Free Defiance FPS beta keys available now

If you've been eagerly anticipating playing Defiance, an MMO FPS that pits humans vs aliens in a full on PvP war, then the next few days are going to be quite exciting for you. Starting 18th January at 8am PST (4pm GMT) and ending on 20th January at 9pm PST (5am GMT) you'll be able to slay aliens and humans alike in a short public beta event. Anyone can joint in as long as they have a beta key.... more.

The latest expansion for Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan, has been made officially available for the first time today - priced between £29.99 and £51.99 depending on which version you pick up. Those splashing out the basic £30, will get 1,000 Turbine points for use in the store, a "Steed of Eastemnet," an in-game title and access to new Rohan instances as they are released. The mid... more.

The first alpha footage of Kickstarter MMO Forge, has now appeared online, showing off plenty of in-game scenery and PVP action. With a game focused mostly on stripping  back the MMO experience to one that's less fetch quests and more, kill other players in fast paced battles, it's not surprising that the four and a half minute trailer features a lot of action. In it we see several abilities ... more.

Yesterday, I wrote about the importance of storytelling within video games and why storytelling matters more than other components like graphics.  Video games are a unique medium in that players are able to virtually explore and interact with other worlds.  Instead of rehashing similar settings and themes to create more games about zombies, hack and slashers, military shooters, and fantasy world... more.

Ever hear of location-based gaming?  At the Mobile Gaming USA conference, I had the opportunity to meet with PerBlue – creators of the first GPS-based MMORPG for iPhones and Androids – and 2clams – creators of location-based action games. Until yesterday, I had never heard of location-based gaming, so I was blown away by content of these games – using your phone and your own two legs (... more.

Finished Skyrim and looking for another action RPG to delve into?  Have we got a game for you!  Set for release next week (February 7th in North America and February 10th in Europe), Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning has some big name people behind it – executive designer Ken Rolston (lead designer of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion), executive art director Todd... more.

One of the nerdiest events of the year is almost here!  Spike TV is airing the 9th Annual Video Game Awards this Saturday, December 10th at 5pm Pacific Time (or 1am Sunday, December 11th in the UK, which you can view live on Spike.com).  It will be hosted live from Los Angeles by Chuck TV show’s star Zachary Levi.  Not only was Zac the voice actor for Fallout: New Vegas and Halo: Reach, but h... more.

Pandas in Warcraft?!!  How…unexpected.  Last month, the 4th expansion for World of Warcraft was announced – Mists of Pandaria. The Blizzcon 2011 trailer depicts the new race – Pandaren (pandas, essentially) – in a new Asian-themed land – Pandaria.  What?!! This is what WoW shows gamers just weeks before the release of Star Wars: The Old Republic?  The Blizzcon trailer featuring fight... more.

The highly anticipated Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG is almost here!  Less than a month away (December 20th), it takes place in a war between the Republic and the Empire, 300 years after the Xbox game Knights of the Old Republic. Knights of the Old Republic was highly successful, integrating individual choices for alignment with the Dark or Light sides.  One of such choices involved kil... more.

Glitch is a new MMO developed by Tiny Speck, a company that boasts four of the original members of the Flickr team. It's flash-based, browser-friendly and full of psychedelic cartoons. The game is be free-to-play, but will offer both subscriptions and purchasable in-game currency. This currency can be spent on stuff like clothing and accessories. Developers claim that none of these items will impa... more.