by Chris Noll on Jul 06, 2010
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is the premier daily MMOG newsletter, only from Ten
Ton Hammer!
Welcome
to the 1,369th
edition
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Every year more and more MMOGs prepare to launch and we, as
players, are caught up in a torrent of hype and excitement. Which games
should we be looking forward to, and which will disappoint? Today we
take a look at how to avoid disappointment in
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/loading/2010/jul/6">Loading...
How to Pick a Cherry.
You vote with what you
view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the
result
is the Ten Ton Pulse (What
is The Pulse?).
Today's
top 5 Pulse results this week:
Biggest
movers today:
Upcoming
Events
As we frantically ran from appointment to appointment at this year's
GDC and E3 something became obvious to our event coverage team. There's
a hell of a lot of MMOGs to cover this year. And more are coming. Our
inboxes are filling up with more and more press releases and
announcements that we almost need assistants of our own just to sort
through the email. And that's not counting the vast amount of emails we
get from the seventy billion Eastern free-to-play games that slapped on
a loose translation and are trying to penetrate the Western market.
Yup, there's a lot to cover. And there's a lot that looks great.
Conversely, as MMOG players we've become accustomed to disappointment
over the years as few titles have been able to satisfy our thirst the
way we expected them to. So which games should we be looking forward
to, and which are bound to disappoint?
Well instead of listing all the upcoming MMOGs and giving my opinion
(which would amount to little anyway since we all have our own
opinions), let's take a look at some signs as to which games stand a
chance of living up to the hype.
Those five steps should help out in deciding which game to root for.
There's a ton of them coming up, so we all need to narrow them down
ourselves, as most of us won't have a chance to play all of them. Of
course, there are other methods to help weed out the cherries from the
lemons. Let us know your process
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=52215">in
the forums.
From our
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/forumdisplay.php?f=4">/OOC
(Off-topic) Forum
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=50848">New
Doctor Who?
We're still talking about the 11th incarnation of Doctor Who,
played by Matt Smith, who replaced the love of my television life,
David Tennant. Do we like him? You'll have to see for yourself. Lately
we're dealing with the rumors that there may be a Doctor Who movie with
a famous American actor playing the role of the Doctor. If pirates are
better than ninjas, it's possible this guy has a chance proving that
the Doctor owns them all, but...why isn't he English? Discover his
identity and
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=50848">discuss!
==============================
Awesome Quotes from the
Epic Thread
"...he would not be able
to pull off playing the Doctor simply because he's not British. That's
not a dig at the man himself, just that I find English accents done by
Americans to be some what hammy."
-
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showpost.php?p=435745&postcount=56">Beerkeg
==============================
Have you spotted an Epic Thread on our forums? Tell
us!
9 Ten Ton Hammer
feature
today! 14 Ten Ton Hammer
features
in July! 732
in 2010!
style="font-weight: bold;">Ten Ton Hammer's StarCraft II
Guide Portal Launches!
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/86478">http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/86478
The long awaited launch of Blizzard Entertainments latest entry into
the RTS genre,
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/starcraft2" target="_blank">
title="http://www.tentonhammer.com/starcraft2">StarCraft II:
Wings of Liberty, is just around the corner. With
what is bound to be one of the biggest PC gaming releases this year, on
July 27th players will embark not only on a whole new single-player
campaign, but an intense multiplayer journey the likes of which we
havent seen in years.
Whether youre a relative newcomer to the StarCraft
multiplayer scene or an old pro from the original game, Ten Ton Hammer
has an assortment of guides to help get you up to speed in the StarCraft
II multiplayer quickly and efficiently. Featuring detailed
stats and strategies on each of the three armies Protoss, Terran and
Zerg as well as multiple in-depth guides on the art of expanding,
rushing and scouting, our
title="http://www.tentonhammer.com/starcraft2/guides"
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/starcraft2/guides"
target="_blank">
title="http://www.tentonhammer.com/starcraft2/guides">StarCraft
II Guides portal has all the tips and tricks youll
need to dominate the Battle.Net leaderboards later this month.
So without further adieu, were proud to bring you
title="http://www.tentonhammer.com/starcraft2/guides"
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/starcraft2/guides"
target="_blank">Ten Ton Hammers StarCraft II Guides
portal. Well continue to expand our assortment of guides over the
coming weeks, so be sure to let us know if theres a specific topic
youd like to see a guide for that isnt currently listed, and dont
forget to bookmark us!
INTERVIEWS
Aion The Divine
Fortress Taken! An Interview with the Elysean Council
http://www.tentonhammer.com/aion/interviews/elysean-council
For
the first time ever on US servers, the Divine Fortress in Aion was
taken. The Elysean Council led over 300 Elyos on the Triniel server on
this massive undertaking. Ten Ton Hammer sat down with the Elysean
Council to get all the details on this monumental achievement.
FEATURED EDITORIAL
Microcosms: Mo' Beta
Blues - Why Free-to-Play is Better Than Beta Play
http://www.tentonhammer.com/microcosms/2010/july/26
Beta
testing is all the rage these days--several new AAA titles and one
highly anticipated expansion rolled out the first of their exclusive
invites recently and most everyone wants in--but it beta testing all
its cracked up to be? When the test servers go down and the content
goes live, will we be any better off for our hours invested? Jason
Medawky Bolton doesnt think beta testing is all its cracked up to
be, and has the perfect solution for the beta test blues. Join us this
week in Microcosms to find what the doctor is prescribing.
The Ruby Sanctum Opens
for Raiders, Cataclysm Beta Invites Go Out - WoW Weekly Report
http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/newsletter/issue74
The
WoW Weekly Report is our newsletter dedicated to giving you a
wrap-up
of the previous week in news, stories, and more. This week we take a
look the opening of the Ruby Sanctum to raiders, the Real ID system,
and of course the opening of the Cataclysm Beta. In addition to all our
network content check out all the news regarding World of Warcraft so
you don't miss a thing. All this and more in our WoW Weekly Report
every Tuesday.
FEATURES & GUIDES
What's Up With Americans
In EVE Online
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eve/guides/politics/americans_eve">http://www.tentonhammer.com/eve/guides/politics/americans_eve
In
celebration of the local holiday this past weekend, Space Junkie has
taken a look at the changing role of players from the United States in
EVE Online, and examined some of the problems confronting U.S.-led
organizations trying to make it big in the political landscape of EVE.
Bar Fights and Pretty
Hats - Guild Wars 2 Weekly Report
http://www.tentonhammer.com/gw2/features/newsletter/issue-6
The
Guild Wars 2 Weekly Report is out this week with a recap of the
previous week's events. Last week we were introduced to Activities in
Guild Wars 2, got a look at Humanity in the future, and much more.
Don't fall behind on GW2 news, check out the GW2 Weekly Report.
StarCraft II - Zerg
Combat Units In-Depth Stats and Strategy
http://www.tentonhammer.com/starcraft2/guides/zerg-combat
If
there is one unit that defines the Zerg, the Zergling is it. Highly
mobile and deadly at all stages of the game, and the origin of the
oft-referenced 'Zerg Rush'. In StarCraft II though, there is another
unit that can be used in all-out rush tactics--the new Roach! We cover
the stats and strategies used with both of these key early units to
make your Zerg openings fearsome!
WoW Machinima Review - We
Are the Horde
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/reviews/machinima/we-are-horde">http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/reviews/machinima/we-are-horde
Who
doesnt love a good WoW machinima filled with Horde pride? I know I do!
With a title like We Are the Horde one would assume that this is
exactly the kind of thing that this video will be full of. However, as
we all know you cant judge a book by its cover.
WoW - The World of
Summercraft
http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/editorials/summercraft
Its
that time of year again, school is out for all our youth and its time
for them to get outdoors and explore. Far from our traditional past
though where exploring the outdoors included activities like bike
riding, swimming, camping, playing catch, and more, many of todays
youth end up spending their summers exploring the outdoors online.
About the only camping that goes on over the summer now is waiting on
that rare spawn, and that isnt quite the same as the camping that
involves toasting marshmallows. Join Byron Messiah Mudry as he
discusses how World of Warcraft has become the new summer camp for kids.
Today's
Hottest Articles, Guides, and Features
Thanks
for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer network!
- Benjamin J. de la Durantaye and the Ten Ton Hammer Team.