in-game-pet
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Gods & Heroes going worldwide on Steam this week
Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising is coming to Steam. The mythology-inspired MMORPG, launched yesterday by Heatwave Interactive, is now available on Valve's North American digital distribution platform and will available worldwide later this week (June 24th, to be exact). Aside from the convenience of avoiding a retail purchase, Steam customers will also receive a traditional platform-exclusive in-game item, in this case a mythical minion called a Gorpal. The Gorpal is a damage-dealing Phorcid pet that "protects players by fighting with claws and a poisonous bite," according to a Heatwave press release. Check out our Gods & Heroes launch day coverage for more on the game, and don't forget to stop by the official website as well.
We've got more Forsaken World in-game pets to give away!
Last weekend we received a little gift from the Forsaken World team -- 1,000 codes for a free Khonem in-game pet. The little guys were snapped up in no time flat, but if you missed out, don't worry. So are you ready for round two of the Khonem pet giveaway? Perfect World has given us 1,000 more to pass on to our readers, and it's as simple as the last round! It's as simple as the last round! Just visit our giveaway page and get your code. If you're not a current Forsaken World player, register, download the game, and create your character. Once you have a character, enter your code on the redemption page. When you next log in to Forsaken World, you'll find a gift waiting in your mailbox. Enjoy!
Get a free in-game pet from Forsaken World and Massively!
Forsaken World is just over two weeks out of the gate, and the kind folks at Perfect World hope to enhance the experience for those of you who play with a little gift. They've given us some free Khonem in-game pets to share with you. The Khonem are a mysterious tribal race possessing fiery blue eyes and a skull head; they hunt and kill anything not of their kind in the name of their god Khunm. Want one for your very own? All you need to do is visit our giveaway page and pick up a code. If you're not a current Forsaken World player, register, download the game, and create your character. Once you have a character, enter your code on the redemption page. When you next log into Forsaken World, you'll find a gift waiting in your mailbox. Enjoy!
Global Agenda offering friends with benefits
Itching to get your frag on with someone you love (or at least, lust after?) Hi-Rez Studios has a deal for you in the form of its Friends with Benefits discount promotion for Global Agenda. If you've purchased the massively multiplayer third-person shooter, you now have a set of coupon codes that can be gifted to a friend, granting him or her 30% off the initial client cost. Your benefits accrue in the form of an in-game referral achievement score, which in turn grants reward items at specific levels (including a mini-warlord pet that resembles an angry Laurence Fishburne bobblehead doll). Todd Harris, Global Agenda's executive producer, outlines the new program on the game's official forums. "Referral achievements and new prestige items will be introduced and visible before the end of October in the 1.38 update. But we invite you to start recruiting now -- you'll earn credit for all referrals going forward as well as any referrals done prior to this campaign launch," he writes.
Pandaren pet "sold out" on Blizzard store [Updated]
In an unexpected and strange twist in Blizzard's latest microtransaction saga, the Pandaren Monk vanity pet has apparently sold out on the Blizzard pet store. A mere week after the in-game pets were announced for sale on Blizzard's new pet store, the Pandaren Monk can no longer be purchased on US realms (as of this writing, it is still available on the Blizzard EU and Blizzard KR stores). That the Pandaren Monk would sell out comes as a surprise because, well, it's a virtual item. It's like Agent Smith. It never runs out. Unless, of course, Blizzard designed it that way, in which case there must have been a massive failure of communication somewhere down the line because it doesn't say anything about the Pandaren Monk being a limited item anywhere. It's also notable that Blizzard had committed to donating 50% of all proceeds from Pandaren Monk sales to the Make-a-Wish Foundation all the way through December 31. If the Pandaren Monk were to disappear, it should at least be expected to last until the end of 2009, right? We think this is an inventory error, where some number had to be inserted into the Blizzard Store's inventory management system, like some number "over 9000". Likely this will be easily corrected, and when it is, we'll update this post accordingly. UPDATE 11:30am ET: Blizzard is looking into the matter, which should assuage most people's fears that the item is indeed sold out. UPDATE 2:00pm ET: The Pandaren Monk is now back in stock and available for purchase! It was just a glitch in the Matrix, people. Nothing to see here. Thanks to Papa Shok for the tip.
Breakfast Topic: How far would you let WoW microtransactions go?
One of the hottest topics in the past week was Blizzard's foray into the microtransactions game. By announcing the Blizzard pet store, World of Warcraft had officially come on par with other MMOs and online games that sold in-game items for real world money. Our informal survey showed that views on the move were officially split... a good third of our readers would buy the pet, another third didn't plan to, while another full third thought that our world was coming to an end. Well, the World of Warcraft, at least. At any rate, it looks like the Pet Store is here to stay. Besides, Blizzard has already been hawking in-game services for real money, so it's not as if these vanity pets are any different. I personally don't find anything wrong with these pets, and seeing the number of diminutive liches and kung fu pandas showing up all over Azeroth, it really seems like a lot of other people don't, either. Blizzard states that these items, similar to the TCG loot cards, are "purely cosmetic and just for fun." They say that they'd be loathe to introduce things that are "detrimental to the game and (detracts) from the gameplay experience for players who choose not to use the service." So that probably means no epic weapons or anything of the sort. How far does that go, though? Are heirloom items considered detrimental to the game? How about buying levels? Premades? I personally wouldn't mind paying a fair price to skip the painful leveling process (an attitude that might admittedly change during the Cataclysm). What's do you think is next for Blizzard? Armor dyes, perhaps? Vanity outfits such as the complete Brewfest set or gag items such as those found on the TCG? Titles? Now that the microtransactions gate has been opened, how far do you think Blizzard will go?
BlizzCon 2009 Goody Bag is full of StarCraft goodness
Despite the earlier announcement that StarCraft II would be delayed, it looks like BlizzCon 2009 is going to be all StarCraft all the time. Blizzard recently revealed through the BlizzCon website and a humorous post by Nethaera that the official swag bag will contain an exclusive "Raynor" n00bz vinyl figure in addition to Grunty, the in-game murloc pet in a StarCraft II marine uniform and a StarCraft-themed Authenticator. Although Grunty is a World of Warcraft pet, all three items are StarCraft-centric.Although Blizzard reveals these items, it's likely that there will be more swag awaiting BlizzCon participants considering past Blizzard events have had a plethora of items from bottle openers to beach balls. These items, presumably, are the literal and figurative big guns of the set -- perhaps to be accompanied by (taking a wild guess here) Diablo hand sanitizers, Warcraft toenail clippers, and a host of other tiny things attendees are likely to lose right after they've picked up the goody bag. The "Raynor" n00bz figure is not for sale, but is among a line of cartoonish vinyl toy figure products that include Ragnaros, Ghoul, and Murloc designs that will go on sale on the show floor next week. Blank n00bz figures will also be available for Blizzard fans to have a hand at creating their own designs in the tradition of designer toys such as Dunny or Qee. While we're guessing at what else could be in the goody bags, check out last year's swag in the gallery below. %Gallery-34142% BlizzCon 2009 is coming up on August 21st and 22nd! We've got all the latest news and information. At BlizzCon you can play the latest games, meet your guildmates, and ask the developers your questions. Plus, there's some great looking costumes.
Grunty, the Murloc Marine appears on the PTR
We've had WoW and Diablo 3-themed BlizzCon/Worldwide Invitational in-game pets already, so you might say "hell, it's about time" when we tell you that Grunty, a murloc in Space Marine power armor, is on its way. MMO-Champion's Boubouille, head of the Romulan Data Miners Guild, discovered the pet's model while performing routine excavation on the newly-updated 3.1.2 patch files. If I were a betting man, I'd say that all signs point to this being part of the BlizzCon goody bag as opposed to TCG loot, meaning there's even less of a chance for you to get it. Hope you're prepared to beat the queue to get one. Heck, I'm even considering trying to go after seeing this -- I can't wait to see the idle animations he gets. According to the screenshots, it looks like he even blasts the air with his flamethrower. For once, the fish will do the frying. *puts on sunglasses, plays "Won't Get Fooled Again"*
