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Star Trek Online pre-orders topping Direct2Drive sales
Some people may be apprehensive about the speed with which Cryptic is rolling out Star Trek Online, but that isn't slowing down the pre-orders at all. It seems that the majority of fans remain anxious to get their hands on the game. For the week of December 27th - January 2nd, pre-orders of the Star Trek Online Digital Deluxe edition took the number one spot for sales at Direct2Drive. Pre-orders of the regular edition of STO made a showing as well, coming in at number ten. Cryptic isn't the only studio enjoying last week's sales figures. Aion is still selling well, and came in at number four last week. They dominated the D2D sales shortly after launch, grabbing the top two spots (Collector's Edition and Standard Edition) at both D2D and Steam at the end of September, and remaining in the top ten even into November. STO is scheduled for launch in less than a month, so keep your eye on Massively for continued coverage as release day approaches.
Joyswag: 24 games from Direct2Drive [update]
Update: Giveaway has come to a close, folks. Keep an eye on your email's inbox to see if you won! Dear PC gamer, even though we couldn't get you in on the Naughty or Nice action, we've got something you should be just as excited about. Remember when we told you about Direct2Drive's 24 Days of Christmas sale? Well, the generous folks at Direct2Drive are gifting all 24 titles (full list after the break) from the sale to one lucky Joystiq reader. Want in? Here's how to enter for your change to win: Optional: Set up a Direct2Drive account in advance (it'll save time later) Leave a comment briefly telling us how you spend the holidays You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day This entry period ends at 12:00PM ET on Monday, December 28 At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive all 24 PC titles (full list after the break) from Direct2Drive's 24 Days of Christmas sale [Total value: $398.50] For a list of complete rules, click here Happy holidays and best of luck to you!
Fallen Earth offers a new exclusive item via Direct2Drive
Have you still not purchased Fallen Earth? Really? I mean, come on, you've been given special items everywhere you go to buy the game, you can get a discount if you're in the military, and they've just added new social features and gambling. Heck, we even had a piece about why you ought to be playing it, remember? Did all that not convince you? Well, admittedly, all of those other items were fluff and silliness, mildly useful but not exactly overwhelming. But with the latest offer, in partnership with Direct2Drive, they've brought what every apocalyptic survivor wants: brutal efficiency. No t-shirts for you, after all. Fashion is nice, but it's not as nice as a tool that gives a +6 boost to Scavenging skills, without taking up one of your valuable armor slots. Nor is it as nice as having a pair of Experience Boosts on-hand for any and all late-night grinding sessions you'd care to take part in. And if you'd like some backup out in the harsh wastelands, well, that's what the included Buddy Pass covers, letting you invite a friend to join you in Fallen Earth for a free 15-day trial. If all of this hasn't yet enticed you into the game through one of the more popular digital distributors out there, well, we don't know what it will take. Maybe even more hats.
You may download PC/360 Devil May Cry 4 on December 22
Has the pernicious dealing with retail requirement kept you from the ongoing, stylish adventures of Nero and Dante (not that Dante)? Capcom has good news for those of us with no tolerance for relics like stores and boxes: starting December 22, the PC version of Devil May Cry 4 will be available for download on "the digital distribution partner of your choice," including, of course, Capcom's own shop, where pre-orders are being accepted for $29.99. The 360 version will hit Games on Demand, along with Lost Planet Colonies Edition, the same day. Capcom notes that the PC version of the action game features some enhancements not found in the console versions: altered enemy placements, a "Turbo Mode," an extra-difficult "Legendary Dark Knight Mode," among several visual tweaks. And now, it's enhanced with buying it from home mode!
Alganon expands to Impulse distribution
Alganon isn't necessarily the darling of the MMO world at the moment, with a large number of people drawing conclusions about it before even setting foot in the game. So, really, more or less par for the course. But it has launched, it's developing its content, and it's clearly making moves to get itself noticed as something new and good. And if recent moves are any indications, one of the best ways to get yourself noticed is expanding on to the much-beloved digital distribution sources. The game has just been made available on the Impulse service, run by Stardock. Those of you with acute memories may recall that it wasn't so long ago that Alganon had an exclusive setup with Direct2Drive. However, expansion is always a good thing, especially for a smaller studio looking to improve their visibility. There's no word on any exclusive giveaways a la the plethora of Fallen Earth bonuses for different services, but that's all right -- it's good enough to know that if you have a want for the game, there are more ways to go about getting it.
Direct2Drive running '24 Days of Christmas' sale
Digital distribution service Direct2Drive is celebrating the 24 days leading up to Christmas by discounting a select PC title each day from now until December 25. As the math whizzes have no doubt already divined, that's 24 discounted games! Today's game is DICE's parkour-em-up, Mirror's Edge. At the ridiculously low asking price of $4.95, it'd be a crime for PC gamers to disregard this most excellent (and very much deserving of a sequel, EA!) game from 2008. We can personally vouch for its high levels of quality, actually. In terms of fun-to-cents ratio, you're looking at about 16 gazillion wows of entertainment value. Trust us, we did the math. [Thanks, Jordan]
Massively's Black Friday MMO sales guide
The holidays are officially here (if you're a retail chain, then they've been here for about a month) and so it's time to start looking for deals to give to either your MMO-playing loved ones or, well, yourself! Shopping can be a pretty big hassle, especially if you're not accustomed to hunting for the best deals. So, we've gone and outlined the season's new releases, as well as some places you can hope to find sales in the coming weeks.
Direct2Drive offering $10 off Dragon Age: Origins through Nov. 30
Starting now until November 30, Direct2Drive is offering $10 off either the standard edition or Digital Deluxe Edition of BioWare's Dragon Age: Origins. The exclusive sale kicks off an upcoming Thanksgiving price drop on unnamed titles from the digital download service. The standard edition is priced at $39.95, while the Deluxe edition is priced at $54.95 for the promotion. With the savings we recommend you look into purchasing the (somewhat controversial) downloadable content already available for the title. If paying for storage space is your thing, that is.
Internet Explorer 9 to sport GPU acceleration and HTML5 support
Even if you don't have a favored fighter in the browser wars, you have to admit Microsoft's Internet Explorer has been looking mighty unfit over the last few years. Younger and fitter contenders like Mozilla's Firefox and Google's Chrome have arguably overtaken the old stalwart, and now Microsoft is making some much-needed noise about fighting back. The software giant has been giving developers and curious journalists a very early peek into its IE 9 progress at PDC, with its stated ambitions including faster Javascript (see table above), HTML5 support, and hardware acceleration for web content. By harnessing DirectX and your graphics processor, the new browser will offer improvements in text readability and video performance, as well as taking some of the load off the CPU. Development has only just got under way, mind you, so there's still plenty of time to screw it all up. Or make it awesome.
Direct2Drive slashes prices on LucasArts games
Direct2Drive is offering some pretty good deals on LucasArts games this week. Three bundles are on offer, one catering to the adventure gamers out there, another for Star Wars afficionados, and a third that combines the first two into a massive LucasArts love fest. The bundles include the likes of Dark Forces, Indiana Jones, KOTOR, Jedi Knight, Monkey Island, Armed and Dangerous, and plenty more. The smaller bundles have been discounted from $49.99 to $24.49, while the massive bundle has been reduced from $99.87 to $39.95. Not bad for LucasArts fans. The sale ends November 23 at 10:00am PT. See details of each bundle after the break.
Aion grips top ten digital sales charts a month past release
You'd be forgiven for thinking Aion would've fallen off the Steam and DIrect2Drive top ten sales charts, what with the fire hose blast of new PC releases. Fortunately for NCsoft, that isn't the case as the game is still clinging to said charts in the face of games like Dragon Age: Origins, Borderlands, Torchlight and Left 4 Dead 2. Boldness! Actually, the game is pretty darn good -- if you don't mind your peanut butter with extra grind -- so that's not a huge surprise all things considered. It's always a good sign when an MMO can stay on the top ten after its launch, moreso when it does so against high profile, high pedigree releases. So, rejoice Aion players, you've likely got a strong community! (We could've just told you that, but now numbers vindicate said observation.)
Modern Warfare 2 refused by digital distribution retailers; Steamworks to blame
PC gamers aren't the only ones angry about the way Modern Warfare 2 is shaping up. PC retailers, starting with IGN's Direct2Drive download service, have made the bold move to leave piles of money on the table by refusing to sell it. It's not in protest of the dedicated server issue or the multiplayer cap, but rather the fact that the game relies on Steamworks for updates, saving and Achievements; and Direct2Drive isn't thrilled about selling a game that requires the bundling of a competitor's product. "At Direct2Drive," the statement on what would be the Modern Warfare 2 product page reads, "we believe strongly that when you buy a game from us, you shouldn't be forced to install and run a 3rd party software client to be able to play the game you purchased." The site offers an Amazon link to purchase the game, and a $5 coupon for other Activision titles on Direct2Drive. Impulse and GamersGate won't be offering the Modern Warfare 2 either. Impulse tells VE3D that "the most obvious issue is the forced inclusion of a competitor's store that blocks us from carrying the game." [Via Gamasutra]
AO-rated PC version of Manhunt 2 releasing next week
If you thought Manhunt 2 had reached the pinnacle of mature content in video games, you better guess again. The controversy-garnering title will be re-released on Direct2Drive next week for $29.99 -- only this time around, it's packing an AO rating. As those who lived through Mahuntgate surely remember, that was planned to be the original rating for the game, before the ESRB rolled up, and was all like "what? You want to stick shards of glass into another man's ear? No. No, sir." Rockstar has remained mum about what the new rating will entail, but our guess is that it will incorporate more graphic forms of violence, and perhaps a few extra dirty words. We've contacted Rockstar to get more specific details on the mature-r content, and to find out when we can expect the Early Childhood version of the game to hit store shelves. [Via Big Download]
GameStop details three-point plan for digital distro future
GameStop doesn't really have to worry about digital distribution devices like the PSP Go right now -- in the Go's case, it's because there's pretty much nothing on it -- but, in the future, the company may need to consider adapting to a less physical media-dependent market. Though some say that day won't come until 2017 (others say digital distribution will endanger the company), Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian recently attended an analyst-only GameStop meeting at the NYSE (via IndustryGamers) where the company actually detailed its plans to prepare for the rise of the machines digital distribution.GameStop's three main goals to adapt included increasing in-store sales of point cards for online purchases, expanding its digital distribution of PC and casual titles via its website and making a strategic investment in the space or acquiring an online entity specializing in digital distribution. The first two are pretty cut and dry, but that last item really gives one food for thought.There are certainly a plethora of online distributors that GameStop could own; Steam, Greenhouse, Impulse, GoG and Direct2Drive are all established and popular digital distribution services, though we think GameStop may have some trouble should it pursue Steam or Direct2Drive -- which are owned by Valve and IGN (News Corp.), respectively. And, hey, if GameStop decides to purchase any one of these and doesn't like it, there's always the option to trade it back in for ... ah, forget it.
Alganon to be exclusively distributed through Direct2Drive
Alganon fans, you're going to want to make sure you're keeping an eye on Direct2Drive, as Quest Online has announced an exclusive partnership to sell the game solely through the online digital distribution service.Pre-ordering the game before the launch date of October 31st will net you a variety of incentives, including beta access, study bonuses, mounts, family heirlooms, and more! While we don't have any exact information to offer on what those items are, it still sounds like a nice plethora of stuff for buying the game early.Of course, partnering with D2D means partnering with IGN, and that means that Alganon's beta will be conducted exclusively through Fileplanet. Those guys over there will be the keepers of the Alganon beta keys from here on out, so look to them if you're interested in the game's upcoming open beta.
Joyswag: Direct2Drive's 50+ $5 games for you, dear reader [update]
Update: The entry period has come to a close. Thanks for playing and keep an eye on your email to see if you won!We've got quite the prize pack up for grabs, as Direct2Drive is hooking us up with 53 games (full list after the break) to unload on one lucky reader. If you've been keeping up with the weekly deals that are part of Direct2Drive's fifth anniversary, then you know the service has been offering some pretty sweet titles. Well, we've got all of them, and one of you will be lucky enough to win them!To enter, follow the steps below: Leave a comment telling us your favorite game genre You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) Limit 1 entry per person per day This entry period ends at 11:59AM ET on Monday, October 12 At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive all 53 $5 games from Direct2Drive ($265 ARV) For a list of complete rules, click here Best of luck to you all and thanks to the fine folks at Direct2Drive for hooking us up!
Aion and Fallen Earth dominate Steam/D2D charts
Aion. Champions Online. Fallen Earth. Three MMOs intended for three different audiences and yet they all have one thing in common: September gaming sales chart domination! The latest numbers on Steam and Direct2Drive show a bit of a re-shuffling compared to the last time we checked in.Steam (9/20 - 9/26)1st - Aion Collector's Edition2nd - Aion Standard Edition3rd - Fallen EarthDirect2Drive (9/20 - 9/26)1st - Aion Collector's Edition 2nd - Aion Standard Edition 3rd - Fallen Earth8th - Champions OnlineChampions Online was launched a few weeks before both FE and Aion, so we believe that might have something to do with their now lagging sales (according to these charts). Be sure to check out our one-month checkup on CO. Both Aion and FE appear to be doing quite well for themselves since release. Considering the lack of marketing behind FE and its more design, we're happy to see it up ranking so high. Actually, it makes us warm and fuzzy to see any MMO selling well, so kudos to all!
Direct2Drive continues $5 anniversary sale with discount indie games
Direct2Drive has elected to show some love to the little guy this week. The digital distribution site continues its impossibly thrifty anniversary sale by offering a number of popular indie titles for just $5. If you've yet to dip your toes into the refreshing waters of World of Goo, The Path or Gish, Direct2Drive has the best deals on them (and a number of other indie games) that you're likely to see for a long, long time. However, if you're craving a more mainstream offering, a bunch of discounted games from previous weeks -- including BioShock, Saints Row 2 and EVE Online -- have retained the $5-discount price. You could just as easily pick those up instead, you conformist, you.
Direct2Drive offering $5 MMO downloads for their birthday
Looking for a new game to try but tight on cash? The folks over at Direct2Drive have their fifth birthday sale going on now, and what's better - they have a few MMOs in the mix this week. That's right: for less than a triskadecaccino no-whip chocolate half-caf latte with soy milk, you can score a copy of Age of Conan, EVE Online, or PlanetSide, along with one month of brand-spanking-new game time. That's a crazy good deal if you've ever thought about picking up any of these games. It's an even better deal when you consider that you can't even get one month of game time in any of them for five bucks. What are you waiting for? Go! Get some inexpensive MMOs! Oh, also - happy birthday Direct2Drive! (And thanks for that $5 copy of Bioshock!)
Direct2Drive's anniversary sale continues with $5 RPGs and MMOs
Digital retailer Direct2Drive continues its seemingly endless parade of values this week with a number of MMOs and RPGs which you can acquire for a single five-dollar bill. These titles include Neverwinter Nights 2, EVE Online, Age of Conan and Assassin's Creed Director's Cut. Well, fine -- that last one isn't exactly an RPG, unless what the director cut from the original version was turn-based random encounters. If you're not a fan of playing roles, you'll be happy to know that D2D has kept a number of the previous weeks' deals alive, adding BioShock, Civilization 4, Assault on Dark Athena and many other titles to the pile of $5 games. If you're looking to expand your PC library on the cheap, it's definitely worth checking out.
