Diablo III Black Soulstone Cinematic

One cool thing that came out of Blizzcon this morning and that's the Diablo III Black Soulstone Cinematic. I've been impressed by all of Blizzard's cinematics going right back to Diablo I. Even if you're not a fan of the game, this is an impressive video.

Video description: As Deckard Cain's niece, Leah, struggles to make sense of her uncle's mysterious and disturbing notations, she bears witness to a dark vision. Azmodan, Lord of Sin, towers over the fragile young woman, swearing his armies of the burning Hells shall pour forth into Sanctuary, ravishing the world and all hope of resistance.

Blizzard Getting Desperate By Offering Free Diablo III?

Yesterday at Blizzon, Blizzard announced that all annual subscribers to World of Warcraft will get a FREE copy of their up and coming Diablo III. Not only that, they'll also get a free ingame mount and guaranteed access to the expansion beta.

This is a surprising move by Blizzard. Why would you give away copies of a game that many WoW players would be willing to pay full price for, without a second thought!? I personally don't know any WoW players that are not interested in Diablo III. Is this a sign of panic by Blizzard and a desperate act to keep their subscription numbers up to impress their investors? That' the only logical explanation that I can see for this bold move. Even I might have been tempted to take up this offer if I wasn't so interested in the Collector's Edition of Diablo III.

I have no intention of spending any real time in WoW in the foreseeable future. I'm not saying that it's not a great game, because it is; it's just that I believe I've got the most out of the game already, after three years of playing it. A lot of players, myself included, are looking forward to new games like Bioware's SWTOR. Blizzard may be thinking that if their customer base has a yearly subscription, there's a better chance of them logging in and giving it another go in six months time.

Fan Sites Breaking NDAs

I have noticed over the last couple of weeks there has been a lot of NDA information leaked onto the net. This is depressing for us fan sites who are trying to do the right thing by Bioware.

The team at Bioware have a strategy in place that they believe is in the best interests for the future of SWTOR and as a fan of their game, I want to fully support their decisions about when to post stuff and what information to release.

So although we have been asked by our readers several times to post leaked information, we will not be doing that and breaking the NDA. Please keep in mind that some of the details about the game that have been released, in breach of the NDA, are from the beta and may not even be accurate for the public release of the game.

We will also remove any sites breaking NDA's from our blog feed.

Diablo III Collector's Edition Unboxing

I'm a big fan of collector editions and the Diablo III Collector's Edition is a must have just for the music and art. Next to John Williams, Russell Brower has produced some of the most compelling ingame music I have ever heard. The sound of that Spanish guitar is absolutely amazing.

Although a little bit small, the 4GB USB key that also comes with the edition is a nice touch. It would have been a smarter idea to put Diablo III on there as well as Diablo II.

The ingame pets will be the reason why some people fork out the extra cash for this Collector's Edition, but digital gifts in games don't do it for me. As soon as it's available I will be ordering my copy because of the music.

What's the tasty extra in Collector's Editions that makes you cough up extra money?

Here's all the official goodies ...

Diablo III Collector's Edition:

A fallen star burns across the sky, signaling the rebirth of a long-forgotten evil, and calling mortal heroes to arms once more. This limited edition collector’s set commemorates your return to the darkened world of Sanctuary. Inside, you’ll find a treasure trove of rare and legendary items to aid you in your apocalyptic battles at the End of Days.

DIABLO III SOUNDTRACK

Experience twenty four original pieces from the Diablo III soundtrack on CD and deepen your music collection with a sound as timeless as the Eternal Conflict itself

Mists of Pandaria Raids & Dungeons Info and FAQ's

Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment

Shado-pan Monastery
Located in Kun-Lai Summit
Mountain retreat of the mysterious Shado-pan Clan
The Shado-pan protect Pandaria from hidden evil
The Sha have escaped! (Shado pan keep Sha caged in the monastery, but it's escaped and you're trying to help figure this out)
A great idea for layout..Changes into something more epic!
Like to do outdoor dungeons because there are so many indoor already. They jump at opportunity to make outdoor.

Scholomance
Level 90 Heroic
New layout with familiar rooms (shuffle rooms around to make a remix out of it)
Easier to navigate
Concentrate on the coolness (of Scholo and take away everything that didn't quite make the cut)

Scarlet Monastery
Level 80 Heroic
Too much awesome for one dungeon (Remixed and keep all the coolest rooms)
Split Monastery in two!
Graveyard + Cathedral
Armory + Library
Update all boss mechanics

Challenge Modes
For players looking for a greater challenge
Timed dungeons runs to earn medals. The concept of Zul'Aman timed runs and similar things is now turned into a brand new game mode!
It will work only on Pandaria dungeons at the beginning.
It will work with the Dungeon Finder tool.
Gear will be normalized, everyone is going to have the exact same item level on their gear. This is a skill based exercise and your gear doesn't matter.
Rewards will be very awesome looking gear for Transmogrification purposes (no stats). You will also get valor points since the new goal is to let you progress your characters no matter what you do.
Leaderboards will be available, you will be able to compare your performances with your guildies or even your entire realm!

Raids
The raids are going to feature the Mogu and the Mantids
All the new raids will work in Raid Finder, Normal, and Heroic difficulties.

STAR WARS: The Old Republic - Collector's Edition Unboxing

This week BioWare have given us an unboxing video of the Collector's Edition of STAR WARS: The Old Republic.

The Stap Vehicle looks real cool and it might also save me some credits when I am able to get a mount in game. Mounts are always a credit sink hole!

The other thing I'm real excited about is the official game soundtrack. I'm a big fan of Star Wars music and the thought of some new pieces set to this universe sends tingles up my spine!

In WoW I had a lot of friends get hacked at one time or an other and as soon as I could I got a security key. Protecting my account is on the top of my list of things to do and getting this security key will put my mind at ease. Sorry to all the hackers out there; I know they will be pissed at BioWare shipping this with the Collector's Edition.

World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Preview

Shrouded in fog since the world was sundered more than ten thousand years ago, the ancient realm of Pandaria has remained unspoiled by war. Its lush forests and cloud-ringed mountains are home to a complex ecosystem of indigenous races and exotic creatures -- including the noble and enigmatic pandaren. Will the mists of Pandaria part to reveal the world's salvation... or will the battle to control this new land push the Horde and the Alliance over the brink of war and into total annihilation?

• Increased level cap of 90
• First neutral race the pandaren.

1. Pandaren Racials
2. Bouncy: reduces fall damage by half.
3. Inner peace: double rested XP.
4. Gourmand: +15 to cooking.
5. Epicurean: double stats to food buffs.

• All-new monk class
• New continent "Pandaria"
• The new expansion will not have a main villain, it will focus on the Horde vs Alliance war.

 

Today's round up of SWTOR News:

Class Preview: Jedi Knight on tentonhammer.com
Finally a site posts some information we can sink our teeth into!!

RPGFan posts about SWTOR beta. He didn't have time for ...
With all the news on SWTOR out today it pisses me of when I see things like this:

DWTOR beta—the birth of a Jedi knight on: Arstechnica
"There is no auto-attack here; you must always choose to attack."

Hands On: The Old Republic on rock paper shotgun

Of course, it’s a BioWare game in an MMO.

The Old Republic: Jedi Knight Beta Impressions on MMORPG:
The game begins with your flight to Tython, the planet

The Old Republic: Jedi Consular Beta Impressions on MMORPG:
The main story foundations are built while giving you area-specific problems to solve.

The Old Republic: The Smuggler Impressions on MMORPG:
For my part in our Star Wars: The Old Republic bonanza today, I’ve spent the past couple of weeks playing The Smuggler.

Full Beta Preview: The Gal with the Gun on MMORPG:
Before I get into the nitty-gritty, let’s talk about the Trooper’s basic play style for a moment.

In space, no one can hear you gank. on IGN
PVP
Two massive ships hover over a snowy valley. Between them, in a parallel line on the ground, are three turret installations.

The Old Republic's Trooper is a Monster on IGN:
Depending on which advanced class you pick, more options are opened up. At level 10 you can branch your class one of two ways

The Old Republic: Companions and Crafting on IGN
Crafting in BioWare's upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic is an interesting process.

SWTOR BETA. A certain point of view ...
Wow. Just got done reading some SWTOR limited Beta reviews and I cannot believe how bad they are. Why in God’s name would you get a review written but someone who hates that type of gameplay!

All the Big SWTOR News Out Today

Today's round up of SWTOR News:

Class Preview: Jedi Knight on tentonhammer.com
Finally a site posts some information we can sink our teeth into!!

RPGFan posts about SWTOR beta. He didn't have time for ...
With all the news on SWTOR out today it pisses me of when I see things like this:

DWTOR beta—the birth of a Jedi knight on: Arstechnica
"There is no auto-attack here; you must always choose to attack."

Hands On: The Old Republic on rock paper shotgun

Of course, it’s a BioWare game in an MMO.

The Old Republic: Jedi Knight Beta Impressions on MMORPG:
The game begins with your flight to Tython, the planet

The Old Republic: Jedi Consular Beta Impressions on MMORPG:
The main story foundations are built while giving you area-specific problems to solve. 

The Old Republic: The Smuggler Impressions on MMORPG:
For my part in our Star Wars: The Old Republic bonanza today, I’ve spent the past couple of weeks playing The Smuggler.

Full Beta Preview: The Gal with the Gun on MMORPG:
Before I get into the nitty-gritty, let’s talk about the Trooper’s basic play style for a moment.

In space, no one can hear you gank. on IGN
PVP
Two massive ships hover over a snowy valley. Between them, in a parallel line on the ground, are three turret installations.

The Old Republic's Trooper is a Monster on IGN:
Depending on which advanced class you pick, more options are opened up. At level 10 you can branch your class one of two ways

The Old Republic: Companions and Crafting on IGN
Crafting in BioWare's upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic is an interesting process.

SWTOR BETA. A certain point of view ...
Wow. Just got done reading some SWTOR limited Beta reviews and I cannot believe how bad they are. Why in God’s name would you get a review written but someone who hates that type of gameplay!

Class Preview: Jedi Knight on tentonhammer.com

Finally a site posts some information we can sink our teeth into!! 

"Right from the get-go the game makes it clear that you are the next big thing since sliced space bread. From the opening crawler and all through the class story, the line “strong in the force” will be used to describe you constantly. It’s a wonder how I managed to stick to the lightside with everyone telling my how great and powerful I was (repeating “Don’t get cocky kid.” in your head helps.). If that doesn’t check your ego, the sight of your first weapon will, the all powerful training sabre or in my opinion wiffle bat."

Combat

The Jedi Knight is a melee specialist, whether wielding one lightsabre as a guardian, or two as the sentinel. These advanced classes are unlocked upon reaching level ten and visiting your local Jedi Master. While both are primarily melee combatants there are a few defining characteristics.

Jedi Guardian Defining Points:
Wears Heavy Armor (High Survivability)
Single Sabre User
Excellent Tank
Jedi Sentinel Defining Points:

Wears Medium Armor
Dual Lightsaber’s
Melee Damage Dealer

No matter the choice of advanced class the Jedi Knight’s primary resource is Focus. This Focus is built up by using certain attacks/abilities and is used to power other more powerful attacks.

A sample of focus building abilities include:

Strike: Your basic lightsabre attack. Strikes with both lightsabres if dual wielding.

Force Leap: Jump to the target inflicting mainhand weapon damage. Also interrupts and immobilizes the target.

Zealous Strike (Sentinel): An advanced strike that hits the target multiple times with both sabres.

Sundering Strike (Guardian): Inflicts minor damage and reduces enemy armor. Can be stacked

This is a good read go read it now!