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Hear the Glitch soundtrack in concert
How many of you like to talk about Glitch? Wow, that many? That's great, but please quiet down for right now; there's time to talk in the comments. It's not a question you need to answer out loud. Besides, if you're super enthusiastic about the memory of the game, you have an opportunity to experience a slice of it for yourself in concert. To celebrate the release of Glitch's soundtrack, a concert is being held on January 24th, 2015, in Toronto. Tickets are $20, and all proceeds go directly to the musicians taking part in the concert. As of this writing, the planned attendance isn't high, but we're pretty sure that will change as more people get wind of the concert. Can't make it to Canada in the middle of January? The Glitch website still offers free downloads for many of its music tracks.
Liveblogging the opening ceremonies of BlizzCon 2014
Dear readers, I am going to be wholly honest with you. When I was asked if I could do this liveblog for BlizzCon, I thought I was being asked if I was capable. Like asking "can you ride your bike with no handlebars" or "can you sing to a cat until it leaves the room in disgust." But here I am now, so apparently the question was significantly less rhetorical than I had originally assumed and now I need to actually do this. You can watch the standard definition feed of the convention's opening ceremonies on the official site for free. I'll be liveblogging the important announcements in the comments if you're in a place where you can't watch along (at work, misplaced your headphones, hiding in an Amish barn and fearing discovery should your phone give away even the slightest beep); highlights will be collected past the break. There will probably be announcements about Blizzard games! Like World of Warcraft and Hearthstone and maybe, if it's very lucky, StarCraft II.
The BlizzCon line has already been started by one dedicated player
BlizzCon 2014 starts tomorrow, and if you're already in California for the event, you've got a whole day of ambling about ahead of you. You might think there's no reason to even think about the lines or the waiting that will come around tomorrow. But you'd be wrong: There is already a line to get into the convention that starts tomorrow, a line started by one dedicated fan waiting patiently at the front gate. Massively's sister site WoW Insider reports that the fan is Brendan "Tibs" Thibodeau, a Navy veteran who has been playing World of Warcraft since 2005 and has racked up 29 level-capped characters with five legendary cloaks among them. Tibs has attended six BlizzCons and been at the front of the line for four of those, due in no small part to the dedication necessary to get in line a day before most people even think about queueing up. At last update, however, the second spot in line is still available. BlizzCon returns to Anaheim during the weekend of November 7th and 8th, 2014! Whether you're anticipating World of Warcraft's Warlords of Draenor expansion or the latest news from Diablo III, Hearthstone, and Heroes of the Storm, we aim to have it covered!
BlizzCon kicks off on Friday, virtual tickets still available
If you've been waiting patiently for the next big convention focused entirely around Blizzard's game catalogue, your wait is almost over. BlizzCon 2014 kicks off on Friday, November 7th, with the opening ceremonies starting at 2:00 p.m. EST. There's no chance of attending in person if you don't already have a ticket, but you can still pick up a virtual ticket, and DirecTV customers can also grab a pay-per-view stream that includes a virtual ticket and the associated benefits. The convention will host a variety of tournaments, including the Hearthstone championships, the StarCraft II championships, and the World of Warcraft Arena championship. There will also be the usual assortment of lore panels, development previews, and reveals for the various games under the Blizzard banner, included the much-anticipated Warlords of Draenor expansion. If you've been on the fence about getting a stream, take a look at the list of festivities and get ready to see what's coming from the studio this weekend.
Final Fantasy XIV unveils Dark Knight and more at London Fanfest
The second of three Final Fantasy XIV fan festivals is taking place now in London, and once again there's no shortage of information about the game's first expansion. While the Las Vegas gathering hinted at the new jobs, the first one was officially revealed today: Dark Knight, a new tank wielding a two-handed sword without any base class involved. No word on how the omission of a class will affect the leveling structure, but it was mentioned that the job will focus on dodging and parrying to reduce damage. The keynote speech also included revealing more about the game's flying mounts, which will allow free exploration of the Heavensward areas with no need for take-off or landing. Black chocobos and single-player airships were confirmed, with a grand total of six mounts currently in development. Two beast tribes were also linked, a birdlike race called the Vanu Vanu worshipping the primal Bismarck, and the insectoid Gnath who worship Ravana. There was also a hint that the next job to be revealed will be gun-focused. More news is likely to emerge as the fanfest continues.
The Mog Log: Predictions for Final Fantasy XIV's fanfest
There's less than a week to go now. Final Fantasy XIV players nationwide will congregate in Las Vegas for the fanfest starting on October 17th, and I... will be nowhere near there. I'll be on a trip with my wife celebrating a year since our wedding. But it's not as if I could talk about the revelations from the festival now anyway, since it's not for another several days. I'm going into this just as blind as you are. But we can still speculate, can't we? Of course we can. In fact, there's some stuff that's almost a certainty going into the fanfest and some stuff that remains a bit more speculative. So I'm going to make some guesses about what we'll see at the festival and shortly thereafter, and next week we can all either laugh at my guesses or not. I won't be watching all of it in purely real-time, but I'm pretty sure we'll see the following.
Blizzard posts official BlizzCon schedule
You've got your tickets purchased, your hotel arrangements squared away, your bags all packed. You're ready for BlizzCon this year! But leaving aside the fact that you can probably unpack your bags now as you've still got a month to go, what are you actually going to be doing at BlizzCon? That's what you can find out by taking a gander at the official schedule, which tracks the events of the day on both Friday and Saturday for World of Warcraft, StarCraft 2, Hearthstone, and Diablo III. A floor map is also available so that congoers can get a feel for the layout before arrival, although that's of less interest to fans planning on taking advantage of the streaming options available for the convention. If you're thinking of buying a virtual ticket for the high-quality streams, take a look at the schedule and see if it's stuff you want to watch streaming live. Unless, as we said, you've already got your bags packed to go in person.
Darkfall Unholy Wars hosts a free weekend
Have you always wanted to head back to Darkfall Unholy Wars but never quite had an excuse to do so? If so, you're getting one now. Aventurine is turning on open access to all of the game's servers this weekend, from Friday, October 3rd, until maintenance on Monday, October 6th. Everyone will be able to jump in and play for free as long as you have an account, whether you're an old-school lapsed player or just unsubscribed briefly as the school year started up. The weekend is in celebration of the game's latest patch, which introduces improved movement options and more combat balance. The developers are also laying siege to a city on the European server on Friday, so if you want to face off against the makers of the game, this will be your opportunity. Check out more details of the patch's movement in the video past the break, and get ready to jump in and lay siege for the weekend. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
GX3 Kickstarter gets a big boost from Blizzard
Conventions are expensive, and unless you have a major publisher or media franchise backing them, it's very easy for a convention to be successful without being successful enough to keep going. GaymerX managed two conventions, but the third round is currently on Kickstarter, trying to raise funds for another convention focused on inclusiveness and support of all different types of gamers. That goal is being helped significantly by a big name in online gaming: Blizzard Entertainment. The Kickstarter site for the convention lists the World of Warcraft developer as pledging "over $10,000" to making the convention a reality. There are still 23 days for the project to reach its funding goal, but that kind of money certainly helps kick a project along. If you're interested in donating yourself, the convention will be in the Bay Area of California in either November or December of 2015.
World of Warcraft announces the release date of the release date of Warlords of Draenor
Good news, World of Warcraft fans! Warlords of Draenor doesn't have a release date yet, but we now have a release date for its release date. Yes, Blizzard is hosting a big event on August 14th to unveil the game's opening cinematic, which will also reveal the date when Warlords of Draenor is releasing. The whole event will be streaming for free online, or if you're in Los Angeles, you can head down to the Ace Theater and view it in person. In the event that you make the trek out to the theater, you'll be duly rewarded with a beta key for Warlords of Draenor and you'll get to enjoy sitting in the same room with the minds behind the expansion. Doors open on location at 8:30 a.m. PDT, with streaming starting at 12:30 p.m. EDT (9:30 a.m. PDT). Then you can enjoy the release... of the release.
World of Warcraft posts details on the Arena Invitational World Championships
This year's BlizzCon will feature a no-holds-barred fight to the finish. Sadly, that doesn't mean that an official MMA tournament event will be taking place; it just means that the World of Warcraft Arena Invitational World Championships will be going down, pitting teams against one another for glory, honor, and the satisfaction of taking home up to $120,000 dollars. Who wouldn't like that? The eight teams selected for play will be fighting in a best-of-seven format, starting with the Nagrand Arena and moving on to other maps at the selection of the losing team. The matches will last until elimination or until 15 minutes have passed, whichever happens first. Those unable to attend BlizzCon on November 7th and 8th will be able to stream the matches online, although no details on doing so are yet available. If you are attending, though, get ready to watch the best of the best mix it up in the arenas.
PAX South tickets go on sale
The newest PAX has finally opened its virtual doors to registration! PAX South tickets are now on sale on the official website, although at the time of this writing there was a queue to purchase them. Attendees can buy one-day passes for $30 or a three-day pass for $65. PAX South is limiting purchases to four badges per person, with children six and under admitted free with a paying adult. There are no refunds. The convention will take place in San Antonio, Texas, from January 23rd through the 25th, 2015.
E3 2014: Final Fantasy XIV Live Letter details fan festival dates
Fans have been eagerly awaiting the dates for the Final Fantasy XIV festival in October, and during the most recent live letter from the producer those dates were finally revealed. The gathering will take place on October 18th and 19th at Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, October 25th at the Tobacco Dock in London, and December 20th and 21st at the Tokyo Big Sight in Tokyo. Other revelations from the letter? Personal chambers are going to be priced at approximately 300,000 gil for players who want a room of their own off of their Free Company house. Patch 2.3 will be going live on July 8th. There are also more questions asked regarding the new floors of Crystal Tower, the addition of new items, and the Frontline system, but all of those answers can be found in the official translation thread. Massively's on the ground in Los Angeles during the week of June 10-12, bringing you all the best news from E3 2014. We're covering everything from WildStar and Landmark to Skyforge and H1Z1, so stay tuned!
Final Fantasy XIV fan festival announced for October
Fan gatherings for games are all the rage lately, and Final Fantasy XIV is getting in on the action. While a number of fan festivals for Final Fantasy XI have taken place in Japan, this year fans in the US are getting to take part as well without international travel. Square-Enix has announced plans for this year's fan gatherings in October and November, kicking off in Las Vegas and later arriving in Tokyo and London. So when in October will this be happening? It's still ambiguous, although dates are due to be announced in June. But it's definitely happening in October, and it's definitely going to be in Vegas. This also counts as the inaugural festival for the game, as previous years simply incorporated coverage of FFXIV into the FFXI fan festivals. If you can't get enough of chocobos and moogles, you'd better start saving your money now; the full press release is available after the break. [Source: Square-Enix press release]
HD Streaming for EVE Fanfest now on sale
Are you a big fan of EVE Online? Do you want to go to EVE Fanfest but can't fit a trip to Iceland into your budget? Do you have a spare PLEX sitting around? Are you thinking about marzipan? Because right now you can buy a high-definition stream of the entire Fanfest from CCP Games for $19.95 or one PLEX, whichever works better for you. (The marzipan thing you'll have to sort out on your own.) Buying the stream gets you access to three days of high-definition coverage, the pre-convention livestream from developers, your choice of one of four industrial ship skins, subscriber-only giveaways, and a digital version of the Fanfest shirt for 2014. Sound good to you? Then head on over and drop your money! Or you can just watch the festivities streamed for free on Twitch, but you'll have to put up with normal definition footage, like an animal.
Play EVE: Valkyrie at Sundance Film Festival
If you want to strap on an Oculus Rift headset and give EVE: Valkyrie a spin, head to the Sundance Film Festival this weekend in Park City, Utah. CCP will be demonstrating the virtual-reality game as part of the festival's New Frontier presentation Friday, January 17th through Saturday, January 25th. Besides experiencing the game for yourself, you'll get to hobnob with CCP staff; CCP t0rfifrans, CCP BADCOP, GM Nythanos, and GM Ukulele will be on hand to answer questions and just chat with EVE fans.
Experience EQ Next Landmark at Community Celebration event
If you live in the San Diego area (or are willing to spring for airfare), you can get your own hands-on experience of EverQuest Next Landmark during the EQNL Community Celebration on Friday, January 31st. From 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. PST (1:00 to 9:00 p.m. EST), fans can congregate at the SOE San Diego campus and check out a demo of the sandbox on a local server, mingle and interact with devs, share EQ memories, and win prizes. The only catch is you can't tell us about your experiences: All participants at the event will be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).
Tickets now available for EVE Fanfest 2014
It's time to pack your bags and get ready for a trip to sunny Iceland if you're an EVE Online fan. Yes, the EVE Fanfest isn't until May, but the tickets are now available for purchase if you already know you need to be there. Tickets are normally $175, but there's a limited number of early bird tickets available for $150 if you jump on the deal fast enough. As it has in previous years, the fanfest will contain an assortment of panels and revelations for the games under the CCP Games umbrella, including EVE Online, DUST 514, and the upcoming EVE: Valkyrie. There will also be pub crawls, dinner with the developers, and the Party at the Top of the World to finish it all off. If that sounds like your sort of deal, grab your tickets now and start budgeting for the trip in a few months.
PAX East 2014 is sold out
PAX East sold out, man. It totally sold out. We're not trying to wax poetic here; it has literally sold out. No, we are not using the new meaning of "literally" from the Oxford English Dictionary. It has completely sold out; you cannot buy any more tickets. It sold out. What did you think we meant? The convention is slated to start on April 11th of next year, but there are no longer any badges available for the event. So if you haven't already purchased one, we're sorry, but at least you'll be able to save some money. And as always, we'll be doing our best to elbow through the throngs to bring you coverage of MMO news from the show floor.
The Daily Grind: What was your most memorable launch day?
The day World of Warcraft launched its first expansion, my wife and I stayed up for the midnight launch. We rushed home, installed the game, made our characters, and slept for a few fitful hours before getting back up and playing until we could play no more. Pizza was ordered, soda was drunk, and the entire day was a celebration of The Burning Crusade. We don't play any longer, but all I need to do to bring a smile to both of our faces is to just mention that launch. Considering how important MMOs are to many of us, I'd bet it's almost certain that you've had a launch day that meant the world to you, a day when you broke from your normal routine and did something really neat and out of the box. So we want to know about it today. What was your most memorable launch day? And was it a game you still play or one you've left behind? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
