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Microsoft's Project Spark game creator comes to Xbox One and PC
If you enjoy the creative part of building games but not so much the coding, Microsoft's Project Spark is now available for Xbox One and PC (Windows 8.1 only). That marks the end of a six month beta period that saw over a million testers create 70,000 game levels, according to Microsoft. As a reminder, Spark lets you build games with relative ease by using onscreen tools to add monsters, geography, game dynamics and logic. You can also use a Kinect HD on either platform to capture your own movements and facial expressions for game characters. Download it now for Windows 8.1 and Xbox One for free, or as Microsoft helpfully suggested, buy a starter disk with content for $39.99. Otherwise, fresh content can be earned during gameplay or by purchasing tokens.
EVE Steam sale includes first month and some gear to immediately lose to pirates
If you've always wanted to get in the business of blowing up internet spaceships, now might be the time. Steam is currently offering the EVE Online Amarr starter pack as a weekend sale item, priced at 75% below normal. For $4.98, you'll receive your first month of EVE Online game time in addition to a Sarum Magnate frigate, some exploration equipment, a few skill books, and a skill booster -- all of which will look great after they're pried off your frozen corpse and mounted on a null-sec predator's mantle. Purchasing EVE from CCP's official site runs you about $14, so the Steam sale represents a decent bit of savings. However, it is worth noting that Steam EVE accounts are not eligible for character transfers, and you must access the game through Steam to access your bonus starting items. The deal ends October 28th.
Neverwinter's Fury of the Feywild lands August 22nd
Perfect World and Cryptic Studios didn't even let the launch-day paint dry (that's the officially official launch, not the one that let everyone in to play) before announcing Neverwinter's first free content update. And now that expansion has a launch date of its very own: Fury of the Feywild will go live on August 22nd. On that date Neverwinter players will gain access to a host of goodies, including the new zone Sharandar, new dungeons, new professions, and the new Campaign System. Players, however, don't have to wait until the module releases to get into the spirit of it; two special packs filled with Feywild-themed rewards are available for purchase. The starter pack consists of a portal hound companion, a Feywild hunter's ring, a fine Elven silk bag, and an adventurer's helper pack. Players can purchase multiple starter packs per account for $19.99 each. The knight of the Feywild pack offers a unicorn mount, a Sylph companion, the Moon Elf race, 600,000 astral diamonds, and more for $59.99.
Captain's Log: More Romulan ships coming in Star Trek Online
Late last week, Star Trek Online community manager Brandon Felczer posted an enormous dev blog delving into the details surrounding the influx of new ships heading into the game the moment the Legacy of Romulus expansion goes live. So today I'd like to touch on these new ships and the new Legacy Pack and Starter Packs that were announced as being available for Star Trek Online!
Star Trek Online Legacy of Romulus pre-order packs revealed
Cryptic and Perfect World have released pricing info for Star Trek Online's Legacy of Romulus expansion Starter and Legacy Packs. The former will net you a couple of exclusive ships, a Borg Reman officer, and a Survivor of Romulus title if you're willing to part with $19.99. The Legacy Pack will set you back a whopping $124.99 and gift you with the Starter Pack items as well as several additional ships, officers, and in-game items. Full details are available on the official STO website.
Skylanders iOS versions officially announced
We've known since the beginning that the enormously popular toy/video game combo of Activision's Skylanders would come to Apple's iOS platform at some point, and now here comes the official announcement that Skylanders fans are getting not one but two different iOS games to play. Skylanders Battlegrounds will be the game that most closely matches the current console versions: It'll be a more standard RPG/action game that will even pair up with a Bluetooth "portal," to let players connect their Skylanders toys up to the in-game action, just like on the PS3, Wii and Xbox versions. The portal will be available at retail stores sometime this November for US$49.99, along with three figures, a code for the downloadable iOS game and a "Platinum Treasure Chest" with codes to redeem for lots of in-app purchases. Even if you don't buy the portal, though, you'll still be able to pick up the game for a price "between $5 and $7" (probably) and play it without figures. But of course the big draw of Skylanders is this combination of physical toys and the digital titles: Players can level up their characters in the game, and then save that progress right onto the physical figurines. And Skylanders: Lost Islands is a free-to-play take on the universe that looks a lot like your standard freemium town-building game. That one is already in beta in Canada, which means it should be available very soon here in the US (possibly within the next few weeks or so). Lost Islands should also work with the buy-it-separately Bluetooth portal, but Activision will also be kicking off its own social network soon, called Activate, that will tie together all of players' little figure data through the cloud as well. Both of these games should be out by next month, and fans of Skylanders (or, more likely, their parents) will have yet another piece of the series to buy and play.
MapleStory lands on Steam with special offers
Free-to-play is the trend of last year; right now, the "in" thing for MMOs is to get a coveted spot in Steam's store. MapleStory has made the move to the cool kids' table, apparently, as Nexon announced that the title is now available through Valve's digital service. While MapleStory is free-to-play through the service, Nexon and Steam are offering two additional package deals for those interested in plunking down a few bucks for in-game goodies. The $9.99 starter pack includes a 30-day stat-boosting pendant, a teleport rock, a pair of megaphones, and a brown kitty pet that has a three-month lifespan. Alternatively, players may elect to buy the $4.99 value pack, which has just the teleport rock and pet. MapleStory recently released its Mutiny update, which overhauled the Pirate and Dual Blade classes and added several new "mini-dungeons." [Source: Nexon press release]
Steam offers Lord of the Rings Online starter pack
Is it one digital distribution service to rule them all? Starting today, Lord of the Rings Online is now available to download from Steam. To add incentive for using the service, Steam is offering a special starter pack for players looking to step foot into the game for the first time -- or free-to-play vets eager for a good deal. The LotRO Steam starter pack will outfit an adventurer with an exclusive mount, an XP-boost token that delivers 25% extra XP on monster kills up until level 65, and 1,000 Turbine Points to spend in the game's store. The deal also includes three zone quest packs -- North Downs, Evendim, and Misty Mountains -- which covers levels 21-50. Currently the starter pack is 50% off at $14.99, which makes the combined offerings a good deal if you lack the quest packs and want to shore up your leveling experience. [Thanks to Brian for the tip!]
Check out the newest MMOs from GamesCampus with a giveaway from Massively!
The folks at GamesCampus have been pretty busy this summer turning out some new titles and making improvements here and there. They've got two titles in particular that they'd like players to check out, and they have shared some starter packages for each one with Massively. This giveaway works a bit differently than the ones you usually see on Massively. Each gift package has a single redemption code, which can be applied 500 times before it expires. To apply each code, install the game, log into your GamesCampus account, and apply the code under "coupon" on the righthand navigation bar. Asda 2 is the anime-style sequel to Asda Story, and each starter package includes an exclusive Summer Festival avatar set, a seven-day Premium Potion, a seven-day Dragon Doll vehicle, 10 teleport scrolls, and 10 HP recovery scrolls. The gift pack code is A534A4904175411D. Heroes in the Sky is a World War II-themed MMOTPS, and the starter pack includes a variety of seven-day items. You'll receive larger maximum secondary weapon ammo, durability protection to prevent your gear from breaking down, improved weapon reload time, coolant to reduce the rate at which your engine overheats, and reduced skill cooldown times. The gift pack code is CA3DCB694FBF4629. Each code is limited to one per account, so grab yours, pick up your starter pack, and have fun!
R.O.H.A.N.: Blood Feud looks toward Hero expansion with new Divinity server
YNK Interactive has formally announced the introduction of Divinity, a new server for its R.O.H.A.N.: Blood Feud free-to-play fantasy MMORPG. The release marks the first step toward the forthcoming Hero expansion, and new players will find that the Divinity server provides several perks designed to help those new to R.O.H.A.N. get acclimated in a hurry. All characters created during Divinity's first month will receive a starter package containing XP bonus items, a styling ticket, and a +5 stat costume. R.O.H.A.N. will also be featuring numerous drop rate and bonus XP events in the coming weeks to prepare for the expansion. "Divinity is just the start of a new beginning with R.O.H.A.N. this year. We're thrilled on the release of the new server update, as it sets the foundation for the many events and exciting game content to come," says YNK's Derrick Lee.
Need For Speed World takes off July 27th
Fast cars. Expensive gas. Gaudy spinners. Fuzzy dice. A lead foot. Radar detectors. EA is set to provide all of these and more when Need for Speed World launches next week. A release date of July 27 has been announced, and will be available via digital download for all hot rod enthusiasts. Of course, if you can't wait to settle into the driver's seat, you can get into the game today by pre-ordering the Need for Speed World Starter Pack. Apart from the benefit of early access, pre-orders will get their hands on exclusive cars, be fueled with double XP, and have the ever-so-elite "VIP" tag added to their driver profile from now on. The Starter Pack also includes an allowance of NFSW's in-game currency for a shopping trip if one so desires. A trial of the game will become available next week as well, offering a free sample of NFSW up through level 10 to any and all who mosey by. EA is obviously crossing its fingers that NFSW will go the distance and not break down on the side of the road like Motor City Online, but so far, things are looking up for this title.
Sony pushing Blu-ray aspects of PlayStation 3 starter packs
Assembling bundles for consoles isn't something incredibly new to Sony, but on its latest selection of six PlayStation 3 starter packs, half of 'em are aimed squarely at the home theater crowd. The Fantasy, Adventure and Thriller packages all ditch extra controllers or AAA game releases to include a different Blu-ray movie, the PS3 remote and a paltry $10 savings. Given the sudden surge in attractiveness, we wouldn't be surprised one iota to see Sony continue to market the movie-playing aspects as Blu-ray awareness picks up.[Thanks, Chris]
PS3 Starter Pack confirmed for Europe - No price cut in sight
It looks like MaxConsole.net was right, SCEE has today revealed plans to launch the PlayStation 3 Starter Pack in Europe. The pack will be released on the 18th of July in the UK and will be available in all other European countries by the 1st of August. As a result of this the PlayStation 3 will not be seeing a price cut in Europe. The Starter Pack will sell for £425 in the UK and €599 elsewhere in Europe. These prices may seem familiar to you, as they haven't changed since the console's launch in March.The Starter Pack contains a 60GB PS3, two games and two controllers. The example used by Sony has Resistance and Motorstorm in the box but other packs will include different games from the launch line-up. We think it's a decent package, but are still disappointed by the lack of price drop. The price of the PS3 in the Starter Pack works out to about £310 or €430. Is this technically a 'price cut' of £115/$250? Let's pretend it is. Then we, as a continent, can start buying safe in the knowledge that we got a larger price cut than America.The problem still remains, however, that some people just can't afford it. It's not necessarily a matter of "won't", Sony. It's a matter of "can't".
