Book 9
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Samsung's thing for (faux) leather continues with the ATIV Book 9 Style
Samsung's clearly been listening to Venus in Furs a lot recently, which explains why it's gone a bit crazy on the faux-leather all of a sudden. After covering both the Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Tab Pro and Chromebook 2 in the stuff, the company has now sought to do the same to a member of its Windows notebook family. Having taken the recently refreshed ATIV Book 9 that we found at CES, this new model gains the fetish-friendly backing and, erm, not much else. We spent a few seconds with an engineering sample of this unit, and felt compelled to share our impressions with you.
The Lord of the Rings Online: The epic quest line told in pictures
It's been one full year since Turbine released The Lord of the Rings Online to the public. The game has seen four large content updates since April 24, 2007 which have increased the amount in land available in the game by over 50% and added everything from new raid instances to the ability to play as a chicken.There has also been a huge advancement in the ongoing storyline of the game, which is separated into different "Books." These Books give the player a way to leave their mark on Middle-earth without interfering with the story already set by J. R. R. Tolkien, whose works the game is based off of. Here is a look back at the storyline that has progressed in the past year.Click on the first image in the gallery below to experience each epic storyline including appearances by fan favorites such as Gandalf, Elrond and the Fellowship of the Ring. %Gallery-21290%
The Lord of the Rings Online's one-year anniversary: A look back
In releasing Book 13 on its one-year anniversary, the Lord of the Rings Online finishes off its first year with five large content updates, known as Books. In addition to new epic storylines, the lore progressed significantly this past year as new Books were added. Let's take a look at all the changes made since April 24, 2007.The game began with eight questing zones and one player-versus-monster-player zone as well as seven classes and 10 crafting professions. It also launched many promises from the developers for much-demanded features such as player-owned houses and Fishing. At this point it was very difficult to reach the level cap of 50 due to a lack of significant content in the level 30-50 range, which Turbine promised to address. And that promise materialized with the first free content patch. Find out what Book 9 brought to the game ===>>
LotRO, A Look Back: Book 9
Less than two months after launch, the first content patch added Book 9: The Shores of Evendim on June 14, 2007. Not only did it include a continuation of the epic storyline, but it also released a new zone -- the aforementioned Evendim. This is the land of the Dúnedain that Elendil and his people settled in after arriving in Middle-earth from the destroyed island of Númenor. Though Elendil died away from home, and his body was never returned, a great tomb was erected for him. The tomb remains empty of bodies but contains many treasures -- treasure that certain brigands might be interested in obtaining for themselves.Along with the new zone came the game's first large-scale raid instance: Helegrod. This was an ancient city built by Dwarves that was assaulted by the evil dragon Thorog. Wielding the powerful sword Mírdanant, Durin the fifth slayed Thorog but was killed in the process. Ever since attempts have been made to retake the city, but some evil prevents the Dwarves from reclaiming it. It is up to your hero, with 23 of his/her best friends, to defeat the evil inside once and for all.Gameplay-wise, huge improvements to the profession of Farming and the music system were made, and the Champion class received its class review (the first one, that is). Many more quests were introduced to smooth out the leveling at higher levels and the first collectible armor sets were seen. Find out what Books 10 & 11 brought to Middle-earth ===>>
One Shots: Bwak!
When Lord of the Rings Online developer Turbine announced their new "session play" feature which would allow players to play as a character other than their normal character. Said Turbine, "You could play as a Ranger, a Troll, or... a chicken. It's an opportunity to explore Middle-earth from a different -- and sometimes unexpected -- viewpoint." Though many players thought this to be some sort of belated April Fools' joke, Turbine actually did introduce chicken play into the game with Book 9. And in this shot we join reader Julien exploring the dangerous world of the Shire in chicken form. All we can say is: bwak?Do you have any screenshots in your collection that show off your favorite game from an unexpected point of view? One Shots wants to see them all, especially the ones highlighting your chickeny adventures! We only post what you send us -- so send your screenshots and stories to oneshots@massively.com. You may see it featured here tomorrow, same time, same place. %Gallery-9798%
TTH guides you through the Deeds of Evendim
Ten Ton Hammer's series of Deed guides for The Lord of the Rings Online continues with a guide to the Deeds of Evendim. Their guides to the North Downs, Ered Luin, and Angmar were all great, and this one's just as helpful.Titles you can earn in Evendim include Slayer of the Gauredain, Enemy of the Giants, Bane of the Kergrim, Keeper of Mysteries, and more. Of course you can get all sorts of helpful traits as well.Evendim was added to LotRO's world in Book 9 and is home to Annuminas, the former capitol of Arnor (the western sister to Gondor). Now it's populated by all sorts of unpleasant northern terrors such as the Gauredain.
