Thursday, November 13, 2008

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Launch Mania Strikes

Grab your chair pads and Big Gulps and get ready to hide from your spouses or drag them with you, the second expansion pack to World of Warcraft, Wrath of the Lich King, finally comes out tomorrow. For many of you, that means exhilarating weeks and sleepless nights, missed classes and late homework, “sick” days from work, stacks of pizza boxes, soda-can mountains, and telling your spouse you’ll be down to dinner in “just a few more minutes!” while remaining inert in your desk chair until supper’s just a collection of refrigerated tupperware containers.
In case you hadn’t heard, World of Warcraft （ Buy wow gold ） is the biggest massively online multiplayer game in the world. Its monthly subscriber base numbers more than 11 million, each one paying around $
15 a month to pilot virtual elves and dwarves and other high fantasy types around a gigantic interlocking collection of stylish countries and continents, battling the forces of good, evil, or simply each other.
“GameStop expects World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King to be one of the biggest launches of the holiday season,” said Bob McKenzie, senior vice president of merchandising for GameStop earlier this week. “In fact, nationwide we are celebrating the release with GameStop ‘Lunar Fests’ at over 3,000 of our stores at midnight on November 13, so players can purchase the expansion and start exploring the new content right away.”
Lunar fests? Seriously?
Seriously. Hundreds if not thousands of gamers are expected to line up tonight to get their hands on early copies. These people are hardcore. Dedicated. Grizzled. They tend to own specialty gear like those funky keyboards with the World of Warcraft logo etched into the colorful overlay above painted pictures of voluptuous elves and surly, jut-jawed orcs. They read the novels, collect the comic books, and pore over the strategy and atlas guides relishing the typos and out-and-out errors for talking points on the publisher’s massively trafficked forums.
If you’re not a WoW player, of course, Wrath of the Lich King is not for you. It’s not a place to learn the game’s ins and outs. Most of it’s not even accessible, truth be told, just in case you’ve been eyeing the cool cover art with the undead Arthas/Ner’zhul hybrid (the Lich King himself — long story) and thinking it might be spooky enough to nudge you into picking up a copy to see what all the fuss is about. Like the last expansion, Lich King’s most important new features (a new character class, more dungeons, a new profession, epic siege warfare, the option to level up to 80) are pro-player only.
For the rest of you — that is, the over 11 million of you who make up an astonishing two-third of the total MMO market — if you’re tripping the almost-live fantastic about now, you’re in good company. According to The Daily Telegraph, gamers in the UK have been queuing up for “more than 40 hours” prior to the game’s midnight launch, while others are making special trips to London from all over the country. In the U.S., gamers are planning all-nighters with friends, and in at least one case, using the upside of being jobless to not do “anything that isn’t a necessity” until reaching the expansion’s level 80 cap.
Analysts say the expansion could sell up to five million copies in the first month alone. And it’s for Mac and PC only. Take that, all you “death of PC gaming” naysayers
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Posted by JImmy at 02:24:08 | Permalink | No Comments »

SteelSeries Introduces Limited Edition Zboard and Gaming Surfaces for World of Warcraft(R): Wrath of the Lich King(TM)

Fully Customizable Keyboard and Gaming Surfaces Designed Specifically for Upcoming World of Warcraft （ Buy wow gold ）Expansion
CHICAGO, Nov 12, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — SteelSeries has introduced a new line of gaming accessories for use with the upcoming World of Warcraft(R): Wrath of the Lich King(TM), the second expansion to Blizzard Entertainment(R)’s award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Unveiled for the first time at BlizzCon(R) in October were a limited edition version of the SteelSeries Zboard Gaming Keyboard, the SteelSeries QcK Limited Edition Lich King Exclusive Gaming Surface and the
5C Limited Edition Frost Wyrm Exclusive Gaming Surface.
The SteelSeries Zboard Limited Edition Gaming Keyboard for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King includes a custom designed keyset featuring labeled commands, in-game shortcuts and artwork of the fearsome Lich King Arthas Menethil, who World of Warcraft players will confront in the expansion. The entire keyboard can be fully customized through the use of the SteelSeries Z Engine software, which enables macros to be dragged and dropped onto specific keys. The package also includes:
Universal Keyboard Base with Internal hub w/ 2 USB ports
– Standard Keyset for everyday use
– Ergonomic hand-rest
The SteelSeries QcK Limited Edition Lich King Exclusive Gaming Surface is made with a high quality cloth material and features a non-slip rubber base which prevents the pads from sliding on any surface while gaming. The SteelSeries 5C Limited Edition Frost Wyrm Exclusive Gaming Surface is comprised of a specially designed compressed fiber fabric with multiple layers which helps the pad maintain both shape and stability under the most extreme gaming conditions. Both surfaces have been tested and approved by leading professional gamers and deliver consistent friction, glide precision and accuracy for a reliable MMO gaming experience.
“World of Warcraft is one of the most popular and influential MMORPGs of our time with more than 11 million subscribers worldwide,” said Bruce Hawver, CEO of SteelSeries. “We worked with designers from Blizzard Entertainment to create a new line of accessories and surfaces that we know World of Warcraft players will enjoy. Our goal was to create products that support immersive game play and improves performance. We have achieved that goal.”
In line with the launch of the expansion on November 13, the new gaming accessories will be available on NewEgg.com, Amazon, Microcenter, Dell and GameStop and is available now for pre-order. The QcK Limited Edition Lich King Exclusive Gaming Surface will be sold for $14.99 USD and the 5C Limited Edition Frost Wyrm Exclusive Gaming Surface for $39.99 USD. The SteelSeries Zboard Limited Edition Gaming Keyboard for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King will be sold for $69.99 USD. For current Zboard users, the Zboard Limited Edition Keyset for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King will also be available for sale separately for $19.99 USD. The Keyboard and Keyset are compatible with all versions of the World of Warcraft PC game.
Editor’s Note: To access the press kit, including product information and high resolution images, please visit our news and information Web site at www.steelseries.com/us /press.
About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft(R) and the Warcraft(R), StarCraft(R), and Diablo(R) series, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. ( http://www.blizzard.com/), a division of Activision Blizzard (ATVI:
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Posted by JImmy at 02:23:06 | Permalink | No Comments »

World of Warcraft: WotLK: It’s Go Time

Keith “Igoaf” Trahan gives us a quick overall look at PvP changes to classes and new arena maps in Wrath of the Lich King.

Change seems to be a popular theme these days. The highly anticipated release of Wrath of the Lich King is upon us and the World of Warcraft （ Buy wow gold ）is evolving once again. With the introduction of Wrath, you will encounter countless new features: rebalanced classes, Death Knights, Dalaran and Orgrimmar arena, Strand of the Ancients and Wintergrasp. As it’s been said, “It’s time for change” and PvP is following suit.Everyone who participated in the 3.0 patch was introduced to the one-two punch of both retribution paladins and arcane mages. The state of the game at 70 is easily understood by attempting to battleground or arena, only to instantly die to one of the classes whose DPS seems to have gone through the roof. The first thing you’ll notice once you reach level 80 is that health pools, once again, have increased dramatically. Blizzard also recently increased the effectiveness of resilience by roughly ten percent as well; changes are being made to bring burst more in line.Preparation time is almost over and December 16th will be time to go live in season five. Almost every class has received something to broaden their palette in arenas. There have been many changes to the game but it’s best to save a full description for an epic novel into the world of theory craft. Let’s take a look at some of the highlighted PvP changes to each of the classes in World of Warcraft’s new expansion, Wrath of the Lich King.
Death Knight GET OVER HERE! Death grip is arguably the best ability brought to light in the expansion. It can be used as peel for a teammate, canceling an opponents cast or the new, improved way to quick swap targets in arena - bring them to you.
Druid Feral druids bite and scratch like no other, moonkins have transitioned into boomkings, and restoration druids now tank melee in tree form. The class looks solid still but other healers will be challenging druids for a healing slot in arena teams, finally.
Hunter This class received kill shot, ranged execute, and a revamp of the aspect system. Pets now have an intervene and damage absorption ability. With the additional ten talent points, hunters will also have access to an interesting talent build having both beastial wrath and readiness. I expect skilled hunters to do amazing things with the class and to make a big appearance in the arena scene.
Mage Receiving two of the best 51 point talents in the game, mages are set once again to reign supreme at the release of an expansion. Arcane barrage allows a mage to be mobile and DPS while sacrificing survivability. Deep freeze gives a mage the chance to land a shatter without assistance, but frost still has issues with damage on the move.
Paladin The new changes and talents for holy shock give paladins a chance to step away from the “turret” healer role. Retribution paladins were basically gods among scrubs for a little while and were quickly toned down. Even with the changes, they gained a lot of utility to bring them closer to the general role of a hybrid we’ve seen in other MMO’s.
Priest Dispersion and the fade change are nice additions to shadow priest, but they seem to still have survivability issues. Penance not only looks great but is also a very efficient heal for discipline. With the changes to spell damage and new additions to the holy arsenal, will smite priests make a come back?
Rogue Dismantle and deadly brew make World of Warcraft （ Currencywow gold ） characters around the world cower.
Shaman Hex, riptide and thunderstorm are all amazing. Shamans are looking stronger then ever and are looking to be the dominant healer in PvP.
Warlock Pet survivability is still non-existent and for a class that relies on their pet to fulfill their role in PvP, things are just no bueno.
Warrior Blade storm with recklessness and shield wall being usable in arena has increased a warrior’s skill cap slightly. It will be interesting to see if warriors break the stereotype of mortal

The new arenas have been discussed here and the consensus so far is; as long as an arena game is decided by the players themselves and not because they got feared across the fire pit of death three separate times in a game, players won’t complain. Should skilled players be able to adapt to the dynamic arenas or is that a bad idea, similar to Nagrand tornadoes? The tornadoes were unpredictable while the Wrath arenas are static. When players enter the new arenas, communication will be put to the test because of the arena changes.Strand of the Ancients SotA, is an attack/defense styled map where the victor is decided by who obtains the best time. Attackers will have to break through a series of doors using explosives and vehicles while the defense attempts to thwart attackers using the turrets positioned above doorways. The map was originally 10v10 where the strategy to win was to avoid players and to charge through doors, but was later changed to 15v15. A battle with huge emphasis on team play; SotA breathes a little fresh air into the battleground system.

Wintergrasp will be a new interesting way for players to obtain honor points for gearing up in PvP. One faction will defend the fortress while the other attempts to claim it. Players will rank up after obtaining a certain amount of honorable kills which will allow them access to more powerful vehicles. Rank resets after each zone reset. After capturing Wintergrasp, players will have access to various PvE objectives. The most notable is the raid zone in the fortress, both 10 and 25 man, that will test you and your friends against the raid boss Archavon the Stone Watcher. Archavon should be killed every opportunity you have as he will be dropping various PvP and PvE loot making it an easy way to gear up. Plus, the boss is a joke and there is very little trash to clear.

Wrath will be pushing the limits of the e-sports scene as well. Teams that are able to adapt and grow will rise to the top while those who rely on a single composition may see themselves no longer able to compete. RMP is still a viable composition and I fully expect it to be dominant for a while. Once players reach 80 and start including death knights into teams, players will be forced to further their knowledge of the game and learn all of the new abilities. With the release of an expansion, there comes a clean slate. New teams will rise and fall, but who will dominate in 2009? With different talent specs receiving buffs, the ability to play multiple classes will shine even more. Counter-comping will be a huge influence in the tournaments earlier in the year, but as things grow a cookie-cutter composition will arise. Whatever team is able to find the “safe” team first may be able to clean up a lot of tournaments this year.It’s time to test the waters of Northrend and the PvP it will bring. Are you ready? Change is here.
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Ahead of the Bell: Activision

William Blair added video game publisher Activision Blizzard Inc. to its “Current Better Values” list Wednesday, saying its shares will likely outperform the market over the next two years.
“Activision (nasdaq: ATVI - news - people ) has the industry’s most proven and best-positioned product pipeline, a more stable and greater visibility business model following the Blizzard merger, and a management team that is executing extremely well,” analyst Ralph Schackart wrote in a note to investors.
Activision Blizzard was formed in July when French conglomerate Vivendi SA bought a majority stake in Activision and combined it with its games unit. Last week, the company posted better-than-expected third-quarter results, announced a plan to buy back $1 billion in stock and reaffirmed its full-year sales outlook.
The company’s games include the “Guitar Hero” and “Call of Duty” franchises and “World of Warcraft （ Buy wow gold ）,” the world’s most popular online game.
Schackart noted that while the current consumer environment is “one of the worst” in history, video game software is still expected to grow roughly 20 percent this year and in the upper single digits in 2009.
“In our view, Activision has the industry’s best product pipeline, where 9 of the top 10 titles last year were proven franchises,” the analyst wrote.
He called “World of Warcraft” one of the best titles in the games industry and estimated that it now accounts for about half of Activision’s operating profit.
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Ford, Nokia, CCTV, Li Ning, and World of Warcraft Sponsor Eighth Annual One Show China

Workshops Nov. 15-21
The Largest Group of Advertising Professionals From Around the World to Ever Travel to China Teams Up With The One Club to Nurture Young Creative Talent
NEW YORK, NY — (Market wire) —
11/12/08 — Ford, Nokia, CCTV, Li Ning, and World of Warcraft （ Currency： wow gold ） are sponsoring an ambitious journey to Shanghai in which a stellar group of international advertising professionals will conduct work shops with young professionals and university students from throughout mainland China (People’s Republic of China) in The One Club’s 8th Annual One Show China Creative Workshop to take place November 15-21, 2008. The Fudan University in Shanghai is hosting this unusual event at the International Convention Center.
The focus of the workshops is a competition in which students will compete to create marketing campaigns to promote awareness for a particular brandor product. Eighteen advertising industry influentials from around the world will join The One Club President Kevin Swanepoel and CEO Mary Warlick to make up the largest group of advertising professionals to ever travel to China. “This is a unique experience for both the students in China and the accomplished advertising veterans from around the globe to interact,” said Swanepoel. “The One Club is the first western organization to establish workshops in China for this purpose. We appreciate the incredible support shown by the major companies CCTV, Ford, Li Ning, Nokia and World of Warcraft. All have sponsored creative briefs that will be key to the educational development of the next generation of Chinese creativepr of essionals. “It is a testament to the success of this program that 18 teams from the previous year have been hired by esteemed agencies including Weiden +Kennedy and Ogilvy,” added Swanepoel. 3,000 entries were submitted from 24 universities and 16 agencies spanning32 provinces and municipal cities in China. Only a selection of the seentries will be chosen as finalists to participate in the One Show China Workshops. Judges will select the students from their work on a recordfive client briefs from Ford, Nokia, Li Ning Company, World of Warcraft （ Buywow gold ） and China Central Television (CCTV). Topics of the briefs range from raising awareness of Nokia’s maps and navigation systems to reinventing the brand slogan “everything is possible” for Li Ning to demonstrating Ford’sleadership in design to improving the image of the World of Warcraft onlinegame and helping China Central Television (CCTV) present its mission of”being the window for China to understand the world and the world tounder stand China.” “China is a country with the deepest heritage in the past. And at the sametime, it holds the biggest potential for the future. The young people of China have the highest pride of their past. And they have the most fearless ambition for the future,” said Rei Inamoto, Co-Chief Creative Officer,AKQA. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to meet and spend time with the young creative professionals of China.” Winners will receive gold, silver and bronze certificates. In addition to the workshops, The One Club has gathered the best creative minds from the interactive industry and will hold their first-ever series of internet conferences and boot camps in Asia. These conferences will take place in Shanghai sponsored by SINA on November 21st, in Taiwan sponsored by Yahoo! on November 28th and Singapore sponsored by MasterCard from December 13 to 15.
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‘World of Warcraft’ blitz on game fans

PARIS (AFP) — Top video game maker Activision Blizzard threw crowds on streets Thursday for the launch of the much-awaited new extension of its record-breaking “World of Warcraft （ Buy wow gold ）” which already has a claimed 11 million players worldwide.
Gamers lined up on Paris’ famed Champs-Elysees for “Wrath of the Lich King”, released in Europe and the United States at midnight as “the next epic chapter” in the life and times of Azeroth, a medieval fantasy world now the planet’s most popular multiplayer online role-playing game.
Camped on the avenue since breakfast time, Alexandre Laurent and Christian Le Roux, aged 18 and 19, and at the head of a snaking queue, said “We wanted to be the first to get it.”
In accordance with the game, where competitors line up as members of races belonging to two opposing good and evil factions, the Alliance (including humans and dwarves) or the Horde (including orcs and trolls), gamers joined either Alliance or Horde queues.
“We are definitely Horde”, said Laurent and Le Roux.
First released late
2004 in the United States and in 2005 in Europe, World of Warcraft’s latest “Lich King” extension throws adepts into a cold and inhospitable environment set four years on in time and ruled over by Lich monarch Arthas Menethill.
The previous extension, “The Burning Crusade”, sold 2.4 million copies the first day of release, but senior producer John Lagrave declined to state anticipated sales or give the cost of developing the game.
More than 125 people of the 3,000-plus staff at Blizzard, a company set up 17 years ago which is owned by French group Vivendi, had worked to develop the new extension, he told AFP.
“We don’t know if there is a limit to new Warcraft players,” he said. “We’ll see but nobody knows the limit. Video games are definitely an emerging new aspect of entertainment.”
In gaming terms, this latest extension allows players to increase the powers of their character avatars to a level of 80, compared to 60 when originally launched and 70 on the launch of “The Burning Crusade” early 2007.
It also throws out a new race of super-heroes, the Deathknights.
A fantasy universe popular across the planet, Warcraft’s game world remains similar day to day but has also smartly linked into the affairs of the real universe.
Seasonal events such as Halloween, Christmas or the Olympic Games have been added, regional editions modified — in China flesh was placed on the living dead — and pop culture celebrities such as Jean-Claude Van Damme or William Shatner used to sell it.
Players too often take part in creative activities in the virtual community, including art work, comic-strip style stories and the making of machinima videos.
“It works”, said Lagrave, “because it’s easy to learn, even a grandmother can play, but it’s very difficult to master and really rewards mastership.”
Asked to comment on claims that the game could be addictive, Lagrave said “We have a problem with using that word.
“We’re concerned with indulgence and over-use,” he said, stressing that Blizzard had installed parental control devices and took the potential for trouble seriously enough to have added rest bonuses that rewarded gamers for not playing.
Lagrave said Blizzard was working on a not yet announced new gaming world but had no immediate plans to take World of Warcraft to the console market.
“Right now we have our hands full supporting Macintosh and PCs,” he said.
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Posted by JImmy at 02:17:03 | Permalink | No Comments »