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Christmas season is upon us, like glitter or herpes or some other thing that won't go away no matter how hard or often you wipe it with a wetnap.
In Canada the stores start decorating their windows the moment the Halloween candy has been put on sale.
In the U.S. I believe there is a brief respite as the population performs the annual turkey cull, gorging themselves on literally millions of the birds until the urge to sleep on a couch overcomes one and all.
There isn't a lot of joy in Whoville this Christmas season for MMOG fans. In fact, with the exception of Echoes of Faydwer, the expansion for EverQuest 2 (Which won't let me by the character select screen for some bizarre reason) there isn't much in the way of Christmas cheer.
Which means of course, that we will be forced to do other things like learn to read again. I've been flying through the latest offering by Steven Erikson, The Bonehunters. It is the sixth book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series.
If ever there were an IP (Intellectual Property) grand enough to encompass an MMOG and give it a well described world to explore the Malazan Book of the Fallen series is it. Fantasy without Elves and Dwarfs. Gods, followers, wars, innovative races and so much more are part of Erikson's creation. The series is the tale of a world in which the gods play with the mortals and in turn the mortals play with the gods. This IP could be to fantasy MMOGs what I believe Stargate Worlds could be to their sci-fi counterparts. The sheer amount of open content is staggering.
Is there an IP that you think would suit a MMOG perfect? Do tell, either in the comments section of the blog or in our forums!
Now over to some folks who did call, our hard-working, key-tapping, red-eyed community managers for what's new in the industry.
Exclusive TenTonHammer.com Content!
12.04.2006
Dark And Light Holiday Giveaway
"Looking for a new MMORPG to try over the holiday season, but don't want to stretch your budget? Ten Ton Hammer's teaming up with Farlan Entertainment to give away 25 copies of Dark and Light, each with a subscription-free year of play! For your chance to win, just register in our forums, enter your email address below, and click "Submit". We'll draw five lucky winners each business day from December 6th through the 12th and notify these winners via private message on the Ten Ton Hammer forums. Follow the link for your chance to win!"
Dungeons and Dragons Online: Desert Caravan Quest Guide
"The first step to accessing all of the hot new content in Module 3 of DDO is to complete the Desert Caravan Quest. Right on cue, Darkgolem has you ready to roll with his DDO Quest Walk-through."
EverQuest 2: Interview With Steve Kramer
"Steve "Saavedra" Kramer is one of the most passionate, energetic developers I've had the pleasure of meeting at SOE. I had the distinct pleasure of asking him a few questions about what he does, where he gets his inspiration, and if he would really beat Coyote with a rubber mallet if I paid him enough."
Pirates Of The Burning Sea: Screenshots
"Our last set of screens gave you a feel for the first-person perspective in Flying Lab Software's Pirates of the Burning Sea, expected to release in June 2007. Four new screens take you a step further to the game, with an early glimpse at the game's interface and some close-ashore sailing screens that are enough to shiver any graphics enthusiast's timbers."
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - POLL: System Requirements
"Sigil and SOE will announce the availability of the Vanguard: Saga of Heroes pre-order package this week. What sort of system requirements will the game call for...and will your rig be up to the task? In this week's poll, Shayalyn asks whether game developers are setting the system spec bar too high for next generation games. Stop by our forum to vote and share your opinions."
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - Psionicist Class Guide Preview
"The Vanguard: Saga of Heroes Psionicist is the master of mind control. Want to learn more about how this integral class will function in Vanguard's world of Telon? Check out Zinn's class guide preview, which includes a thorough compendium of known Psionicist information, as well as direct-from-beta spell details from Shayalyn, who currently plays a Psionicist in Vanguard's beta 3."
Warhammer Online: Thunder Mountain Zone Overview
"Today we have the new neutral zone of Thunder Mountain described. This new zone is a dangerous place centered on one of the largest volcanoes in the Old World. With a very large back story and lots of information on its current inhabitants, Thunder Mountain seems like it will be a highly fought over zone."
World of Warcraft: Gallery - Thrall's Escape From Durnholde Keep
"I am just putting the finishing touches on a preview of the first Caverns of Time instance: Thrall's Escape from Durnholde Keep which I will have up by Tuesday. However while you are eagerly awaiting the preview of yet another instance you can check out the photos of the instance in our gallery."
World of Warcraft: User Interface Changes
"Interface changes coming up in World of Warcraft (screenshots included)."
World of Warcraft: Beta Journal
"Aurael explores the Caverns of Time in her 4th beta journal installment!"
Hot Content
Dark And Light Holiday Giveaway
EverQuest 2: Interview With Steve Kramer
Pirates Of The Burning Sea: Screenshots
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - Psionicist Class Guide Preview
World of Warcraft: Gallery - Thrall's Escape From Durnholde Keep
World of Warcraft: User Interface Changes
Real World News - You Can't Make This Up
Germany To Guild Playground For Seniors
'Get Off My Lawn' Contruction Ltd. wins bid.
Cockfight School Closes
Sometimes these just write themselves.
Kid Hits WD40 Can With Sledgehammer
Darwin says, "I told you so."
Robot Plays 'Hide and Seek'
All hail our fun-loving robotic overlords.
Vin Diesel Fact: A full house beats a flush. A straight beats two pairs. Vin Diesel beats you straight up.
As always, thank you for visiting TenTonHammer.com.
- John "Boomjack" Hoskin