EvE Tyrannis feature site launched

CCP brings us the next episode in their saga for EvE Online. Tyrannis expands the universe of EVE Online in ways never before imaginable. Within New Eden, pilots will now be able to descend on planets, construct colonies and harvest their hidden treasures. Beyond New Eden lies EVE Gate, a central portal for the EVE community to interact, organize and communicate even when they are not in game. Tyrannis introduces new platforms and new technology, setting the stage for even bigger things to come.

WoW Catalcysm – Uldum to be new 5 man dungeon

Zarhym has recently posted on the Cataclysm forums that a new 5 man dungeon will soon be announced.

WoW Cataclysm – New zone Vashj’ir details released

Blizzard has released details of another zone for Cataclysm: Vashj’ir

Once a great Highborne city housing some of the most revered night elves of Kalimdor, Vashj’ir was swallowed by the  Great Sea in the Sundering and thought to be lost forever. Queen Azshara, formerly a beloved leader of the Highborne, escaped death in the depths of the sea when the Well of Eternity imploded. Such salvation came at a
great cost, as the queen and many of her fellow Highborne were forever transformed into the monstrous naga, doomed to wander the seas for thousands of years. Their existence mostly remains a mystery to the peoples of modern  Azeroth, though the Earthen Ring has learned ofAzshara’s naga seizing Vashj’ir for an unknown purpose as the cries of
the elements echo across Azeroth from the Abyss.

South Korea Starcraft gamers accused of match rigging

*Breaking News from the BBC website*

Police in South Korea are investigating allegations of match fixing by professional players of sci-fi-themed strategy game StarCraft.

The game, made by World of Warcraft developer Blizzard, is enormously popular in South Korea.

Leagues of professional players compete in televised tournaments and receive coaching and sponsorship.

However, some players and officials are alleged to have accepted bribes from gambling websites to rig the games.

There has been little coverage of the event in the country’s mainstream media but the Korea Times website claims that the Korea e-Sports Association filed charges against individual players and coaches in March 2010.

According to the newspaper StarCraft accounts for 70% of so-called “e-sports” activities in South Korea.

A spokesperson from the Korean Embassy in the UK told the BBC that there had been no official statement from the Ministry of Culture but did confirm that an incident had been reported to the police.

Website Gamepron said the news was being compared with the 1919 Black Sox scandal, in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox baseball team were found to have deliberately lost games.

Blizzard Pet store causes protests!

“The Blizzard Pet Store has just been updated with a couple of fun new choices that you can get for your characters. Continuing in the theme of cute, miniaturized bosses, we have Lil’ XT, and the CelestialSteed is the first-ever mount to be available through the service.” It was anounced yesterday. Opinions are now flying all around Azeroth about the Celestial Steeds flying all around Northrend.

Much of the talk in the trade chat around the servers, much of the grumbling I saw on othersites and on Facebook, complained about the commercialization of ingame items. ‘They’re destroying the game for profit,’ or ‘I can’t believe they’re just letting people buy their way through the game,’ others complain. The heated debate has been
raging for hours now, and there’s not hint at it stopping any time soon. Maybe it will peter off when the 50,000 person queues in the Blizzard store lessen.

What do I think about the whole shabang?

The playerbase has been paying for additional content /fluff pretty much since video games began. Remember buying that Special/Collectors Edition with the extra gun/armor/map (whatever) or DLC (Downloadable Content) . Ultimately ‘what can I get for my extra $10?’ is a personal choice.

In today’s society people generally strive to be different, stand out from the crowd an individual. Whether this is driven from a basic psychological need or not is up for guys like Dr. Phil to decide

Driven by the need for bragging rights or individuality, this addition revenue stream is nothing new and will always be a part of gaming. How else is Blizzard supposed to compete with the likes of Farmville!

At the end of the day I have to agree with one quote I saw on a blog “It probably doesn’t matter beyond me just saying “Eh, I think it’s too expensive” and then I move on and forget about this tomorrow.”

Personally, I feel sorry for the poor Lil’ XT no-one seems to give a hoot about him. Which ever way you feel about this, one thing is for sure: Blizzard must be laughing all the way to the bank with all this ruckus!

What Light through Yonder Window Breaks? Windscape – Interactive Windows

A very clever yet geeky idea for jazzing up your pad. The innovative guys at rationalcraft.com introduce ‘Windscape‘. Real windows are interactive – unlike a painting on the wall.  When you move your head in relation to a window, the view outside shifts up/down/left/right.  If you want to see something in the window’s right periphery, you can move your head left to bring it into view.

Life is a game – what’s your highest score? Game-Life Integration. The future of gaming after Facebook

Jesse Schell, Carnegie Mellon University Professor, takes game-life integration to the extreme, describing a world chock-full of sensors, where you could earn experience points from a toothpaste company for brushing your teeth, or tax deduction points from taking public transport to work instead of driving. Companies and even the government could have a vested financial interest in engaging consumers and citizens through game-like elements.

Bioshock 2 Team resurrects X-Com for PC & XBox

Though the X-Com series is well-regarded for its tactical, turn-based strategy gameplay, 2K Games Australia has decided to go in a completely different direction with the latest entry in the franchise. Developed by 2K Marin, the team behind BioShock2, the new X-Com will be a first-person shooter.

X-Com, the classic 90′sturn-based strategy game pitting mankind against alien invaders, is set to make a comeback as a first-person shooter, courtesy of the 2K studios behind BioShock 2.

WoW Cataclysm Class Preview / Paladin

MMOChampion have added the Class preview for the Paladin

Cataclysm Class Preview: Paladin

City of Heroes: Dark Mirror Enters Open Beta!!

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Experience the many thrills coming with the next city of Heroes® content update before it hits the live servers. Crank up the graphics with Ultra Mode, experience brand new story arcs, revisit your characters thanks to even more  costume options, and more!

To check out the Open Beta, all you need to do is log into the North American or European Training Room! If you are not familiar with the process to access the test server, please read this post for our North American players or this
one for our European players.