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Cities XL launch day roundup
Today is the European launch of Cities XL, while tomorrow is the North American launch of the game. We've enjoyed playing the game throughout beta, and have given some hefty coverage along the way. Check out our best Cities XL posts and articles below, preparing you for getting started easily. Massively hands-on with Cities XLAs the Cities XL closed beta continues to run strong, we got word that the beta's NDA has lifted [Edit: for press] and we can spill the beans on our first impressions of the game so far. Now, two very important points to be made here include the fact that this is not a review (MMO reviews are bad, mmkay), and this is still in early closed beta stage. E3 2009: A chat with Cities XL's Alexandre ZambeauxLast week at E3, we had a chance to sit down with Alexandre Zambeaux, Marketing Director for Cities XL developer Monte Cristo Games, for some more info on the current state of the game, and what MMO gamers can expect from such a project. You may remember a pre-beta Q&A we did with the Monte Cristo team a few months ago, and as the game hasn't hit an open beta just yet, it will later this year. Cities XL closed beta Q&AMonte Cristo was founded in 1995, and has mostly been very focused on simulation games. In recent years we have shifted our efforts to the city builder genre, especially with our latest game City Life. We currently employ over 80 people in two studios in Paris and Kiev, and we have been increasing in size a lot (and still are) for Cities XL. Cities XL Limited Edition box contents revealedMonte Cristo and Namco-Bandai have recently announced the contents of their Limited Edition box for the upcoming city-builder MMO, Cities XL. These Limited Edition boxes, as well as the Standard Edition boxes, are available in Europe on October 8th.
Aion launch day roundup
Today is the official launch day for NCsoft's Aion, and if you're looking for a few guides to aid you through your first steps in Atreia, we've got you covered. As far back as early June, we were pumping out the Aion guides, so this roundup should be handy to have everything in one place. A WoW player's guide to AionSo, you're a big fan of World of Warcraft (or at least you were at one time) and you've heard about this new MMO called Aion. "Hmmm, I wonder what that's all about?" you ponder. "Anything similar?" you posit. "What's so different?" Well, we've written a WoW player's guide to Aion just for you! Sit back with a cup o' joe, while we compare and contrast the two MMOs for you. The Aion server queue survival guideSo you pre-ordered Aion and you're super excited to jump into the game during the headstart release that's going on right now. You've set aside a whole block of time for your game play, you have your snacks at your side and your DVR ready to play some great entertainment while you grind your night away. You type in your username and password, accept the EULA, select the server that you made your character on during the pre-selection annnndd..... ...you get slapped in the face with a 2 hour wait time. Aion is the single most pre-ordered MMO this yearIn a piece of news that we're betting surprises precisely nobody at all, Aion has just broken the 400,000 pre-order mark. What's notable about this number is that it's enough to make Aion the largest number of pre-orders on an MMO for 2009. As Aion is also holding strong in the Steam and Direct2Drive sales charts, we wonder how many more we'll see added to that number before the official launch next Tuesday. Five reasons to play AionWe hope this article will shed some light on Aion and help you decide whether or not it pleases your taste buds. Aion is undoubtedly a unique game but it also offers enough familiarity to make things feel homey. It all comes down to player preference really, but based on the anticipation leading up to release, we are sure the game will have a successful launch.
Massively's Dungeons and Dragons Unlimited launch day round-up
Dungeons and Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited goes free-to-play today, so we put together a little round-up of our best guides for this new content. Maybe you're confused on how the new DDO Store will work, or have heard rumors about what aspect of the game is truly free-to-play. Massively has you covered! Massively's DDO Unlimited developer tourLove can sometimes be a fickle thing, but I'm pretty sure that I love what Turbine has done with the DDO Store in Dungeons and Dragons Online Unlimited. I'll admit that initially I was a little concerned with the concept of an in-game store, but after playing with it at bit and asking some questions my fears have pretty much melted away. Massively Speaking Episode 57: DDO with Jerry SnookMassively Speaking Episode 57 returns this week with an entire episode dedicated to Dungeons and Dragons Online and their recent announcement about going free-to-play. Shawn is joined by DDOCast host Jerry Snook as they discuss the ins and outs, good and bad of a 3-year-old game going F2P. The pros and cons of free to play Dungeons and Dragons OnlineDungeons and Dragons Online going free to play is undoubtedly an awesome announcement. But exactly how awesome of an announcement is it? Yesterday we were all over the announcement, covering the basics of what can be expected with this changeover from subscription based to free to play. But now, I'd like to break that down even further, and really look at the changes in an in-depth manner. DDO goes F2P: An interview with TurbineAs the news hit yesterday concerning Dungeons and Dragons Online going free-to-play, many MMO gamers collectively rejoiced, while others didn't. The idea of this hybrid business model is wonderful for those who have yet to experience DDO, as it now gives them a chance to play the game as long as they'd like, with no level cap restrictions for absolutely no cost. This means no credit card info changing hands, no commitments to a monthly fee and the implied need to "get your money's worth" and no real need to quit the game if you can't afford it. But it can't be that easy, can it? Well, there's a slight catch.
DDO Unlimited launch day round-up
Dungeons and Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited releases today, so we put together a little round-up of our best guides for this new content. Maybe you're confused on how the new DDO Store will work, or have heard rumors about what aspect of the game is truly free-to-play. We have you covered! Massively's DDO Unlimited developer tourLove can sometimes be a fickle thing, but I'm pretty sure that I love what Turbine has done with the DDO Store in Dungeons and Dragons Online Unlimited. I'll admit that initially I was a little concerned with the concept of an in-game store, but after playing with it at bit and asking some questions my fears have pretty much melted away. Massively Speaking Episode 57: DDO with Jerry SnookMassively Speaking Episode 57 returns this week with an entire episode dedicated to Dungeons and Dragons Online and their recent announcement about going free-to-play. Shawn is joined by DDOCast host Jerry Snook as they discuss the ins and outs, good and bad of a 3-year-old game going F2P. The pros and cons of free to play Dungeons and Dragons OnlineDungeons and Dragons Online going free to play is undoubtedly an awesome announcement. But exactly how awesome of an announcement is it? Yesterday we were all over the announcement, covering the basics of what can be expected with this changeover from subscription based to free to play. But now, I'd like to break that down even further, and really look at the changes in an in-depth manner. DDO goes F2P: An interview with TurbineAs the news hit yesterday concerning Dungeons and Dragons Online going free-to-play, many MMO gamers collectively rejoiced, while others didn't. The idea of this hybrid business model is wonderful for those who have yet to experience DDO, as it now gives them a chance to play the game as long as they'd like, with no level cap restrictions for absolutely no cost. This means no credit card info changing hands, no commitments to a monthly fee and the implied need to "get your money's worth" and no real need to quit the game if you can't afford it. But it can't be that easy, can it? Well, there's a slight catch.
Champions Online launch day round-up
Today is the official launch day for Champions Online and judging by the positive responses we've received from Twitter, we know many of you are excited to at least try out this new superhero MMO. Below is a round-up of helpful posts for your first days in Millenium City, courtesy of our sister site, Massively. If you're feeling a bit lost in the new surroundings, they have you covered with a special in-game meet-up event happening all day. Glean info in this video walkthrough of Champions Online's tutorialIf you've been wondering what the starting area for Champions Online was like in moving pictures, you'll be happy to know that a two-part video has surfaced online for your viewing pleasure. The video is new gameplay footage blended a little bit with older trailers. Overall, if you're looking to see what the game actually looks like while being played, this video is a decent place to start. Ten things to know when starting Champions OnlineEvery time a new MMO launches, there's always a good list of things that wouldn't hurt for a new player to know, and Champions Online is no different. We're all about making your first steps into an unknown game as grief free as possible, so check out Syp's list if you're interested in such a proposal. He's got a very good rundown on things you need to know when entering the tutorial zone. Travel powers trailer for Champions OnlineYeah, we know the Champions Online open beta is out and many of you have probably been messing around with all these travel powers already, but it's always nice to get a preview of all your options in one nicely packaged trailer. Plus, trailers are a great way to kill a minute or five, depending on the game in question. The Digital Continuum: Five reasons to play Champions OnlineIt's been a long wait since the announcement of Cryptic's next project, so long that some of us began to run around our houses wearing towels around our necks. Thankfully, September 1st is now less than a month away. Open beta? That's even sooner. Before we know it the game will be sitting on our desks and shelves.
eBook Roundup: 8 Apps for iPhone readers
An e-book (or ebook, or eBook, depending upon who you ask) is the digital equivalent of a paper book. According to KiwiTech, the publishers of Classics2Go, the market for eBooks has increased more than 60% over the last six years and growth from this point is expected to be very strong. We can reasonably connect the start of this burgeoning market to the release of the Amazon Kindle in 2007. Strong sales convinced some wary readers that this was a viable option. You could carry a few hundred books under your arm, and the reading experience was, well, acceptable. Going on a long trip? Wouldn't it be nice to take about 20 pounds of paper out of your luggage? 2007 also marked the introduction of the iPhone; it took about a year for eBook apps to appear on the iPhone. Now there are so many of them that finding the right one for your purposes can be a confusing prospect. I would like to clarify all this a bit by categorizing the four types of eBook apps, at least so far, and letting you know what you can expect from each. In deciding upon an eBook reader you need to consider: what sort of material you will be reading, how much you are willing to spend (if anything) and the quality of the viewing experience. Last year, Andrew Kazmierski and Phill Ryu released Classics (iTunes link). Their idea was to take a bunch of books in the public domain, 22 in the current release, and control all aspects of the user experience. We covered the first release of Classics upon its original release when its price was $2.99. Since then, the price has dropped to .99 and the number of books has increased. This app looked so impressive that it was featured in an Apple iPhone commercial. Upon launch, the reader is presented with a nicely rendered wooden bookshelf displaying colorful dust jackets. Click on a book and start reading. There is no wait, since all the books were downloaded with the app. Future updates bring more books. The books are all the kind of classics that are on school reading lists ranging from Frankenstein and Dracula, to Hound of the Baskervilles. The feature set is slim. Tap the right side of the screen or swipe right to left and the sepia toned pages turn using a pleasing animation. There are two buttons on the top of the screen. One brings down a maroon and gold bookmark and sends you to the bookshelf. When you click on the book again, you are brought to where you left off. The second button takes you to a table of contents. The bottom of the screen tells you the name of the chapter you are reading and what page you are on. The top of the screen displays the title of the book. Illustrations in books like Alice in Wonderland are nicely rendered, and the text is attractively formatted. A change in color of the title bar gives you an idea of where you are in the book.
iPhone 3.0 Friday roundup
Tuesday's iPhone OS 3.0 announcement has left the interwebs even more iPhone-obsessed than usual. If you find digging through all this information overwhelming (or, if like me you were out of town when OS 3.0 was announced), check out this round-up of news, opinions and videos. The only thing missing is a beta copy of OS 3.0 and that's already floating around various torrent sites.If that's not enough, be sure to check out our continuing iPhone OS 3.0 coverage. Watch the OS 3.0 presentation -- Were you left off the invite list too? Check out the video in HD or SD at the link above or in iTunes [iTunes link] as a video podcast.Engadget's iPhone OS 3.0 Hub -- Engadget has a whole page dedicated to their furious and hands-on iPhone OS 3.0 coverage, including this video walkthrough.What Apple Didn't Announce -- Apple's iPhone OS 3.0 presentation didn't answer every question or address every iPhone issue. Our old friend David Chartier tackles what was left out.SDK 3.0 brings more NDA fun -- Much to the chagrin of many iPhone devlopers, the NDA is back for SDK 3.0. At Arstechnica, our pal Erica takes on what this means for developers. Let's just hope the NDA is lifted as soon as 3.0 is officially released.OS 3.0 Screenshot Pr0n -- Pfft, what NDA? iLounge has put together a great gallery of iPhone OS 3.0 screenshots, showing off what's new and improved. Love it.iPhone OS 3.0 vs. Android -- Lifehacker has a pretty neat comparison of features that are currently avaialable in the iPhone 2.21, stuff that's coming in OS 3.0 and what's available and coming for Android. As someone who has spent a LOT of time using both the iPhone OS and the T-Mobile G1, I'd just add that hardware and UI is actually just as important as "features" when comparing the two platforms. Right now, the iPhone absolutely cleans Android's clock -- despite having fewer "features" -- because the hardware is better (that G1 keyboard is terrible), the UI is more thought-out and the third-party software is better by leaps and bounds. (hat tip, Gruber)Future iPod/iPhone models referenced in latest betas -- The latest iPhone OS 3.0 SDK includes references to future iPhone and iPod models (3,1) and two other unknown devices.
Bye bye Barcelona and Mobile World Congress 2009
Another MWC is done and we're on one hand happy we were there to cover it for y'all, sad to see it gone, but relieved we can start eating normally and sleeping again. So what did we see? Well, so many things that made us laugh, smile, and scratch our heads that we can barely remember them all. Notable things from Barcelona this year include Sony Ericssons' first 12 megapixel camera phone, Windows Mobile 6.5's launch, Palm Pre for the GSM market, A smile pile of Android unveilings -- including Vodafone's HTC Magic launch -- INQ's INQ1, Sonar, and a really creepy mannequin that never failed to freak every single one of us out as we walked by her. If you're finding the list of links overwhelming, check our daily podcasts from the show and hear all about it instead of reading all about it. Check the links below for a quick rundown of some highlights.Read - Sonar hopes to power social featurephones, we get a demoRead - Texas Instruments and Wind River do up Android rightRead - HTC Magic is official, bringing Android to Vodafone sans keyboardRead - HTC Magic first eyes-on!Read - Nokia N86 hands-on with video!Read - Samsung OmniaHD hands-onRead - First hands-on with the HTC Touch Diamond2 (with video!)Read - First hands-on with the HTC Touch Pro2 (with video!)Read - Nokia E55 hands-onRead - Windows Mobile 6.5 walkthrough with Engadget (now with video!)Read - INQ¹ wins "Best Mobile Handset or Device" at MWC, golf clapsRead - Stantum's mind-blowing multitouch interface on video!Read - Amosu hands-on: pink, pricey, and plenty of diamondsRead - Toshiba TG01 hands-on and video walkthroughRead - modu hands-on with the set, jackets, and some far out visions
Wrath of the Lich King: Pre-launch roundup
So hey, it's really happening. Sure, Wrath went live in Europe already (kind of like those raid bosses and world firsts, huh?) but it's about to go live in about an hour stateside. Well, it's ground zero. We over here at WoW Insider went a little crazy with some giveaways, while silly little 7-11 jumped the gun and sold stocks earlier than was allowed. It's been kind of a whirlwind. Let's take a look at all the stuff that's happened this month leading up to Wrath of the Lich King.COUNTDOWN TO WRATH Of course, this November, we celebrated our excitement by giving away lots of swag in our Countdown to Wrath contests. And I mean lots. We gave away some Collector's Edition boxes, some pre-paid game cards, a few Polar Bear Mounts, and some super sweet Razer gaming accessories. Cool, right? Well, guess what. We're not yet done. Keep your eyes peeled for more contests to come. A couple of guys got in line really early in New York. You know the drill. Those guys wouldn't have had to wait in line so long if they had just swung by a 7-11, which apparently sold a whole lot of copies ahead of schedule. Some people needn't even venture out of the house, actually. Blizzard (inadvertently) made the game available for download despite announcing the contrary. You'll still need a CD-key, though. As if you needed any more incentive, there have been a bunch of deals for Wrath all over the world. With all this excitement, the fully packed launches, and Collector's Editions selling out everywhere, the analysts seem to be right on the money by predicting that Wrath will sell five million copies within one month. If you're wondering why Blizzard bothers to sell boxes at all, maybe this article about Activision-Blizzard's September results will clear things up for you. Mike will be documenting his installation of Wrath as well as the first few minutes of his time in Northrend through a live netcast on ustream. If you don't have the game yet and want to live vicariously, it's really something worth checking out. If you don't want to feel the pain of watching Mike install and play live, you can always check out the Wrath installation gallery. It's kind of the same thing, but less drool-inducing. On the other hand, if you're a real glutton for punishment, you can drool over the unboxing of a Collector's Edition box in this video by some lucky guy who's sitting comfortably at home waiting for Northrend to unlock. Blizzard is getting ready to migrate everyone to the new and improved Battle.net. Well, everyone except those guys they banned for cheating. You know, if you've been paying attention to WoW Insider, you really should have been preparing for Wrath all this time.
Wrath of the Lich King: Warlock roundup
Having fun yet? I know I am, and I'm not even playing Wrath yet, even though it's already out. The changes to the game have brought the Warlock to a different level of playability -- not quite as overwhelmingly powerful as before, but a whole lot of fun nonetheless. That's the point of this game, isn't it? To have fun? Well, congratulations for playing a Warlock, because from here to Level 80, I think you'll have a lot of fun. Let's see what we've got...STATE OF THE CLASS If you're only checking in now, you might be a bit surprised to see how much of the game has changed from The Burning Crusade. Our coverage of Patch 3.0.3 and the associated Warlock changes should get you up to speed. You can learn the Dreadsteed spell without doing the quest now. Cheater. Did you know that DoTs can now crit? You might need to set your demon to Passive, by the way. The new Defensive for pets works somewhat differently now... kind of a passive-aggressive that gets us into trouble. Speaking of pets, did you hear about that time when a big blueberry actually tanked Illidan? True story. Too bad the threat component has been nerfed somewhat. TALENT TREES Blizzard definitely shook things up when they unleashed Patch 3.0.2 upon Azeroth and I really took a liking to Affliction (I lie, I've always liked Affliction) and didn't quite get the hang of Demonology. My thoughts on the two trees can be found in an old Blood Pact. I surprised myself by actually enjoying Destruction. Give it a shot. You might surprise yourself, too. We ran through some talent choices for Affliction when 3.0.2 came out. We also took a look at, ugh, Demonology. And then there's Destruction. GENERAL TIPS Have a look at our Demonology 101 series, which gives an overview of the different Warlock pets such as the popular Voidwalker, the sexy Succubus, and even the conditional-but-now-usable-indoors Infernal. Learn how to unleash the full potential of a skill with our Skill Mastery. We took a look at Haunt, one of Affliction's staple spells. We have a plethora of stuff on Warlocks, but you'll probably have to wade through all the other posts just to get to them. That's not so bad, actually... so get reading!
Wrath of the Lich King: Paladin roundup
Wrath is live. We repeat, the game is now live. By now you should really have gotten over the spate of nerfs to the class. Instead, you should be celebrating that the level cap has been lifted and we'll be able to hit Level 71 and quickly learn Divine Plea. Those mana problems -- Protection Paladins, I'm not talking to you -- should fizzle by then. In the meantime, let's take a look at what WoW Insider's covered for Paladin's in Wrath so far...STATE OF THE CLASS Because Patch 3.0.3 is practically Wrath of the Lich King, our coverage of Paladin changes during Patch 3.0.3 should get you up to speed with the state of the class before you step out into the cold. There were definitely a lot of changes, so you just might want to review how Paladins got hammered repeatedly -- kind of like being forged into shape, really -- right before launch. There were some expected nerfs, and a few unexpected ones. But even though we got hit bad by the nerf bat, Blizzard still promises some love sometime soon. No matter what happens, though, I really think that this new age of play is a Paladin's time to shine. TALENT TREES Of course, before Patch 3.0.3 came along, there was the massive, game-changing Patch 3.0.2, and we covered the changes to the Holy tree, as well as the great new Protection tree, and of course, the extremely popular Retribution tree. GENERAL TIPS Allison's Dungeoneering post isn't specifically for Paladins, but there's good advice for everyone who plays one. If a Paladin is your main, level him or her to 80 first. You're going to want to skip ahead of the plate-grab when Death Knights burst onto the scene. Lastly, you might want to check out some reviews on a couple of new skills available to you in Wrath, such as The Art of War and Divine Storm. Wrath is now live, brothers and sisters. Go forth and swing your hammers hard and true. May the Light embrace you!
Wrath of the Lich King: Shaman roundup
It's time to go drop magical sticks in the ground in whole new dirt. Northrend awaits, with the spirit world in torment, the Scourge everywhere, and one of the greatest shamans who ever lived behind all the chaos. It's up to us to go up there and straighten up this mess: who better? But what awaits you in Northrend?General Want a round up of dungeon and quest loot in the two starting zones? We have you covered. What talents and skills will you be taking to Northrend? Zach spells it out for us. How has the class changed? We covered that in two parts. Talents and Skills Natalie Mootz covered Elemental Shaman talent builds. Enhancement has turned out to be a really fun spec. What's going on with Elemental Combat? Healing as a shaman in Northrend will be a lot more involved thanks to spells like Riptide. Thunder, thunder, thunder, Thunderstorm ho! Other neat stuff Watch a shaman kill an entire raid group! In case you missed it, you don't need to carry four totems to Northrend with you. Yay for extra bag space. Hopefully you'll have as much fun in Northrend as I did my first and second times through the beta.
Wrath of the Lich King: Mage roundup
Ready to take your mage into the frozen north? You will be, after you read our riveting Wrath resources on all things Magely. And read quickly - there are just a few short hours left. Last week in Arcane Brilliance, our regular Mage expert Christian went over the new spells you'll be getting. In part two of that post, you can find some good discussion of level 80 talent builds (Frostfire looks exciting to me) Is Inscription any good for Mages? Christian is not best pleased with Deep Freeze. In addition to Penguin, which at least half of you probably have already, once you make your way to Dalaran, and if you have some extra gold, you can learn Polymorph: Black Cat! Too bad Hallow's End is over. How long will your gear last? Depends on how good it is, of course, but T6 should get you to Naxx. Mirror Image. Know it, love it, love it again. That about does it for immediately relevant Mage-specific Wrath posts, although there are probably more lurking in our Mage category. They like to cast invisibility.
Real-time strategy getting more massive
Despite the best efforts of various MMOFPS titles, MMORPGs continue to be the genre du jour within the massively multiplayer sphere. Whether it's because other variants are less viable or simply because the conventional designs make for an easier pitch when searching for seed funding or publishing deals remains to be seen.One auspiciously under-explored genre so far has been the MMORTS, the fusion of old-school real-time strategy and the massively multiplayer. Part of the reason this genre hasn't seen more action, we think, is because the technical and design challenges inherent are somewhat daunting. In a recent post, Rock Paper Shotgun's Jim Rossignol takes a look at some upcoming MMORTS titles, including the ambitious Dreamlords releasing this week, and reports on what he finds. This blogger still doesn't totally buy the concept, but the proof will likely be in the pudding.
Make way for maintenance day
Maintenance day is underway until 2pET/11aPT and many WoW fans are searching for something to do, while players with day jobs log on to point out that they can never play during these hours. Fortunately, we have lots going on today, as well as some highlights from the past week that you won't want to miss. Wrath of the Lich King: Compilation of everything we know of to date about Death Knights, the new hero class we'll be seeing with the expansion. The new expansion is now in alpha testing! Read on to find out what this means, as well as what it doesn't mean. Arena Season 4: A great analysis of when arena season 4 might begin.
Nikon D3 review round-up: survey says you'll want one
We've already seen it previewed and unboxed, but now that Nikon's super high-end D3 DSLR has been out for a little while, we're starting to get some full-on reviews of the camera and, as you might have guessed if you've been lucky enough to get your hands on one, there's plenty of consensus going on. Indeed, the praise being heaped on the camera is among the loftiest we've seen, with Photography Blog calling it "pretty much peerless," Think Camera declaring that "the files coming out of the Nikon D3 look better than any camera we've seen to date," and Ken Rockwell flat out calling it "the best camera ever made by Nikon." Needless to say, the upsides to the camera are a little long to list here, but it particularly fares well when it comes to rapid-fire image capture and low light photography, which makes it especially well-suited to press photographers. The biggest single complaint the reviewers could find was a lack of any built-in sensor cleaning technology, with only a couple of minor design flaws (like a lack of a spring inside the CF card door) attracting their attention otherwise. There's also, of course, that nearly $5,000 price tag, but we're guessing anyone actually in the market for the camera make do with that in turn for the results they'll get.Read - Photography Blog (5 out of 5)Read - Think Camera (9 out of 10)Read - KenRockwell.com ("the best camera ever made by Nikon")
WoW Insider Weekly
This week's WoW Insider Weekly is a little late, and I apologize-- seeing as it's nearly Christmas, I was winging my way home for the holidays yesterday, and the flight attendants seemed to have a problem with me operating my laptop during takeoff and landing. But better late than never-- just ask Santa. Here's all our weekly features, wrapped up in one post with a big bow.Sunday Morning Funnies: Hi DonaldA weekly WoW-related comics wrapup.Two Bosses Enter: Ragnaros vs. OssirianFire and rock against air and sand.All the World's a Stage: RP-PvP - Killing in characterYou're not just killing-- you're killing with a story behind it.Arcane Brilliance: Statistical battle of the clothiesMages do it with spells.Officer's Quarters: Two heads > oneUnfortunately, this article is only tangentially about two-headed ogres. I don't think I'm alone when I say we need more two-headed ogre-focused content here at WoW Insider.WoW Rookie: Quest wrangling 101Gotta kill some rats? Make sure you do it with a little organization.Shifting Perspectives: Your first steps as a DruidFirst step: get used to shedding hair, and lots of it.The Light and How to Swing It: The Paladin Epic Mount quest for AllianceHow to hook yourself up with some wheels... er, legs.Build Shop: Warrior 8/5/48Prot warrior build FTW.Raid Rx: Transitioning to 25-man raidingMarcie Knox starts up a new weekly column about healing in raids.Guildwatch: Holiday wishesOur weekly column of guild news wishes for lots of juicy drama next year-- something tells us the guilds of Azeroth won't disappoint.Blood Pact: Locked and loadedBeing 70 and a 'lock is barrels of impish fun.Tales from the Lion's Pride Inn: The warehouseOur graphic novel series continues.Encrypted Text: Upcoming Rogue changesWhat's in store for those who stealth.World of WarCrafts: Healing Potion PunchJust in time for the holidays, a bit of potion (and put some vodka in there for a punch).Totem Talk: So you're still playing that shaman...Taking that totem-tosser from 40 onward.Well Fed Buff: Night Dragon's Breath DipWho knew a dragon's breath could be so tasty?Blood Sport: Know thy groundScouting the terrain for arena matches.WoW, Casually: December 21 to 27: Alterac Valley and the Feast of Winter's VeilTips for casual players on what you can do with just a little bit of time this week.The Care and Feeding of Warriors: HeresiesWhy do we do certain things? Because.Insider Trader: Some disenchanted eveningIT looks at turning items into dust with a little magic.Phat Loot Phriday: The Unbreakable WillA big sword that's meant just for your main tank.
Sunday Morning Funnies: Hi Donald
It's that time again! Settle down with your favorite gaming snack and get ready to vote for the best of recent WoW-themed webcomics. As always, if you run a comic or know of one that is not featured here, drop a line in the comments section to nominate it. Allzheimers: Actually, I'm more of a mourning elf. (Snagged a WoW comic contest honorable mention) The Adventures of Disgraph T. Dwarf: On in game protests The Adventures of Blanc: Not Fair What's your game? LFG pg 104 Gamer Trials If you've done your reading, and you're ready to vote, follow through the jump and pick the comic you enjoyed the most.
SGD '07: Round up
We admit it. We bombarded you. There's so much news that it's impossible to know where to start. Sorry about that. In order to make things easier for you all, we'll list all of our Sony Gamer's Day posts here so that you can see exactly what was reported on at a glance. Handy, eh? Top Stories New Ratchet and Clank gallery proves very promising LittleBigPlanet gallery shows off creative talents Lair gallery shows little new, but still awesome Heavenly Sword gallery shows in-game footage This Uncharted gallery defines next-gen Almost-but-not-quite-top Stories How about a delicious Warhawk gallery? Wii Sports-like bowling game for PSN Super Stardust HD gallery shows how planets survive Conan clobbers us with new screenshots New SOCOM screenshots, drab environments, nice detail New Singstar gallery shows off features, menus Pain announced for PSN, first gallery available A few NBA '08 screenshots to get your game on TimeShift confirmed on the PS3 + gallery! Dark Sector screenshots eviscerate you Some fancy screens of Baseball action from MLB '07 The Show Folklore gallery shows off colorful environments Stranglehold gallery will grab hold of you Eye of Judgment gallery to tease and envigorate Devil May Cry 4 gallery 2 new The Darkness screens are like a chainsaw to the heart Ninja Gaiden: Sigma screenshots - eight of them Four new Hellboy screenshots Home - living area screenshots Home - features screenshots Home - public spaces screenshots Rainbow Six: Vegas screenshots are gorgeous Go ahead. Dive in.
So long, Barcelona: 3GSM roundup!
It was a blast, but it's time to say goodbye to the land of El encierro, tapas, and QWERTY handsets with HSDPA. We came away with the impression that this was one of the most game-changing tradeshows for the mobile industry in recent memory; tri-band WCDMA is starting to become the rule rather than the exception, Microsoft rolled out its next-gen platform, and in general, it seemed like all the major manufacturers brought their "A" game to the party. Follow the links below for a trip down memory lane to see just what made this year's 3GSM so special. Hands-ons, live shots Read - Hands-on with Motorola's MOTORIZR Z8 Read - Hands-on with the Neonode N2 Read - Hands-on with Samsung's Ultra Edition II 12.1, 10.9, and 5.9 Read - Hands-on with Nokia's E90 and E61i Read - ACCESS Linux Platform on display at 3GSM Read - More shots of Samsung's i760Read - Hands-on with Sony Ericsson's Walkman W880Announcements Read - i-mate goes deep with Ultimate line, five models promised Read - Samsung shows off Mobile WiMAX wares at 3GSMRead - MOTOKRZR K3 with 3G gets official Read - Samsung's Ultra Smart F520: HSDPA touchscreen with dual-sliding actionRead - Toshiba's G900 and E01 with Windows Mobile 6 Read - Motorola's new Qs: Q gsm and Q q9 Read - ASUS Aries Read - Nokia's 6110 quad-band HSDPA GPS navigator Read - Nokia's E61i QWERTY and E65 slider announced: some style for the suits Read - Nokia's N77 with DVB-H mobile TV Read - Nokia's E90 communicator launched! Read - Motorola's MOTORIZR Z8: a Symbian "kick-slider" with HSDPARead - Motorola's SLVR L9 brings the multimedia Read - Samsung's Ultra Edition II series loosed at 3GSM: U300, U600, U100, and U700 Read - i-mate adds splash of color, WM6 to SPL Read - i-mate Ultimate 5150 in the wild Read - i-mate JAQ4 Read - RIM's BlackBerry 8800 launched Read - HP iPAQ 510 Voice MessengerRead - Windows Mobile 6 out, supports new resolutions tooRead - Sony Ericsson adds trio of headsetsRead - Sony Ericsson's entry level J110, J120, K200, and K220Read - Sony Ericsson's W610 Walkman for US plebesRead - Sony Ericsson's K810 and K550 Cybershot phones: slim 3.2 and 2.0 megapixel shootersRead - Sony Ericsson's W880 (Ai) Walkman musicphone unleashedRead - Goodbye HTC Athena, hello HTC Advantage
