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Lineage II adopting a hybrid business model
Lineage II is in the minority among NCsoft's US offerings in that it requires a subscription fee -- but now even that is going away. According to an announcement from the company, the game will be adopting a hybrid business model in the near future to allow players to enjoy the game for free, in a similar vein to the recent City of Heroes conversion. This comes hand-in-hand with the announcement that the game will be receiving a Russian launch in the near future. While specific details regarding the new model have yet to be announced, the press release promises that it will allow players of all varieties to enjoy the game's several years of content. Considering the game's latest expansion, Goddess of Destruction, is promised for later this year, this seems like good news for anyone looking for a new title to try out in the near future. [Source: NCsoft press release]
Windows 8 App Store officially announced, we're all shocked
Windows president Steven Sinofsky has confirmed that Windows 8 is getting an app store. He casually dropped the scoop whilst listing the software's dev teams as if he was listing the week's groceries. Such a tease, that man.
BioWare talks Star Wars: The Old Republic vehicles and launches
Vehicles are cool. Not that having a trusty steed isn't cool in any game, but Star Wars: The Old Republic is a game emulating films in which every single vehicle was a character unto itself. In the most recent panel for the game at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, it's been made clear that the designers aren't limiting vehicles to simply spaceships for players and for ambient encounters. Landspeeders and speeder bikes will be available for players, with several styles shown off to the attendees. As always, iconic imagery is at the top of the priority list for development, up to and including the opening text crawl following character creation. A firm release date has still not been announced, but the team has once again reiterated that the game will be out for this year's holiday season. Frustratingly vague? Perhaps, but at least there's plenty of tasty information to chew on despite the insistent lack of clarity elsewhere.
New Final Fantasy XIV producer's letter announces the next patch date
Naoki Yoshida is many things, but a man of brevity is not usually among his qualities. Most of his letters to the Final Fantasy XIV community are quite long, with a great deal of information contained therein. But the most recent producer's letter is a departure from form, with only one real substantial piece of information -- the release date for patch 1.18. However, considering that the patch will usher in new combat mechanics, new content, and large overhauls to the game's content development, it's the sort of thing that can speak for itself. According to Yoshida, the patch is scheduled for July 21st, with only some testing on the upcoming instanced raids to be completed. (As he puts it, the team is opting for "raid" rather than "dungeon" just because you can raid something that isn't quite a dungeon in structure.) There may be a slight change in either direction by a couple days, but Final Fantasy XIV fans will be happy to have a target date for this large patch.
Lenovo ThinkPad, IdeaPad tablets coming later this month?
Well, what do we have here? From the looks of it, we've got ourselves launch dates for a slate of new Lenovo tablets. A little note from the outfit's Affiliate Program, pictured above, shows the Android-packing IdeaPad K1 will, unsurprisingly, debut in late June or July, with a June 28th arrival being pegged for its rumored ThinkPad tablet. What's more, we could see a refresh of the company's IdeaCentre nettop coming our way August 30th. Looks like this summer could be a hot one for Lenovo, but we'll just have to wait and see how things pan out. Update: We just heard from the folks at Lenovo, and they're saying the dates here are "no longer valid." Unfortunately, that sounds like an unwanted delay to us, but we'll keep you posted as we hear more.
HTC HD7S coming to AT&T on June 5 for $200
Do we sense just a wee bit of jealousy here? Not to be outdone by Verizon's Windows Phone darling, AT&T swiftly reacted to the Trophy's official launch by whipping the long-expected HTC HD7S out on Facebook and stamping a seal of approval on it. With the go-ahead in place, we can expect to see the new device going on sale June 5 at a penny under $200. This may be a tad steep when comparing its WP7 brethren, but it's not an unusual starting price for many of AT&T's top-end smartphones. If you like to fill up your inbox with the latest "email alerts and special offers," drag your cursor to the source link below.
PLAN emergency alert system going mobile in NYC and DC this year, nationwide in 2012
If you live in the U.S., you've probably seen those anger-inducing emergency alert system test messages that interrupt your favorite programming on a weekly basis. Most of us have never seen the system used in an actual emergency, but come later this year, cell phone users in New York and Washington will have similar alerts pushed to their mobile devices -- presumably without the annoying weekly tests. Known as PLAN (Personal Localized Alerting Network), the free service will reportedly only work with smartphones (we're guessing the GPS comes into play here) on AT&T&T, Sprint and Verizon. The secure messaging network will likely display messages as notifications, rather than texts, and will push to all compatible devices within an affected area based on the phone's physical location, not just its mobile number. Local, state and federal officials will send notifications in response to disasters and other public safety threats, presidential announcements, and Amber Alerts. In other words: it'll only be used for actual emergencies, so don't expect updates on the whereabouts of your favorite captive reptile.
Pitchblack Games seeking testers for new HeroEngine MMO
Want to get in on the ground floor with a new HeroEngine sci-fi MMORPG? No, we're not talking about Star Wars: The Old Republic beta access but rather the opportunity to test an as-yet unnamed title from Pitchblack Games. The company's website has a suitably dystopian far future feel to it, but there's not a whole lot of info on the game itself beyond a piece of concept art. Pitchblack has informed Massively that anyone and everyone can sign up for testing, though, so jump in and see for yourself. The HeroEngine originally powered Simutronics' Hero's Journey MMORPG before being licensed by BioWare for its upcoming Star Wars opus. Head to the official Pitchblack website for more.
Marvel MMO announcing its writer this Thursday
Wakey wakey, Marvel MMO fans: Your favorite company has a big announcement lined up for later this week. It's so big, apparently, that today the legendary comic book publisher released an announcement about its upcoming announcement. On Thursday, April 28th, Marvel will be unveiling... drumroll please... the writer of its upcoming comic book-flavored MMORPG. Who could it possibly be? Is Marvel going to talk about the actual game at some point? Inquiring minds want to know the answers to these and other burning questions, and a blurb on the company's website promises some dialogue after the big info drop. "We'll be taking your questions via Twitter, Facebook and the liveblog below once the action has begun," says the site. There's also a brief preview video featuring Marvel.com's editorial director, which will be replaced by a live video stream of Thursday's event. Check in with Massively later this week as our own Bree Royce reports from the Marvel shindig in San Francisco.
Want to write for Engadget? We're hiring mobile, classic, European and reviews editors!
Oh sure, you love gadgets -- but do you have the chops to write about them? We'd love to know if you think you do, because we're looking to actually pay humans to do this stuff. Professional writing experience isn't necessary (though it doesn't hurt), but what we really care about is that you can write skillfully about gadgets with wit, concision, and authority. And being obsessed with Engadget is good, too. So here's what we're after: Senior mobile editor - Full-time (salary or freelance), must be based in New York City (or nearby). HD / classic editor - Part or full-time (freelance), must be based in New York City (or nearby). Reviews editor (laptops, mobiles, etc.) - Full-time (freelance), must be based in New York City or the San Francisco area. European editor - Full-time, preferably based in London (or nearby). Want to apply? Read on.
Gamigo opens the news floodgates
"Cry havoc, and unleash the titles of war" might as well be gamigo's cry, as today it has seen fit to give us what can only be termed as a new title news explosion. Aside from offering up an interesting tidbit on its upcoming space dogfighter, Black Prophecy, the company has released information on a handful of other new titles that should pique the interest of gamers who are looking for something beyond the standard free-to-play MMO fare. Better still, some of these titles will be available in-browser, helping to open up more "jump in and game" free-to-play options. Grimlands offers something for players who have been waiting for a post-apocalyptic title that promises the ability to evolve their own playstyles -- and cities. UFO Online: Fight for Earth features a tactics-heavy browser-based MMO environment where players will battle against each other and enemy NPCs in a world overrun with gobsmackingly enormous amounts of aliens. Magic Campus offers adventure in a turn-based world where players build a powerful cadre of pets and mentor others in the ways of magic -- all in their browsers. Sound intriguing? Join us behind the break for a first look at screenshots and video from these upcoming gamigo titles!
Champions Online discusses the future of the game, adding voice chat
The free-to-play conversion has certainly wrought some far-reaching changes for Champions Online, but as producer Rob Overmeyer puts forth in the latest State of the Game letter, there's still more to come. Aside from numerous C-Store additions for players, a new power framework and a new adventure pack are both in the works for the next couple of months. In addition, the development team is looking to add "Comic Series" missions on a regular basis, akin to the featured episodes implemented in Star Trek Online. This letter comes hot on the heels of the announcement that Cryptic Studios will be partnering with Vivox to bring built-in voice chat to both of its current games. That benefits both Champions Online and Star Trek Online, although no details are currently available for the precise implementation of the feature or the integration timetable. Still, fans of the game should be happy to see that the change in models hasn't hurt any of the game's long-term plans for content or functionality.
Apple's announcement timing is uncanny
Tony Bradley at Macworld points out something interesting that I've also been thinking about: Apple is being awfully sneaky with its timing when it comes to product announcements. The upcoming March 2 event happens to land not only right around the time that Motorola's much-anticipated Xoom tablet will hit consumers' hands, but also right in the middle of next week's Game Developers Conference, when quite a few developers will be announcing new games for both the iPad and Android tablet platforms. The timing seems more than coincidental, especially with all of the announcements we've seen today. And this isn't the only recent Apple announcement apparently targeted at shaking things up: The Mac App Store's launch date was set for January 6, right as this year's CES was underway in Las Vegas, and much of that show's sidetalk was taken up by rumors of the Verizon iPhone, which was announced a few days later on the 11th. You could argue that this is just good business, and you'd be right -- with its keynote events, Apple is the uncontested leader in product messaging for tech, and timing is a big part of that. If Apple is going to announce an iPad 2, why wouldn't it be right when everyone's focused on tablet software? (Not to mention that the event is being held at Yerba Buena, right next door to the convention center). But at the same time, it's quite a coup, hijacking the attention of press and developers without any official involvement in the event they're there to attend.
Blu-ray titles announced the week of December 10th, 2010
This week's batch of Blu-ray announcements was fairly light compared to the pre-holiday push of titles shared in November. Saw: The Final Chapter was the only film announced in 3D. On the 2D front, two big re-releases of famous classics were announced: the single disc edition of Blade Runner will arrive on January 4th and forgo the oodles of bonus features found on previous versions in favor of just the movie and some commentary by Ridley Scott while the 30th anniversary edition of Raging Bull will come slightly later in January and include 50 minutes of new features. Noteworthy new titles coming to Blu-ray for the first time include Steven Spielberg's A.I., which was originally developed by Stanley Kubrick in the 70s, and Steven Soderbergh's cult classic Out of Site starring George Clooney and J. Lo. That said, we know Birddemic: Shock and Terror and The Dorm That Drips Blood are really the two titles you've been hankering to watch in glorious 1080p. To view our full roundup of announcements this week by release date, read on after the break.
Entropia Universe expands with treasure hunting on Planet Arkadia
Planet Calypso is one of the more interesting concepts in the free-to-play arena, as it's a game in which you can theoretically make real money from playing the game. It looks like the concept is expanding a bit with the announcement of Planet Arkadia, an environment for virtual treasure hunters. Part of the same overarching concept and universe as Planet Calypso, the game will be a chance for players to enjoy the thrill of treasure hunting without the actual logistical issues of stealing things and then selling them. The game is going to bear another similarity to its predecessor, however, in that the treasures being unearthed will potentially be worth real-world currency. That should provide players of the game with a little added incentive, along with concept art by Feng Zhu and the promise of an immersive virtual world. Tentatively set for release in early 2011, Planet Arkadia already boasts a site with preview images and more information on the game environment. So if you've always wanted a chance for your virtual treasure to translate into real money, your dream might be closer to fruition than you think.
Follow Engadget on the new and improved Digg... you know you want to
You may have noticed that Digg got a pretty major overhaul yesterday. One of the nice aspects of the improved site is that it's a little more social than its previous incarnation. So if you're in the market for someone new to follow on Digg... well, you could always hit up Engadget on Digg. You probably won't regret it. You can also follow Engadget on Twitter and Facebook, too!
Destiny of Velious details announced for EverQuest II
This year's Fan Faire has been kind to fans of EverQuest II and EverQuest, with the announcement of new expansions and a mysterious further project for the franchise. The fine team at The EQ2 Wire sat in on a discussion of all of the new features and details of the upcoming expansion, Destiny of Velious, and they transcribed their notes from the event. While the notes are a bit disjointed, they should give players quite a bit to look forward to and a number of tidbits to munch on. If there has to be a downside, it's likely the fact that the Othmir will not be added as a playable race -- in fact, no race will be added to the playable roster. But there's a lot for fans to mull over even with the questions that the team declined to answer. Most interesting is that the expansion's release will be split into two parts, with part two possibly coming via update rather than a separate release. There are also plans for flying mounts in every overland zone of the game, rather than the "some" that was announced earlier. EverQuest II players should promptly take a look at the latest news, as it's going to be an interesting ride.
Revelations of Gipat goes live for Allods Online
It was President Franklin Delano Roosevelt who said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." While it would be more than three-quarters of a century after that when Allods Online was released, he certainly could have been referring to the Fear of Death penalty that caused quite a bit of fear and rage among players. But that tortured analogy no longer applies, as today sees the release of the newest patch for the game, Revelations of Gipat, which removes Fear of Death for good and puts a new death penalty into place. For many of the game's players, removing the unnecessarily cash-shop-based penalty would be enough to make the patch laudable. But as was revealed when the team released the patch notes last week, the update also sees the addition of a new zone, a raise in level cap, and new content for everyone to enjoy. After the marathon maintenance session, Allods Online is live again and ready for play -- it's worth checking out, even if the size of the patch might scare you off. You can also check out our gallery, showing off some of the new content players can expect as well as mounts. %Gallery-97106%
Check out our PlayStation Move hub!
We've had our eye on Sony's motion controller for quite a while now, but at E3 2010 we finally got the pricing and availability we'd all been waiting for. If you've missed anything -- well, here's your chance to catch up on all the details at our PlayStation Move hub.
Blizzard unveils groundswell of new information on World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
If you play MMOs, you have some relationship to World of Warcraft. You may not be actively playing it, but odds are good you're watching out of the corner of your eye, especially with a new expansion on the way that promises to severely change the face of the game. Blizzard recently took the opportunity to hold a small press event in which they revealed several pieces of lore and gameplay information, and a great deal of it is fairly far-reaching -- especially as much of what's been announced includes scrapped plans. The "Path of the Titans" system? Scrapped, and replaced with an overhaul of the Inscription glyph system. Guild talents? Scrapped, with the benefits added automatically instead of allowing guild officers to specialize a given guild. Forcing 25-man progression to be locked together? Scrapped, after a fashion, as a raid lockout can be "split" into ten-person groups and can more easily be swapped. There's a lot of information, but we're not going to attempt to duplicate the excellent coverage of our sister site WoW.com -- instead, those curious should take a look at their roundup post, and the category with links to more in-depth analysis of each announcement.
