Reloading... The HaXX0R Edition

Welcome back! This is my 93^rd try at this.

Maybe today I’ll get it right!

93 is the international calling code for Afghanistan. September 3^rd, (9^th month, 3^rd day) is China’s Victory over Japan Day. The Sun is approximately 93 million miles from the Earth.

I’m John Hoskin and I’ll be your MMOG guide today.

“Men are like steel. When they lose their temper, they lose their worth.” – Chuck Norris

Everyone can use a feel good moment to start the day. Let’s go with this…

Thanks for taking some time out of your day to read this column. I truly appreciate it.    If you happen to use Twitter, you can follow me @BoomjackTTH.   I rarely use Facebook, but I do occasionally post gaming related tidbits on Google+ where you can find me under my real moniker John Hoskin.

I’m far too World of Warcraft “centric” when it comes to this column and I know it.   Unfortunately, that is the game that I play the most.   I’ll be making a concerted attempt to touch on a broader spectrum of the industry moving forward.

With that in mind…

David has posted an article dissecting the Raid Loot Rules that will be part of the new Looking For Raid toolin patch 4.3 of WoW.   Ok, that’s the only WoW topic today. I promise.

You don’t always have time to spend an hour in an MMOG, but you also don’t want to do the dishes or vacuum the house. Hello casual gaming! Adam has posted his review of Orcs Must Die, which can be purchased on Steamand enjoyed on your PC (sorry Mac gamers). Mr. Stow describes it as “Tactical Massacre Defense” and he’s spot on. It’s rare that a $14.99 priced game can provide so much entertainment.   Well done Robot Entertainment. Your Ensemble Studios roots are near and dear to my heart.

If you play Rift, which I should try again when time permits a new dungeon guide to Charmer’s Calderais now online. I’m curious how many WoW refugees ended up with Rift and stuck there. If you made the switch, please drop me a line and let me know.

LEGO Universe has been through some changes and though the title doesn’t appeal to me I can certainly see the hook for many gamers.   Jordan Itkowitch, the Design Director on LEGO Universe was kind enough to answer some of our questions about their new progression system, faction kits, future content and how they plan to stay microtransaction-free.   Jeff Woleslagle, our Editor-in-Chief takes the reins in Levels and LEGOs.

Last and certainly not least is news that hackers have compromised more Sony accounts. Roughly 60,000 PSN/SEN and 33,000 SOE accounts were hacked using information stolen from a third party.   With the rumours flying that Lord of the Rings Online has been hacked and compromised perhaps the two issues are related?

Have you ever had your account hacked on any MMOG? If so, how was it handled? I’d love to hear about it.

That’s it for today. Thanks again for reading and as always, may your dreams be big and your worries be small. “

As always, you can contact me a number of ways: