Free PC Gaming Blog

Hi all… and now a break from the regularly scheduled free to play game updates.

I just took the time last week to figure out how to hook my PC up in the basement to my 50″ plasma HDTV up on our first floor of our house. After gaming on it for the past week, I don’t know if I’ll ever go back!!

So here’s what I did… I’ve got a geforce 9800 gtx card in my PC with a 2nd DVI port and a Creative X-Fi card that I wanted to run cabling to the entertainment center in our living room. It took me a lot of time to pull together everything I need, so I thought I’d list them out here in case I can help anyone searching around the way I did in order to make it happen. These are the things I needed to order to make this work:

• A 50′ ft (28AWG) HDMI Male to DVI-D Male Digital Video Cable to go from the DVI port on the graphics card to the HDMI port on my receiver.
• An Accell UltraAudio Digital Coaxial Audio Cable with a Cables to Go 3195 RCA Jack to 3.5mm Mono Plug Adapter to run a digital audio signal out of my Soundblaster X-Fi to my receiver.
• A USB 2.0 Active Extension / Repeater Cable A Male to A Female to plug in the bluetooth adapter for my Logitech Wireless Desktop MK700 Keyboard and Laser Mouse.
• 11′ Electric Fiberglass Wire Pull Rods Fish Tape to get the wires fished from the basement up through the drywall.
• And in order to site back on the couch comfortably with the keyboard and mouse I got a Futura Computer Desk for Gamers w/ One Max Mouzpad & One Regular Mouzpad that I can fold and store behind the couch.

In order to deal with the overscan issues, I’m using a custom resolution of 1864×1048 and it is working beautifully. I’ll admit I’ve got an Xbox 360 and a PS3 that I may never play again now that I have this set up. Nothing beets the quality of the image from the graphics card and the precise control of a keyboard and mouse.

One more thing… with this setup, I’ve come to love the ability in Chrome to hold control and scroll the mouse wheel in order to zoom in and out on web pages. It makes it easy to read and browse while sitting 9′ away from my 50″ plasma TV.

I’d love to hear more stories from other gamers out there that have made the jump to using a big screen HDTV for their PC gaming!

Nexon launches official service for Dungeon Fighter Online in North America

Official North American launch of 2D, side-scrolling action game.

Gamers can now officially join the fight. Nexon America today announced the official North American service launch of Dungeon Fighter Online, the popular multiplayer online action-adventure beat-‘em up developed by Nexon’s Neople studio and played by over 200 million registered users worldwide.

Dungeon Fighter Online is a 2D, side-scrolling action game, in which players enjoy a trinity of brilliant game play options – brain-bashing PvE adventures, explosive PvP combat, and dynamic RPG excitement.

As with all Nexon America titles, Dungeon Fighter Online is free to download and play through its website.

“Dungeon Fighter Online is a free-to-play homage to everything we have always loved about gaming,” said Daniel Kim, Nexon America’s CEO. “This motherlode of a game with its classic graphics, arcade-style action and hardcore RPG leveling system sets the bar high for other free-to-play online games.”

The official launch offers new content, including a sixth character class—the Female Gunner—as well as new Awakened super skills, perilous challenges in Hell Mode, an expansion of the Guild system and a whole line-up of launch events.

The Female Gunner joins the Fighter, Male Gunner, Mage, Priest and Slayer as available character classes. And like the Male Gunner, the Female Gunner is a tech geek with loads of firepower. She also comes with several unique skills, including Spriggan, Gun Dance, FM-92 mk2 Lancer, Air Bomb Mech: Gale Force and Photon Bomb.

Players who advance to level 18 in Dungeon Fighter Online reap the benefits of Advancement subclasses, and those who continue on to reach Level 48 now have three more Awakening subclasses to strive for: Fighter’s Hellcat, Male Gunner’s Machinist and Slayer’s Soul Reaper. Each of these Awakenings feature powerful new skills to unleash on foes.

Only the most thrill-seeking of Dungeon Fighters should even attempt Hell Mode, an option available in select dungeons. These high risk adventures also offer high rewards with Epic Items, much more powerful than the typical weapons equipped by most dungeon fighters.

The newly expanded size and scope of the guilds will enhance Dungeon Fighter Online’s growing community. The maximum guild level has increased from Level 5 to Level 10, and the member cap for guilds has expanded from 50 to 300 Dungeon Fighters.

Players are also rewarded with four different events. The Clean Slate Event offers a Lethe’s Bell to every character who reached level 30 or higher before June 9th. Players who create a Female Gunner will be rewarded with a gift box of fun loot. The Opening Ceremonies Event asks players to lend a hand to NPCs throughout the land of Arad to get a special gift. And the New Awakening Event rewards players for creating a character that will advance to the newly released Awakenings mentioned above.

This is just the beginning for Dungeon Fighter Online, which, like other Nexon America games, will update on a regular basis with new content, new features and new events.

Players can download and play the game for free at http://dungeonfighter.nexon.net. Dungeon Fighters are currently uniting at Facebook, and players can see more of the action on YouTube.

WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINETM TO ADOPT GLOBAL FREE-TO-PLAY MODEL

Turbine’s Award-Winning Online Game Will Be Free-to-Play Worldwide This Fall

Friday 4th June/… Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced today that Turbine, Inc. will unveil a major update this fall, making The Lord of the Rings OnlineTM (LOTRO) free-to-play for everyone. Extending its award-winning story, LOTRO delivers the ultimate adventure featuring a massive world with state-of-the-art graphics and gameplay, and a rich set of features that until now could only be found in premium subscription-based online games.

Launching this fall across North America and Europe, with Codemasters operating the game free-to-play in Europe, LOTRO will introduce Turbine’s innovative new pricing model that allows players to download the game and play for free, purchase expansions, quest packs, items, and account services a la carte from the new LOTRO Store, or join the VIP program to get unlimited access to all of the game’s content for one low price. Players interested in getting a sneak peek of the new LOTRO can sign up for a chance to participate in the Beta program which begins June 16, 2010 at http://www.lotro.com.

“Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is bringing quality games based on The Lord of the Rings to multiple platforms, and the franchise’s expansive adventure story lends itself perfectly for LOTRO free-to-play, giving a wide range of players the opportunity to experience the game,” said Jeff Junge, Senior Vice President Online Games and Digital Games Platforms, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “We are focused on expanding our game franchises onto new digital platforms to maximize quality experiences for gamers worldwide and LOTRO’s new model is a great leading example of this.”

“Turbine’s Dungeons and Dragons Online®: Eberron UnlimitedTM was the world’s first truly premium free-to-play online game that ushered in a new era of choice for online gamers seeking quality entertainment,” said Jim Crowley, President and CEO of Turbine. “The popularity of DDO validated the extraordinary demand by gamers for quality entertainment they can experience at their own pace and within their budget. Extending free-to-play to LOTRO will offer another premium game to a broad spectrum of fans.”

“Having successfully taken two titles free-to-play in the past we are very pleased to be doing the same with The Lord of the Rings Online in Europe,” said David Solari, Vice President and General Manager of Codemasters Online. “It’s a fantastic, award-winning game with a wonderfully realized world and this step will only broaden its appeal and increase its player base.”

LOTRO will offer players unlimited choice!
Free means Free! – Players will download LOTRO by visiting www.lotro.com and join with millions of other adventurers as they explore the most complete and authentic recreation of Middle-earth ever created and participate in LOTRO’s award-winning epic story up to level 50 for free.
Visit the new LOTRO Store! — The LOTRO Store is loaded with thousands of convenience items as well as expansion packs, premium content, additional character slots, potions, character customization and more! The LOTRO Store is seamlessly integrated into the game and lets the player identify new and exciting ways to enhance and customize their experience using points which can be purchased in the store or earned through gameplay.
Be a LOTRO VIP! – Players who elect to become a LOTRO VIP will have unlimited access to all premium content, receive priority server access, 5 character slots, a shared bank slot, and a monthly allotment of points to spend in the new LOTRO Store.

The Lord of the Rings Online is the ultimate adventure. This award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game delivers an interactive experience brimming with life and filled with the familiar people, places and monsters from the most famous fantasy of all time. From the picturesque surroundings of the Shire to Moria, the most fearsome underground realm ever imagined, players will soon experience the world of Middle-earth for free! For more information, visit www.lotro.com.