen

High-definition, live action video sequences that seamlessly tie the game's epic story together featuring an unparalleled, diverse cast.
Adaptive AI

The game AI matches your style of play - choose from distinct AI playing styles such as 'rushing', 'turtling', and more, or level the battlefield and let the AI use its own tactics to give you the highest level of challenge.
New Ways to Attack

Keep your opponent guessing by building flying battleships, wielding the power of terrifying Ion Storms, and combining units to form powerful never-before-seen super-units.
Technology Makes the World Come Alive

Lose yourself in reflected sunlight and scream in sheer joy as you blow chunks off of enemy tanks, structures, and anything else you can launch a rocket at. The game world gains a new dimension and the battlefield comes to life as the atmosphere fills with smoke, fire, haze, tracers, explosions, and state-of-the-art weather effects.
Intuitive and Evolved Interface

Fully evolved side-bar interface that allows you to fully manage your base operations while never leaving the action.
Battle the Best Online

With multiple online game modes, all-new multiplayer maps, and a fully featured content editor, go online to see how you stack up in RTS' ultimate forum.
Product Specifications
Publisher: Electronic Arts Inc.
Developer: EA Los Angeles
Ship Date: March 26th 2007
Category: Real-time Strategy (RTS)

3 Years of Power. Divine Forces Birthday

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:15:14 EST

The Runescape Clan, Divine Forces today reaches a milestone of 3 years in service to its members. They are celebrating their 3 year birthday with a day of activity and celebration within the Runescape World. Through the years they have fought hard and trained hard to become a rank 1 clan in Runescape. Following after path's of greatness set by other clan's has never been easy but they have come through work and time to create a dynasty.

Babby: Alright and what were your hardest obstacles to overcome from that time to now?

Ves: probaly the hardest was when death quit rs and went retired in DF

Lego: Losing our founder and first Leader Death240 was certainly one of them, changes to the wilderness and clan world and constantly adjusting to keep members happy is a constant thing

Ves: hardest 3 months after that for any of us

Ves: ya and when wildy was deleted

Ves: then bountyhunter multi as well

Bunty: There were a ton of them. We had gone through certain slumps that had put us down for a couple months max, but we eventually popped out of those. We had harsh rivalries through our time that not only affected our ingame play, but our image as well. There have been some transfers to different ways DF had been run and that affected a lot of our members, like Ves and Lego said losing Death was one.

We by nature as people have adversity through many steps we take in everything we do. It seems that it is in essence human nature to find the difficult within things. It is the determination and strength that we produce to stay on one single path for a goal that makes greatness. Divine Forces is a clan that has gone through the rigors that every clan faces. The determination of team towards a single goal is where the greatness of this clan has stemmed from over the years.

To read their interview is a step through time of Runescape Clan's and a valued insight to leaders all around that face the same challenges.

Read their interview here: http://www.worldplayonline.com/readarticle.php?article_id=36.

A great and Happy Birthday to you all at Divine Forces.

May all of your triumphs be swift and great.

Grand Opening Give Away

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 01:15:09 EST

Date of the Drawing:

September 15th 2008 (subject to change)

Grand Prize:

Xbox 360 Entertainment System

* Box Content - Xbox 360 Console, 1 Wireless Xbox 360 Controller, 20GB Hard Drive, Wired Headset, Combination Component/Composite A/V Cable, and Silver Xbox Live Service
* Design - Sleek set-top design with horizontal or vertical placement option in a white finish
* Xbox 360 Guide - Access your games, friends, music, movies, and downloadable content from the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller with a single press of the Guide Button
* Customizable Interface - Customize your Xbox 360 Dashboard, Guide, and Gamer Profile with content from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace
* Xbox Live - Go online and enter a world where games and entertainment come alive with the ability to download games and entertainment straight from the Marketplace and join multiplayer sessions complete with voice chat

How to Enter to Win:

- The top 10 Members that get the most recruited people to register to World Play Online via their Personal Ref Link (found in "Account" area) will be eligible for final drawings.

- The Selected Member will be announced on front page news. We will require their mailing address. Contents will be shipped 1-3 days after the date of the drawing. Please allow for proper shipping time to occur.

World Play Online Grand Opening Giveaway. Building Gamers Around the Net

5 Things You Didn't Know: GTA

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:27:51 EST

The 2008 release of Grand Theft Auto IV turned the video game industry on its head, as it broke sales records and made headlines. The successful Grand Theft Auto (GTA) franchise has 10 games for different systems, and while controversial for its violent and sexual content, the games remain hugely popular.

Worldwide, Grand Theft Auto games have sold more than 70 million copies, which makes them the fifth highest-selling game franchise ever. More than six million copies of Grand Theft Auto IV were sold in its first week on store shelves, with sales totals in excess of $500 million.

Now that we've hashed out some of the more commonly known stats, here are five things you didn’t know about Grand Theft Auto as a whole:

1- Phil Collins did voice work for Grand Theft Auto
You might not associate Phil Collins with video games, but the former Genesis front man is just one of dozens of celebrities who’ve leant their talents to Grand Theft Auto. Some others to contribute include Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Liotta, Michael Madsen, Iggy Pop, Lawrence Taylor, Peter Fonda, Ice-T, Burt Reynolds, and Axl Rose. Within this entry of five things you didn’t know about Grand Theft Auto is the buried fact that GTA was one of the first video game franchises to recruit celebs for voiceover work.

2- Grand Theft Auto talks a lot of sh!t
In the video game equivalent of hip-hop battling, Grand Theft Auto has traded jabs with games it accuses of copying its format. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, for example mocks Activision’s True Crime with a billboard that reads “True Grime” and pictures a garbage truck. Grand Theft Auto III pokes fun at Driver, another similar game, and its main character Tanner. The Grand Theft Auto game features a mission called “Two Faced Tanner” that requires the player to kill a Tanner look-alike who walks like a female.

Grand Theft Auto’s attacks were rumored to include Hillary Clinton in retaliation for her denouncement of video game violence. Though Clinton didn’t end up in Grand Theft Auto IV, rumors circulated that she’d appear as a prostitute, who’d ask, “Will you still vote for me?” after her services were used.

3- Grand Theft Auto has been sued for nearly $1 billion
Grand Theft Auto is no stranger to the court docket. Leading the way in the anti-Grand Theft Auto witch hunt is lawyer Jack Thompson, who has organized several lawsuits against publisher Rockstar Games on behalf of families who’ve had a loved one killed by a gamer. Thompson, who has called Grand Theft Auto a “cop-killing simulator,” launched a $246 million lawsuit in 2003 after a pair of teens, saying they were inspired by Grand Theft Auto III, shot two motorists. Two years later, a Grand Theft Auto-playing 17-year-old killed two police officers and a dispatcher, and Thompson filed another suit, though its amount wasn’t made public.

In 2006, another teenaged Grand Theft Auto player committed murder, killing three family members, and Thompson brought a $600 million lawsuit against Rockstar and its parent companies. In 2007, parent company Take-Two Interactive Software settled a $2.75 million class action lawsuit relating to hidden sexual content in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

4- Grand Theft Auto games offer more than 200 side missions
Grand Theft Auto players don’t have an excuse to get bored. They can find hours of entertainment traveling the game’s cities and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Beginning with GTA III, the first open game of the franchise, the games feature close to a combined 400 story missions, with more than 200 side missions. GTA IV leads the way in the latter category. Most impressive is the fact that most missions contain several stages.

While the story missions are integral to your success, it’s perhaps the side missions that are the most fun. Hit the gym to pump a little iron and you’ll see your player bulk up. Visit the tattoo parlor to get inked and you’ll raise your street cred. Hungry? Stop at fast food joints to get some grub. Just remember, don’t eat too many hamburgers or you’ll gain weight and be laughed at by random people on the street. Want to make a few extra bucks? Hijack a taxi and go pick up fares. If you’re a lady’s man, dote over your girlfriends (yes, it’s plural) by taking them on dates to keep them happy. Keeping a handle on these side missions while conquering the game’s objectives will have you glued to your controller.

5- Grand Theft Auto V buzz is already underway
GTA IV has barely hit shelves, but video gamers are already getting primed for GTA V, though there’s no official information about when or if the game will be released. Plenty of gaming sites and message boards have speculations about the potential game, which could be released sometime between 2010 and 2014. Because the franchise’s graphics, story and gameplay get progressively better, fans are hoping the game’s next installment won’t disappoint. Some speculation for GTA V ideas include a multiplayer version that will allow you to put your likeness on a character, the ability to speak (using your own voice) with other characters, open buildings to explore, international travel, and destruction of buildings instead of just vehicles.

While these ideas are all just speculation, there’s no question that if Rockstar wishes to develop GTA V, it will really have to push the envelope.

Source: http://au.askmen.com/toys/special_feature_200/204_special_feature.html

Server Move Complete

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:13:23 EST

We have completed the move to the new server. The site definately seems a lot faster to me, so please let me know your own personal opinions on whether or not anything has changed. Also, please let us know of any bugs or things that have become broken. I will fix those asap, but I need your help at locating the issues.

Server Change

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:00:00 EST

WorldPlayOnline.com will be inaccessible, possibly up and down over the next few days. This process may last up to a full week. It's pretty bad when a site hasn't even been released yet and already it has to be upgraded. I'm not even really sure of what the cause of this is, it isn't really possible at this stage for the site to be overloaded, I have yet to see more than 2 people on at any given time so that cannot be the case. My personal experience with the hosting environment that we are currently in is that the database server is very slow. I'm not really sure why that is either, you can see it for yourself at the bottom of every page, the parse time that is listed there is 9 times out of 10 rated at "slow", which is exactly that.

We will be moving into a much faster hosting environment under my wing with the J Love Network which will prove to be much faster and support the rush of traffic that is expected for World Play Online. You may of course notice at the current time that the site at times can be very slow, loading page-to-page can sometimes hang and the request can take a very long time, sometimes even failing in the end. This will be resolved (hopefully) with the move to the new environment if all goes to plan.

I am going to try to do this as seamlessly as possible but I can't promise anything, as things are bound to go wrong and complicate the moving process. I ask you all to please be patient whilst the move is conducted. I will post again when the move is complete.

Hands-On: Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:53:16 EST

Hell, I didn't even know they were coming out with a 3rd Red Alert to begin with. I stumbled across this post on Digg and thought some of you may find it interesting. A guy by the name of Earnest Cavalli goes in-depth on the latest addition to the Command & Conquer series, Red Alert 3.

I went to Electronic Arts' Los Angeles studio last month in anticipation of E3 to play an early build of Command & Conquer Red Alert 3, and I'm still undecided as to how I feel about the game.

I can't decide whether its newfound focus on naval battles or the annoying sudden death mode annoy me because of my particular play style, or if series fans will agree that they are dubious additions at best.

I also don't know how fans will react to the new third faction. Robots are cool, but do transforming, anime-style mechas have a place alongside Tesla Troops?

One thing's for sure though: If EA doesn't change Tanya's hair back to brown, there will be riots.

The biggest addition to Red Alert 3 is obviously the third faction. Red Alert games have traditionally been about the tension between Soviet and Allied (read: American) forces, but Red Alert 3 branches out by adding a group called the Empire of the Rising Sun.

As you might expect from the name, the new faction is based heavily on a wide range of Japanese influences. From stereotypical Evangelion-style anime mechs, to ninjas, to efficient salarymen, the Empire covers every stereotype Americans have about our Eastern brethren. The Empire's engineer even mimics Dance Dance Revolution when left alone too long.

Befitting the Empire's hypertechnophilic slant, the faction relies almost entirely on machine-assisted, quick-expansion tactics. While the Japanese God-Emperor back story crafted for the game is reminiscent of the zealotry of Starcraft's Protoss, tactics for the group feel like a more colorful version of that same game's Zerg. Look for swarms of cheap Empire troops (particularly the transforming robotic Tengu jets) to fill early game rushes.

On the other hand, both the Allies and the Soviets remain largely unchanged, aside from minor balance tweaks to make sure the factions play nice with their new Asian counterparts. Many stalwart units remain largely unchanged from Red Alert 2, including homicidal (mysterious blonde) commando Tanya, the Allied attack dogs, Soviet Tesla Troops, Terror Drones and the mammoth Apocalypse Tank.

Of special note is the addition of Soviet anti-infantry units that, at least for the moment, are a bit too effective. To match the Allied attack dogs, the Soviets were given Attack Bears. Bizarrely, the bears themselves are less able in combat than the Allied dogs, but to EA's credit the company was quick to point out that the dogs were "very well trained."

Seemingly to counteract this deficient ursine problem, the Soviets are given robotic walkers called "Sickles" that simply destroy everything in front of them in the early game. A favorite tactic of players at the EA preview was to simply construct three Sickles, then let them loose in the middle of the opponent's base. As anti-infantry units, it's expected that they'd decimate troops, but as it stands they have no trouble ripping apart buildings and tanks either.

If it sounds like I'm focusing purely on the game's tier-one units, there's a good reason for that. It's not that the higher-power tier-two and -three units aren't cool -- they are, particularly the Empire's gigantic King Oni mech -- but you'll rarely see them in play. Most games are quickly decided with a few tanks or infantry units well before you have time to develop the upgrades necessary for the more expensive weaponry.

Aside from the Empire, RA3's focus on naval combat is its most glaring change. Every map we were shown had a large water component, and it's obvious from the number of units that can move on both land and water that the game is meant to depict equal parts land and sea battles. It's such a huge change that it's entirely possible to play the game on maps without any land. I can see why players looking for something, anything to set the game apart from other strategy titles would be excited by this, but honestly I have no special attachment to boats, so I'm apathetic at best to the naval direction.

Those who yearn for some hot boat-on-boat action will be pleased to hear that the game complements its new naval focus with the finest looking computer-generated water ever. Without any hyperbole or exaggeration I can say that the water in Red Alert 3 tops every previous effort. Realistically depicted wake, foam, flotsam and jetsam, and underwater wreckage is all present and at every level of magnification looks as near to the real thing as possible.

When boats are blown apart, they sink to the bottom where they remain visible. It's currently under debate how long this aquatic wreckage will remain on the map, but I'm hoping EA at least includes an option for it to linger permanently since it adds greatly to each map's ambiance.

I'm sure there's a design document saying naval battles would speed up gameplay -- after all, more avenues of attack means more attacks -- but right next to that design document is another one saying waterborne warfare just isn't enough.

EA's solution? The "Red Alert Button."

In the current build, the button lacks some necessary in-game explanation, but after asking a few of the developers about the flashing-Russian-text-emblazoned button that would continually pop up during gameplay, we were told it was something of a sudden death mode. After a mysterious set of circumstances are met, the button appears accompanied by flashing lights. Clicking the button sends your base into overdrive, and all your structures begin taking damage. During the five minutes until your base completely self-destructs, you're unable to build new structures or repair anything, but all units are almost free of charge and build almost instantly.

The goal is apparently to force players into epic battles before the button ends the game prematurely, but why anyone would intentionally destroy their base in an effort to speed up gameplay is sort of a question mark. Though I tried to get a clear explanation of what the impetus behind adding the button was, it doesn't seem like the team behind the game has a good answer for why it was added, aside from the obvious chaos it could cause.

Fans will enjoy the game. It's got enough of that classic Red Alert feel and pendulous balance between wacky and gritty to please those who've followed the series since its inception, and assuming they balance it correctly, it should offer enough fun additions to earn a following. The question now is whether or not they can balance the three factions.

I just don't know if EA has enough time before the game's October release date to fix everything.

Image: Electronic Arts; Source: http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/07/hands-on-comman.html

Banner Link Trades

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:44:09 EST

While WPO is still in the making. We are offering Clans/ Guilds / Teams the opportunity to get some marketing in before the opening date.

To take part in this site to site chance all you need to do is put a World Play Online Link on your site or forums.

When you do this you must submit a 468x60 Banner for your site to us. Please give us your site's link and details. We will then put this redirect link banner on our front page advertisements slot. This is for members all around to check out your site.

We average 350-900 views per banner. We have also had 500 unique view's of WPO so far and we aren't even open. If you are interested please PM : Jake

Admin Jake

Pirates of the Caribbean Online Review

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:18:42 EST

Disney has taken many steps to promote the wild adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow and the heroic Will Turner. Taking their movie adventures in hand Disney created : The Pirates of the Caribbean Online. This is an Online MMORPG that is free with a premium option that includes many more quest and lot's more options for the players. Swash Buckling, Open Seas Battling and Pirates! What could be better?

You start your adventure building your pirate. The ton's of sequences and ways you can build you pirate is almost crazy. From the size of his or her chin to their eye brow features. I sat there looking and playing with my character for atleast an hour before I actually started the game! Once I started with my broad jawed wonder, I was quickly off to Port Royal. This is where it all began just like being in the movie itself.

Mr. Turner and Miss Swan are two of the first characters you'll see. They will aid you with a few minor quest and well they are just a cool way to start the game. You feel like your going to follow the tracks of the movie.

As you begin to adventure into the battle mode of the game you'll notice a bit of an annoying feature. The timing feature. That's right... You have to time the swings of your sword to build combo's and slashes. If you click too fast or slow you don't get your combo! Thankfully Disney made the foe's very slow on their attacks. Most of the time I just noticed them looking at me while I cut them down to bite size pieces.

Aside from the dodgey controls on the swordsmanship the best was yet to come.