Free PC Gaming Blog

Nexon America opens new Web site for MapleStory themed online card game, iTGC Online

Nexon America launched a revamped Web site for its MapleStory-themed online game, iTGC Online. The updated site contains game information, updates, news, game guides and an introduction video. To access the iTGC Online site go to: http://itcg.nexon.net

iTCG Online is Nexon America’s first free-to-play browser-based game requiring no download. Details of the game’s second beta phase will be announced soon. iTCG Online game play is based on the characters and monsters found in Nexon’s wildly popular massively multiplayer online game, MapleStory.

iTCG Online has also opened a fan page in Facebook where players can connect, view game art and share details of the game with friends. The Facebook page is available now at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/iTCG/248518243426

CHALLENGE GAMES RELEASES WARSTORM EXPANSION

Online Collectable Card Game Launches the Demon Expansion

AUSTIN, Texas – December 12, 2008 – Challenge Online Games, Inc. (Challenge Games) announces the first expansion set for their free-to-play online game, Warstorm (www.warstorm.com). The Warstorm Demon Expansion brings additional depth and new strategies to the game. Not only was the Demon faction added to battle with the existing Elves, Humans, Orcs and the Undead, but every faction was updated to improve the game balance. Over 170 new cards, including ultra rare and achievement were added, and fifteen new special powers were distributed across all factions.

“The Demon expansion brings in a whole new dimension to the number of strategies we have in Warstorm,” said Matt Deegler, the Lead Developer of Challenge’s Storm Team. “It plays heavily on creating combo decks that require you to really think about which cards you want to use in each battle. For example, there is the new Command special which allows certain hero cards to buff the attack value of all matching types in play.”

Each demon is driven by its elemental nature: fire, ice, or death, seeking to destroy everything and remake the world into its own image. It is up to the player to decide whether to battle their demons or become one with them.

Warstorm takes collectable card games (CCG) into the massively multiplayer online (MMO) world. Unlike other MMO titles that may require long sessions to initiate and complete a battle, Warstorm is a browser-driven game that can be played in short sessions, letting players compete with their friends in asynchronous combat.

Warstorm can be played for free, but players can select to upgrade faster by buying cards through micro-transactions or by winning card packs in tournament play where up to sixteen players can compete at-once in a skirmish bracket competition.

Warstorm is the third free short-form multiplayer online game from Challenge Games. Its debut game, Duels, was the first massively multi-player role-playing game (MMORPG) to be integrated directly with Facebook. It currently has over a quarter of a million players worldwide. Challenge Games’ second title, Baseball Boss, launched this summer. Baseball Boss is an official licensee of MLB Advanced Media and the MLBA, and it is the first game to combine baseball simulation games with collectable card games.

To play Warstorm, visit www.warstorm.com. To play Baseball Boss, visit www.baseballboss.com. To play Duels, visit www.duels.com or http://apps.facebook.com/duelsfb. For more information on Challenge Games, visit www.challengegames.com.

About Challenge Online Games, Inc.
Challenge Online Games (Challenge Games) creates online games that are fun and easy to play whether you’re a serious or casual gamer. The company was founded by veteran entrepreneur and gamer, Andrew Busey, author of Secrets of the MUD Wizards and creator of one of the first instant messaging applications. Challenge Games currently offers Warstorm, Duels and Baseball Boss - multiplayer web-based games that combine the best of the collectible card games (CCGs) and traditional role-playing games with the convenience of the short-form gaming experience. The company also holds a multi-year licensing agreement with MLB Advanced Media, LP (MLBAM), the interactive media and Internet company of Major League Baseball. Challenge Games is based in Austin, Texas and is privately held with funding from Sequoia Capital and Globespan Capital Partners. For more information on Challenge Games, visit www.challengegames.com.

PHENOMIC REVEALS OPEN BETA DETAILS FOR BATTLEFORGE

Gamers Worldwide Get Ready for the BattleForge Open Beta on November 7th

Redwood City, CA. – October 31, 2008 – Phenomic™, an Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) studio, today announced that the Open Beta for BattleForge™ will begin on November 7th. In the open beta, fans from all over the world will be able to start collecting their favorite cards and experience magically-charged battles online. Players can register for the open beta at www.battleforgecardhunt.com. In North America, players are guaranteed access into the beta by pre-ordering BattleForge from participating retail partners.*

Developed in Ingelheim, Germany, BattleForge is an epic real-time strategy (RTS) fantasy game that combines the elegance of RTS gameplay with the collectability of trading cards in an online environment where friends can play together. BattleForge pioneers strategy gaming with its online multiplayer design and robust community. Players can get in the game by purchasing the title at retail in early 2009 and then take their game online to play with the larger BattleForge community.

”After three years in development, we are very excited to open the game to a mass audience and see how people play. It’s going to be a great process watching players experience the revolutionary concept of creating their own armies and teaming up on a massive scale in RTS,” said Volker Wertich, Creative Director.

In BattleForge, players use virtual trading cards to build the perfect army and lay waste to their foes. The cards are the tools of war each representing a unit, building or spell that is conjured directly onto the RTS battlefield. They enable you to customise and combine factions, and play with a unique army of your own design. With no base building and production queues BattleForge players are instantly immersed into fast-paced RTS action.

BattleForge features single-player and cooperative scenarios as well as Player vs. Player ranked duels. Co-op battles are played in teams of two or four, or players can hurl themselves into epic 12 player battles for the greatest rewards. Players must work cooperatively to fulfill the mission and be victorious.

Featuring action-packed co-op and PvP, the ability to build your own army, and robust community features like auction hall, direct trade and in-game mail, BattleForge offers unique RTS gameplay that is easy to learn, but hard to master.

Developed at Phenomic, BattleForge will ship in Early 2009 for the PC. This product is not yet rated by PEGI or ESRB. For more information about the BattleForge open beta, visit www.BattleForge.com.

*Requires online connectivity.
###

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world’s leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA™, EA SPORTS Freestyle™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2008, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle, POGO and BattleForge are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Tonight I was checking out PoxNora… this is a very cool free to play online trading card / collectible miniatures game. PoxNora uses a "rune" system where you control champions, spells, relics and equipment in turn based play by randomly selecting runes from your BattleGroup.

Initially, your battle group is chosen from 8 pre-made configurations of rune cards. If you enjoy the game and want to advance the level of your cards as well as configure your own groups, you can choose to purchase "Rune Packs". There are hundreds of Runes available including both the miniatures and illustrated cards containing beautiful fantasy artwork as well as stats and descriptive text.

If you want to play something other than the standard game, you can choose from "Capture the Flag" or "King of the Hill" modes of play.

The game itself uses Java as a platform, so it’s online play only. There is a note on the site that they will soon be releasing AI controlled bots modes for a single player challenge and training.

PoxNora is a lot of fun even if you just stick with the free play and the ready made decks. I give it 2 free thumbs up!

The Legends of Norrath is an online trading card game similar to Magic the Gathering. The game client is free to download and there are training missions available to learn the game and see if it’s something that you want to invest in. Once you are through the training though, you need to either purchase virtual trading card sets or if your play Everquest or Everquest 2, cards can be found as drops off of characters you defeat.

EVERQUEST® FRANCHISE ONLINE STRATEGY GAME — LEGENDS OF NORRATHTM STACKS THE DECK WITH ITS FIRST EXPANSION ANNOUNCEMENT

Additionally, SOE Announces the First Championship Series to Start Later This Year

DENVER, CO – November 8, 2007 – Just three months after the highly successful inaugural launch of the online trading card game Legends of Norrath (LoN), Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) announces that Forsworn, the first expansion for the online strategy game, is currently in development. Based on legendary MMOs EverQuest® and EverQuest® II, Forsworn is scheduled to launch Tuesday, December 18, 2007. LoN Oathbound was released late this past summer and has already hosted more than 300,000 matches to date.

“The instant success of the game’s first set, Oathbound, led to the decision to release Forsworn before the end of this year. Forsworn will continue to provide players with high-quality gameplay and a rich storyline that enhances a compelling stand-alone game or the already seamless experience from within the worlds of EverQuest and EverQuest II,” said Scott Martins, Director of Development, SOE. “Forsworn expands the Legends of Norrath experience with something for everyone. We’re particularly excited about kicking off the Legends of Norrath Championship Series in early December. With a total prize pool in excess of $100,000, this series adds another viable element of competitive play to the game.”
Developed at SOE’s Denver, CO studio, Legends of Norrath is the first online trading card game based on and playable from within SOE’s popular franchises EverQuest (EQ) and EverQuest II (EQII), as well as from a free stand-alone client. Launching from a menu within either MMO or using a free SOE Station ID (available at www.station.com) in the stand-alone client, players can challenge opponents on their game server and across other EQ and EQII servers.

Forsworn, the second release in the Legends of Norrath storyline, features enhanced multiplayer support that allows team-based 2 vs. 2 games, as well as cooperative multiplayer “raid” games against powerful AI opponents. Forsworn introduces 235 new, artistically stunning game cards, with new gameplay and multiplayer options, as well as an updated client with new content and bonus features for all registered users. Forsworn also boasts 22 additional loot items each for EQ and EQII, including player mounts, potions, clothing and spells.

Available in both 58-card digital starter decks and 15-card digital booster packs, Forsworn cards will be available via digital download from SOE’s Station Store. The digital starter decks (58 cards) will be available for $9.99 (plus any applicable taxes), with digital booster packs (15 cards) selling for $2.99 (plus any applicable taxes).

In addition to AI opponents and player vs. player combat, Legends of Norrath is the complete online card gaming experience, featuring numerous Casual and Tournament game lobbies with three exciting tournament formats in which to compete. Tournaments range from smaller on-demand tournaments all the way up to the Legends of Norrath Championship Series events, with a total prize pool in excess of $100,000 USD.

Legends of Norrath Championship Series
Starting in December Legends of Norrath players can truly test their strategic skills and throw down in the Legends of Norrath Championship Qualifier tournaments. Running monthly, each of these events will have no entry fee and will feature a prize pool of approximately $5,000 USD. Winners of these monthly qualifier events will receive an automatic entry into the Legends of Norrath Championships at Gen Con Indy 2008 in Indianapolis, IN where they will compete for cash and prizes in excess of $100,000 USD.

On Demand Tournaments
Starting November 17th, Legends of Norrath players can also start their own tournaments or enter other player-initiated tournaments 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. These 8-player events feature a variety of play formats including Constructed Deck and Booster Draft formats. In Booster Draft, players can open several packs of cards and only play with the cards drafted for their deck– a pure test of calculated skill! Scheduled tournaments for larger numbers of players are set to run each week so that players can compete in tournaments with several hundred players at a time.

Loot Tournaments
Monthly loot tournaments pit individual player skill against each other as they compete for promotional cards, sealed packs and loot to be used in EQ and EQII. Just for entering, players will receive a special loot and promo card that can only be obtained through such Loot Tournament events. Players who place well can win additional prizes such as packs, promotional cards and/or loot.

To get started on the fun, players can download the client for free, test their skills against AI and real opponents, and then head over to the tournament lobby to play. Tournament eligibility limited and subject to official rules. Residents of certain territories are ineligible to participate in LoN tournament play. Please see the EULA for details. For a schedule of events, rules and further details see the LoN Events Page or the LoN Tournaments webpage. For more information on Legends of Norrath, visit the website at www.legendsofnorrath.com.

About Sony Online Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers around the globe. SOE creates, develops and provides compelling entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless markets. Known for its blockbuster franchises and hit titles including EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, Champions of Norrath®, Untold Legends™, and PlanetSide®, as well as for developing Star Wars Galaxies™, SOE continues to redefine the business of online gaming and the creation of active player communities while introducing new genres on various entertainment platforms. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, with additional development studios in Austin, TX, Seattle, WA, Denver, CO, Los Angeles, CA and Taiwan, SOE has an array of cutting-edge games in development. SOE is owned by Sony Pictures Digital and Sony Computer Entertainment America.