With the release of the first Guild Wars expansion pack drawing ever nearer, ArenaNet has announced a new platinum pack that will include the original Guild Wars game as well as the Eye of the North expansion pack.

This is good news for those who have yet to get into the Guild Wars experience. The Eye of the North expansion pack requires players to own at least one of the three earlier Guild Wars campaigns, so what better way to start than with the first one? It's also a perfect jump off point for getting into the upcoming Guild Wars 2.

We couldn't find any pricing information on the Guild Wars Platinum Edition just yet, so keep checking back here on out MMORPG blog for more updates. We expect it to be out around the time of Eye of the North's release this month, though. You can check out the UK packshot on the right so you know what to look for.

The biggest thing to hit the fantasy world of Vana'diel to date is the imminent release of Final Fantasy XI expansion Wings of the Goddess. In relation to this, Square Enix announced today the release of a Starter Pack that will definitely entice non-players to step into this magical world.

The Final Fantasy XI Starter Pack is just for the PC version of the game and not for the Xbox 360 one. It should contain the PlayOnline Viewer, Tetra Master online card game, and the original Final Fantasy XI software.

Aside from this, those who are going to purchase the pack will be entitled to a one-month free trial of the MMO video game.

"We are confident that this release, coupled with recent gameplay changes and the forthcoming Wings of the Goddess expansion pack will encourage even more to try what is an exciting and prolific online experience," commented Square Enix Ltd. President and CEO John Yamamoto.

The Final Fantasy XI Starter Pack will be sold for just 4.99 GBP or around US$ 10.23.

 

Six expansions, one major scandal, and a full 4 years of pure game enjoyment later, CCP Games' immersive MMO game, EVE Online is finally getting its seventh free expansion. Just a year after its previous expansion was implemented, EVE Online: Revelations II will be deployed on June 19, and will be released on the Tranquility super-computer cluster.

Revelations II boasts of the new feature additions and improvements it will be bringing to the tried and tested game. CCP Games will be giving a 14-day free trial for those interested in trying out the expansion's new features. But if you're not so sure yet, here's the list of features that'll be included in Revelations II:

• Revamped New Player Experience - New players/rookie pilots are given the chance to begin their EVE Online adventure within a protected area to be able to grasp the gameplay and learn at their own pace.
• Anti-Fleet Warfare - You'll be able to discover new tactics to be used for dispersing large concentrations of ships.
• Expanding Frontiers of Exploration - There'll be more chances of players having greater solo exploration with the new rare NPC spawns and other in-game opportunities provided.
• Structure Warfare Enhancements - New features included will expand the chances for strategic operations.

For the more seasoned pilots:

• Heat - Allows for the boosting of performance of the ship modules
• Broader Sovereignty Scope - This concept has been broadened with tiers Territory, Protectorate, Constellation Capital and Province, and intermediate goals included.
• Need for Speed - CPU and dogma optimizations will set the groundwork for full Vista support to be introduced in the next expansions.
• Agent Mission Improvements - Making the PvE encounters more challenging will be the introduction of Level 5 Agents.
• Improved Corporation and Alliance Management - Additional tools and roles have been added for players to easily command and conquer.

After the Tyria Sweepstakes, the party at Guild Wars continues in celebration of the coming of its expansion pack, Guild Wars: Eye of the North. If you've put your creative skills to the test in designing weapons, you might fancy naming a boss this time. 

In "Brand the Bosses 2007 Contest", players will have a chance to immortalize their creative ideas by naming a boss for GW:EoN. Got the imagination to come up with something like Alana Pekpek? Now is your time to step up .

Being 13+ in North America or 18+ in Europe is required for anyone to be eligible. Some places in the U.S., U.S. territories, military installations and commonwealths, and Canada's Quebec can't join the contest. For some reason most of us probably don't know, Canadian candidates will be required to answer a mathematical question before claiming the prize.

Ten grand prize winners, whose entries will be used in-game, will receive either a signed copy of GW:EoN or the full Guild Wars Skill Pin Set #1. Depending on the quality of the entries, up to 20 honorable mentions may be chosen to have their names be used in the game and receive a couple of random pins from the same set. Up to 70 finalists will receive codes for an in-game miniature.

For full info about the contest, just check out the Guild Wars site via the Read link below.

NCSoft has proudly announced that their popular Guild Wars MMORPG is now two years old. When it comes to actual human children, the terrible twos is a stage that parents dread, but hey, Guild Wars is a game and not some toddler, so both the people behind it and the gamers who play it are in for a lot of new and exciting things.

To celebrate the second anniversary of Guild Wars this weekend, players will be treated to a variety of in-game activities including fireworks, games, and special prizes. Brand new birthday mini-pets for each character when he or she reaches the two-year milestone are also up for grabs. The Guild Wars Birthday Party event will take place April 27 to April 29 and will be open to characters from all three Guild Wars campaigns.

For the game's future, ArenaNet and Ncsoft are gearing up to release their first Guild Wars expansion pack, Eye of the North, in the third quarter of this year. Development for Guild Wars 2, which is scheduled for the second half of 2008, is also under way.

For the month of February, Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft and its expansion World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade occupy the top two seats for sales according to NPD. Last week, their weekly reign was disturbed by newly released PC RTS titan THQ and Gas Powered Games' Supreme Commander which sat on the number two seat outselling World of Warcraft.

Now Supreme Commander gets kicked out into fourth place in this monthly ranking as Electronic Arts' The Sims 2 Seasons steals the third seat from under it. As IGN reports, World of Warcraft stands at a whopping five-fold lead against the next five titles following it, despite The Sims 2 Seasons and Supreme Commander's 50,000 and 40,000 sales totals (respectively) for the month.

We went over to Voodoo Extreme and checked out NPD's list of the Best Selling PC Games for the month of February. Currently, it stands at:

1. World Of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Expansion Pack - Vivendi - $38
2. World Of Warcraft - Vivendi - $25
3. The Sims 2 Seasons Expansion Pack - Electronic Arts - $28
4. Supreme Commander - THQ - $49
5. The Sims 2 - Electronic Arts - $41
6. XP Games JC - Viva Media - $10
7. The Sims: Life Stories - Electronic Arts - $37
8. The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack - Electronic Arts - $30
9. Battlefield 2142 - Electronic Arts - $42
10. Vanguard: Saga Of Heroes - Sony Online Ent. - $49
11. Age Of Empires III - Microsoft - $49
12. Paws & Claws Pet Vet - Valusoft (THQ) - $16
13. The Sims 2 Nightlife Expansion Pack - Electronic Arts - $31
14. City Of Villains - NCsoft - $4
15. MahJongg XP Championship 200 Platinum JC - Viva Media - $10
16. Halo: Combat Evolved - Microsoft - $20
17. Sim City 4 Deluxe - Electronic Arts - $23
18. The Sims 2: University Expansion Pack - Electronic Arts - $31
19. Zoo Tycoon: Complete Collection - Microsoft - $20
20. Warcraft III Battle Chest - Vivendi - $39

Strategy fans clamor around stores to grab a copy of Supreme Commander, the newly released masterpiece from Gas Powered Games, which according to NPD has outsold Blizzard's World of Warcraft for the week February 18 to February 24. The supreme strategy title published by THQ sits on the number two spot on NPD's weekly Best Selling PC Games list.

 

Supreme Commander, one of two titles contending for the throne of real-time strategy for the year 2007, is a strategy behemoth that's big. Literally. We mean it's eight gigs, needs big processing power, sports big units, big ambitions, big egos behind it and it's up against big (sneaky?) competition.

The top 10 best selling PC games for the week February 18 through 24 are:

1. World Of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Expansion Pack - Vivendi US$ 36
2. Supreme Commander - THQ - US$ 48
3. World Of Warcraft - Vivendi - US$ 20
4. The Sims 2 - Electronic Arts - US$ 37
5. The Sims: Life Stories - Electronic Arts - US$ 35
6. The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack - Electronic Arts - US$ 30
7. Battlefield 2142 - Electronic Arts - US$ 39
8. Deal or No Deal - Global Star Software (Take 2) - US$ 20
9. MS Age Of Empires III - Microsoft US$ 48
10. MS Flight Simulator X Deluxe - Microsoft US$ 67

Also noted is Electronic Arts' domination of the charts. Blizzard's World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade still reigns on top of the chart. Will Supreme Commander do just as well in the succeeding weeks? Well, only time will tell. Oh and NPD, too.

 

The folks at PlayOn have asked a valid question regarding the state of Azeroth, post-expansion. They're wondering about the effects of the expansion on PvP, and while it may seem obvious to some of you, they have actual numbers to back it up.

Testing their hypothesis across 5 servers, PlayOn found that the numbers have dropped rapidly on the old BGs as a result of the expansion. This information does lead to additional information though, as they point out in their analysis:

Now, it's intuitive that post-60 content is more appealing to many players than the same old BGs. What may be less obvious is the added pressure for those level 60 players to get the expansion pack. Level 60 players who were content to just PvP now have to endure much much longer wait times to get into BGs. In other words, level 60 life without the expansion pack became difficult.

They also note that, because of the expansion, most of those who are probably still in the old battlegrounds are probably the ones who still don't have an expansion, and those who are playing the expansion are probably levelling up first. Moral of the story: Blizzard probably wants you to get the expansion so you can be cool.

How about you? Expansion owner or not? How's your game going?

 

After the successful launch of The Burning Crusade in western territories, investors in China's online game operators are now keeping a close eye on The9 Limited this week for confirmation of a rumored deal to extend its massively multiplayer World of Warcraft franchise with the Burning Crusade expansion pack. The9 presently handles the distribution of WoW in the Chinese region

Industry watchers have been wondering whether Vivendi's Blizzard Entertainment unit might try to go around The9 to launch the expansion pack with a new partner since The9's original license contract in February 2004. Blizzard has stated in the past that they are actively exploring and discussing cooperation opportunities and further expansion of its business with local potential partners for mainland China.

The9's stock is notching all-time highs lately, as investors look at China's strongest pipeline of future games, as well as the most sophisticated population of gamers playing WoW. With their release of Hellgate: London still in the works, nearly all of the company's revenue is currently coming from WoW.

If you thought all the Burning Crusade hoopla is over now that the launch is a few days behind us, think again. Those who have yet to explore the new lands that have been opened in Azeroth (and beyond!) will surely appreciate this look at the Hellfire Peninsula, courtesy of Game Trailers. Check it out below.

In case you've been living under a rock (please excuse the tired cliche), The Burning Crusade is the first expansion pack for StarCraft, Diablo Series">Blizzard's insanely popular title World of Warcraft, the Grand Poobah and current king of the MMORPG hill.

We also think it's the reason why Blizzard has yet to make any announcements about a new Starcraft game, but that's just us. Enjoy the vid, and see what else the Grand Poobah makers have to offer in the coming months.