Empire: Total War – A Great Spectator Game

Empire: Total War has been out for a little over a month now, and it has garnered a lot of attention, both praise and scorn. For the most part, the negative comments have been about the fact that you need an account with Steam, and an online connection for the initial install. The praise has been for the gameplay itself, and what gameplay it is!

Even watching someone else play is a treat. A YouTube user, PrinceofMacedon, has compiled several commentary videos he’s done online with a variety of opponents. During the replay, he presents a running commentary that includes details about his and his opponents’ army, tactics that he’s delpoying, and even historical anecdotes thrown in as well.

I’ve got one of his videos below here for you to watch. It’s a Russia vs Britain battle, with PrinceofMacedon playing as the Russians. Read more

Warhammer Online Now Offers Free 10-Day Trial

Have you been meaning to try Warhammer Online, but don’t necessarily want to pay for a month’s worth of play time? Luckily for you the game now offers a free 10-day trial for new players.

“A call to arms has been issued! With the new free trial we are making it possible for everyone to experience non-stop Realm vs. Realm combat wrapped up in a next generation MMO,” said Mythic Entertainment general manager Mark Jacobs.

“What started out as a great game has only gotten better as the team has added an incredible amount of content with our first live expansion. For gamers that have yet to experience the glory of WAR, there is no better time to join the battle!”

Prospective players of the 10-day free trial are also invited to join the game’s current “Bitter Rivals” event, which will allow players early access to the planned Orc Choppa and Dwarf Slayer character classes, should they decide to spring for a full, paid subscription after the trial ends.

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World Of Warcraft 3.0.3 Patch Notes

Massively.com has posted a complete list of patch notes for the latest World of Warcraft patch 3.0.3…

Today the 3.0.3 patch for World of Warcraft has dropped! Of course, our brethren over at WOW Insider are all over it. Within the sacred patch contains a laundry list of tweaks, changes and bug fixes. Just about every class is touched on here, so there’s plenty to look through. Inscription is also given plenty of attention with lots of little tweaks. Achievement addicts will be happy to know that the “Hallowed Be thy Name” achievement is now much easier to obtain with this patch as well. Most of the bug fixes seem to be class related, but there are a couple of stability fixes in there so hopefully servers will be as smooth as possible for the Wrath of the Lich King launch day.

• General

• Removed “A Mask for All Occasions” as criteria for the “Hallowed Be thy Name” meta achievement.
• Replenishment: Players below level 50 can now benefit from this effect.
• Resilience: The damage reduction component of resilience has been increased from 2 times the critical strike chance reduction to 2.2 times the critical strike chance reduction. In addition, the maximum damage reduction to a critical strike from resilience has been increased from 30% to 33%.

• Racial

• Blood Fury: No longer triggers global cooldown.
• Shadowmeld: The cooldown will now start on use instead of on break.
• Druids
• Druid talents points have been refunded. Players will need to visit a class trainer to relearn spells and abilities.
• The Swift Flight Form is now available on the trainer at level 71, requiring 300 riding skill, and Flight Form learned.
• Bash: The interrupt from this ability will now work on targets that are immune to the stun.
• Berserk: Now clears the cooldown on Mangle Bear.
• Earth and Moon and Moonfury (Balance) reduced from 5 ranks each to 3 ranks each.
• Eclipse: Buff duration extended to 15 sec and bonuses doubled. The cooldown has been increased to 40 seconds.
• Growl: Cooldown changed to 8 sec.
• Insect Swarm: Tooltip corrected to indicate it does not affect hit chance with spells.
• Moonkin: Only single target spell critical strikes can trigger the mana gain from this talent.
• Nature’s Swiftness: This ability will no longer give chances to trigger Omen of Clarity.
• Omen of Clarity: Will no longer be triggered by the Honorless Target buff gained when entering the world.
• Survival Instincts will no longer be on the Global Cooldown.
• Swiftmend: now benefits correctly from Genesis talent.
• Tiger’s Fury: Ranks 5 and 6 have had their damage bonus decreased.

Please visit Massively.com for the complete list. Read more

The Top Ten Pay-To-Play MMORPGs

According to Game Ogre, the top ten pay-to-play MMORPGs are:

1) World of Warcraft – Game Lair
The best MMORPG yet because WoW mixes the right amount of depth and simplicity better than any other game in the history of the genre.

2) Lord of the Rings Online
Very smooth launch with a very popular beta phase. Already one of the most popular MMORPGs with good population levels on all servers. Plenty of solo content adds to the game’s already tremendous mainstream appeal.

3) Eve Online
The best sci-fi MMORPG with player-run corporations and a thriving economy.

4) Age of Conan
Mature-themed MMO with brutal combat and large-scale warfare.

5) Final Fantasy XI – Game Lair
The second best fantasy MMORPG after WoW with a quality story, great game play, and large subscriber numbers.

6) City of Heroes/City of Villains - Game Lair
Combined, City of Heroes and City of Villains are easily the second best MMORPG for casual gamers. With the addition of the well-balanced villain types and the use of bases, City of Villains completes the potential that fans have been craving for ever since City of Heroes launched. To top it off, hardcore gamers now also have a reason to like CoH/CoV with its ultra-quick PvP.

7) Pirates of the Burning Sea
Deep game where the actions of players really matter in many areas of the game such as the economy, storylines, and PvP.

Dark Age of Camelot
Has usually been one the best major MMORPG for PvP combat due to its 3 realm system. Also, DAOC has remained one of the steadiest MMORPGs over the years in terms of quality. However, the game is starting to show its age and other MMOs have incorporated similar or better PvP systems.

9) Tabula Rasa
Innovative sci-fi MMO that combines shooter and RPG elements.

10) Dungeons & Dragons Online
Instead of offering all the usual MMO features such as PvP and crafting, this MMORPG instead provides a high quality gaming experience through well-written quests. Improved a little recently by catering more to solo players.

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