Is Hitman's Next Target Assassin's Creed? 
Why Kotaku Australia Should Never Work With Children... Or Robots 
Three Words I Said To The Man I Defeated In Gears Of War That I'll Never Say Again 
New Doom 3 For Xbox 360 And PlayStation 3 Supports Head-Mounted Displays 
Far Cry 3 And The Stranger In A Strange Land 
Why Robin Makes Batman Better
Continuing a trend started by D&D Online and Lord of the Rings Online, Sony Online Entertainment is launching a free-to-play version of EverQuest II, completely separate from the existing game. EverQuest II producer David Georgeson explains why.
Halas, the wintry home of the Barbarians in the original EverQuest and one of the most confusing starting zones in any MMO ever, makes its triumphant return this month in EverQuest II’s Halas Reborn game update.
Sony Online Entertainment’s online collectible card game Legends of Norrath expands again next month, following the story of the Ethernauts with the sixth expansion set, Against the Void.
Do they really have to bring back Guk? I suppose there’s no stopping them now, as Sony Online Entertainment launches the fifth expansion for EverQuest II, The Shadow Odyssey. The expansion pack introduces more than 20 new zones to the game, with some of the original game’s most frustrating dungeons brought back to new, terrifying life. Befallen and the Ruins of Guk are just a few of the more than 18 goal-based dungeons, and I would have paid full price simply to keep Guk away from me. I still have nightmares about being lost and alone down there, separated from my guild, huddled in the corner crying…perhaps I share too much.
Aside from revisiting old horrors, the expansion also introduces dozens of new creatures, new quests, new equipment, and two new deities to the once godless lands – Rodcet Nife and Anashti Sul. All of this, plus the four previous expansion packs, all in one convenient package. Hit the jump for more info on this latest chapter in the epic tale of Norrath.
Sony Online Entertainment announced today at its Fan Faire gathering that both the original EverQuest and its sequel, EverQuest II, would see a new expansion each. EverQuest Seeds of Destruction, the 15th (!!) expansion for the MMO, will be released on October 21, with EverQuest II The Shadow Odyssey available on November 18. That would be EQ II‘s fifth expansion, if you’re keeping count.
The good news for those who paid good money to get to Fan Faire was that each attendee would get the expansions free. Well, you know… “free”
The full list of features, including new zones, new dungeons and a higher level cap, in both SOE expansions is contained within the press release after the jump.
The latest issue of Beckett Massive Online Gamer magazine should be out wherever fine bookstores see fit to carry it, and inside you could very well find a key code that unlocks a special in-game item in EQ2 – an animated portrait of Venril Sathir. I’m sure it will make an excellent conversation piece during your many in-game social events. Um, yes. I know it’s a silly little portrait, but fans of the game go nuts over this sort of thing. I played the game for a year and never once had anyone else in my house, but trust me, it was full of magical wonders the likes of which you had never seen, which made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. The promotion itself is interesting. Free in-game stuff is an awesome marketing tool. Can you imagine if Blizzard put random free junk codes in boxes of Rice Krispies? The world’s children would be forced to eat store brand rice cereal out of a resealable plastic bag. Hit the jump for details on the special issue, which many or many not require subscribing to the magazine itself.
