Press Release: NCsoft Announces Exciting Lineup at 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo Online computer game publisher to show blockbuster product line, featuring Auto Assault, City of Villains, Guild Wars and Tabula Rasa AUSTIN, Texas, May 4, 2005— NCsoft® Corporation, the world’s leading developer and publisher of online computer games, today announced its lineup of games for the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), May 18-20 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. NCsoft’s games represent the company’s varied offering of massively multiplayer online (MMO) game titles. All products will be shown in booth #1024 in the convention center’s South Hall. NCsoft CEO Tack Jin Kim said, “NCsoft will showcase a very diverse lineup of blockbuster online entertainment products at E3 this year, which solidifies our commitment to leadership in the global MMO industry.” The products that will be featured at E3 are: Auto Assault™—Already generating excitement in the press as one of 2005’s most anticipated games, the world’s first car-combat MMO is at E3 and is launching this year! Developed by NetDevil®, LTD., Auto Assault’s high-speed vehicular combat and spectacularly destructible environments are the highlights of a game that will redefine expectations of online role-playing. Successfully combining speed, action and role-playing elements, Auto Assault pushes the envelope for MMO gaming. It’s the fastest, most destructive MMO ever. City of Villains™—Cryptic Studios™, the creators of the massively popular City of Heroes® game, is premiering the companion game that allows players to take on the role of the bad guy. City of Villains™ is set in the Rogue Isles, a treacherous region not far from Paragon City. Players can now build their criminal empires and spread their own reign of terror. Slated for release later this year, this is the first public showing of this eagerly awaited title since last year’s E3. Guild Wars®—Recently launched simultaneously in Europe, North America and Australia, this first title by ArenaNet® immerses players in a colorful, robust and detailed online fantasy world where success is determined by player skill, not by the time spent playing. Play with anyone, anywhere, at any time and there’s no subscription fee required. Tabula Rasa™—Tabula Rasa is a massively multiplayer online action game that takes you into the heat of battle at the front lines of an epic war between a xenophobic alien race bent on galactic conquest and the coalition of rebel soldiers who’ve traveled across the galaxy to stop them. Combining the action of a first person shooter, the immersion of a role-playing game, and Richard Garriott’s signature creative vision, Tabula Rasa takes the player on an intergalactic adventure where the individual has an opportunity to significantly impact the pace of battle on a global scale. In addition to viewing all these top-notch titles and speaking with the developers, visitors to the booth will see the high-energy performance art and percussion beat of The Mutaytor, which will interpret the world of Auto Assault in scheduled performances throughout the three-day show. Guild Wars demonstrations presented by the development team will be showcased on a giant video wall display. Plus, MMORadio (http://www.mmoradio.com), a 24/7 web radio station for gamers, will be webcasting three days of continuous E-3 coverage live from the NCsoft booth. About NCsoft NCsoft’s North American business is headquartered in Austin, Texas and is part of Korea-based NCsoft Corporation. NCsoft, with its own development and publishing offices in Texas and California, also works with subsidiaries and third party developers throughout North America to develop and publish innovative online entertainment software products. The company launched two massively multiplayer titles on the same day last year: Lineage II and City of Heroes, and in April of 2005 released its third title, the highly anticipated, Guild Wars. NCsoft expects to launch two more massively multiplayer titles in 2005: Auto Assault, and City of Villains. More information about NCsoft can be found at http://www.PlayNC.com. About Cryptic Studios Cryptic Studios, Inc., located in Los Gatos, California, was established in July of 2000 and is an independent developer of massively multiplayer online games for the PC and next generation consoles. Its first game, City of Heroes, launched in April 2004. The game takes place in a virtual world where thousands of people play simultaneously, take on the role of super-powered heroes, fight villains and help create a dynamic story in a visually-stunning, 3-D graphical world. About NetDevil NetDevil was founded in 1997 under the inspiration of Jumpgate™, the world's first massively multiplayer space simulator universe. NetDevil is an independent game development company dedicated to the construction of massively multiplayer universes. NetDevil is committed to creating immersive, interactive virtual worlds in unique settings outside the typical fantasy genre. For more information, please visit http://www.netdevil.com. About ArenaNet ArenaNet, located in Bellevue, Washington, is a wholly owned subsidiary of NCsoft and was founded by some of the key members of the creative teams that developed the hit game series StarCraft®, Warcraft™, and Diablo® as well as Battle.net™. ArenaNet has built a state-of-the-art, interactive game network and is developing premier multiplayer online games for dedicated game players. More information about ArenaNet can be found at www.arena.net. ### NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo, Lineage, Guild Wars, ArenaNet, Auto Assault, Tabula Rasa, Destination Games, PlayNC, PlayNC.com and all associated NCsoft logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. City of Heroes, City of Villains and Paragon City are registered trademarks or trademarks of Cryptic Studios, Inc. and NCsoft Corporation. Cryptic Studios is a trademark of Cryptic Studios, Inc. NetDevil is a registered trademark of NetDevil, Ltd. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

As noted in an EverQuest Developer's Corner post, there will be a two-hour downtime for all Sony Online Enterainment games Thursday morning: ======================================= On Thursday May 12th, EverQuest as well as other SOE games will not be available from the hours of 4am to 6am PDT due to maintenance. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. =======================================

Last month I had the opportunity to visit Mythic Entertainment and got a sneak peek at their next MMORPG endeavor, Imperator. Those familiar with Mythic know they are the makers of Dark Age of Camelot, a MMORPG based in Arthurian, Celtic and Nordic lore centered around PvP combat. With Imperator, Mythic has done everything the opposite of DAoC; it takes place in the future, there is no PvP combat, and it is heavily steeped in science fiction. When Mythic created DAoC, they did not set out to make a next generation MMORPG, with Imperator they have. You can read what I learned about Imperator during my visit with Mythic, and see what they are striving to do to make Imperator a next generation MMORPG by following this link.

I received a phone call from SOE tonight to give me some pretty amazing -- and unsettling -- news. SOE’s Station Exchange is now live. Station Exchange you ask? Oh no, is that what I think it is? Yes, Sony is now going to start allowing players to officially auction items and cash for real live money. Initially, it will be limited to two new servers they are creating for Everquest 2, with existing players being given the right to transfer to those servers where they can buy and sell with officially sanctioned impunity. However, this is just the experimental stage. It is clear from the FAQ that if this proves to be financially successful, there is no reason not to think that this experiment will eventually be expanded to all of EQ2 as well as SOE’s other games, which include Everquest, Star Wars Galaxies and even possibly, given their large ownership share of Square-Enix, Final Fantasy XI. IGE, meet SOE. Is this the end of online gaming as we know it? Or is it just a natural and inevitable development? I know I personally feel a need for a strong adult beverage right about now. Feel free to post your feedback and opinions. Update. After I posted this, SOE posted a letter from John Smedley about it on their site. Here's the letter.

LucasArts is seeking out families that enjoy playing games together. Details follow.

Do you play Star Wars Galaxies with other people in your family (parents, children, brothers or sisters)? Or do you and your significant other spend quality time playing in-game together? LucasArts is working on writing profiles of some of our more active and engaging players. Over the past two years, I've noticed lots of families and couples coming to events like Comic-Con and Fan Fest and we'd love to hear from you! If you're interested in potentially being profiled in a feature story about SWG players, drop me an e-mail at fans@lucasarts.com with your contact information and details about which members of your family are currently playing together. Feel free to share interesting moments or activities you've had with your family or SO in SWG! I promise to get back to everyone who writes in and if your gaming experience is a good fit for the feature story, we'll follow up with a phone interview. Look forward to hearing from you! Ronda :-) Community Relations Specialist, LucasArts

One of the most anticipated games of the year is almost ready to roll. Blizzard has announced a final stress test starting today that will lead into an open beta next week. The stress test is only available to fileplanet subscribers, but the open beta will be available to anyone who wants to download it and play it. There is no word yet on whether you will be able to keep your stress/open beta characters upon release. My guess is that they will base that upon whether any significant changes are made during the final weeks before release. I have played this game extensively and highly recommend it to you. Even in beta, it quickly became on of my all time favorites. It's certainly worth checking out during the free open beta. For more information, head to our World of Warcraft Site. We cover just about everything you need to know about the game. Or ask questions of the testers in our WoW Forum. And of course, purchasing it through EBgames.com gets you a free 30 day premium trial membership (or if you are already a premium member, use your code for 10% off).

Is the game truly polished, bug and lag free and ready for release? Not by a long shot. Will loads of people still go out and buy it despite that? Of course! Ready or not, Everquest 2 is coming very soon to a store near you. (Oh and we are working hard to have a site up for you by launch - check eq2.allakhazam.com for more) Below is the official press release: ------------------------ SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT’S EVERQUEST® II SHIPPING NOVEMBER 8th -The 800-Pound Gorilla of Online Gaming Is Ready to Play - SAN DIEGO, CA – October 25, 2004 – Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), a worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online (MMO) gaming, today announced that EverQuest II is scheduled to simultaneously ship to North American and European retail stores on November 8, 2004. EverQuest II is the highly-anticipated follow-up to Sony Online Entertainment’s original EverQuest, the most successful and longest-running 3D MMO role-playing game in North America. After more than four years in development, the wait for EverQuest II is almost over,” said John Smedley, president, Sony Online Entertainment. “We’ve invested heavily on development of the game to ensure that EverQuest II has the highest production values of any online game produced to date. We want to deliver a game to our players that will provide an experience like nothing they’ve ever seen.” Sony Online Entertainment is delivering a truly groundbreaking MMO game in EverQuest II with pioneering firsts in advanced 3D graphics, story, voice, production values, and gameplay. EverQuest II features the most realistic graphics of any MMO game ever created with a next-generation 3D graphics engine designed to keep pace with hardware developed over the next few years. Players will hear more than 70,000 lines of spoken dialogue in EverQuest II as non-player characters are given voiceover for the first time ever in an MMO game bringing the story of EverQuest II to life. EverQuest II also features gameplay innovations that make EverQuest II fun and exciting for all types of players and play styles, from hardcore gamers, to new MMO players, to those who play in groups, and solo players. EverQuest II comes in three versions, all of which include a 30-day subscription (excluding SOE All Access subscriptions) to the game’s online world. The CD version and DVD versions of the game carry an SRP of $49.99 and include the game, an in-game item and an in-box item. Limited quantities of the EverQuest II Collector’s Edition (DVD) are available at an SRP of $89.99. The Collector’s Edition includes a number of in-game items, including “paintings” of EverQuest II scenery to be hung on the walls of a player’s house, magical talking statues of Antonia and Lucan (voiced by Hollywood talent Heather Graham and Christopher Lee), and an exclusive pet baby dragon. The Collector’s Edition also includes an exclusive art book, bonus DVD with trailers, gameplay videos and behind-the-scenes footage, a soundtrack CD, a collector’s coin with a velvet pouch, a cloth map of Norrath, and two posters. EverQuest II carries a monthly subscription fee of $14.99 for continuing access to the game world. Players can subscribe using a credit card, or purchase SOE 30-day and 90-day Game Cards, which open the new world of Norrath to those who choose not to use a credit card. About EverQuest II EverQuest II is the next generation of massively multiplayer gaming, a huge online world where thousands of players come together for adventure and community. Featuring breathtaking graphics and a vast, beautiful game world to explore, as well as voices for almost all non-player characters, EverQuest II sets new standards in gameplay and immersion. EverQuest II brings players into its world with a powerful epic storyline and gives them the power to be the hero or villain in their personal adventure. Players enter this world by creating their own unique character, choosing from 16 races and 24 classes. Players will encounter hundreds of creatures as they travel across majestic landscapes of rolling hills, barren deserts, dense forests, and bustling cities. Thousands of items, hundreds of spells, and unlimited adventure await all who enter the world of EverQuest II. EverQuest II also features:

A new, massive online world for thousands of players to explore, filled with danger, adventure and mystery

Voices for most non-player characters (NPCs) in the game, a huge project encompassing more than 70,000 lines and 130 hours of dialog

Unparalleled character customization capabilities. In addition to thousands of armor, weapons and items users can equip, players will be able to customize their character’s facial appearance to an incredible level of detail and personalization

16 races, dozens of levels and 24 classes with a branching system that allows players to choose their class as they advance

Player-owned real estate (such as apartments, homes, and guild houses)

No race/class combination limitations, allowing players to truly choose who they want to be in game

New user friendly game mechanics with reduced learning curve for both new and seasoned players

More than 160 unique creature types, from Orcs and Goblins to huge dragons and menacing Living Statues

Incentives for current EverQuest subscribers

A state-of-the-art, cinematic quality 3D graphics engine capable of improving as hardware technology advances

State-of-the art combat, spell and skill systems

Trade skills available to all player classes

The NDA for Everquest 2 has lifted and beta testers are allowed to freely post their impressions. It took us by surprise here, so we don't yet have an EQ2 site ready to roll out for you (soon I hope). Please use this article to post your thoughts on EQ2 if you were a tester, or to ask questions of the testers who are willing to answer them. Also, if you were a beta tester and have information to submit to us for our EQ2 site, please e-mail it to me at allakhazam@allakhazam.com.

Last weekend, the folks at Sigil Games invited myself and some other sites to their office to get a look at their new game Vanguard. Sigil, for those of you who don't know, was founded by many of the original creators of Everquest, and is being backed by Microsoft's money. Many gamers have been waiting anxiously to see what goodies they were going to come up with. Wait no more. Considering the game is not slated for release until 2006, they were able to make quite an impressive showing. The graphics are like stepping into a Keith Parkinson painting (he is their lead artist after all), and the ideas they were giving about the eventual game play sounded very intriguing. They even had a playable game for us to tinker with. The scope of what they may actually have by release is pretty mind boggling. While many of their game concepts were still in infancy, I was especially impressed with their multi-dimensional quest system which allowed for them to program in multiple quest solutions based upon how they thought the players might try to solve the quest. The one they showed us was a basic rescue quest, but with a twist. All you got from the NPC was a request to rescue the victim. From there, you could do a side quest to obtain ransom if you wanted. Or you could go to the camp and wipe out all of the kidnappers. Or you could kill a couple of the camp scouts, steal their gear, and sneak into camp and back out with the hostage. The idea of it was that different players would think of different ways to solve the quest and each would have an actual solution programmed in to cover it. Neat. I could go on, but I am going to stop here. I took a lot of notes, and fully intended to write up a lengthy review of the game. However, many of those who attended have already written up very thorough and interesting reviews, and I can't see how I can significantly add to them. So instead of writing up my own review and repeating all of the nice things everyone else said, I am going to direct you to all these other sites and spend my time instead updating the site with more information for our current games. Read and enjoy. Below are links to the reviews I know of at this time.

Anyuzer

Epic Vanguard

Okratas

The Safehouse

Total Aggression

Gamergod

Vanguard Live

Vanguard Stratics

Vanguard Warcry

The folks at Gamergod wanted to pass on the fact that they are giving away 30 EQ2 beta accounts over the next few weeks. If you are interested in signing up, go to this link and register.