Novaquark’s Dual Universe has hit the Alpha stage after debuting on Kickstarter in 2016.

Dual Universe is a PC Scifi MMORPG that is a single shared sandbox that is fully editable.The alpha comes alongside various refinements and updates including the following:

World Building: terraform the world and build your own secret base, one voxel at a time

Create and Save designs: build your own bases and vehicles with voxels. Save designs of what you build by making blueprints

Explore and Harvest: go prospecting to find precious minerals. Sell at the NPC market to buy components for your constructs

Craft your components: produce the interactive components you need for your bases and ships.

JC Bailie, Novaquark CEO, commented:

“With feedback from over 4,000 players, our pre-alpha stage was incredibly successful, and we’re thrilled that we have a core community of players who are as passionate about the game as we are. Whilst we’re still unveiling our alpha at this stage, we’re confident that with our community we’ll continue to grow the game into something truly unique in the MMORPG market.”

Check out the full roadmap for Dual Universe below:

Dual Universe is currently in alpha for PC.

The post Novaquark’s MMORPG Dual Universe enters alpha testing appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

FFXIV’s third expansion has finally been announced.

Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers was just announced at the fan festival in Las Vegas that is currently going on. Details outside a release window are sparse right now. Shadowbringers follows Heavensward and Stormblood. Final Fantasy XIV is the best modern Final Fantasy experience after Final Fantasy XII that is available on PC and PS4 platforms. Watch the teaser below:

FINAL FANTASY XIV: Shadowbringers arrives in summer 2019.

Updated to add teaser trailer.

The post Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is the newest expansion for FFXIV and it arrives in early summer 2019 appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

MapleStory 2 has finally launched worldwide.

MapleStory 2 is a new 3D MMORPG in the MapleStory franchise. It is available on PC via Steam and the Nexon Launcher. For the official launch, the content updates that are in include the following:

cap increase from 50 to 60
The gorgeous Karkar Island
Lv 51 – 60 fields in Maple World/ Land of Darkness
8 Normal Adventure Dungeons
4 Hard Adventure Dungeons
2 Sets of Epic Gear

Launch events begin today and are on until November 8 with login rewards and more.

MapleStory 2 is available on PC platforms. Check the official website here.

The post MapleStory 2 is now available worldwide via Nexon Launcher and Steam appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Final Fantasy XIV trailer showcases Patch 4.4 ahead of its release in 12 days.

Final Fantasy XIV is the best modern FF game on PC and PS4 and the Prelude to Violet trailer below showcases the latest patch ahead of its release on September 18. Watch it below:

Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood is available on PS4 and PC platforms. Check out the patch website here.

The post Final Fantasy XIV patch 4.4 gets new trailer appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Square Enix just announced that FFXIV has crossed 14 million players.

This number includes trial accounts as well and the game celebrates its fifth anniversary. FFXIV is the best modern Final Fantasy on current generation platforms and while a few updates have been a bit rocky, it has otherwise gotten superb support over the last few years. It easily has the best soundtrack among the recent franchise entries as well.

There are celebrations on in game for the fifth anniversary in the Final Fantasy XIV: The Rising event until September 18. If you’re interested in the Fan Fest, the EU one takes place on February 2 and February 3, 2019 at the La Grande Halle de La Villette in Paris.

Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood is available on PS4 (Physical and digital), macOS, and Windows through the Square Enix launcher or retail.

The post Final Fantasy XIV crosses 14 million players, game celebrates fifth anniversary appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Square Enix just released patch 4.36 for Final Fantasy XIV adding the Rathalos in the Monster Hunter: World collaboration.

This collaboration follows the Behemoth in Monster Hunter: World. Players in XIV can challenge the Rathalos in Normal or Extreme mode for in game rewards. Watch the trailer below:

This quest is available to Level 70 players who have beaten the main Stormblood story. The rewards include:

Rathalos Armor Set – Equipment Inspired by Rathalos
New Minions – Poogie and Palico
New Mount – Ride Rathalos, the “King of the Skies,” throughout Hydaelyn
New Furnishings – BBQ Spit

Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood is available on PS4 and PC platforms.

The post The Final Fantasy XIV Online and Monster Hunter: World collaboration begins with the Rathalos Hunt in FFXIV appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Square Enix announced the collaboration start date and some details for MH World and FFXIV’s event.

It is fantastic that the best current Final Fantasy experience is doing an event with the best current Monster Hunter experience with rewards for both games. Final Fantasy XIV will see the Rathalos join in patch 4.36. Players at level 70 who have completed Stormblood’s main scenario will be able to do The Great Hunt quest in Normal and Extreme versions. Watch the trailer below:

Monster Hunter: World is Capcom’s best selling game and it is available on PS4 and Xbox One with a PC version releasing next month. Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood is available on PS4, Windows, and macOS platforms.

The post The Final Fantasy XIV and Monster Hunter: World collaboration begins on August 7 appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Square Enix released patch 4.35 for FFXIV and announced the Fan Festival Mount yesterday.

FFXIV: Stormblood patch 4.35 adds Heaven-on-High which is a Deep Dungeon and the newest chapter in the Hildibrand quest series. H-o-H is a 100 floor dungeon that increases in difficulty with each level. There are special rewards for hitting the highest floor.

The Feast Regional Championship 2018 is also now in progress with official PVP being head until August 13th across each region. Winners advance to the online semifinals before the North American finals at Las Vegas at the 2018 Fanfest. More details are here.

The attendees at the Fan Festival will get the SDS Fenrir which is a special Fan Festival mount in addition to an in game minion that will be shown off later.

Final Fantasy XIV is available on PS4, macOS, and Windows PC platforms. Read our review of Stormblood here.

The post Final Fantasy XIV Patch 4.35 is now available on PS4 and PC platforms appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Square Enix announced that the FFXIV mobile companion app will release in late July.

Final Fantasy XIV is the current best modern Final Fantasy experience available on PC and PS4. It has been getting great content updates almost consistently (with one that annoyed many people). Square Enix announced that the companion app for the MMO with chat and inventory will now release in late July. Check out the website for more screenshots of the app in action.

At E3, Square Enix also announced a Monster Hunter: World collaboration for FFXIV that will see both games do interesting things. Watch the video below:

Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood is now available on PS4, Windows, and macOS.

The post Final Fantasy XIV companion app releases in late July for iOS and Android appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Square Enix just released a new trailer for Final Fantasy XIV Online Patch 4.2.

The patch arrives on January 30 and it includes a plethora of new content for Stormblood. The major inclusions are as follows:

New Main Scenario Quests – Thanks to the Warrior of Light’s heroic deeds and Raubahn’s long-awaited return, Ala Mhigo continues its steady march towards recovery. All is not well in the East however, with worrying rumors coming out of Doma.
New Raid Dungeon – The next arc in the Omega raid series, Omega: Sigmascape, arrives to test the Warrior of Light’s skills even further. With familiar faces from FINAL FANTASY V appearing previously, today’s trailer shows the Sigmascape populated with features very reminiscent of FINAL FANTASY VI.
New High-level Trial – Meet one of The Four Lords, Byakko, in this challenging new trial that begins a new series of side quests.
New Dungeons – Two new high-level dungeons: Hells’ Lid and The Fractal Continuum (Hard).
New Beast Tribe Quests – The Vira, one of the tribes of the snake-like Ananta, have long supported the efforts of the Resistance by sending warriors to bolster their ranks. Now, they turn to the Warrior of Light for help.
Glamour Dressers – Convert equipment, weapons, and tools into glamours at inns and combine them into a complete ensemble for convenient customization of player outfits.
The Feast PvP Updates – Alongside a new ruleset and the addition of The Crystal Tower Training Grounds map, the new PvP Team System will allow groups of up to six players to compete in ranked matches while communicating using a special group chat function.
A New Duty Recorder Feature – Analyze raid encounters from multiple viewpoints to improve tactics or relive your greatest battles with this new video playback feature.
Housing Updates – New wards and subdivisions will be added to each of the four residential areas.
Updates to bard’s performance actions, additional inventory through the use of a new companion storage feature, new equipment and more.

Watch the trailer below:

Final Fantasy XIV: Online Stormblood is available on PlayStation 4, macOS, and Windows.

The post Final Fantasy XIV Online Patch 4.2 arrives January 30, watch a new trailer appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Square Enix unveild Patch 4.2 for FFXIV: Stormblood and dated the Fan Festival.

Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2018-2019 will head to Las Vegas, Paris, and Tokyo. The patch takes you to the depths of the Omega Sigmascape. The patch is titled Rise of a New Sun. It has lots of updates including new trials, new dungeons, a huge update to glamour, system enhancements, and more. The following content is included:

New Main Scenario and Side Quests
New Raid Dungeon
The Forbidden Land of Eureka
Glamour System Updates
The Feast PvP Updates
Housing Updates
New high-level trial, featuring Byakko, one of the Four Lords
New Dungeons
A New Duty Recorder Feature
Updates to bard’s performance actions, additional inventory through the use of a new companion storage feature, and more.

FFXIV Starlight Celebration event returns to FINAL FANTASY XIV Online today. Read about it here.

Final fantasy XIV: Stormblood is now available on PlayStation 4 and PC platforms including macOS.

The post Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood Patch 4.2 unveiled appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Square Enix releases patch 4.15 for FFXIV today.

Patch 4.15 has a new PvP mode that has 24 v 24 player combat. There will also be bard specific features like performance actions and general new content like new mounts and items. Season 6 of the Feast PvP begins today with Patch 4.15 and it will continue until Patch 4.2. Try out the best modern Final Fantasy experience with FFXIV Online for free here.

Final Fantasy XIV Online is available on PlayStation 4 and PC platforms. Read our Stormblood review here.

The post Final Fantasy XIV Online patch 4.15 brings a new PvP mode and more appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Blizzard just announced World of Warcraft: Classic and a new expansion for WoW.

If you’ve wanted vanilla WoW or legacy servers, Blizzard will finally answer your call with World of Warcraft: Classic which will be a new server option. Watch the announcement below:

They also just announced a new expansion for WoW called the Battle for Azeroth. Watch the fantastic cinematic below:

Here’s a video showcasing new features in the expansion:

World of Warcraft is available on Windows and Mac.

The post World of Warcraft: Classic announced alongside Battle for Azeroth expansion appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Square Enix just announced the Halloween event details for FFXIV Online.

The Continental Circus returns for All Saints’ Wake and if you get to the woods in Gridania from October 19 to November 1, there will be a traveler waiting. The in game event will allow you to earn spooky items and a unique outfit for your character.

October 24 will say the 4.11 patch which introduces the Unending Coil of Bahamut (Ultimate). If you haven’t checked FFXIV Online out yet, there’s a free trial available.

Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood is available on PlayStation 4 and PC platforms.

The post The Continental Circus returns for All Saints’ Wake in FFXIV Online appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Bethesda has announced the release schedule for the Clockwork City DLC pack for The Elder Scrolls Online.

The DLC will take players through a new zone – Sotha Sil’s legendary Clockwork City – to investigate a new Daedric threat. The DLC is roughly ten hours of brand new content with new creatures and hybrid monsters to battle. Players will also find a new Trial called Asylum Sanctorum.

Players can get a sneak peek at Clockwork City content by embarking on the prologue quest, now live for all players. In this, they’ll investigate prominent diviners, scholars, and planar archaeologists who are being murdered by their own shadows. Players can travel to any local Mages Guild headquarters in Tamriel to find a note on a table titled “Order of the Eye Dispatch.” Reading the note will give the quest “Of Knives and Long Shadows,” and send players on their new adventure.  Once complete, players will receive the “Clockwork Obscuros” memento in their Collection.

The new DLC will release 23 October 2017 for PC/Mac and 7 November 2017 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Clockwork City will be free to all ESO Plus members and available for purchase for 2,000 crowns for everyone else via the in-game Crown Store. The DLC pack is available for everyone and does not require ESO: Morrowind.

The post The Elder Scrolls Online gets release schedule for Clockwork City DLC appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

The first big update to Stormblood is finally here.

Square Enix just released patch 4.1 for FFXIV: Stormblood and it has a ton of stuff. There’s a new story arc and alliance raid as you return to Rabanastre. There are also new quests, battles, and more. Watch the trailer for it below:

Full patch notes are here.

Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood is now available on PlayStation 4 and PC platforms.

The post Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood Patch 4.1 releases today appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Square Enix revealed the release date for Patch 4.1 of FFXIV today.

Patch 4.1 is the first major update for Stormblood and it will release on October 10. There’s a ton of new stuff and you can watch the trailer below:

Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood is available on PlayStation 4, macOS, and Windows.

The post Final Fantasy XIV Patch 4.1 releases on October 10, trailer released appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Square Enix announced the first details for Patch 4.1 for FFXIV that arrives next month.

At a 14 hour live stream for FFXIV‘s 4th anniversary, we got to know some details about the Ivalice aspect of Patch 4.1, and that the Yokai Watch collaboration is back on from today. Patch 4.1 will be called “The Legend Returns” and some of the new content arriving in it is as follows:

New Main Scenario and Side Quests – including the return of Hildibrand
New Alliance Raid – Return to Ivalice
New Primal Battle – The Extreme version of the Main Story boss
New Ultimate Difficulty – The Unending Coil of Bahamut (Ultimate)
New PvP Content – Rival Wings 24 vs 24
New Instanced Dungeon – The Drowned City of Skalla
The Lost Canals of Uznair Update – New Maps leading to Deeper Submerged Chambers, New Systems and New Enemies
Adventurer Squadron Updates – New Missions where you can form a party and enter Dungeons with your Squadron Members
New Beast Tribe Quests – The Kojin
Housing Update – Shirogane Plots and Relocation Service Available

Yasumi Matsuno of FFXII and Tactics fame joined the stream to talk about the Return to Ivalice 24 player raid which he is writing the scenario for.

Final Fantasy XIV is the best numbered Final Fantasy game in the last few years and you can try it for free today with the free trial. Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood is available on PlayStation 4, Windows, and macOS.

The post Final Fantasy XIV gets first details for Patch 4.1, releases next month appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Square Enix just announced the fourth anniversary celebration of Final Fantasy XIV Online.

The best numbered Final Fantasy game in a long time celebrates its fourth birthday with a special live stream that will take place on September 2. This stream will feature the 38th Live Letter and have in game challenges and a host of special guests. Patch 4.1 content will also be shown off along with Yasumi Matsuno joining Naoki Yoshida to discuss the Return to Ivalice 24 player raide. Naoki Yoshida commented on this:

“This past year has been full of memorable moments. From Fan Festivals in Las Vegas, Tokyo, and Frankfurt, right through to the launch of Stormblood, we have been honored by the continued support of our players and are overjoyed to share this occasion with them. I wanted to thank our entire community, which has now reached 10 million Warriors of Light, for supporting us this far—here’s to even more exciting things to come!”

Koji Fox will also be doing a panel with the localization team discussing lore and answering questions about lore and localization. The panel will be live streamed on Twitch. The Rising in game seasonal event is on with a Mega Mog Station sale with up to 30% off on stuff available. Read about the event here. Here’s a random song from the fantastic soundtrack:

If you haven’t played FFXIV yet, there’s a free trial that lets you play until Level 35 with up to 8 characters created.

Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood is available on PlayStation 4, macOS, and Windows.

The post Final Fantasy XIV Online has a fourth anniversary celebration live stream on September 2 appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Square Enix just released the launch trailer for Stormblood.

Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood will release on June 20 and it has a new story with new jobs and a revamped battle system. There’s also swimming and more. Watch the trailer below:

Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood will release on June 20 for PlayStation 4 and PC.

The post Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood launch trailer released appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Square Enix finally released the full version of the main theme for FFXIV’s Stormblood expansion.

This theme song has vocals by the amazing Susan Calloway once again and has been composed by veteran Nobuo Uematsu. If you aren’t familiar with FFXIV’s music, Answers is the secret best vocal song in Final Fantasy history. The theme for Stormblood is called Revolutions. Check out the theme below (contains some new scenes):

Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood will release on PlayStation 4 and PC on June 20.

Thanks, Nova Crystallis.

The post Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood’s glorious main theme is “Revolutions” appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Square Enix has just expanded the free trial and released patch 3.56 for Final Fantasy XIV.

Earlier, the free trial was restricted to 14 days but now there’s a level restriction instead. Free trial accounts can play FFXIV up till level 35. Even expired free trial accounts can be reactivated with this update. Patch 3.56 brings the Heavensward tale to a gripping conclusion as well. The full patch notes are available here.

There’s more good news surrounding Final Fantasy XIV though. THE FAR EDGE OF FATE: FINAL FANTASY XIV ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK has also been announced with lovely purple artwork (albeit reused from the soundtrack for Heavensward) that covers patch 3.2 until the latest one. This has 50 new music tracks and so far the soundtrack to Final Fantasy XIV is amazing. This soundtrack will release on June 7.

Final Fantasy XIV is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Mac, and Windows.

The post Final Fantasy XIV free trial expanded and patch 3.56 is now available appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIV had a lot of announcements at the Fan Festival in Europe.

For one, it is now a Guinness World Record holder for most original pieces of music in a video game. Final Fantasy XIV is at 384 pieces of music as of this writing. SOKEN’s music for Final Fantasy XIV and Uematsu’s themes elevate it above almost every Final Fantasy game releases after IX.

Final Fantasy XIV is also set to get a PS4 Pro patch. It will focus more on performance. Stormblood will see PS3 support dropped. Here’s what Yoshida had to say:

“Rather than using the PS4 Pro’s power to adapt to say 4k display, we’re thinking of using it for game performance. We’ve begun work on a Pro patch and hope to have details soon.”

Stormblood, the new expansion that is due in June also got a fantastic new trailer. Watch it below:

He also says they are considering a Nintendo Switch release for Final Fantasy XIV.

Thanks, Nova Crystallis.

The post Final Fantasy XIV wins Guinness World Records and is set to get a PS4 Pro patch appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Trion Worlds just announced the release date for ArcheAge: Revelation

Revelation will be the largest expansion for the f2p fantasy MMORPG. The expansion will allow things previously impossible with new races and abilities. There will also be new environments and a new skill system with deeper customization. Here’s what Merv Lee Kwai, the executive producer, had to say:

“Revelation offers current, former AND new players the very best ArcheAge experience ever. From a wealth of new content including all-new playable races, to entirely new systems such as the Abyssal Skills, players of all kinds will find a lot to like in Revelation. Combine that with Fresh Start servers that give every player an equal opportunity to stake their claim to prime in-game real estate, and this is truly the most exciting time to be an ArcheAge player.”

Another interesting addition is fresh start servers for NA and EU where everyone starts from scratch.

ArcheAge: Revelation will launch on December 10 and is available for Windows.

The post ArcheAge: Revelation launches on December 10 appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Another WildStar beta event is on the horizon and Carbine have been nice enough to provide us with a whole bunch of keys to give away to you guys.

The upcoming beta takes place this Friday 2nd April from 14:00 BST until Monday 5th at 06:59 BST.

The level cap has been increased from 20 to 25. So even if you’ve taken part in a previous beta event, there should be plenty of new content for you to sink your teeth into.

To take part, simply grab a key below. Please note, these keys will only work with EU NCSoft accounts.

UPDATE: We’ve asked for more keys, we’ll let you know if we get them via @GodisaGeek on Twitter!

[keys id=144966]

See you in game!

Creating a NCSOFT Account
If you already have an existing NC Account, you can safely skip these first two steps.
1. Visit the NCSOFT account creation website and click the “Create NC Account” button.
2. Follow the link in the email you receive to verify your email address successfully.

Redeeming your personal Beta Key
1. Log into your account using the NCSOFT account website.
2. Click “APPLY A CODE” on the red banner near the top of the page.
3. Paste in your personal serial key from our email and click Apply.
4. If you receive a success message, you’re good to go! If not double-check the serial key s correctly entered.
5. Download the client by clicking “Manage” link under WildStar Beta in your “My Games” list

The post WildStar Beta Key Giveaway appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

It’s beta time again in Tamriel. We previewed the upcoming Elder Scrolls Online at E3 last year and were thoroughly impressed with what we saw. We have since been playing in the beta and would like you dear readers, to join us!

This is another event for PC/Mac, so console gamers will have to hold out, for now. The beta event will take place from Friday, 14th of March (16:00 GMT / 17:00 CET) until Monday, 17th of March (03:59 GMT / 04:59 CET) and will let you get to grips with the game before the official launch on 4th April.

[keys id=142955]

How to redeem your code:

Create your account by visiting https://account.elderscrollsonline.com/register/account-information
1. Once you’ve finished creating and verifying your account, click the “Redeem Key” button on the main My Account Page to register your beta key (see above).

2. Make sure you do not include extra spaces after the key is entered or the key won’t redeem.

3. When the process is complete, you’ll be able to download the game client from your Account Page. We suggest doing this as soon as possible.

4. Use the username and password you registered to login and play the game.

5. If you already have an Elder Scrolls Online Beta account, you do not need an additional key to play in this event. Instead, pass this code along to a friend!

This beta code will only allow access to the game during the beta event.
If you need any help, please visit http://help.elderscrollsonline.com

The post Elder Scrolls Online Beta Key Giveaway appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Our popular MMORPG podcast Ding! has been on hiatus for far too long! The truth is, the last episode was so good, we simply didn’t know how we could possible top it. That, or we were snowed under with exciting next-gen news post-E3, we didn’t have the time to get together for another episode…

So to tide you over until Martin, Trey and Calvin get their acts together, here’s a supplemental of everything new and interesting in the MMO World at current.

• World of Warcraft now includes all Expansions , but MoP.

The Battle Chest has been replaced with a new standard retail box simply and unmistakably titles World of Warcraft. The new vanilla package contains The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, and Cataclysm expansions. Priced at £9.99 and launched on 29th October, this package means players can jump straight into Azeroth without worrying about upgrading. Mists of Pandaria isn’t included, but as Blizzard’s latest patch is still relatively new, that’s understandable. As well as the expected (yet unnecessary) game disks, the new retail box also includes a very handy Official Beginner’s Guide and a Quickstart Guide for new players.

Blizzard also recently announce the next expansion for WoW: Warlords of Draenor. Expect to learn a lot more about this upcoming expansion in the lead up to it’s release next year, but you may be excited to hear it’ll contain model updates for most if not all playable races. This is great news for anyone not playing as a Pandaren!

• CCP have also released a new retail box for EVE Online: Collector’s Edition.

To celebrate the game’s 10th Anniversary, CCP have released a new Collector’s Edition for fans to grab a few exclusive items, both tangible and digital. The CE is also Limited Edition and contains ‘INto the Second Decade’ a nice 190-page book celebrating the first 10 years of EVE, a “Rifter” USB hub modeled in the shape of an iconic EVE ship, ‘EVE Symphony’ CD of live performances of the signature EVE soundtrack by the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra and ‘The Danger Game’, a board game that kickstarted CCP back in 1998 and gave them the funding to develop their space MMO.

• Star Trek Online heads into the Delta Quadrant, with Season 8.

Cryptic have released the 8th major update, not including this year’s massive expansion Legacy of Romulus. With Season 8: The Sphere, we see captains travelling to the edge of the Delta Quadrant, thanks to an Icanian gateway, which leads to a Solanae Dyson Sphere which contains space adventure zones and ground battlezones and of course brings a range of new max-level events to take part in. Not to mention a whole new reputation system to keep you entertained while you work towards gaining the new S8 gear. It’s great to see STO receiving it’s third major update for the third year in a row.

The post Ding! MMO Supplemental appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Beta 3 has begun and is set to run over the next four weekends from Friday afternoon to early on Sunday mornings. The game is cross platform between PS3 and PC, so cross-play is absolutely possible.

Here we take a look at the character creation process in it’s entirety:

[Update] Apologies for the lack of video footage at the moment. YouTube should be restoring the video shortly.

The post Final Fantasy XIV Character Creation appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

A year after going free-to-play, Star Trek Online has received its first full expansion, Legacy of Romulus. We took a dive back into the Star Trek universe, to follow on from our our initial review and see how the new expansion changes the game.

Technically, Star Trek Online is still a two-faction game. The central point of all PvP and most PvE content in the game is based on the war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, with the Romulan Star Empire in disarray after the destruction of their home-world. Now living on colonies, spread around the quadrant, the newly-formed Romulan Republic are on a mission to re-unite the Romulan people, and settle on a new home-world. The Tal Shiar, under the authority of Empress Sela, are branding the Republic as terrorists, and attempting to put an end to the movement.

New Romulus was, of course, introduced to us as Federation or Klingon Empire players during Season 7 (the previous big update). Legacy of Romulus is a prequel of sorts – a chance to experience the birth of the new Romulan home-world through the eyes of a Romulan.

Playing as a Romulan character will see you join the ranks of the Romulan Republic after Tal Shiar attack forces wipe out your starting world colony. From this point on, it’s a story of deceit, betrayal, re-uniting of old friends, and a lot of fun along the way. At around level 10, Romulan players will be given the choice of aligning with either the Federation or the Klingon Defence Force. There are legitimate reasons for this alliance, but I don’t want to spoil the storyline for you. Gameplay-wise, this aspect helps keep endgame content strictly binary, Fed vs KDF.

Legacy of Romulus brings so much new lore to the game: Mission content for Romulan players will take you from pre-level 1, all the way through to level 40. At that point, you’ll also have access the masses of mission content available to Federation/Klingon players (depending on which alliance you chose). It is a shame that the Romulan story arc doesn’t stretch until level 50 – but of course there are ample ways to level up in STO, including the PvP and PvE queueing systems.

Once you do reach level 50, that isn’t the end, as the Reputation system has new content too. Joining the New Romulus and Task Force Omega Reputations, is the Nukara Strikeforce. Completing tiers in these Reputation systems will earn new end-game gear for players. Whether helping protect New Romulus and defending the surrounding systems, fighting off the Borg with Task Force Omega, or combating the Tholians in the new Nukara Strikeforce, there is plenty of end-game content there to keep solo players entertained, either by queueing solo or fighting in Elite Special Task Forces (eSTFs) with a fleet.

If you do start a character in the Romulan faction, you’ll have the choice of up to three races, bringing the total playable races up to 25. If you purchased the Legacy Pack (which is a bundle containing ships and perks for the expansion), or if you’ve completed the Romulan Reputation as another character, you’ll have access to the Reman race. There’s also the option of alien-gen, which gives players freedom to design their own race with the popular Cryptic character-creation tools. There’s a large selection of Romulan Warbirds to choose from, too. From level 1 – 50 you’ll never be short of birds to fly. If the Romulan selection doesn’t take your fancy, you’ll also have access to ships from your allies. This makes Romulans possibly the most enticing race to play right now.

Saying that, the Klingon faction has received a major update in this expansion, too. It’s now possible to play all the way through the game as a Klingon, something that hasn’t been possible before. Until now, the Klingon faction was only unlocked once your Federation character reached level 25, and then your Klingon character would pick up at around that level too. Now you’re free to start your experience from level 1 as a Klingon, or one of their allied races. This is big news for a lot of people.

Some of the new content is frankly astounding. The Nimbus III planet in particular stands out, because the gameplay on/around that planet is like nothing we’ve really seen before in Star Trek Online. Cryptic have introduced hub-planets before, with Deferi, but this is something else. Nimbus III feels like a real dynamic world, with actual inhabitants, be they good or bad. Paradise City, the planet’s capital and only settlement, looks identical to the one featured in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Arguably the Star Trek universe’s answer to Tatooine, the “Planet of Galactic Peace” is a desert biome, full of unsavoury characters and hostile mobs.

The story directs the player to Nimbus for a number of missions, which again, I won’t spoil. But they really break away from the traditional space/ground/space formula that a lot of the older missions feature – purposefully, I might add – as a nod to the TV series’ format, and it’s very refreshing. Seeing other players running around on missions of importance, and joining them to fight randomly spawned enemies and the closest thing to world-bosses we’ve seen in STO is exciting. It hints at Cryptic learning lessons from the development of their latest title Neverwinter, and incorporating them into Star Trek Online.

There’s a lot of new content in this expansion, with the addition of a new bad-guy enemy race, and a new Trait system, which finally allows players to select different abilities for their captains, and re-Trait if they made poor choices at the start of the game. There’s also a whole new User Interface, re-designed to match LCARS, and it’s a lot more customisable. This makes the game look a lot more pleasant, and feel even more Trekky. There’s also a new item slot on all ships in the game, adding a Warp Core. The Warp Core is mostly about speed perks for the Federation/KDF players, but for Romulans it adds a whole new dynamic. In another feature heavily influenced by Neverwinter, a bar will fill up on the Romulan player’s screen during combat. Once that bar reaches a certain level, the player is able to use a special AoE weapon, among other abilities. The Singularity Warp Core is going to be an interesting dynamic for PvP.

It’s important to mention that among all this new content, the old content is still very much at the forefront. This expansion hasn’t dated other missions, instead they have been used to an advantage (level 40+ integration, for example).

The player economy is as strong as ever. Placing a well-priced rare item on the exchange results in almost instantaneous cash results. Working together as a fleet is still one of the best ways of obtaining purple drops – by running eSTFs in an organised group, for instance. The crafting system still needs work, however, as at the moment it lacks a certain “depth”. Cryptic have acknowledged this, though, so an update could well be coming in a future season/release.

VERDICT: Much of what we wrote about three years ago in our initial review still stands. However, Legacy of Romulus is an excellent example of expanded content, and combining it with 7 “seasons” worth of additions and tweaks, great storytelling and an engine that has proved it can stand test of time means it’s only fair to readdress that original score, and critique this all over again as a complete package.

SUPERB. This is the mark of greatness, only awarded to games that engage us from start to finish. Titles that score 9/10 will have very few problems or negative issues, and will deliver high quality and value for money across all aspects of their design.

Our Scoring Policy

The post Star Trek Online: Legacy of Romulus Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

The next beta weekend for Marvel Heroes takes place between Friday 19th April, through Sunday 21st. We haven’t yet got the exact time-slots, but we’ll update you as soon as we know.

We have a whole bunch of keys to giveaway, so grab yours below and get involved!

[keys id=114302]

How to Redeem Your Marvel Heroes Beta Key

1.    Register an account on MarvelHeroes.com
2.    After registration, click “REDEEM KEY” in the Account Management page
3.    Enter the key *exactly as shown* (including hyphens) and no space before or after
4.    Once you see the message “key redeemed successfully” click HERE to download the game client. Remember: While you will be able to install the game, you won’t be able to access the game until the beta weekend.    If you encounter any problems, please contact support@marvelheroes.com

Please note that these keys will only be valid for this upcoming beta weekend.

[nggallery id=1442]

The post Marvel Heroes Beta Weekend Key Giveaway appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Perfect World’s Neverwinter MMO will be the latest game in the much beloved Dungeons & Dragons franchise. Fans of Ding! will have heard the team talk about this MMO extensively, and may have caught one of our live-streaming sessions during the beta weekends. The third beta weekend event is about to take place, and we’d like you to join us in game. We have a whole bunch of keys to give away to our community, but they go quick – so grab them while you can!

Beta Weekend #3 takes place from Friday, 22nd March at 8pm GMT / 12pm PT and lasts until Sunday 24th March at 7:59am GMT / 11:59pm PT.

[Update] Sorry folks, we’re all out of keys now. To those of you that were lucky enough to grab one while stocks lasted – see you ingame!

Here’s what you can look forward to in Beta Weekend #3:
• New Class: Great Weapon Fighter
• New Content: Pirates’ Skyhold and Icespire Peak Adventure Zones
• 10 More Levels: Up to Level 50
• PvP: Fight against other players for the first time!

If you were lucky enough to take part in any of the previous beta weekends, you’ll find there’s a lot of new content to explore, as well as of course, Player-vs-Player combat – which isn’t easy, believe you me!

[keys id=111330]

To redeem your key, simply sign-up or login to your Perfect World account at www.playneverwinter.com, and enter your key here. Then it’s just a case of downloading the game, and you’re good to go!

You’ll be playing along with other beta testers, members of the press, and gamers who have purchased the Founders Pack which grants VIP access to all beta weekends as well as a whole host of other features, including 18 ingame items such as companions, mounts, and even an exclusive race.

[nggallery id=1392]

The post Neverwinter Beta Key Giveaway [Finished] appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Regular listeners to Ding! will know how excited the team are about Neverwinter, the upcoming Dungeons and Dragons MMO from Perfect World. Well ‘Team Ding!’ are playing in the Neverwinter beta right now, with members of the Cryptic development team and streaming the MMO goodness for your enjoyment.

Watch the live streams of Calvin, Martin and Trey below. Feel free to post questions into the live chat, and we’ll do our best to answer them in realtime. The stream goes live at 9pm GTM / 1pm PST, and we’ll be playing for the next couple of hours.

[Update] The stream is now over. Thanks to everyone who stuck around for 3 hours, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

The post Neverwinter Beta Live Steam [Finished] appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Marvel Heroes beta is coming soon, and we have a bunch of keys to giveaway to ten lucky readers.

To be in with a chance, simply fill out your details below and we’ll select 10 people at random.

[contact-form-7 id=”98687″ title=”Marvel Heroes”]

If you’re not lucky, you can also sign up for the beta at MarvelHeroes.com, you’ll then be updated with info about gaining access to the upcoming betas.

Key Game Features:

• Play for FREE
• Battle as Marvel Super Heroes
• Customize Your Hero
• Fight Incredible Enemies
• Team Up With Friends
• Join with your friends as you fight your way through the game

[nggallery id=1072]

The post [CLOSED] Marvel Heroes Beta Key Giveaway appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Fans of our MMO focused podcast, Ding! will be well aware of City of Steam by now. The Steam Punk browser-based MMO by Mechanist Games. This is certainly one to look out for, breaking the barriers between great gameplay, and browser-based gaming.

Closed Beta begins on 16th November and runs right through until 28th December, just after Xmas!

The Beta will be divided into 4 seasonal periods:

1. Springtide (Nov. 16^th to 20^th)
2. Summercrest (Nov. 30^th to Dec. 4^th)
3. Autumnwane (Dec. 14^th to 18^th)
4. Winter Festival (Dec. 23 to 28^th)

[contact-form-7 id=”98111″ title=”City of Steam”]

Only one code per person.

Key Features of City of Steam Include:

• Character and Weapon Customization – Weapon appearance changes when modded
• Branching Storylines – Choose the path your story will take
• Lightweight – No massive download or install required
• Full Featured – Content you’d expect from a AAA MMO, but all easily accessed from a browser
• Beautiful graphics and scenery
• 10 races, 4 classes, with more on the way
• Content for casual and hardcore gamers alike

[nggallery id=1138]

The post [CLOSED] City of Steam Beta Key Giveaway appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Listeners to Ding!, our MMORPG podcast will know we’re all great fans of GW2 here at GodisaGeek. That’s why we’re really happy to give our community the opportunity to jump in-game this weekend and experience the new content in the latest update, Lost Shores.

The free weekend event starts on Thursday, so there’s plenty of time for you to acquire a key and get the game ready to play.

Weekend Plan:

● Thursday, November 15, 17:00 GMT – Free trial period begins
● Friday, November 16, 20:00 GMT – One-time Lost Shores event begins
● Sunday, November 18, 20:00 GMT – Final event stage begins
● Monday, November 19, 06:00 GMT – One-time event and free trial weekend ends

Grab yourself a key below and register it at https://register.guildwars2.com/

[contact-form-7 id=”98065″ title=”GW2 Keys”]

Then all there is left to do, is download the game, run it and let it patch. We’ll see you in-game over the weekend!

[nggallery id=1140]

The post Guild Wars 2 Lost Shores Free Weekend Key Giveaway appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Being more of a fan of Double Dragon than Dragon Age, a game that really caught my eye during GDC 2012 was Fighters Club. Fighters Club is a free to play MMO developed by KOG Studios and being published by Kill3r Combo, known for the popular game Elsword.

In Fighters Club, players choose from three playable characters, then use their unique fighting skills to take down opponents through combos and special attacks. Players can use the arrow keys to move and the letter keys to attack the opponent’s upper, middle or lower body parts. The opponent’s moving action and the attacker’s selection of the opponent’s body part will determine what kind of skills will be used. The early opponents will be very easy to defeat with attacks, but as the game progresses well placed  combos and efficient blocking becomes imperative.

Players have use of a wide variety of special attacks to maximize damage dealt and these are utilized to surprising simplicity using the keyboard. It was very surprising to experience how well Fighters Club managed to still keep the fast paced brawler feel of Final Fight while using a keyboard to play. Despite how well the game works with just a mouse and a keyboard what I would like to see in this game is support for a controller and I was told that this may be a possibility. Kill3r Combo is trying to turn this fighter into a MMO contender and is putting a good amount of effort into the localization so I hope the game gets controller support to cement the fact that it is a fighting game at its core.

Fighters Club sports a great looking cell shaded art style that brings back memories of classic SNK fighters with the character designs. The game has a comic book feel to it and reminded me of the underrated SEGA classic Comix Zone. As far as the game play mechanics, It was very easy to get into the game despite the fact that the localization is not yet completed and the game menus are in Korean. Already the character designs, music, and humor make a fighting game fan feel right at home with Fighters Club.

The game features the ability to team up in co-operative dungeon crawls or participate in intense player versus player (PvP) action in a fully 3D environment. The game is scattered with throw-able items and power up boxes and, in PvP mode, this gives the gameplay a Power Stone type feel to it. On the floor of GDC 2012 I grabbed a friend and we jumped into the PvP mode and right away the experience felt like I was in an arcade as the action was a quick paced two round battle filled with combos, throws, and some trash talk.

The three character types to chose from are a boxer, a wrestler, and a freestyle fighter. After reaching level 15, all three characters can choose from two job paths that allow the character to have a serious or outrageous fighting style. For example the boxer character Spike can train to become an amazing boxer or chose to go the way of the fire fist. The game features a positional combat system that allows for some great combos and keeps your fighter on target when many enemies are attacking. The game seems to have a good sense of humor and the boss battles put a smile on my face, one even had me fight someone who looked like a hipster Gannon.

Fighters Club has a very pick up and play feel to it, like a fighting game should, yet has the options of an MMORPG. Though the current set of characters available are limited, quite a bit of customization exists in the game. Players have an expansive skill tree to customize fighting skills to suit their playing style and an Item Mall to customize the look and feel of characters.  Players can dungeon crawl with friends online and collect coins in order to style their fighter according to their tastes.  This being a fighting game styled MMO, Fighters Club could bring the Street Fighter audience into the MMO world as well as put a smile on the face of any fan of classic arcade brawlers.

Fighters Club is currently available in Korea but should see a localized English language version some time in the Summer.

The post Fighters Club Preview appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Those familiar with the Lord Of The Rings MMO already know that the skirmish system is a great way to gain loot and rewards. Now you can bring a customizable skirmish solider to the field to help you battle all the insane orcs your heart desires. Currently your skirmish soldier can only be summoned within the skirmish system but now its going to be accessible on the landscape. This new feature can be great for all those players out there that go into the world solo.

Lord Of The Rings Online is a free to play mmo that takes players into the world of middle earth. This year marks the fifth anniversary of this award winning mmo and it is getting quite a bit of updates and new features added in anticipation of the new Riders Of Rohan expansion being released this Fall. With a slew of new features being added this game has a lot of depth and keeps growing.

You can join the online battle for middle earth right now at www.lotro.com

The post Lord Of The Rings Online Gets Soldier On Landscape Feature appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

MMO fans rejoice, as Lord of the Rings Online has been updated with some new areas to explore and level up (or Ding!, maybe?) in.

Perhaps “some” new areas is downplaying the size of the update though, as no less than seven new areas have been added, all for the low low price of free.

So, without further ado, here are the new areas along with their themes, geography information and lore.

Thinglad

Story or Primary Theme: 
Assist the sentinels of Lothlórien in patrolling their southern border and mediate relations between the Galadhrim and the Rohirrim of Stangard who have recently been clashing during patrols.  At the same time, heroes are needed to scatted Orcs and Wargs that have moved into the area before they become a larger threat to the region.

Geography:
Thinglad is defined by its tall, grey trees with twisted, roots that drink deeply from the Great River.  The forest is misty and shadowed while the skies are pale and as cheerless as the land itself.

Lore: 
Once part of the Golden Wood, Thinglad has become a no man’s land between Lothlórien and Rohan in the last 200 years.

Parth Celebrant

Story or Primary Theme: Confront troubles both living and undead upon the fields of Parth Celebrant where a great treason once befell Gondor. Bring redemption to the traitorous shades so they may rest or destroy them if they are beyond aid.

Geography: The ruins of an ancient Gondorian keep, where brave soldiers once kept watch, stand at the southern edge of Parth Celebrant, overlooking the green plains.

Lore: The site of the fiercest fighting during the Battle of the Fields of Celebrant, Parth Celebrant is also the site of a terrible betrayal.  Gondorian soldiers allowed their fortress to fall to the enemy in exchange for safety and Eastern riches, condemning their countrymen to death.

Eorlsmead

Story or Primary Theme: Though the soldiers of Stangard are strong and fiercely loyal to their king, the village has fallen on hard times and hope is in short supply. Lift spirits by helping with shortages of food and supplies and thinning the numbers of hostile beasts in the area.   Root out the source of mistrust and discontent amongst the council.

Geography: Established on the highest rise in the rolling plains of Eorlsmead, the Rohirrim village of Stangard keeps its watch over the region.

Lore: Though many men who serve at Stangard have been sent as punishment for recent, petty crimes, the village remains fiercely loyal to Rohan and Théoden, their king.

Wailing Hills

Story or Primary Theme: Many years have passed since the height of Rohan’s strength along the Great River and Orcs and spiders have returned to the Wailing Hills.  Drive out the Orcs and prevent them from allying themselves with the White Hand.

Geography: The Wailing Hills are defined by the steep, rocky outcroppings, called tors, which stretch out from the Misty Mountains like long fingers.  Statues of Cirion of Gondor and Eorl the Young rise from the earth as ancient symbols of friendship but Orcs, growing bolder, have begun to defile them.

Lore: Hundreds of years ago, the forefathers of Rohan destroyed a great Easterling army in the deep valleys of the Wailing Hills to save the forces of Cirion, Steward of Gondor.  The name of the land itself comes from the Rohirric word wael meaning “slaughter.”

Limlight Gorge

Story or Primary Theme: Descend into the Limlight Gorge, where an unnatural storm has cast the land into deep shadow.  Hunt fearsome trolls from the Misty Mountains who wander freely, no longer fearing the sun, and investigate the mysterious grove spreading at the base of the cliff beneath Fangorn Forest.

Geography: Caught between the rugged Misty Mountains and the northern reaches of Fangorn Forest, Limlight Gorge is a dangerous and untamed wilderness.  Here, the Limlight River gushes forth over falls and rapids as it flows eastward to join the Anduin.

Lore: The appearance of the unnatural storms from the North and the encroachment of Fangorn from the South gives the area an uneasy feeling as unseen forces seem to fight for dominance over the canyon.

Brown Lands

Story or Primary Theme: Contend with an invading host within the desolate Brown Lands. Here the Rohirrim struggle to keep an old foe at bay while fortifying against their enemies’ mysterious new allies.

Geography: Ravaged thousands of years ago during a terrible war, the Brown Lands are nearly inhospitable and are filled with withered scrub and stones as far as the eye can see.

Lore: It is believed that the Brown Lands were devastated by the power of Sauron himself nearly 3,000 years ago during the War of the Last Alliance.  Before that, many beautiful gardens were tended here though little evidence of them now remains.

The Rushgore

Story or Primary Theme: Within the murky marshland of the Rushgore, ruthless brigands, once only a nuisance, have become a threat to the region. Pursue these brigands to reclaim priceless relics of Rohan and Gondor and extend aid to woodsmen who have found themselves overwhelmed while travelling north and now cannot leave.

Geography: A treacherous marshland, the Rushgore serves as the buffer between the fields of Parth Celebrant and the bleak Brown Lands.  The eastern end of the Rushgore is one of the few places at which the Anduin can be crossed without the aid of boats.

Lore: Little is now known of the Rushgore and was known has been lost to time.

Lord of the Rings Online is a free to play MMO. Why not try it and give us your thoughts in the comments below? Don’t forget to check our weekly MMORPG podcast “Ding!“, available every Friday at 9am.

The post Lord of the Rings Online Update Available Now appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

The RTS genre has had a pretty odd lifetime. From bursting open onto the scene a fair few years ago it had a nice run until slowly dwindling out. Now when you mention any sort of online RTS the first and only game that comes to mind is the ever popular StarCraft series that still thrives to this day, being played as a competative, televised sport in many Asian countries.

This hasn’t sat well with a certain dev team, however. Petroglyph Games, a company fused together from former Westwood Studio brains, have created End of Nations, in an attempt to bring some popularity back to the RTS scene.

With a typical take on the area, the game focuses around a world literally at war. Choosing which side you’re fighting for, you’ll be able to build up a small squad of people including a number of vehicles and support to take to the battlefield and dominate. For an RTS, the game is pretty simple, and doesn’t stray too far from what everyone expects the game to bring.

Odd as it may seem, this is exactly what Petroglyph games were aiming for. The aim was to create a game that is worthy of current day shelving, which End of Nations is. With beautiful graphics and scenic maps, the game is very involving and keeps you engrossed through any sort of playtime. Not being a veteran to RTS’, I found myself captivated as I trudged my team across a map of luscious green and utter destruction, stopping every now and then to look around and take in what was being shown (to the dismay of my team mates).

This mixed with the simple controls, that allowed me to quickly pick up what I actually had to, and led to me actually enjoying what I was playing. Never once did I have to stop due to confusion, or have to figure out exactly what I was doing. The game ran smoothly, and allowed me to just enjoy what was going on.

With a simple interface comes what Petroglyph Games really wanted; an RTS that is simple, fun to play, and brings everyone onto the battlefield on the same level. Obviously people with excessive RTS backgrounds will be at an advantage, but the game allows for people who are completely new to the scene to access the genre on a much fairer base.

It’s what isn’t in the game that actually helps the game in this case. Firstly, there are no subscription models, despite the large portion of the game will be playing against other people online. Instead, everyone will have access to what the game will be offering, which includes all maps, all units, and all mods from the very get go. Any additions made and integrated later on will be made available to everyone at the same time.

With this method, End of Nations ensures that everyone will be on equal footing. The game will be purely about skill and practice, rather than how much free cash you have swimming around your wallet.

It continues to help the player, with an offline mode designed to help players get used to the RTS mechanics by pitting them against simple AI and increasing the difficulty, whilst also including a campaign to help ease people through the somewhat strenuous process.

Whilst these are all nice implementations, and it’s clear that End of Nations is designing itself to help players into a seemingly dying genre, the reason that the genre is so hardcore, especially on StarCraft, is that the games thrive purely from community. Without any sort of Community, these types of games, as with many MMO’s, would fizzle out and cease to exist.

As such, it’s only a matter of time before gamers either find this game and transfer over, or the community that it builds will develop the players to such a point that it’s near impossible to beat them if you don’t spend every moment of the day practicing. These are truths that can’t be avoided, and can be a positive or a negative depending on your perspective.

Petroglyph Games have definitely created a good game, and have obviously thought long and hard about the way they release it to the masses, being very aware of how the RTS market is working at the moment, but something niggles the back of mind in the sense that a year or two after the games release, we may be seeing a similar issue that we currently have with StarCraft.

It will remain to be seen, and if we take the ‘cross that bridge when we come to it’ approach, then End of Nations should definitely be on the watch list of those people who found the concept of an RTS interesting but didn’t want to throw themselves into the community pond of an RTS that only has the options of ‘deep’ or ‘even deeper’.

The post End of Nations Preview appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

If you’ve been listening to the latest podcast to join our network (Ding!) then you’ll be well aware that whilst Rift isn’t perhaps as massively popular as World of Warcraft – but hey, what is? – it is a very well put together MMORPG with a loyal fanbase.

As well as releasing update 1.7: Carnival of the Ascended (more on that in a moment), Trion Worlds have released Rift Lite, a version of the game that allows anyone with a Trion Worlds account to play up to level 20 for free, with no playtime restrictions.

Scott Hartsman, Executive Producer of Rift had this to say: “In the past ten months, Rift has evolved at a breakneck pace, through seven massive updates that set new expectations for live MMOs, in features, in content, and in service, we think a Lite edition with no time limit is the best way for players to see what an amazing experience Rift continues to be.”

So, if you’ve been tempted to try Rift but never actually gotten around to it, now most certainly seems the time. Following this link to try it right now!

The 1.7: Carnival of the Ascended update also brings plenty of new features to the world of Rift:

• PvP Improvements – Smoother advancement and better rewards
• Ascended Weddings – Share eternity with your soulmate, Telara-style
• River of Souls Chronicle – Undead adventure for two
• New Master Mode Dungeon – Caduceus Rise
• Expert Dungeon Overhaul – More options, better loot!
• Better Endgame Equipment – Improved loot for your endgame Ascended

The post Trion Worlds Launch Rift Lite and 1.7 Update appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

After one of the most successful beta-testing weekends of an MMO to date, gathering over 725,000 unique gamers and 9m hours of play time, Star Wars: The Old Republic is as ready for launch, as an MMO can ever be.

With less than two weeks to go before the servers boot up, here’s a quick recap of those all important SWTOR release dates and prices:

• December 13th Early Access (from 6am CST / 12:00 noon GMT)
• December 15h European Launch
• December 20th US Launch

To gain Early Access you must pre-order the game and redeem your Early Access code. any time before the official launch. It’s not too late to pre-order. If your favourite retailer is sold out, you can pre-order the game via Origin.com – EA’s official digital distribution channel. It should be noted that players are being granted Early Access in order based on the time they redeemed their pre-order codes. So if you haven’t already, you may want to get yours in asap.

BioWare Co-Founder and General Manager BioWare’s MMO Business Unit, Dr. Greg Zeschuk had this to say on SWTOR going ‘gold’:

“Star Wars: The Old Republic is a go for launch on December 20. We are extremely humbled by the surge of players who have joined us on this journey and participated in the Beta Weekend. Their participation has given us the opportunity to stress test the game and allowed us to tune the experience, ensuring that we deliver the smoothest possible MMO launch later this month.”

Every purchase of Star Wars: The Old Republic includes an initial 30 days of game time. After that, the current subscription models are:

• $14.99 / £8.99 per month,
• $41.97 / £25.17 for 3 months ($13.99 /£8.39 per month),
• $77.94 / £46.14 for six months ($12.99 / £7.69 per month).

See you in game!

The post Star Wars: The Old Republic Dates and Prices appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

The collector’s edition of StarWars: The Old Republic has been available for pre-order for quite some time now but now fans of Bioware’s upcoming MMORPG can see the content unboxed and in action.

Unlike traditional unboxing videos the SWTOR collector’s edition needs no person on-screen, the force is used to move the contents around whilst video is employed to show off the in-game, digital items that come bundled with the £130 package.

Star Wars: The old Republic is set for worldwide release on December 20th 2011.

The post Star Wars: The Old Republic – Collector’s Edition Unboxed appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

It happens a lot these days, doesn’t it? An MMO that you think would catch on and be succesful, ends up being free-to-play, as it’s simply the only way that it can compete with the behemoth that is World of Warcraft. Well, Star Trek Online is also joining that free-to-play market.

Our Executive Editor, Calvin Robinson, is a big fan of this title; indeed, he even started a forum thread dedicated to it, as well as writing an article about the annual update of the game.

But what do you think? Will the free-to-play change make you consider having a go at the game? Let us know in that forum thread, or in the comments below.

“In addition to seeking out new life and exploring strange new civilizations, part of our continuing mission for Star Trek Online is to expand and improve,” said Jack Emmert, CEO, Cryptic Studios. “Transitioning to a free-to-play model is a natural way to share all we’ve built with a broader community of players and we couldn’t be more excited.”

Later this year, when Star Trek Online free-to-play launches, anyone can download and play the game for free without purchasing a retail copy or subscription. All players will be able to take advantage of Star Trek Online’s many features for free, from customizing avatars, crews and the very ships they command, to exploring a galaxy filled with intrigue and danger.

Players will also be able to access additional features a la carte through a virtual goods store. Current players can become Gold Members by continuing to subscribe to the game for $14.99 a month. New players can also upgrade to Gold status for a set price of $14.99 per month. The differences between paying Gold Members and free Silver Players can be found at: http://www.startrekonline.com/f2p

Star Trek Online free-to-play allows players to get into the game and engage the Star Trek universe in a number of ways:

The Universe is Your Only Limit – Play as much as you like for as long as you like at no cost. No subscription is required, nor is payment of any kind required.

Episodic Gameplay – Experience new weekly episodes that feature story-based gameplay and put your captain’s ability to command to the ultimate test.

Your Captain, Your Crew, Your Destiny – Become a captain, seek out new life and new civilizations and encounter hostile beings as you advance to maximum level for free.

Familiar Places, New Experiences – Travel to Starfleet Academy, Deep Space Nine, The First City of Qo’noS and many other iconic locations and notable worlds from the beloved Star Trek universe.

Engage and Explore Your Way – A web and in-game virtual goods store provides players the option of purchasing gameplay upgrades or additional premium content as they like, when they like.

Taking place in the year 2409, Star Trek Online boasts extraordinary features and lets fans both new and old experience unparalleled adventures within the Star Trek universe. Players have the opportunity to become high-ranking Starfleet officers and participate in missions structured like episodes that take them into the depths of space, across exotic planets and inside other starships. All players are invited to explore strange new worlds and encounter new life in a vast, ever expanding universe!

Star Trek Online is available now for PC. We reviewed the title and scored it a favourable 8/10 here.

The post Star Trek Online is Going Free-To-Play appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Game: Age of Empires Online

Developer: Gas Powered Games

Publisher: Microsoft Studios

Available on: Windows PC

It was almost a year ago to the day at Gamescom 2010, that Microsoft Studios announced that their classic Real Time Strategy franchise Age of Empires would be stepping into the online age with Age of Empires Online. The announcement, complete with trailer revealed that the new “online age” would reboot the series with a free to play model and introduce a host of gaming features, normally associated with massively multi-player online games.

Persistent online worlds, crafting, trading and co-op. Age of Empires Online is certainly ambitious. But does that ambition flourishes or falter in this new age?

STORY: Something that RTS games have done for a long time now is implement story to drag players from battle to battle. Historically cut scenes have been used to portray said story, in-game, pre-rendered or in Command & Conquer’s case, live action scenes have been used to build a believable world around isolated battles and skirmishes. It is here where AoE Online takes its first step towards the MMO side of the coin. Cut-scenes and elaborate mission briefings are out, World of Warcraft style quest briefings are in.

Quest text in the place of cut-scenes may seem like a step backwards, especially when considering that current MMO’s are implementing more and more cinematic moments all the time. Quests and the text they come with do actually feel at home in the new online age. Non-playable characters from around the world map offer quests which build their own story and link to others. You certainly won’t be playing for the story, but you will come to appreciate it as it strings you along whilst building your civilization.

GRAPHICS: It is fair to say that AoE Online is not the most graphically powerful game. Unit models are understandably low on polygons with the expectation of tens of combatants, workers, and buildings on-screen at the same time. Whilst on one hand you can certainly defend the less than spectacular models, on the other, you can point to StarCraft II’s excellently detailed units and wonder why AoE has fallen short. Some models just look a little odd, and perhaps out of place in the vibrant environments. A few quests on the Egyptian side involve taking control of Prince Sesostris, a special, one-of-a-kind unit. The prince is larger than your average combatant and works a little like a hero unit. Whilst tall and powerful, Sesostris is not pretty, and the larger model only provides further evidence that unit models lack detail. The Prince’s head looks more square than round and left me wondering why the unique unit had not been afforded more care and attention.

For what it lacks in graphical power, AoE Online makes up for in visual style. The cartoony visuals are colourful and vibrant. The various environments have some pop, and scream “Explore Me!”, whilst building models and other various three dimensional doodads are pleasing to look at, and even the water whilst basic, has its own unique look. Comical animations compliment the art style rather well. Fish jump out of water to indicate fishing locations, whilst workshops indicate what they are making; the skinner’s shop has animal hides popping up on work benches whilst the logger’s shop shows a cute little axe chopping wood.

Some MMO players say that they play for the fun of the game, the social aspect and not the loot or gear. These players have one thing in common, they are all lying. As you collect and equip new gear you get some visual recognition with units donning their new wares. The better looks are of course reserved for the rare and epic quality items. Nothing instills more fear into an opponent than an army fully equipped with epic gear charging towards them, even if that army is somewhat cute and cartoony.

SOUND: AoE Online keeps things simple in the sound department. Background music is a constant, maintaining an even pace, whilst units, quest givers and buildings all have unique sounds to provide some pleasant feedback. In your capital city, quest givers speak in English with a few different phrases, whilst units in battle adopt their local tongue to acknowledge an order. Egyptians appear to be speaking Arabic and to be quite honest I don’t know if they are accepting my orders with joy or cursing at me.

There is no annoying “Your base is under attack!” sound which is perhaps a double edged sword. On one hand it could do with a quick alert, on the other you can do without the constant whining in our ears.

GAMEPLAY: At the beginning of the review I explained that AoE Online is a an MMO RTS, and that is true but there is a slightly smaller third element at play here which blurs the line between genres even further. That third element is…Farmville! Hardcore RTS gamers are probably not the biggest fans of the Facebook game but even they will come to appreciate the way in which it has been implemented. Crafting is a staple of any good MMO and every craftsmen requires materials. Materials are primarily gathered from workshops which range from wood shops to cloth shops. No manual farming is required, materials can be selected from shops and will automatically be dispensed over time. Common materials such as copper ingots take 15 minutes to prepare whilst rarer resources can take much longer. When you log off, your city does not. Workshops will continue to produce even when players walk away from the keyboard. Work shops will only create 100 of a material before stopping production. Gathering materials into your inventory restarts the farming process and is of course a nice little trick by the developers to keep players logging in to check up on their city and reap what they have sown.

Crafting restores the status quo with a typical system which includes seven crafts, two of which can be used at any one time. The different crafts range from archery to religion and can be used to create armor, weapons, and consumables to name just three. Some of the best items can be obtained from the crafting system, and if you are playing with friends then you will do well to choose a range of crafts between yourselves so that benefits can be shared.

Other, perhaps bigger MMO elements include gaining XP, leveling up, and building your empire. You start off with a small city, just a few buildings and quests available as the game introduces mechanics both MMO and RTS, step-by-step. Buildings come in the form of blueprints and have a number of uses. Warehouses act like bags offering increased inventory space, gear halls manage your civilization’s equipment, whilst the palace is used to configure talent trees. Tens of buildings can be added to player cities with a number of different shops available and even non-functional structures that can be placed for looks alone. All buildings can be moved around the city landscape which appears to be randomised so that player cities are almost guaranteed to differ from one another. It all adds up to create a good amount of customisation, something that other MMO’s have struggled to implement.

Questing in AoE Online is pretty good. Quest lines build on a story and mix things up just enough to keep players interested. The last Age of Empires game was released over five years ago and it is clear that Gas Powered have designed the latest game to teach a new audience and perhaps remind an old one. Early on, once tutorial quests have been completed, challenge type quests are introduced. The goal of these quests is to simply improve your play. Sure, anyone can build a base but can they do it within a certain time frame? These quests are repeated over and over with time allowance reduced with each success. These quests are obviously repetitive and somewhat boring for players well versed in Real Time Strategy but it is good to see that developers are educating players early on, equipping them with essential skills.

Once players get into the meat of the game they will find that quests are both numerous and various. Objectives can range from all out attack to timed defense, with a hint of camel racing thrown in for good measure.

Anyone that has played a massively multi-player online game will tell you that once you have picked a zone clean of its quests the game will move you onto the next location. The same can be said for AoE Online.  New territories offer new major cities, and these cities often contain a number of new shop items unique to that region. The cities themselves act in some ways like an MMO faction, with quest completion often rewarding tokens specific to that faction which can be used to acquire new gear, recipes and consumables.

Age of Empires Online is of course an online game and includes a host of features that allow and encourage players to interact. The chat box is the main link to other players on your server, the general channel is always abuzz with chatter. Players can be found discussing quests, gear, and the latest updates. Player cities can be visited and interacted with, giving players the chance to show off what they have accomplished. If you find someone with a common goal then you may hook up for some co-op action to double the fun. Player vs Player is another (albeit more hostile) interaction which can be made to test one’s metal. The city of Sparta plays host to PvP offering an arena where both 1v1 and 2v2 match-ups can take place. For now at least, there is disappointingly no sign of an auction house. One-to-one trading is the only way to facilitate an exchange between players at this time, there is a mail system in place but its primary purpose is sending items between friends.

The whole thing is tied together by Games for Windows LIVE, and when you add a friend, you add them to your LIVE list which is most commonly found on the Xbox. The upside is that most of your friends will already be on your list – the downside is that any one added inside the game will know that all you do is play FIFA!

Whilst AoE Online does offer a number of ways to interact with other players, it certainly does not force you to be social. An internet connection is required to play but nonetheless the whole experience can be quite solitary. Missions offer co-op but never require it, chat boxes can be closed and other player cities ignored. It is not a play style that I would choose but it is available.

Massively multiplayer features and Farmville style gathering are good elements but they can perhaps be considered secondary. At its core, Age of Empires Online is still a Real Time Strategy game and will live or die by the quality of the RTS gameplay. Fans of the series will be glad to hear that the best RTS elements have been preserved for this new age. The gathering system is still complex with a wide range of resources and options to gain them available. I struggled at first to remember what I needed to gather to build certain buildings and units, but soon found myself optimizing build orders to create lean mean armies.

For the most part AoE Online is mostly a macro game where building a big base and maintaining a strong economy is key. Micro elements are, however, present throughout. Some quests only afford you a handful of units that must survive, whilst consumables offer the chance to buff friendlies and debuff enemies.

From a competitive stand point there are a wide range of units which can be used to formulate and counter strategies. Gear does of course play a big role, a little extra health on units can be the difference between success and failure. It is a little early to tell but it seems like dedicated players will be able to reach a point where their armies are maxed out, allowing for battle to take place on more even ground, though this is not to say that customization will be dead. Advisers will have a big part to play as they offer tangible passive buffs or a new type of unit. There are quite a few Advisers that can be collected and equipped, and good players will no doubt play to advisers’ strengths and tailor strategy around them. RTS veterans should find some common ground between other games in the genre, Age of Empires Online offers a similar yet unique gameplay experience.

FREE 2 PLAY: What is free and why should you pay? Free players gain access to most of the same content as paying ones but miss out on some seemingly little things which are required to complete the experience.

• Rare and Epic Gear: Every player loves gaining new gear but the blue and purple items are only open to those with a premium civilization.
• Advisors: These guys offer some great buffs and units but the better ones won’t join you for free!
• Ranked PvP: Only paying customers will be able to pit their skills against the best in the game and claim glory over the global rankings.
• Storage: Inventory space is always important and whist free players have 2 warehouse slots, premium players get 5.
• Workshops: The more workshops you have, the more materials you can harvest. Free players are limited to one of each whilst premium players can double up.
• Tourism: Premium players can gain coins from visiting players that buy goods from their shop.

The post Age of Empires Online Review appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

World of Warcraft is free to play! Well, up to level 20 anyway. Yes World of Warcraft starting today is going free to play with the all new “Starter Edition”. Blizzard have decided to replace the good old 14 day trial with an all new system which will no longer limit time but cap content instead.

Any one with a Battle.net account and an internet connection will be able to take advantage of the free to play system by heading over to WarCraft.com. The idea is to give new players as much time as they like to sample the wonders that WoW has to offer whilst offering the option of a full upgrade at any point.

Think of it like a crack dealer giving you the first hit for free then making you pay once you are hooked!

Level is not the only cap which will be enforced for free to play players. Gold, trade skills, chat, grouping and even server priority will have some kind of cap or restriction in place to protect paying subscribers and add incentive to the subscription service .

Upgrading will cost as little as £9.99 and will net you the original World of Warcraft which now includes the first expansion, The Burning Crusade.

Full details of the caps and restrictions below:

• A level cap of 20.
• A maximum of 10 gold.
• Trade skills are capped at 100 ranks.
• Unable to trade via the Auction House, mailbox, or player-to-player.
• In-game access to public chat channels unavailable. Players are limited to communicating using only say, party, or whisper.
• Characters will be unable to create or join guilds.
• Characters are not able to send whispers to other characters unless they have been added to the characters’ friends lists or have received a whisper from a character first.
• Characters will not be able to invite other players into a party.
• Characters will not be able to join parties with other characters above level 20.
• Voice chat disabled on Starter Edition accounts.
• Realms experiencing login queues will prioritize players who have full, paid accounts.
• Starter Edition accounts are not eligible for character transfers
• RealID features are disabled on all Starter Edition Accounts.

Source: VG247

The post WoW Goes Free To Play With Starter Edition appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

When the next major RIFT update hits early this summer, subscribers will be treated to a surprise – free character transfers. Trion Worlds announced today that with RIFT 1.3, players will have the ability to move to select servers in their territory once each week, taking all items, achievements, and titles with them. Additionally, guild leaders will be able to move their guild’s level and experience.

“MMOs are all about playing with your friends no matter which server they’re on, and that’s why we’re offering this as a free service to our subscribers,” said Scott Hartsman, Executive Producer. “RIFT is both a game and a service, and adding free server transfers is just one more way we can make this the best possible MMO experience available.”

Whether you want to play with friends, check out a new server, or avoid queue times on highly populated servers, you’ll be free to move about Telara. As a part of this grand experiment, there will initially be no limits on the number of times you can transfer your characters or guild. Character transfers will remain a free service for the foreseeable future, and could become a permanent addition to the RIFT experience. Subscribers will be able to perform the transfers inside of the game itself once the patch is live.

The RIFT Free Trial and Ascend-a-Friend programs are currently in full swing. For more information go to www.RIFTgame.com/freetrial and www.RIFTgame.com/ascend.

The post Trion Will Bring Free Character Transfers to Telara appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

With Star Wars The Old Republic updates hitting every Friday, the last day of the working week is quickly becoming a favorite here at GodisaGeek. The latest update comes in the form of an all new class trailer showcasing the one and only Sith Inquisitor.

Players will have a contrasting choice once they get hold of the Inquisitor, you can take to the shadows as the Assasin, Whilst magic can be mastered as the Sorcerer.

Inquisitors, the dark geniuses of the Empire, are masters of treachery and dark Force power. Feared as much on the battlefield as they are by prisoners and political enemies, they will stop at nothing to earn themselves more power. The paths to power are many, though. Is your Inquisitor an Assassin, striking down enemies from the shadows with cunning tactics and a skilled blade? Or are you a Sorcerer, a triumph of the dark side, smoldering with ambition and uncovering dark secrets of the Force to destroy your enemies?

The post SWTOR – Sith Inquisitor Trailer appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

Trion Worlds are continuing to roll out the content for its popular MMORPG, Rift. The patch dubbed “The Spoils of War” hits live servers on Tuesday, May 10th and adds a number of features including Facebook integration, a new type of instanced content called a “Sliver,” additional zone events, and several in-game features, including a Looking-for-Group system, an additional role, and a Wardrobe.

With Facebook integration, players can open a rift from the Plane of Bragging Rights by updating their profiles with screenshots, YouTube video links, and Achievements directly from in-game. The update also introduces “Slivers,” 10-person raids that put players in alternate realities where invaders from the planes have “won” and Ascended must fight to set things right.

In advance of Rift 1.2, Trion is kicking things off with the Spoils of War prelude. Earth and Fire rifts are opening unexpectedly all across Telara, spilling forth mysterious fragments of golden dragon eggs along with the usual monstrosities. Daily quests in Meridian and Sanctum offer special rewards to those Ascended who attempt to solve this planar conundrum.

Full list of Rift 1.2 Features:

• Facebook Integration – Post updates, screenshots, or Achievements from Telara directly to your Facebook profile!
• Looking for Group– Automatically form groups for dungeons, rifts, and group quests.  Complete random expert dungeons for additional bonuses, both for the daily player and the weekend warrior!
• Wardrobe – Players can configure up to five outfit slots to choose between – look however you want, and break out those costume items.
• New Ascended Powers – Omen Sight (Guardian) and Quantum Sight (Defiant) reveal openings to Slivers and even more in the future.
• Additional Role – By popular demand, players can purchase a 5^th role for even more class flexibility.
• Many UI Improvements –Auction House, Crafting, and Artifacts all receive useful new refinements.

New Content in Rift 1.2:

• Gilded Prophecy Sliver – Rift extends its support of 10-player raids to this new type of instance! Fight against Golden Maw cultists from another reality to prevent them from gaining relics of vast power.
• New Dynamic Content – Two new raid rifts, one new expert group rift, rifts specifically designed around rewarding crafters, and easier access to expert group rifts.
• New Zone Events:

o   Planar Chill – Control strategic locations in Iron Pine Peak against planar onslaught

o   Scourge of the Sands – Defend precious resources as they are moved to critical locations in Shimmersand Desert, then launch a counter attack

o   An Eye for an Eye– Guardians and Defiants summon their respective champions in order to defeat the Colossi in this end-game brawl.

[nggallery id=298]

The post Rift Patch 1.2 “The Spoils of War” Coming May 10th appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

The Cenarion Hatchling is now available from the Blizzard store! For every Cenarion Hatchling purchased between now and July 31, 100% of the $10 USD adoption fee will be donated to the American Red Cross’s Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami relief efforts.

Introducing the latest World of Warcraft companion up for adoption in the online Pet Store: the wild and noble Cenarion Hatchling! This little critter is the twin of the rare Hippogryph Hatchling pet players could randomly encounter in the first World of Warcraft Trading Card Game set, Heroes of Azeroth — and he’s emerged from the forests of Azeroth to lend a helping talon to some friends in need.

For every Cenarion Hatchling purchased between now and July 31, 100% of the $10 USD adoption fee will be donated to the American Red Cross’s Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami relief efforts. This support will enable the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, emotional support, and other assistance to victims of this disaster.

The post Blizzard Release WoW Pet To Help Japan appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.

When Rift launched just a few weeks ago, it did so with one of the most impressive content line ups that we have seen from a new MMORPG. It seems that Trion Worlds however, are not resting on their laurels and are about to bring us more content in update 1.1, The River of Souls.

Dark days lie ahead for the world of Telara as Alsbeth the Discordant leads hordes of undead and death-worshipping cultists on a march of total destruction from Freemarch to Stillmoor and all zones in between beginning tomorrow.

Witness the destruction with a new trailer from Trion Worlds that gives players a sneak peek at the horrors awaiting the world as Alsbeth prepares for her assault on the Soulstream.

Weak flesh yearns to obey!

The post Rift Update 1.1 – The River Of Souls appeared first on GodisaGeek.com.