Blizzard Introduces the World of Warcraft Starter Edition

Launching alongside Rage of the Firelands, Starter Edition capped at level 20.

World of Warcraft isn't going free-to-play (not with 12 million paid subscribers it's not), but Blizzard is making the game's free trial indefinite courtesy of the new WoW Starter Edition, allowing players to experience a huge chunk of Azeroth and create a character they can level up to a cap of 20.

Alongside Cataclysm's latest update, patch 4.2 Rage of the Firelands, Blizzard has announced it will launch the WoW Starter Edition. The new World of Warcraft trial experience transforms the previous 14-day affair into an indefinite playthrough that includes the core game and some elements of the first expansion, The Burning Crusade.

Players can continue playing the Starter Edition through level 20, but if they want to unlock the full Burning Crusade expansion and continue to advance their character, they'll have to upgrade to the full game and the monthly subscription.

Blizzard Considering World of Warcraft for iOS

Company "looking at" making WoW playable on iOS devices.

With a variety of online services and Apps, World of Warcraft is never far from its players -- even when they're not sitting at their keyboard. And according to Blizzard, the next step is now being considered: taking all of WoW to iOS devices.

In an wide-ranging interview with Eurogamer, WoW forum moderator Greg Street discussed the challenges of taking the mega MMO to consoles, the game's upcoming patch, and the future of WoW. Most notable were his comments about the possibility of transporting World of Warcraft to the iPad and/or iPhone.

"Everyone I know here has an iPhone or an iPad so we're huge fans of the hardware," Street told Eurogamer. "If we could make the right game changes to make that work, it's something we'd be interested in. It's not something you're going to see in the next week or two, but it's the kind of thing we're always looking at."

Rockstar Announces PC Version of L.A. Noire

Enhanced graphics, keyboard remapping, 3D support for L.A. Noire on PC.

Rockstar and Team Bondi are throwing PC gamers a Fedora. The publisher and developer have announced that crime thriller L.A. Noire will be available for PC this fall.

Now in development by Rockstar Leeds, the PC version of L.A. Noire will feature keyboard remapping, gamepad functionality, enhanced graphics, and 3D support.

"L.A. Noire is a new type of game that makes players see through a detective's eyes in 1940s Los Angeles," said Sam Houser, founder of Rockstar Games. "Its unique blend of story, action, and crime solving will be perfect to play on PC."

In announcing the PC version of L.A. Noire, Rockstar also noted the console versions of the game have shipped 4 million copies worldwide to date. Official sales numbers were not revealed.

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Portal 2 Sales Top Three Million

Sequel off to a hot start.

Sales of Portal 2 have reached three million copies sold since launch, stated Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve Software, during the Games for Change festival in New York City today.

According to multiple reports, Newell did not provide any additional sales details, such as the split between digital sales on Steam and retail. Portal 2 was released on April 19, 2011.

Excluding Steam sales, the original Portal sold over four million copies.

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City of Heroes Transitioning to Free-to-Play

Long-running superhero MMO set to make the switch later this year.

Seven-year-old superpowered MMO City of Heroes is the latest subscription-based online game to make the transition to a free-to-play model. Paragon Studios and NCSoft have announced that City of Heroes Freedom is now in development and set for launch later this year.

Promising to redefine the long-running super hero MMO on the cornerstones of content, rewards, and choice, Paragon said it has been working on its hybrid F2P model for City of Heroes for over a year in an effort to improve the overall customer experience.

"Freedom is about getting more content into the hands of our players, whether they are subscribing or playing for free," Brian Clayton, Executive Producer at Paragon Studios, said in a statement. "To do this, we've looked at City of Heroes from the ground up and focused on three ways to enhance the experience by giving our players more choices, greater rewards and the best content we've ever produced. And for the first time ever, players can choose to enjoy more than seven years of content for free."

Activision: 2 Million Gamers Enlisted for CoD: Elite Beta

Social network set to begin testing later this summer.

More than 2 million people have signed up for the beta for Call of Duty's upcoming social network, Elite, Activision has revealed, a sure sign the fastest selling entertainment franchise in history isn't about to slow down anytime soon.

Posting on his blog, One of Swords, Activision's social media manager Dan Amrich announced that in less than two weeks since sign-ups for CoD: Elite opened, more than 2 million gamers have enlisted for the beta. And Activision expects that number to rise significantly.

"The official start of the beta is a month away, so there's still plenty of time for you to sign up," Amrich writes. "When the studio head at Beachhead said this would be a live beta, he was not kidding -- your participation really can make a difference in how Elite evolves. And don't be discouraged by the big number, thinking you shouldn't bother because they already have enough people -- two million volunteers among 30 million Call of Duty players is a small amount."

THQ Closes Homefront Dev

Kaos Studios shuttered. Homefront development shifted to Montreal.

THQ said today it has closed both its internal UK studio and Kaos Studios, makers of Homefront. Development of the franchise is being shifted to the publisher's Montreal studio.

This move was done as a "strategic realignment" of resources. Below is the statement in full from THQ:

THQ confirmed today that it has made a strategic realignment within its internal studio structure and is in the process of closing two locations: the company's UK studio and KAOS studio in New York. Both studios' employees have been informed.

THQ continues its strategy of aligning the best industry talent with the company's marquee franchises. The Montreal studio will take over product development and overall creative management for the Homefront franchise. The Montreal studio actively collaborated with KAOS on Homefront.

The company continues to strengthen its internal creative development expertise and is actively hiring in many of its internal studios, including Montreal and Vancouver, Canada, as well as Austin, Texas. THQ's UK studio and KAOS employees will have the opportunity to interview for open positions with the company globally.

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Serious Sam 3: BFE Reveal Trailer

See how Sam "Serious" Stone looks on current gen technology.

Mental's legions have invaded the Earth, and in Serious Sam 3: BFE, players will get to experience man's final struggle against the hordes of monsters and mercs first hand. For now, developer Croteam is providing a first peek at the war to come with the Serious Sam 3 reveal trailer.

To get you up to speed on the shooter before you push play, here's a synopsis of the game from the developer:

The third in Croteam's wild and fast-paced shooter series, Serious Sam 3: BFE is a glorious throwback to the golden age of first-person shooters where men were men, cover was for amateurs and pulling the trigger made things go boom. Serving as a prequel to the original indie sensation, Serious Sam: The First Encounter, Serious Sam 3: BFE takes place during the Earth's final struggle against Mental's invading legions of beasts and mercenaries. Set against the collapsing temples of an ancient civilization and the crumbling cities of 22nd century Egypt, Serious Sam 3: BFE is an exhilarating fusion of classic twitch shooters and modern gameplay features.

To learn more about the over-the-top FPS, check out the interview our friends at IGN had with Croteam CEO Roman Ribaric.

Serious Sam 3: BFE is being developed for Windows PCs, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. The game is scheduled for launch sometime this summer.

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E3 2011: Blacklight: Retribution First Details

It has mechs. And it's free.

Within the gaming community, there's an ongoing joke that PC gaming is dead and that the only games that hit the platform now are buggy console ports. But PC gaming is going through a quiet renaissance. While consoles are now the home of the multi-million dollar blockbuster and the graphics wars still rage steadily between Microsoft and Sony fans, PC gamers have been playing games just as high-quality as their console counterparts for free.

Many of these games are MMOs, which for many people immediately adds the stigma of a "grind" or of an impenetrable fantasy setting with forest elves and magical rainbow-farting unicorns. While for some games that rings true, the MMO genre has been around long enough to branch out, splinter and embed itself elsewhere. This is where Blacklight: Retribution enters the story.

Blacklight: Tango Down was a very cool downloadable shooter that came out last year on Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and PC. It offered a lot of content for a reasonable price tag and, although it didn't have the most revolutionary shooter mechanics ever, the core was solid enough that the game still shone quite brightly. Developer Zombie announced a sequel was coming and then nothing more was heard. That is, until Retribution was shown to us.

Microsoft Announces Launch Date for Age of Empires Online, Details Premium Pricing

Game set for August 16 launch, premium content packs available for $20.

Microsoft's free-to-play online version of real-time strategy classic Age of Empires is set to go live on August 16. The gaming arm of the tech giant announced the launch date today while also detailing the digital goodies that will be available for premium (read: paid) subscribers.

Age of Empires Online pits the Greeks against the Egyptians in a persistent world of resource gathering and management, building, and battling. PC gamers can download the game for free, unlocking more than 40 hours of content. And premium content packs will open up new civilizations, modes, and more.

E3 2011: Fantasy RPGs Get a Reckoning

This storybook feeling can capture unwilling imaginations.

I don't like fantasy. Dragons, medieval junk, and chainmail have never been my thing. This means a lot of games don't do anything for me. I don't want to manage spell wheels and find mystical swords that give me +5 valor. I got bored with Dragon Age, I'm not having a nerdgasm over Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, and Fable's farts seemed really dumb. Now that you know all that, I can tell you that for some strange reason, I'm digging Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

Set with a simple, storybook art style, Reckoning is the RPG from 38 Studios -- the development house headed by former Boston Red Sox player Curt Schilling -- and it had me interested from the start of my recent demo.

The game opens with your character rising from the dead. You're the first person to ever do this, so it's kind of a big deal. Usually you'd have to pick a class in an RPG, but Reckoning goes in another direction. Here, you just pick abilities you want and get to explore the skill trees. If you choose to be a mage and don't like it five hours in, it's no big deal to switch over and begin investing in being a warrior. (All of this should be old news as IGN's covered Reckoning's introduction and Reckoning's role swapping in past previews.)

Age of Conan Going Free-to-Play

Funcom's MMO to adopt a familiar pricing model.

Age of Conan developer Funcom has announced that its low-fantasy MMORPG will be switching to a hybrid free-to-play model, akin to the sort of model used by Lord of the Rings Online, EverQuest II Extended and Champions Online. Funcom is no newcomer to the free-to-play scene, in fact they helped pioneer it in the western market when Anarchy Online switched to an advertisement-supported model in 2005.

Ads wouldn't fit the Age of Conan universe, of course, so AoC is instead turning to the tiered-pricing models adopted by others, where players may still subscribe to the game for a monthly fee and gain access to everything they normally would, or can spend "Funcom Points" (bought with real money) to purchase specific items such as consumables or recipes, or access to a new dungeon or territory. Or they can play without spending a cent, though there are typically limitations on conveniences such as mail, chat, and the number of characters allowed on an account. Side-areas may be locked out. According to Game Director Craig Morrison, the subscription price will not change, and that the price of microtransactions will be in line with other free-to-play MMOs.

Guild Wars 2 Beta Coming

ArenaNet's subscription-free MMO inches closer to launch.

Those closely following the progress of NCSsoft's hotly-anticipated MMORPG Guild Wars 2 will be pleased to know that a beta is on the way -- specifically in the second half of this year according to Eurogamer. The announcement came from NCsoft chief financial officer Jaeho Lee during a conference call.

ArenaNet, the developer of Guild Wars 2, has yet to announce a hard launch date for the MMO in keeping with its "when it's ready" policy. There will be no subscription cost associated with the game, but there will be a one-time purchase cost as was the case with the original Guild Wars.

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Blizzard: Real ID Cross-Realm Party Play in the Works for World of Warcraft

Studio notes service will likely be premium, only for dungeon instances.

Raise your hand if this sounds familiar: You met a fellow World of Warcraft player in real-life, but your plans of introducing your healer and their tank were dashed when you discovered you play on different realms. *Hand raised* Blizzard feels your pain, and the company is now working to develop a cross-server service that will allow Real ID friends of the same faction to party up for dungeon instances regardless of the realm they play on.

First things first: Blizzard says cross-realm Real ID party play is a "fairly complex service" to develop and it still doesn't know when such a feature will be available. And when it is up and running, it will likely be a premium, paid-for feature.

Further, the planned service will be for regular or Heroic dungeon instances only and not offer the full functionality of playing together offered by a server character transfer.

Star Wars: The Old Republic Sith Inquisitor Trailer

An overview of the class that's suited to become a sorcerer or assassin.

With a mix of dark Force powers, stealth, and treachery, the Sith Inquisitor is capable of becoming a sinister sorcerer or a shadowy assassin. See both specializations for the class at work in the latest trailer for BioWare's upcoming MMORPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic.

After providing an inside look at the tank-like Sith Warrior, BioWare is back with a more ranged damage-dealer version of the class, the Sith Inquisitor. Get an overview of the assassin/sorcerer below:

Star Wars: The Old Republic is being developed for Windows PCs. The game's release date remains TBA, but it is reportedly on target for a November launch.

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StarCraft II: Balance Changes

Protoss Warpgate rush significantly less rush-y.

Blizzard Entertainment launched the latest StarCraft II patch (patch 1.3.3) yesterday, addressing some balance issues as well as fixing some minor bugs. Of particular note, the early-game Protoss "4-gate" strategy has received a nerf, making the ability to warp units into an enemy base a little less efficient by lengthening the research time of the Warpgate upgrade. Pylons, which provide the Protoss with energy for their buildings and allow them to warp units to distant locations also had their range reduced significantly. The Protoss Archons had their range increased and are considered massive units now, which alters how they are affected by crowd-control abilities.

Terran players might see their Ghost unit become a little more viable now that the Vespene gas cost has been reduced and the mineral cost increased. Zerg Spore Crawlers are a lot more useful when mobile now as their root time has been halved, and the Zerg Infestor has had its speed decreased. While this looks like a nerf on face value, it actually means that Infestors will move with the rest of the pack and won't be sniped for wandering too far ahead.

Played the new patch? What do you think of the changes?

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Diablo III Followers Trailer

Blizzard is trying to get its highly anticipated top-down action RPG, Diablo III, out the door before 2012, and today the studio revealed a few of the new friends it hopes to introduce you to in time for the holidays. It's the Diablo III Followers trailer.

The Enchantress is ready to support and unleash magical attacks on your foes, the Scoundrel -- medieval Han Solo with a crossbow instead of a blaster -- launches powerful ranged attacks, and the Templar is a damage dealing tank that holds the front line. They're your Diablo III followers, and you can see them in action below:

Diablo III is being developed for Windows PCs and Mac OS. The game's release date is officially TBA, but a beta is set for early in the fall, an indication it will be ready for launch in late 2011/early 2012.

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Questing in Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Exploring a neon-lit, futuristic Detroit.

The most interesting part of Eidos Montreal's Deus Ex: Human Revolution is sandwiched between the opening action sequence and the next major plot developments. The city streets of Detroit stretch out beyond Sarif Industries' headquarters. As the newly mechanically augmented protagonist Adam Jensen, you can explore steam-filled urban avenues and talk with shifty vendors, shaggy street dwellers and other undesirables slinking through the shadows of the city's darkest corners and sewers.

In true Deus Ex tradition, Human Revolution isn't just a first-person action game sprinkled with choices to make about which weapons to use. Role-playing game-style exploration appears to be a big part of the experience. The street section of Detroit is surprisingly large and filled with all sorts of hidden pathways, important locations and multiple side quests that are only picked up through interaction with the city's residents. There's even a basketball half-court with a ball you can pick up and shoot, which I'm assuming is a tongue-in-cheek reference to Invisible War, the second Deus Ex game.

I was happy to see how much thought has gone into creating a virtual space that doesn't feel generic. A ubiquitous flood of golden lighting clashes with Detroit's somber, graffiti-tagged four-storey apartment complexes adorned with veins of ductwork and rusted fire escapes crisscrossed by networks of thick electrical wires. Alleys between buildings are littered with trash bags, dead leaves and crushed cardboard. Posters are plastered on telephone poles and across brick walls and liquor storefront windows are covered in dingy advertisements. It's supposed to be 2027 in this world, and touches like these help establish a sense of realism to counterbalance the fact that you're walking around with moddable, mechanical arms.

EA, Crytek Announce First Map Pack for Crysis 2, Retaliation

Four new maps to Nanosuit around coming May 17.

Aspiring game designers can get their hands on the Crysis 2 level editor early this summer. Before then, Crytek will try to inspire with a few new levels of its own. The first map pack for Crysis 2 is set for download next week.

EA and Crytek announced this morning that the Retaliation map pack will include four new maps: Park Avenue, Transit, Shipyard, and Compound. Get a gander at the new battlefields in the trailer below:

Retaliation will be available for download on May 17 for the PS3 (providing PSN is restored), Xbox 360, and Windows PCs. No pricing was revealed for the map pack.

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World of Warcraft Subscriptions Dropping

Blizzard makes plans to speed up content development.

World of Warcraft's subscriber base seems to be slowly dropping off, as revealed in today's Activision Blizzard investor call. The number of current World of Warcraft subscribers as reported by Blizzard President Mike Morhaime stands at 11.4 million, notably less than the 12 million subscriber milestone achieved by the game last October.