Mordor™, the long-awaited expansion for The Lord of the Rings Online™, is available to play today. This expansion allows players the ability to explore the shadowy lands beyond the Black Gate and includes:
Over 300 new quests: Players journey into Mordor and plunge into a new adventure, filled with lost stories, unfamiliar enemies, and the opportunity to fight through the lands around Mount Doom and beyond.
A new allegiance system: Pledge support to one of the factions seeking to reclaim this long-lost piece of Middle-earth. Players will be able to gain bonuses, story and exclusive gear along the way!
Crafting and gear updates: Players are able to customize their Hero with all-new armor, weapons, accessories, and more!
A new race – the High Elf. With the purchase of the Collector’s Edition or the Ultimate Fan Bundle, players will be able to ally with the High Elf.
Extensive landscape updates. Explore the beautiful and terrifying landscape of Gorgoroth to discover hidden treasures and additional rewards.
Players can purchase the Ultimate Fan Bundle for $129.99, the Collector’s Edition for $79.99 and Standard Edition of the expansion for $39.99. The Collector’s Edition comes with extras including the High Elf race, alliance cosmetics, exclusive title and more. The Ultimate Fan Bundle includes all of the perks of the Collector’s Edition in addition to exclusive Mordor cosmetics, an equipable XP accelerator for all characters, special relics and VIP access for one month. - Rob
Before I jump into this... I must say that this has nothing to do with the games or platforms involved (specifically). The problem I have is the overall approach of how those games are made playable... specifically through Steam.
Steam is a game platform, games are available for purchase through it... but suddenly you get hit with this process (after the basic "Install" and pressing "Play"):
The game software opens wanting you to set up... AFTER you thought you were ready to roll through Steam (since you did buy the game through Steam... and pressed play there).
My expression when another platform opens.
After investing in the game, you go ahead and install... thinking you will just roll after that finishes, but then you have to go through the whole rigmarole of creating an account, confirming the email address... and then you can play. Seems like it might not be that big of a deal... right? It's not, for the people who don't mind and have the extra time. For those that don't, this could mean the difference in customers returning or running for the hills.
Some of us want our games tied DIRECTLY (not kinda sort but not really) to the platform we made the purchase on... without a need to do more than hit play. To sign in through the game, I can respect that (at least it's in the game... once)... but outside of that... some gamers don't want to take that extra step and some refuse to.
Going that extra mile to simplify the access to your game (by making it actually accessible through the initial platform like Steam)... could, in turn, boost the bottom line, especially with free-to-play titles like the newly released Gigantic (for example). You can get it through Steam, but you can kinda sorta don't play through Steam... since you have to open Arc through Steam in order to play it (through Steam). I put the extras on it because it really is accessible... like that, and Uplay games are also in that boat. It's not the end of the world, just remember that some gamers are pressed for time.
Think about what the wins could be for you and your team by simplifying the process.
(Speaking of... Gigantic, here is my first time playing it... online.)
Today it was announced that Jon Goff, well known in the comic book industry for his work on “Spawn” and “Jack Rabbit” is writing the story for “Crackdown 3’s” campaign mode. He will join the both development team and another special guest this Saturday at San Diego Comic-con for a panel revealing brand new story details, characters and a discussion around the development of the game.
John will also discuss his role as the author of “Crackdown 3’s” story in campaign mode and share some of the inspirations behind his writing, how he got involved with the project, and the comic book and art influences he hopes to bring with him into the “Crackdown” universe.
“Crackdown 3” marks the explosive return of a celebrated franchise to Xbox, bringing with it all the ingredients that made the series a favorite for fans.
- Raj | Xbox Wire
Crackdown is one of the more interesting open world franchises for me. It's more arcade-style and that's been missing in the world of AAA games, for the most part.
If you were waiting for this game... the wait is now over! Grab this strategic hero shooter... free on Steam, Arc, Xbox One and Windows 10! I will be digging into the Gigantic Ultimate Pack as soon as possible (on Steam via Arc).
Tip: For those of you trying to play this on PC and may be facing challenges with this initial start up of the game... go to your start menu and search for "Repair Arc". Let that run, and it should get you going like it did for me.
By the way... for those of you running Dedicated Video RAM at 512 MB, you will be happy to know that I was able to play the game without lag at 512 MB (even though it supposedly requires a minimum 1536 MB).
I have 5.0 versions of the Pixel & Vertex Shaders, so that may have helped along with my laptops CPU speed (2.7 GHz performance rated at 9 GHz)... but the Dedicated Video RAM was the only thing below the minimum. That said... try it anyway if you have similar specs because it might work out (and lower the graphics a tad if you need to). There are people who lower the visuals anyway to have an edge over the competition in some cases... so play with the video settings and jump in (smoothly)!
Anyway, check out this news from the source... while I work on uploading my initial gameplay (to get a feel for the game). I totally need to find the right character for me, and that's the beauty of different characters. I'm more of a dodger that represents with ranged weapons. Before you continue below to the source related news and contest, i've highlighted the reason why buying the Ultimate Pack on Steam & Arc is better.
GIGANTIC OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES ON STEAM, ARC, WINDOWS 10 & XBOX ONE
Motiga’s Strategic Hero Shooter Offers Players Biggest Fight of Their Lives
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – July 20, 2017 – Today Perfect World Entertainment Inc., a leading publisher of free-to-play online games, and Motiga, Inc. announced Gigantic has officially launched on Steam, Arc, Xbox One and Windows 10. The free-to-play strategic hero shooter combines visually stunning heroes, diverse creature families to summon and massive Guardians to aid in epic battles for victory.
“We’re thrilled to welcome all players to the vibrant world of Gigantic,” said Chris Chung, CEO of Motiga. “The team has worked incredibly hard to develop an experience unlike any other. We hope you join us and the community of players who have fallen in love with the game and helped us throughout its development.”
Check out the Gigantic Launch Trailer:
Gigantic launches with an exciting new update which introduces text chat, new packs and a brand-new, blade-wielding hero. Players can now access the game’s 19th hero, Ramsay, a cunning heavy-hitter brandishing a seriously lethal blade. Ramsay is the first of many characters to join the game’s original diverse roster, with a new hero planned for release each month following launch.
In addition, Steam players who log in to the game and play a match will receive an exclusive Stone Relics skin for the jet pack pilot Beckett. Logging into Arc and playing a match will grant players a Lightning skin for the stealthy assassin Tripp, while Xbox One and Windows 10 players who do the same can get the Excelsior skin for the spinning cyclone of blades, Tyto the Swift.
Players looking to unlock even more for their Gigantic experience can purchase the Ultimate Pack for $29.99 to gain access to all 19 current heroes and any future heroes for life, along with unique skins, progression boosts, fortune cards and premium currency. Steam and Arc players purchasing the Ultimate Pack will also receive a free Starter Pack code to gift to a friend.
As a thank you to supportive players, purchasers of the Founder’s Pack will be automatically upgraded to the Ultimate Pack.
Finally, Plays.tv has partnered with Gigantic to launch a Top-5 Plays contest starting today. All players can participate in the global contest and clip their best moments using Plays.tv to win gaming hardware and Steam gift cards.
Gigantic is a free-to-play strategic hero shooter developed by Motiga. Gorgeously rendered, light-hearted and charming, Gigantic is for all types of gamers, pitting teams of five heroes and their massive Guardians against each other in epic battles across a variety of maps. The game combines explosive combat with fast-paced teamwork, strategy and skill, as players must work together and fight relentlessly to defeat the opposing Guardian with spells, guns and swords.
For more information about Gigantic, please visit the official website: www.GoGigantic.com.
I have a trip coming up soon and I look forward to tossing my laptop, HyperX Cloud Stinger headset & Xbox controller into the Solo Rival backpack for some serious quality time with Gigantic during my down time. Game on... affordably!
Want a free game? We're giving away FREE copies of Shadow Warrior: Special Edition for 48 hours here! This promotion is available from Thursday, July 20 at 10 a.m. to July 22nd (2017)!
