Vacation's over? Well here's a bum deal. Vacation for me is over. What sucks is on my way to work this morning, while at the gas station I flooded out my truck. Ended up an hour late for work after a Christmas vacation. I don't think the boss believed the vehicle break down, and thought I overslept. Hope everyone had a great Christmas. We scored a copy of Asheron's Call 2, and Age of Mythology. Wanted to check out Shrouded Isles for Dark Age of Camelot but really, who has time? I'm still dabbling away in Earth and Beyond and paying for like three Ultima Online accounts. Anyways, I owe a bunch of peeps some worship posts so... For everyone who told me so, and were silently biting his or her tongues will inwardly screaming at me: Div, We told you so! -Everyone And for Mrs. Zal, Zalaster from SBVaults wife: That's Two Div -Mrs. Zal Ok, ya'll got me. Here's to a new year, and some great upcoming games! We have a ton of stuph were working on behind the scenes here at GameRifts.com so expect a lot of new things coming your way the new-year! And for all you Computer Op folks working New Years Day, I feel your pain. I'll be there with ya! Posted December 30 2002 by Div Devlin

DAOC: Shrouded Isle news... Sales for Dark Age of Camelot's first expansion Shrouded Isles have gone through the roof according to this press release issued just before the holidays. the first expansion pack to the fastest growing online game of all time, has claimed the number one online package spot, according to NPD Techworld. For its opening week, Shrouded Isles nearly tripled the sales of its nearest competitor. Meanwhile Rain over at Waterthread hit a point in his life where he had to try it. It was free after all. Well, he was none to happy with it, or as he writes: And I will say without reservation, that if I am to waste my time on any collection of code and polygons, DAoC is at worst my 7th choice. Check his write. Posted December 30 2002 by Div Devlin

MeO official boards. Shortly after our interview with Chris Taylor the producer of Middle-earth Online, love was shown for the fans with the release of new offical messages boards (which kinda is a slam to MeO Vault boards) so that fan interaction can take place. Check em. Posted December 30 2002 by Div Devlin

Bioware Holiday Cheer: Bioware sent out some holiday cheer with a Christmas themed module available for download. Titled "The Spirit of Christmas" it was sent out a little early and is missing some of the features which you can download as HakPacks. Check it. Posted December 30 2002 by Div Devlin

SWG: Press Release Date Kevin "Q-3PO" O'Hara the Community Relations Manager for Star Wars: Galaxies published onto the boards a copy of this press release announcing to everyone who want's to play a Wookie Jedi that the game will be available on/around April 15th. Check that out. May the Force be with you too! Posted December 30 2002 by Div Devlin

Dragon Empires Screens: Ton of screenshots released and being released for Dragon Empires, go git yer eye-candy from these fine network sites. Maybe we should become a network for MMO Gaming? Screens can be found at: - Warcry http://de.warcry.com/scripts/news/view_news.phtml?site=20&id=2983 - GameSpy http://www.gamespydaily.com/news/screenshots.asp?id=4472 - MMORPG Italia http://www.mmorpgitalia.it/page.php?view=69 - Just-RPG http://www.just-rpg.com/default.asp?pid=215 Just what the doctor prescribed. Screenies! Posted December 19 2002 by Div Devlin

Earth and Beyond PvP Active: The newest update for Earth and Beyond has been released, this is the update that everyone has been awaiting, as it includes the PvP aspects of team combat: * A team-based "Player versus Player" mode in the style of gladiator-like games. * The ability for players to change the colors of their in-game starships and avatar clothing. * Content for an in-game winter holiday event * New content and missions that will give players the opportunity to become in-game reporters. There is also a new Glimpse Inside article about the Progen Nova Gladiatorial Games. These games are the basis for the new PvP system. I'm kind of wondering what the in-game reporters are, and the type of content they will post (or have approved for posting?). Anyways, I'm on the Andromeda server as Div, if your looking for a partner. I'm a Terran Enforcer (missles pwn), give me a shout! Posted December 19 2002 by Div Devlin

Project Entropia Goes Gold! Another one that slipped in under the radar (they have the mail dated as 10/14/02), Project Entropia Went Gold December 10th. What they have to say: Gothenburg, Sweden - December 10, 2002 - Swedish interactive entertainment developer MindArk today announced the virtual universe Project Entropia is going gold on January 30th 2003. Project Entropia is Sweden's largest software project ever, and has been in development since 1997. Project Entropia is a three-dimensional virtual universe on the Internet accessible from any computer with an Internet connection, anywhere in the world. Project Entropia is an entertainment product aimed for global usage across culture, age and sex barriers. The main focus in the development has been to cater to the features desired by online gamers as well as for users engaged in society and community building - those with an interest in meeting other people for social interaction and adventure. Millions of users will be able to interact in the Project Entropia universe. Project Entropia introduces unique features like a real economy where its currency, PED, is exchangeable with any major currency in the world. The software needed to enjoy Project Entropia is free to download, and this virtual universe is free to enter and spend time in. "It is even possible to make a living in Project Entropia," says Chairman Benny Iggland. "This is being demonstrated by several of our commercial trial users. A market economy is rapidly evolving, with our users defining prices on various commodities and items available in the virtual universe. Project Entropia will also incorporate real world commodity trading in a three dimensional environment." "Some 15 million USD have been invested in the development of Project Entropia to date and we expect to continue developing Project Entropia in the years to come for a sum of at least 5 million USD annually," says Managing Director Jan Welter Timkrans. Even though the release date has been set for January 30th, 2003, it is possible for anyone who wants a head start to immediately enter the Project Entropia universe after downloading the software at www.project-entropia.com Posted December 19 2002 by Div Devlin

The Sims Online... The Sims Online goes gold and heads off to stores: EA Ships The Sims Online The #1 PC Game of All Time Goes Online REDWOOD CITY, Calif., December 17, 2002 - Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) today announced the release of its highly anticipated PC game, The Sims Online(tm). The Sims Online is the Internet, multi-player version of the top-selling PC game of all time, The Sims(tm). The Sims Online is a massive virtual world created and populated by thousands of players from around the world. In this never-ending alternative reality players can be themselves or "Be Somebody. Else(tm)." Meanwhile over on MarkeeDragon they have an interview up and going with Gordon Walton, the Executive Producer. Posted December 19 2002 by Div Devlin

Feature: Middle-Earth Online Interview... With the theatrical release in the States tomorrow for the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, we were wondering what was going on with the MMO game being produced by Chris Taylor (The other Chris Taylor). Taking time out of his schedule he stopped to answer some of our questions regarding Middle-earth Online in this interview. Being a huge fan of Lords of the Rings, and one of the initial fan boys when it was being produced years back by Sierra we had to learn more. Check it. Posted December 17 2002 by Div Devlin

Darkfall Online gets publisher: Darkfall Online proudly announced they have a new publisher on Friday the 13th. People say only bad things happen on that day. An Official press announcement is to follow after the holidays as they write: Razorwax has signed a publishing deal for Darkfall with a Greek publisher. We have moved Razorwax from cold and snowy Oslo, Norway to warm and sunny Athens, Greece. This move was done for various reasons, most importantly to be closer to our publisher, but the climate doesn't hurt either :) Signing a publishing deal has made us able to hire more (and much needed) developers. We now have a team of 14 extremely talented people working fulltime on Darkfall. Three more will be hired shortly. An official press release will be issued after the holidays with more information. In the meantime, you should discuss this amazing news with us on our boards! :) -Claus Congrats to the team making DarkFall Online. Posted December 17 2002 by Div Devlin

EnB Referral Program & PvP: Earth and Beyond going PvP finally! Almost there with this news release. Going live this Decemmber (It is Decmeber now is'nt it) Earth and Beyond will enable Team vs. Team PvP in selected areas (intergalactic arenas). According to the note: Earth & Beyond's team-based PvP will be in the form of gladiator-like games that will allow players to compete in a game of skill, combat and tactics. The games will take place in three specially-created arenas throughout the game's galaxy, and six teams of up to six players each will be able to participate in each 15-minute game. The team-based PvP arenas will accommodate all players, regardless of class or level. They have an entire list of items that will be included to balance it out. Read the full story below to see the release notes. A good reason to Jump in on the Referral Program. During our mini-vacation last week, we missed this update from Earth and Beyond regarding a new program they started. LAS VEGAS, NV (Dec. 6, 2002) - Friends and family now have even more reasons to blast off into in the world's first online role-playing galaxy, Earth & Beyond(tm). Westwood Studios(tm) announced today the start of the Buddy Referral Program, which allows players to earn in-game rewards for introducing friends to the game. The referral program rewards include in-game credits and skill points that can be used to enhance your character and starship. The more players recruited, the higher the rewards. A complete FAQ and rewards level chart can be found at www.earthandbeyond.ea.com Referral rewards are given after a new player installs the retail version of Earth & Beyond, or if he uses a Buddy Registration Code and installs the game using his friend's discs. Buddy Registration Codes are on sale at www.eabuddystore.com for $21.95. Earth and Beyond has been recently eating up alot of my time. It's decent. Check it. Full Story Posted December 17 2002 by Div Devlin

Face of Mankind Updates: Updates in the Face of Mankind game come our way from within their newsletter. Lots of updates going on. Visual progresses This time we are very proud to present many visual candies of the upcoming MMORPG Face of Mankind. There are 16 new screenshots and many new renders of ingame items. We have also started a weekly screenshots program with RPG Vault. You should not miss that. They will present exclusive FOM screenshots on every Tuesday. You will also get some infos about what you're seeing on these screenshots. To see them, visit the RPG Vault main site and watch for it in the news. New short story A new short story is waiting for your attention. Community member Incarantvs started a story campaign about Nesuferit, an assassin and clan member of the Brotherhood. Read on with Part 1 and decide yourself whether you like him or not. Music Take another trip into the musical scapes of Face of Mankind. Two new pieces of music are waiting for you. A Dark Mencace - What's the Syndicate? Don't ask what it is, ask where! It's everywhere, a dark menace. Plus, experience one of the ingame ambient loops, which are continously played in the background. Download here. In the press section expanded We have updated the "In the Press" section on www.faceofmankind.com with new resources in Italian in French. Go on reading here. Visit our homepage. We wish you a good time! May the destiny be on your side. Looking good. Posted December 17 2002 by Div Devlin

UO: Recapture the magic... Last week UO sent out massive emails to everyone who had closed UO accounts in an attempt to woo them back. Well, since there was no official word on the main UO site, people screamed when you went to this page and were asked to enter your password. Everyone knows, you never, ever, ever enter your password onto a website. Well, finally Sannio and a few others replied, as Kerowyn sent this announcement: Last week we sent out an email to many of our former account holders, inviting them to come back and experience Ultima Online again and see all the changes for themselves. The email linked to a secure webpage at my.uo.com, which is our official domain. Since then, we've seen some hesitation from players who are concerned about entering their game password on this page, since we've said many times not to respond to emails or communications that ask for your password. ... But if it's on our domain, you can trust that it's from us, and know that your information is secure. So if you're someone who has had an account in the past and you haven't taken advantage of this offer to get the LBR UO client, or if you were hesitant before and weren't sure whether or not this offer was the real thing, head over to https://my.uo.com/recapture to see what it's all about! So if you closed your account, want a free 30 day trial to take a fresh look at it, and get the LBR update, nows the chance. Wonder how many people will powergame for 20 days then toss the accounts up on Ebay? [Thanks Lorri] Posted December 17 2002 by Div Devlin

Community News: Arcadian DelSol speaks out regarding the UO Volunteer Lawsuit still winding it's way through the legal system. Never a better read. For the record, the Volunteers should of been paid in my view. They worked at times over 20 hours a week. Player 2 Player chats it up with the folks from TheSims Online in this interview. I still don't get this game. Unknown Player chats it up with Mark Jacobs CEO of Mythic in an audioview. Unknown Player chatted it up with the folks from Eve Online regarding the Volunteer Program they are setting up. Waterthread has a write from the mind of Megyn who says, "Jessica Mulligan Had It Right The First Time," in this rant about female gamers in MMO land. A worthy read, which I totally miss the point on. Posted December 15 2002 by Div Devlin

Destiny Online Update: Official release from the folks at Destiny-Online regarding their game, read on! In the last couple of months a lot has been happening at the Destiny-Online game center. Those who may have seen the game before are hardly going to be able to recognize it, and those who have not will be impressed. Since August everything has been torn down and rebuilt over and over again, Destiny-Online has been entierly reconstructed. The graphics, the story and the sound are all new. The majour update will be available online Saturday the 14'th of December. A few of the changes: A new free, untimed Tutorial Level instead of the former 48 hour trial time, Completley new and remodelled graphics (space, ships, characters and levels...), NPC's who you can talk to via multiple choice dialogues, New music, Soundeffects, Character Info which you can create yourself, an FAQ, All objects in space are now complete with descriptions and other information, Chat and message boards, Mining of resources and trading, New storyline, various missions, New space stations, And much more! Furthermore regular online events and meetings are planned in order to complete quests together with the makers of Destiny-Online as well as the possibility to chat with them. The Destiny-Online Team wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year! Happy gaming! Posted December 15 2002 by Div Devlin

DE new screens and a tour: Peter Tyson the Community Liaison Manager for Dragon Empires sends word that Jonric from RPG Vault called in a favor and has three new Dragon Empires Screen's up for viewing pleasure. The shots showcase the capabilities of Codemasters' graphics engine. Check em. Meanwhile over at Stratics, they were given a tour of the Dragon Empires Studio which you can check out here. Posted December 15 2002 by Div Devlin

SG: Reminder from Terminus... REMINDER FROM TERMINUS: REINCARNATION ON 12.17.02! The Terminus Corporation reminds all brave and powerful warriors to join the proud ranks of those who have signed up for our unique "Reincarnation Process". The Reincarnation Process provides for the future skill and strength of those commanders with a drive to succeed. Join now! Once we start on Monday if you have not signed up by then, you will have to wait for your next chance! To find out more about how Terminus will make Reincarnation work for you, visit this link here! Posted December 15 2002 by Div Devlin

UO: Phase Three Housing SunSword Discusses Phase 3 of Housing SunSword, Producer of Ultima Online, shared some information about Phase 3 of Housing earlier today on the official UO message boards. He talks about why Phase 3, noted for the reimplementation of decay for non-Primary Houses, won't be activated just before or during the upcoming holiday period. Here's a snippet: We know that many of you are waiting anxiously for phase 3 to start, and it is because this is such an important matter that I believe it would be a poor choice on our part to launch it over the holiday. If we were to release it today, the changes would hit in the middle to the end of next week, just as the holiday for our customer support staff is beginning. In addition, it's probably unfair to make these changes when people are not in their normal play schedule because of the break. His entire statement can be found here on the official UO.com message boards. You need to be registered to post to the boards. Posted December 15 2002 by Div Devlin

DAOC: SI Released... Yesterday marked the day of the official launch to Dark Age of Camelot's, Shrouded Isle release. It should be in stores now, according to this blurb from the Press Release: Mythic Entertainment (www.mythicentertainment.com) today announced that the highly anticipated expansion pack to the fastest growing online game of all time has been shipped to retail outlets throughout North America. Dark Age of Camelot: Shrouded Isles™ (www.shroudedisles.com) will be available in stores beginning December 3, 2002. ... Shrouded Isles extends the story and enhances the action of Dark Age of Camelot with new character classes, new races, and three new continents, displayed in an all- new graphics engine, with the ultimate in visual effects. The expansion also features a revamped user-interface, and an all-new ambient music system that randomly constructs musical expressions based on the player’s location and time of day. Other graphical improvements in Shrouded Isles include almost one hundred new monster models and almost 400 hundred new weapon, armor, and shield graphics - but the additions in this expansion are more than skin deep. Shrouded Isles has many new quests, thousands of new monster encounters, and an innovative artificial intelligence system enabling monsters to behave and attack in deadly new ways. Dark Age of Camelot: Shrouded Isles is the gamer's gateway to a world full of imagery from historical Europe, Arthurian legends, Norse mythology, and Irish-Celtic lore. I'm this/close to firing up my account. Posted December 4 2002 by Div Devlin

Waterthread's first look at Neocron: If your a real gamer, awaiting what real gamers have to say about Neocron before you go out and spen cash on this new MMO FPS game, Joe from Waterthread has a detailed First Look of the game which was submitted by a player. Best Buy still does not have it yet, so no breaks on sale prices. Posted December 4 2002 by Div Devlin

Shadowbane beta expands... Shadowbane adds 750 people to beta test, what more can be said. Make sure your account info is correct, and then refresh yer mailbox every ten minutes hoping for that coveted beta acceptance letter. Good Luck! Posted December 4 2002 by Div Devlin

UO: v1rtu3 carebaers Ultima truly has gone the way of the carebears. Virtue Bears make their Debut! Welcome the Virtues into your home this holiday season with our cuddly new Virtue Bears! Let one of these adorable friends, available through Café Press, reacquaint you with all of the Ultima Virtues, or get your favorite ones for a friend or significant other! They are leik all cute, cuddely and overpriced. Go and order one now! They could be a rare. Posted December 4 2002 by Div Devlin

Regarding our news entry... Last week before the holiday we made light of a circumstance as was reported in the Media about an Oxford University student who was a member of a dangerous sports club who died after being shot out of a catapult. Our original story made light of the man behind the story. The following letter goes into why we were wrong in doing so. Full Story Posted December 4 2002 by Div Devlin

The Taken SciFi channels, Taken starts tonight. See ya in game in about 2 weeks when it's over. Posted December 2 2002 by Div Devlin

Daily Dose and MassiveMultiplayer... Watts of The Chosen is back up and running with a complete makeover of the site, and renaming it to The Daily Dose, in which he talks about general morons and idiots in general. People question why he is not talking about games, since he was one of the old school Ranter's when it came to gaming. He summed up everything currently in gaming to 15 lines. Over on MassiveMultiplayer, Mystery placed a rebuttal to his summation of gaming today. Be sure to give them a read. Posted December 2 2002 by Div Devlin

Dark Ages: Medenia Expansion! A new age for Dark Ages is about to dawn...and the world of Temuair as you know it will never be the same. The Dark Ages: Medenia expansion will introduce a stylish new game interface, new and greatly enhanced graphics, new creatures and much more. Coming next month, this incredible new upgrade will transform the way you see Dark Ages forever. Included also will be a new land! UnknownPlayer also has a Chat Log posted with the people behind Dark Ages, you should check out. Posted December 2 2002 by Div Devlin

New NwN Module... Here's an announcment that people have been awaiting. Bioware and Atari are teaming up to bring a new module to the NeverWinter Nights game engine titled "The Shadows of Undrentide." The expansion features a new single player campaign, additional monsters, classes and more! You can check out the fully skinny in the new Shadows of Undrentide section on the main site. Posted December 2 2002 by Div Devlin

Shadowbane Roundup: New War Journal. Do not accept email's with files, from Ubi or Wolfpack. An "Oopsie!" (Thanks WarCry!) Posted December 2 2002 by Div Devlin