08/09/07 Issue at Just-RPG!

We have another exciting update this week on Just-RPG. In this issue we've got a preview of Lair and are continuing our Lord of the Rings Online giveaway! Of course, that's not all, so be sure to check us out!

http://www.just-rpg.com

• Lord of the Rings Online giveaway
• Lair Preview
• New Dragoneer's Aria Trailer
• New Soul Nomad & the World Eaters Trailer
• New Guild Wars Video
• New Avencast: Rise of the Mage Video
• New Universe Online Videos
• New Saga Artwork
• New Universe Online Screenshots
• Just-RPG Looking for Staff!

Stardust - To see or not to see?

So, the new fantasy film, Stardust, opened in theaters today. Being the huge nerd that I am, I made sure to see it.

I'm a big movie fan, so I'll go and see just about anything. However, I was pleasantly surprised by Stardust. It's a lighthearted, fairly tale adventure that perfectly blends action, colorful characters, traditional fantasy, and humor. It's a film that can be enjoyed by both young and old alike, and should appeal to pretty much anybody. Children will love the fairytale story, girls will like the romance, and nerds like me just like fantasy.

The movie reminded me a little bit of The Princess Bride in the sense that it was a Comedy/Fantasy/Love story, and of course we all know that The Princess Bride is great! On a side note, Robert De Niro's character was hilarious and added plenty of laughs along the journey.

I know it might look a little bit silly and at times it's a tad predictable, but take it for what it is and give it a chance and I'm sure you'll be pleased! It definitely has my recommendation.

Age of Conan Delayed Again

Funcom has announced that their highly anticipated MMORPG, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, has been delayed... again.

The game has undergone a series of delays and is now expected to be released on March 28, 2008. This latest delays comes as a result of feedback from Beta testers.

"We naturally regret that we have to push back Age of Conan," Funcom CEO, Trond Arne Aas, said. He continued, "We are fully committed to delivering games with absolute qualities." In the end, Funcom promises that the delays will result in a superior product and that players will be in for a special experience when Age of Conan is finally released.

Age of Conan has received praise from Beta testers and the press alike. Several staff members here at Just-RPG have been able to play/see some of the game on various occasions, including myself, and we were all impressed. It seemed to do a good job of bringing the Conan universe to life and featured a unique combat system. If you're interested in checking the game out, there are still openings in the Beta, so sign up on the official site below!

http://community.ageofconan.com/wsp/conan/frontend.cgi?func=frontend.show&template=main

Loki Demo up for Download!

Focus Home Interactive and Cyanide Studio have announced the release of the demo for their upcoming PC RPG, Loki.

Players that download the demo will take on the role of a legendary Norse Warrior as you hack and slash your way through hoards of foes. Players will have to collect elements needed to defeat Fenrir, the legendary giant wolf, and will also be able to level their character up to a max of 20. Wielding a great axe, the Norse Warrior is the toughest and most brutal of the four characters that will be playable in the final game.

Loki will be released in North America late next month and later this month in Europe. The full version of the game will be multiplayer, but the demo is limited to single player. The demo is 991 MB in size. Find more information and download links here:

http://www.loki-game.com/en/news/index.php?id=26

BioShock is Golden!

2K Games has just announced that BioShock has gone gold for the Xbox 360 and Windows!

Eager gamers cane look forward to seeing BioShock, the spiritual successor to the beloved System Shock, on store shelves across North America on August 21st. European gamers will be able to purchase the game starting August 24th.

BioShock is a new kind of first person shooter, blending in many RPG elements for depth and customization. Players can upgrade their character with biological enhancemnets, upgrade their weapons, and craft new ammo. Players enter the game as a castaway in Rapture, an underwater utopia torn apart by civil war. Players will be faced with many challenges and forced to make many different decisions that result in a unique gaming experience for each gamer.

It has also recently been announced that Irrational Games, the developers of BioShock, will now be known as 2K Boston. The Australian branch will now be known as 2K Australia.

Find out more about BioShock here: http://www.2kgames.com/bioshock

Tabula Rasa Pre-Order Bonus!

NCsoft has announced that the pre-order bonus pack for Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa has begun shipping to retailers.

This pre-order bonus pack has several perks, including exclusive in-game items and a three day head start when the product launches this fall! They will also receive exclusive character emotes, beta access, exclusive in-game pets, and a special DVD with the game client and bonus wallpapers and art.

Interested gamers will be able to purchase the pre-order pack at retailers or download it at the NCsoft store at PlayNC.com starting today! You can view the pre-order pack box art below.

Tabula Rasa features a science-fiction story where players will be challenged by dynamic and fast-paced adventures on unique alien worlds. The game's executive producer is Richard Garriot, famous for creating the classic Ultima series.

On a side note, I had the chance to spend a brief amount of time playing Tabula Rasa quite some time ago. I'm sure the game has undergone a vast amount of improvements and renovations since then, but I remember enjoying the time I spent with it. The world was vibrant and unique and the combat was fast-paced and exciting. Of course, I'm generally not a huge MMO fan...

(click for larger view)

FFT: War of The Lions Details

Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions will be available in stores on October 09, 2007, across North America.

The original Playstation classic, Final Fantasy Tactics, is reborn and enhanced in the form of Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, exclusively for the PSP. War of the Lions will feature never-before-seen cinematic sequences, an entirely new English translation, 16:9 widescreen presentation, and multiplayer features!

For more info, check out Square Enix's official Final Fantasy Tactics site: http://na.square-enix.com/fftactics

BioShock Launch Trailer Debut

2K Games has announced that BioShock's launch trailer will debut August 12 at 9pm/8c on Spike TV! Viewers will see the world-wide premiere of the 60-second trailer during the new series The Kill Point.

The trailer will feature never before seen footage of the game and will close with a surprise announcement by Game Head’s Geoff Keighley. BioShock fans will definitely want to tune in for this... I know my TV will be set on Spike this Sunday!!

BioShock is a hybrid first-person shooter/RPG from Irrational Games, and the spiritual successor to the classic, System Shock. It will be available August 21, 2007 exclusively for Xbox 360 and Windows.

Technical Diff...i.culties....

Yeah, I'm having a little bit of technical trouble right now. I'm not sure if it's a Blogger issue, a Just-RPG issue, or an issue with my ISP. Either way, it's hindering my ability to update efficiently, so bare with me if my updates are a little bit... um, slow.

That's all for now, thanks for reading!!!

Open Beta time for Red Stone

K2 Network's upcoming MMORPG, Red Stone, has officially entered open beta!

Red Stone offers gamers a free to play, episodic fantasy experience that promises a deep storyline and eight unique character classes. Gamers will likely enjoy Red Stone’s Transform System, which allows all characters to change jobs and weapons and transform into other characters. Another key feature of Red Stone is that spell casting does not involve mana. Instead, players use rechargeable Charge points to cast spells, which challenges them to use abilities strategically and keeps battles fresh and exciting!

The Beta will continue until early September. Visit the official site for more information, and download the game here:
http://www.playredstone.com/download.php

As a shameless plug, Just-RPG has done some recent Red Stone coverage. Check it out here:
Red Stone Interview
Exclusive Red Stone Screenshots

Saga Splits from Wahoo

Saga Games has announced that they have split from Wahoo Interactive in order to focus their efforts on the MMORPG, Saga.

This announcement comes during the highly successful Beta test of the game, which has brought in more than 15,000 players. Saga eliminates the traditional monthly fee of an online game and instead makes money through players who choose to purchase booster packs. These packs can enhance their troops and spells, or can be traded with other players in return for units or abilities. However, Saga promises that strategy is the key to successful playing, so even those who do not buy boosters can still be competitive!

Saga is set for release in Fall 2007. Find out more info here at the official site, or view Saga screens here.

Eternal Sonota Demo on Live!

A demo of the upcoming RPG, Eternal Sonata, is now availible for download on Xbox Live!

The Eternal Sonata demo is free through the Xbox Live Marketplace and will give RPG fans a taste of one of the 360's most highly anticipated RPGs. In the demo you can lead Polka, Allegretto and Beat as they explore the Path to Tenuto, Tenuto Village and Heaven’s Mirror Forest.

Eternal Sonota is developed exclusively for the Xbox 360 by acclaimed developer, Tri-Crescendo.

The demo is 584.12 MB in size and is availible only in the U.S. and Canada.

Wild ARMs 10th Anniversary Edition

XSEED has just announced the official release date of Wild ARMs 5 and a special 10th Anniversary Edition of the game!

Wild ARMS 5 will be available on August 28, 2007 for the PS2. Even more exciting, all launch units of Wild ARMs 5 will contain a special 80-page "The Art of Wild ARMs" artbook highlighting illustrations from the entire 10-year span of the Wild ARMs series in full color, packaged together with the game case in a special embossed foil box. This Anniversary Editon of the game is the only version of Wild ARMs 5 that will be available at launch and will still only cost $39.99! With this Anniversary Edition being limited to the initial launch units, eager fans are advised to make sure and reserve their copy today!

The contents of Wild Arms 5 Anniversary Edition are displayed below (click for a better view):




See more at the Wild ARMs 5 official site here.

Early Eye of the North Access

Players who pre-order Guild Wars: Eye of the North will gain exclusive access to the game for three full days! Even better, these three days will be a whole week before the game's release, meaning they'll be among the first people in the world to play it!

From August 24 to August 26, 2007, players will have access to the Far Shiverpeaks region, home to the fiercely independent Norn and the legendary landmark known as the Eye of the North.

Everything that pre-order players acquire during their exclusive three days will still be available to them when Eye of the North launches on August 31st. This includes experience, items, loot and more!

More information on the sneak peek event is available here: http://www.guildwars.com/events/ingame/gwen-sneakpeek/

Who Can Find Richard Garriot?

Want to get into the beta of Tabula Rasa? Do you want to win all sorts of cool prizes? Do you want to play hide and seek with Richard Garriot? Of course you do! If you answered yes to all of those questions, you'll be glad to hear that Tabula Rasa is holding a "Who Lost the General" event this weekend that will give you the opportunity to do all of that and more!

World of RolePlayers Radio will be broadcasting live from within the game's beta, giving away prizes, beta keys, play-by-play commentary from the event, and exclusive information. Players who join in on the event on August 10th will take part in a huge game of hide and seek where players search high and low for he General, who is controlled by none other than Richard Garriot!

In addition, CuppaJo from NCSoft will be live on-air with World of RolePlayers Radio during the event giving clues and information about the whereabouts of General British! World of RolePlayers Radio will also be giving away Tabula Rasa beta codes all this week and during the event.

Check out the Tabula Rasa site for more information!

Xbox Drops $50

Microsoft announced today that the Xbox 360 will be receiving a $50 price drop!

The price drop will start August 8th and is part of Microsoft's attempt to kick off the greatest video game lineup in history. A wide variety of highly anticipated Xbox 360 exclusive titles are set for release this year, with a few noteworthy RPGs, including:

• BioShock
• Blue Dragon
• Lost Odyssey

There are also a whole bunch of major games that don't really fall within my coverage, like Guitar Hero III, Halo 3 and Madden '07. I already have an Xbox 360, but if I didn't, this sounds like a good time to go and get one.

EverQuest Online CCG Announced

Sony Online Entertainment has just unveiled Legends of Norrath: Oathbound, a new Online CCG that takes place in the EverQuest universe.

Oathbound will be built in to both EverQuest and EverQuest 2 and will allow players from one game to play against those from the other. Three sets are currently planned, with this first set containing 375 cards with original art.

All current EverQuest and EverQuest 2 players will be hyped to hear that they'll initially receive a free starter deck of cards, and additional packs can be purchased with real-world cash if you want more. You can also win packs as loot off boss mobs in both EQ games. Best of all, some of the cards will be loot that can be redeemed for in-game items for your characters.

Sony Online Entertainment is planning full support for the CCG, promising tournaments, deck-building and the ability for players to trade cards.

I'm not a current EQ player, but I do love CCGs. I personally think this sounds like a really neat concept and wish them the best of luck with it! I like how they're integrating it with the MMORPG, but I wonder if that will limit their player base?

Two Worlds Demo

The official Two Worlds site has announced that a demo of the game is set to be available in late August for PC.

The demo will be downloadable from the official site, along with various partner sites, starting August 21st. It will be 1.3 GB in size.

The demo will allow players to freely explore the world of Two Worlds, solve various quests, and begin the game's storyline. The demo also has no time limits, so you can do as much exploration as you'd like!

If you read this blog regularly, you know I'm eager to play Two Worlds, so I'll certainly be checking out this demo. More info can be found here on the official site.