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Antec to sell NCsoft-themed PC enclosures
So it's official, Antec and NCsoft are going out. OK, maybe it's not quite that creepy, but a new press release does note that the two companies have an "official relationship," which will be publicly consummated at next week's PAX Prime event. Antec, known primarily for its PC hardware and upgrade components, will be opening an online boutique featuring custom PC cases emblazoned with artwork from NCsoft franchises including Aion, City of Heroes, and Guild Wars. Antec's PAX Prime booth will also be hosting an exclusive City of Heroes Freedom demo for convention attendees, and you can read all the details via the full press release at MarketWire. [Thanks to Jessie for the tip!]
Sonic CD coming to XBLA, playable at PAX [update]
Major Nelson, majordomo of all things Xbox, took to his blog this afternoon and posted a detailed list of all the games and events that will be spread out across Microsoft's five booths at this week's Penny Arcade Expo. It's about what you'd expect; Gears of War 3 Horde mode, Forza 4, Mass Effect 3, etc, until you get to the list of Booth 432's XBLA titles. Right near the end, snuggled squarely between Retro City Rampage and War of the Worlds, is an unannounced XBLA port of Sonic CD. We've reached out to Major Nelson and Sega for comment, but as of yet no additional confirmation has been provided by either party. We suspect they're too enthralled by Sonic CD's masterful theme song to even move, let alone respond to our e mails. Update: A communique has hit our inbox from Sega PR: "We don't have any details at this time, but we'll be sharing some more information soon."
The Road to Mordor: Not all who wander are lost
These are exciting times for Lord of the Rings Online, for sure. The Fellowship -- and hundreds of thousands of groupies following in its wake -- has moved south, and we are growing ever closer to Mordor and Mt. Doom. In a month, Middle-earth will grow significantly with the addition of Rise of Isengard, and level-capped players will suddenly have a whole new buffet of content to devour. It's also a good era for exposure for the game, as plenty of people will get to see the expansion at Gamescom and PAX, not to mention those already in the beta proper. While we haven't heard anything about the game's finances or player numbers lately, there's no reason to believe that it's not still going strong. That said, I want to take a step back today, as I sometimes do, and look at the larger picture. How is LotRO positioned against the current competition and the heavy-hitters yet to come? What does Turbine need to be working on over the next year or two? Are we just wandering aimlessly, or is the path laid out for journey for a long time to come?
New Firefall hands-on coming to Gamescom and PAX
Those heading to Gamescom and PAX Prime later this month have a treat on waiting for them: a hot new demo of Firefall, the free-to-play persistent world shooter. Red 5 Studios is gracing both conventions with a hands-on experience to let players see if it lives up to the growing hype. The Gamescom crowd can expect to enjoy the full demo and some intense coop events, while PAXers will get to see additional multiplayer maps as Firefall debuts its open-world experience. Not heading to either convention? Red 5 hopes you don't give up hope, and invites you to sign up for the Firefall beta program, which is currently in the friends and family stage but is set to expand significantly after PAX. Firefall is slated to launch this December, which is not a minute too soon to those anticipating this title. Enough talk -- it's time for action! Hit the jump to check out the awesome new trailer showcasing Firefall's gorgeous cel-shaded look, crazy action scenarios, and glowy glider wings.
Retro/Grade headed to PAX Prime with fancy ID cards
Retro/Grade developers 24 Caret Games will print customized ID cards for PAX Prime attendees this August, giving some peace of mind to those dreading sudden separation from their like-minded groups in Penny Arcade's increasingly packed event. The crew from 24 Caret will be at this year's Seattle-based soiree, showing off its game and holding a promotional contest -- and that's where the ID cards really come in. Entry in the high score contest is tied to pre-registering for a card (which you can do right here) for free -- if you're not into that kinda thing, generic Rick Rocket cards will be available otherwise at the show. That said, if you pre-register, it'll also net you a totally swanky identification for the duration of PAX, undoubtedly helpful in your repeated self-introductions as "The guy who plans to conquer your Retro/Grade high score."
Perfect World offers gamers a shot at a trip to PAX Prime
Bummed because PAX Prime is sold out -- and your wallet's looking thin, anyway? Well, how would it sound if we told you that you had a chance to go to the mega-convention in Seattle next month for free, including round-trip airfare? Pretty good, huh? As part of its efforts to promote Rusty Hearts, Perfect World Entertainment is giving away a convention package to one lucky winner (and his or her best friend). If you register for the Rusty Hearts beta by July 27th, you'll automatically be entered to win these two three-day PAX passes. To make a good deal even better, the winners will have the opportunity to have dinner with the producers and developers of the game! Rusty Hearts Producer Mark Hill is flat-out psyched for the event: "This is a great year for Rusty Hearts to make its debut appearance at Penny Arcade Expo. We cannot wait to interact with Rusty Hearts fans on a personal level and we hope to get everyone as excited as we are by giving away these two passes to the otherwise sold out show. We have really been looking forward to bring Rusty Hearts to a gaming-centric consumer event, and I can't wait to see how the PAX crowd reacts to the game." Massively still has a number of Rusty Hearts beta keys to give away, and each of these comes with a special Massively Pack(TM) of in-game items!
Minecraft's Adventure Update will be playable at PAX
If the promise of 24/7 board gaming extravaganzas and endless 3DS StreetPass swapping aren't enough to get PAX Prime attendees excited about the event, perhaps this will: Notch has announced that Minecraft's Adventure Update will be playable on the show floor. The expansion, which is still largely under wraps, will tack over 40 new features onto the game, including NPC villages, additional farming opportunities and randomly-generated dungeons. For those who didn't snag tickets to the sold-out, late-August convention, don't fret too much -- we can only assume the line for Mojang's booth is going to wrap around the expo hall like an anaconda. Your time would be better spent actually playing regular Minecraft and building a complex machine to do all that Adventuring for you.
PAX 10 says these are the best indie games
The top 10 indie games in the entire world have been selected as this year's PAX 10, each of them winning some free booth space at PAX Prime from August 26-28 in Washington. Chosen as the "best in gameplay, originality and overall fun-factor," winners include Atom Zombie Smasher, Jamestown, Fez and seven others you're probably not cool enough to have heard of. Find out who won (and by process of elimination, who lost) according to the press release after the jump.
ArenaNet announces summer convention schedule
Guild Wars 2 fans, are you trying to decide which conventions you want to make it out to this summer? Well, ArenaNet's latest blog entry may just make your decision a little bit easier, as it outlines which shows the studio will be making appearances at and what to expect from each. First up on the list (from July 21-24) is "the granddaddy of all pop-cultural conventions," San Diego Comic-Con. ANet will be sending out "an elite team of artists and devs... to meet fans and do signings." The next outing (August 17-21) sends ANet to the magical land of Cologne, Germany for Gamescom, which will include a playable demo of Guild Wars 2 as well as "a bunch of new surprises that [the devs] can't talk about yet." Attendees are also encouraged to deck themselves out in their best Guild Wars-related finery for ANet's costume contest. Then it's back to ANet's home turf of Seattle, Washington (August 26-28), where the "entire studio will descend upon PAX Prime." The studio says to "expect big surprises, cool swag, interesting panels, and a ton of Guild Wars 2 demo stations." And lastly, not letting the cessation of summer stop the runaway train that is ArenaNet, from October 21-25 the studio will be dropping in on gay Paris for Paris Games Week, "where [the devs will] bring [their] hands-on demo for [their] French fans." Do note that E3 is not included in this smorgasbord of conventions, with ANet citing its desire "to focus on shows that allow [it] to share Guild Wars 2 directly with gamers." For the full details and any future updates to the schedule, head on over to the official post on the ArenaNet blog.
Star Wars: The Old Republic lists 2011 event appearances
Are you ready for the Star Wars: The Old Republic Hyperdrive or Bust World Tour 2011? OK, that might not be an official thing (and seriously, wouldn't you love a t-shirt with that on it?), but BioWare has announced the community events that TOR will be attending this year. So if you're willing to make the journey and eager to get some face-time with both the game and the developers, here's where you can make it happen: E3 in Los Angeles, CA (June 7-9) San Diego Comic-Con, CA (July 21-24) Gamescom in Cologne, Germany (August 17-21) PAX Prime in Seattle, WA (August 26-28) Eurogamer Expo in London, UK (September 22-25) New York Comic Con (October 13-16) Paris Games Week (October 21-25) DreamHack in Jönköping, Sweden (November 24-27) You can read all of the details of The Old Republic's worldwide journey on the Star Wars: The Old Republic Community Events page.
PSA: PAX Prime passes dwindling, only Friday and Sunday tickets left
PAX Prime 2011 organizers announced earlier today through Twitter that there were only 400 passes left for Friday access to the event. The 3-day and Saturday passes have already been tapped, while "a battery" of Sunday passes are still available -- the remaining one-day passes ($35 apiece) must be purchased through the official PAX site. Penny Arcade marketing maestro Robert Khoo tells us that they've been given the green light to sell about 10 percent more badges than in prior years. It would appear that PAX East, despite welcoming 69,500 attendees in March, did not diminish interest in the Seattle show. At the current rate of ticket sales, the organizers guesstimate that PAX Prime passes will be completely sold out three months before the August 26–28 event takes place.
PSA: PAX Prime 3-day passes are almost gone
Guys, we so desperately want to hang out with you in Seattle. We want to take you on a tour of our favorite Starbucks locations. We want to go to the top of the Space Needle with you, and point out our favorite Starbucks locations. We want to take you to the birthplace of grunge and flannel -- but we can't do that if you don't get a PAX Prime 2011 pass. According to the event's Twitter feed, PAX passes are quickly becoming a scarce commodity -- in a tweet this morning, organizers reported, "We are nearly out of 3 day passes for PAX Prime 2011, less than 1k remain." Sure, if those are gone, you can still buy the one-day passes piecemeal; but we're really going to need all 72 hours to show you our favorite Seattle hotspots. Like the Puget Sound! It's so pugety this time of year.
Halo Fest set to take place during PAX Prime 2011
Already snagged one of the (quickly diminishing) passes for PAX Prime 2011 in Seattle? Little did you know that you were secretly buying your admission into a second, equally exciting event. At this year's original, Seattle-flavored Penny Arcade Expo, 343 Industries will turn the third floor annex of the convention center into "Halo Fest," an event the studio describes as "the largest and most expansive live Halo experience ever." The event, which will celebrate the franchise's tenth anniversary, will also feature tournaments, panels and giveaways for stoppers-by. Best of all, your entry is guaranteed with a PAX Prime ticket, meaning you have literally no reason to stop by. Unless, of course, you don't like Halo. Or if you're super scared of heights. Three floors is awfully high up, you know.
Registration opens for PAX Prime
PAX East 2011 was more than a month ago, more than enough time for the event to have faded into memory even if you were lucky enough to attend. But that's only one part of the PAX conventions, with PAX Prime on deck for August 26th through the 28th. Registration for the Seattle convention has just opened to everyone, allowing gamers of all ages a chance to gather for news and events in the northwest. As per previous events, attendees can register for all three days at a discount rate or for an individual day pass. (Also per previous events, Saturday is likely to be the most active day of the weekend.) It's worth noting that PAX Prime is a very popular convention, so if you're planning on making the trek, registering sooner rather than later is probably a good idea. And going is probably a good idea, if you're able, as the convention traditionally holds a number of demos, events, announcements, and of course, free-range Massively staffers.
PAX Prime registration open, developers get their own PAX Dev event
Whether you're a video gaming enthusiast or a member of the industry which sustains itself upon the monies of video gaming enthusiasts, you'd better start getting ready for next Penny Arcade Expo. Not only did registration for PAX Prime 2011 open up earlier today, but an all new event called PAX Dev was announced, catering to the interests of game developers in the two days preceding the weekend of August 26, when the main, Seattle-based convention takes place. The new event's site explains its mission statement, saying, "We're shooting for a small (750-ish), intimate setting where digital and pen/paper game developers alike can focus on their craft." As much as we'd love to get all up in that to learn about the deepest brain-thoughts of our favorite developers, the site explicitly states, "No press." That's too bad for us, but shouldn't be a problem for JoySoft, our new spin-off development studio, which is staffed entirely by people who look exactly like us, only with conspicuous-looking mustaches.
Enter at Your Own Rift: Creature comforts
Ever since RIFT's beta mushroomed in both population and presence, there's been an exponential increase of folks trying to get a handle on how they feel about the game. It's the same song and dance that you see with any new MMO: People come to it with a need to know whether they like it, whether it's worth their money, whether it should be defended or denounced as rubbish. It's extremely disconcerting when you can't match up your gut feeling with logical reasoning, such as when your gut tells you that you really, really like a game, but you have a hard time putting it into words. It's kind of like the "On paper, it should be a perfect MMO, but in practice, it sucks" effect (and vice-versa). I've been amused by how many bloggers and commenters have echoed my own thoughts about RIFT when they say something to the effect of, "I know it's a lot like other MMOs and has a lot more of the same, but I'm actually enjoying it" -- as if the fact that RIFT shares commonalities with its contemporaries should be dooming it from the start. Instead, today we're going to take a peek into why "more of the same" isn't necessarily a bad or even disreputable factor for an MMO, and why RIFT has struck the sweet spot of appeasement with so many of us. Except for you, Angry Commenter. We're not ignoring you, promise -- we're just having fun in our game.
The Road to Mordor: A year in Middle-earth
What a difference a year makes, eh? One year ago, and you didn't have to put up with me yammering at you every Friday like a hyperactive badger with a personality disorder. One year ago, and we weren't free-to-play-anything, Turbine was its own company, the festivals were nowhere near as cool as they are today, and shrews freely roamed the land without fear of reprisal. So in my last Road to Mordor (of the year, stop rejoicing over there!), I thought it'd be great to look back at the wild rollercoaster that was 2010 in Lord of the Rings Online. I also thought I'd get an easy column out of all this, but that was before I had to read through 1,337 posts and my eyeballs began to lose pressure. January Stuff happened. Let's move on.
Guild Wars 2 awarded Best of Show at PAX
ArenaNet has done it again. Less than one month after carrying off Best Online Game honors at Gamescom, Guild Wars 2 picked up one of two Best of Show awards from Machinima.com. It may seem a bit odd to be handing awards out to a game that doesn't even have a launch date, but the folks at Machinima.com were just as impressed as those who played it at PAX, declaring that the demo alone "plays better than most games on the market today." The award is included in the full 11-minute PAX wrapup video, beginning near the 9:30 mark. Follow along after the jump to take a look, and congratulations to the ArenaNet team!
ArenaNet releases images from Guild Wars 2 Designing Dynamic Events panel
New races, new lands, and talk of familiar places with a new look. The Guild Wars 2 Dynamic Events panel at PAX stirred up quite a bit of conversation and even more curiosity. What are these regions? What events are there? What is a krait obelisk for? What does The Great Oouo look like? Guild Wars 2 fans watched all the video taken by hand held cameras at the panel and viewed snapshots of the screen, trying to get a better look. If you've been dying for an up-close view of the Regrown Flame, orrian undead, and yes, even The Great Oouo, you're in luck. ArenaNet has generously provided Massively with the images used in the panel, so check out the gallery below for the newest look at Tyria of the future! %Gallery-102231%
Flameseeker Chronicles: Why ArenaNet stands out
I spent an awful lot of time last week doing two things: reveling in PAX memories and checking out the flurry of news stories and reports all over the place, all centered around Guild Wars 2. It's attracting an incredible amount of attention, even from people who have never heard of Guild Wars before. While we may laugh at funny mistakes made by those who are unfamiliar with the world of Tyria, it's exciting that these people who passed over the original game are interested in this one. The more people become interested, the better it is for all of us. But what's generating all this attention? What is ArenaNet doing that's so groundbreaking? Any fan of Guild Wars 2 could easily give you 20 reasons why the game is turning out to be so great, but almost all of them will focus on two things: the developers are intensely focused on making this game for the fans, and they don't show anything unless it's polished to a high gloss.
