christmas-in-july
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The Daily Grind: What's your favorite winter zone?
OK, how weird is the whole "Christmas in July" thing, anyway? Are people jonesing for sleigh bells and mistletoe so badly they can't wait for a few months? Who thought it would be a smashing idea to make us think of the cold, dark days of winter in the middle of 90-degree weather? So if we're already at the weird point of thinking about snow while our thermometers are melting, we might as well go the whole hog and talk about winter zones in MMOs. I've always been partial to a good snow-and-ice-themed area, whether it be Winterspring in World of Warcraft, Forochel in Lord of the Rings Online or, y'know, Hoth. What's your favorite winter zone in MMOs? Which areas make you want to wrap a warm fur cloak about you as you venture forth into the fluffy powder and pristine icefields? And what makes that zone special for you? 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!
Grab a Heroes of Three Kingdoms beta key like it's hot, hot, hot!
It's Christmas in July here at Massively, and we want to hook you up with a free gift -- in this case, a closed beta key for the upcoming Heroes of Three Kingdoms. Perfect World Entertainment's latest MMO entry looks to set itself apart from the pack with a historical setting, the ability to control NPC soldiers and a dynamic PvP faction battlefront. If this sounds intriguing to you, then make sure to take advantage of our Christmas spirit today, as supplies are limited! To get your key, just head over to our Heroes of the Three Kingdoms Closed Beta Key Giveaway page and follow the instructions when you get there. For added amusement, check out the URL.
Guild Wars celebrates Wintersday in July
Here in the UK, the concept of Christmas in July is almost unheard of. Indeed I've only heard about it because, as a journalist, the Christmas in July events are where all the big consumer companies and department stores unveil their Christmas must-have toys and gifts. The whole thing seems much more prevalent in the US and Australia, oh and in Guild Wars.Yes, that's right, Guild Wars. NCsoft have announced their 2009 Wintersday event, the Tyrian New Year celebrations, will be taking place between noon PST on Friday July 17th until 11:59pm PST on Sunday July 19th. It's just a matter of chatting to a seasonal priest in the decked-out locales of Ascalon City, Droknar's Forge, the Great Temple of Balthazar, Kamadan, or Lion's Arch to get teleported to the Snowball Arena. You can then do battle with other players and earn candy cane shards which can be exchanged for a wealth of seasonal gifts.For more information, check out the official Wintersday site here.
