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Daily Column [Graciously sponsored this week by Shay's Treehouse.]

With John "Boomjack" Hoskin on his way to the land skin and scandal (Las Vegas), you get a pinch-hitter - Managing Editor Cody "Micajah" Bye - for today's column of Loading... Hopefully these pitches don't come in as fast as Curt Schilling's fastballs. I may not have the wit, humor, or sparkling good looks of Boomjack, but I do hope that I bring you a pleasant diversion from the tedious turmoil of your Wednesday morning.

Over the last few weeks, Boomjack has been pointing out a few of the “better known” games that have been attracting a lot of attention over the course of January. Although I'm certainly excited for Warhammer Online, Age of Conan, Stargate Worlds, and The Agency, I feel that these games are getting “hyped to death”. The earliest one of these titles to release is Funcom’s Age of Conan, and that isn’t even due until the end of March. With that in mind, I’d like to turn to a game that hasn’t gotten a lot of prime time publicity, yet ranks in the upper echelons in terms of enduring longevity. It’s a little title by the name of Jumpgate Evolution, and it could ould truly revolutionize the way MMOG companies develop their massively multiplayer online products.

Dubbed as a re-release of NetDevil’s first massively multiplayer game, Jumpgate Evolution may finally be the game that reaches out to those gamers who cut their teeth on products like X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter or the Wing Commander series. Set in a universe that’s constantly at war, the original Jumpgate featured full-on PvP and all the problems that come with it. Many new players were scared away by the “hardcore” feel of the game, yet thousands jumped into that online space to experience what it was like to have an opportunity to battle hundreds of different foes.

Although the first Jumpgate wasn’t a huge success, the NetDevil crew is really pushing hard to bring Jumpgate Evolutions to the masses. Taking inspiration from the popularity of World of Warcraft, the NetDevil development team is lowering the bar for entry into the game, both on the computer and user side of the issue. Even with the hope of making Jumpgate Evolution run on most computers in a family's household, the game has looked absolutely gorgeous thus far and the artistic team seems to be getting the most out of the computers they're aiming for. If you don’t believe me, check out the screenshots.

Most importantly, Jumpgate Evolution is being developed by a miniscule number of people compared to most development teams. Unlike the monolithic development studios that we hear about on a regular basis, NetDevil currently has ten employees working on JE. That may be frightening for some to think about, but the proof is in the pudding. The game looks great, and, from what I’ve seen, plays with a sense of emotion that I hadn’t felt since I first fired up X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter nearly a decade ago.

So while you're clocking away the hours at work or jumping on the message boards for your favorite upcoming game, don't forget to check out some of the other titles on the periphery. You won't be disappointed.
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12 new MMOG hand-crafted articles today! 141 so far in January! 141 so far in 2008!

New MMOG Articles At Ten Ton Hammer Today

• Age of Conan "The Maze" Video Preview
• Age of Conan CES Preview Hi Res Streaming Video & Video Podcast (Members Only)
• Anarchy Online Developer Diary #3: Becoming a Game Writer
• LotRO Custom Build: The Lone Hunter
• Tabula Rasa Targets of Opportunity Missions- Concordia Divide
• LotRO - Questing in the North Downs Guide: Aiding the Residents
• LotRO - Questing in the North Downs Guide: Aiding the Elves of Lin Giliath
• Pirates of the Burning Sea - CES Video Q&A with Jess Lebow
• Pirates of the Burning Sea - CES Video Q&A with Jess Lebow (Full length - Premium Members Only)
• Vanguard Monster Project: Fen Watcher
• Warhammer Online's Dark Elves: An Interview with Josh Drescher
• WoW Weekly Report - Battleground Participation and Account Suspensions

Hot Content - Or, what I took a fancy to

1. Age of Conan "The Maze" Video Preview
2. Pirates of the Burning Sea - CES Video Q&A with Jess Lebow
3. CES: Age of Conan - Zone Preview Video - Eiglophian Mountains
4. CES: The Agency Interview With Matt Wilson, Director of Development
5. Vanguard: Interview With Producer, Thom Terrazas Part 3 - Necromancers
6. CES: Curt Shilling Interview - [Regular Version], [Premium - Full Length Version]
7. StarGate Worlds: A Post-Trailer Interview With The Team
8. CES: Age of Conan Zone Preview Video - Fields of the Dead

MMOG News And Improved

• The Sounds of Tabula Rasa
  So you can wake up to the sounds of Bane dying.
• Guild Wars: 2007 in Review
  Your guild is awesome. Your guild sucks. Long live the guild.
• LOTRO Examines the Champion
  My Arraggorn just got a shot of steroids.

Need More? Look no further.

Real World News

• Dozens of Texas Families Report UFO Sighting
  There's aliens in dem hills!
• Wisconsin Lawmakers Overturn 27-Year Old Ban on Heated Sidewalks
  Sidewalks: Now approved for more heating action.
• Man Shoots Himself During Robbery
  Oh, shoot!

Thanks as always for visiting TenTonHammer.com

- Cody "Micajah" Bye and the Ten Ton Hammer Team