Alas, the time of Perpetual Entertainment's Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising may have ended prematurely, but that doesn't mean their story is over quite yet. After all, there must have been people who wanted the game badly enough to pre-order it, but are now left with no product to buy. That being said, the folks at Perpetual Entertainment have some important news for you.

According to the official website for Gods and Heroes, you can actually pick up a refund for the pre-order you purchased. Just contact the retailer where you purchased the pre-order and you should be able to pick up a refund. You may want to make sure you have a proof of purchase when you show up at the store though, just to be on the safe side. Of course, if you pre-ordered online, then we're not entirely sure how you'll work that out.

In any case, you can check out their short message by following the source link below.

   

Let's all take a moment of silence and think about the epic MMORPG experience that has recently been put on indefinite hold, Perpetual Entertainment's Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising. And to accompany us in mourning are the game's final screenshots, which have been unrevealed until now.

As we can see, the game has been shaping up quite well before the decision was made to focus on Star Trek Online rather than pushing forward with the game's release. We here over at QJ.Net have been looking forward to exploring Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising's rich landscape, as well as interacting with the game's many characters hewn from myth and legend. It's quite sad, really, to see such a project go on indefinite hold.

Still, we should be glad that it's just on hold, and not canceled entirely. Who knows, maybe after Star Trek Online rolls out, then we'll be able to see Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising sitting on a store shelf somewhere, waiting for us to pick it up. In the meantime, let's all dream of the fields of Elysium as we gaze at the screenshots.

Co-Chairman and President of Perpetual Entertainment Chris McKibbin has announced that they will be putting Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising on hold indefinitely to focus on Star Trek Online. According to him, they made this decision after evaluating the current competitive landscape, the game's state, and the company's goals. 

McKibbin pointed out that they would still need to make a "significant investment" if they want Gods & Heroes to reach the level of quality and polishing they want. Apparently, they don't have the resources to do that at the moment so they decided to shift their focus to Star Trek Online.

Fans of the Gods & Heroes will undoubtedly be disappointed by this move by Perpetual Entertainment. It was pretty surprising considering it was only recently when they started asking for more beta testers for a stress test. On the bright side, the company hasn't completely abandoned the game and may choose to go back to developing it after they have finished Star Trek Online.

 

Perpetual Entertainment have announced that they will be releasing some beta codes for Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising. The keys are being given out to help facilitate the stability test that will be happening over the weekend.

Before you go rushing off to get a beta key though, you might want to know what the game is about first. Players will be placed in a very problematic time in the history of Rome. A race of beings that the Olympian gods imprisoned has returned from exile seeking vengeance. They start their assault by kidnapping all of Rome's heroes and inciting beasts, creatures, and rival cultures to attack the city.

If that got you interested in trying the game, click on our Read Link for more details on how you can get a beta code for Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising.

You can't play Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising without delving into the history and culture of Rome itself. It's part of the title after all, and you'll be spending a lot if time in the city once the game arrives so a quick look into the heart of the city won't hurt. Unless when you're fighting of course.

In Rome, you'll be able to align yourself with two gods (there are plenty to choose from, don't worry). Each class quarter in Roma has two temples, one for each god of that class. Each class quarter has its own Skills and Feats trainers where you can train for new abilities, moves and skills.

You can also give offerings to your gods in the temples to keep yourself in their favor. In fact, it's a must. Training your skills will be essential in fighting, but you must have the favor of the gods or you will not last long. Here's a brief overview of the gods you can find in Roma.

Caelius is the Scout quarter of Roma where you you can train for archery and hunting in the temples of Apollo and Diana. Capitolium is the Priest quarter, where the temples of Pluto and Juno reside. The Colosseum district houses the gladiators and you can train in weaponry at the temples of Fortuna and Jupiter.

In Palatinus lies the temples of Trevia and Bacchus. It is the district where the legendary Romulus and Remus were said to have first established the city. Vallis Murcia is the Soldier quarter, where the barracks of the city can be found. The temples of Minerva and Mars are in this district. In Viminalis, the Nomad quarter, you can find the darker side of the city. Within lies the temples of Mercury and Nemesis.

Gamasutra reports that the release of Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising, the upcoming MMORPG from developer Perpetual Entertainment, has once again been pushed back, this time due to the need for further beta testing. The game was already delayed back in December 2006.

Perpetual will also reportedly be laying off around 30 to 40 people, similar to what happened when the game was first delayed. In an interview with Gamasutra, Perpetual CEO Chris McKibbin said that while content creation requires a sizable team, "the process of really play-tuning and balancing takes a much smaller, more focused and agile team", hence the layoffs.

McKibbin further stated that the company will be helping its former employees in finding new jobs within Perpetual or with other developers. McKibbin declined to give a specific release date for Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising, but mentioned that the company is looking at an early 2008 release.

 

The upcoming MMORPG Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising has a very interesting backstory. Long ago, the gods of Olympus banished a race of evil demi-gods, these beings have returned seeking retribution. They have went about this task by capturing Rome's heroes. With the Roman lands unprotected, various beasts and rival nations from Hesperia Magna have begun to march on the city. Thrust into this situation, Rome needs new heroes to take up the mantle. This is where you come in.

As interesting as the game may sound, it has been causing quite a ruckus among the community lately. The developers of the title, Perpetual Entertainment, has announced that they will be self-publishing the title. This is a big surprise considering Sony Online Entertainment was originally listed as the publisher of the game.

SOE Senior Brand Manager Debysue Wolfcale noted that this move was made to clarify the roles of both companies in this project. SOE will still be handling marketing as well as retail distribution for the Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising. In addition to this, she gave word that since this is Perpetual Entertainment's first project, the company should be given as much publicity as possible.

Now that's all cleared up, we can look forward to this game's release this October 30. Be sure to keep checking back here for more updates on Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising.

Because we can never get enough games based on ancient Roman lore, or MMORPGs with gods and half-naked warriors, here's Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising. One thing we can say for certain is that Stieg Hedlund really loves the gladiator class.

You've guessed it, in this video is yet another introduction to RPG fans who always pick the grunts that can deal massive damage. The gladiator is a master of most weapons, either one-handed or two-handed. Not only can he rip enemies apart with all kinds of blades, a gladiator with battle gloves is also deadly. No gold to buy anything? Gladiators can also wrestle with all those grueling moves.

We kid you not, it seems pretty obvious who's got the biggest package in Gods and Heroes. Take it from Hedlund himself. Here's the video:

Perpetual Entertainment's upcoming MMORPG, Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising, is shaping up to be a topnotch title that you'd want to invest hundreds of hours on. Not only do you get amazing spells, but also various minions to control. Like other games on the online market though, Gods and Heroes features different character classes to choose from. Design Director Stieg Hedlund found out which class is closest to his heart, and picked the gladiator.

In this video, the man Hedlund himself introduces his favorite warrior. It turns out that gladiators have good stun abilities to make your foes' heads spin, leaving them defenseless. Coupled with the god Fortuna, Hedlund's choice for the critical attack bonuses, a gladiator in the hands of someone capable can dispose enemies quickly before they can even act.

 

Knowing is half the battle, and this double video update of Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising is filled with enough info and delicious gameplay bits to win a war ten times over. We get you all the details you need to be a true soldier of Rome - and that's besides kitting yourself with the funky-looking armor and the leather sandals.

In the first video, we're given a crash course on the game's combat system, which is looking very cool considering the fact that you're given complete and total control with the minions you've included in your party. The second video goes deeper into the minion system of the game. Not only does it let you hire from a grand total of 150 unique minions, each with its own class, specialty and personality, but it gives you a never-before-seen flexibility while soloing battles or quests.

You can micro-manage your minions to the smallest detail - how they follow you, how low your health has to be before they automatically heal you, how their fighting styles are. It definitely gives solo players (as well as instance raiders) a strategic edge against the monsters and bosses of the game.

Educate yourself in the arts of war and minion-controlling with the videos below. Enjoy!

The other video after the jump!