I'm not sure whether to be happy or sad that Runic Games has just announced that Torchlight II will not be released in 2011. On one hand, we've all been looking forward to playing Torchlight II, and when ZAM's Director of Content, Cody Bye got some hands-on time with the game, he only had good things to say about the game, but on the other hand, Q3 and Q4 of 2012 has been something of a tsunami of quality game releases.

Regardless, Runic Games really wants Torchlight II to shine, and they're saying that "getting a game of this scope up to the quality and polish level we want to achieve is going to take a little longer." The team is also hoping to squeeze in a small beta test before launch, if just to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible. All of this means that Torchlight II will be delayed at least into 2012, although no real date has been set for anything beyond that. At least this means I won't have to cancel all my sleep. Until 2012, that is.

Dungeon destruction fever is sweeping over the world again. Players across the globe are prepping their computers for an onslaught of high-caliber games that put the mouse and keyboard to work as players destroy skeletons, kill minions, and basically waylay their opponents with a variety of magical and lethal implements. The developers at Runic Games are paving the way, leading the pack with their (relatively) recently released Torchlight and it's upcoming sequel, Torchlight II.

During my time at PAX, I was able to get my hands on the the recently unveiled Embermage, an element-controlling death dealer that waylaid the enemies around him. The class is a pretty strong dichotomy to the other classes that had already been unveiled; the Embermage is much more of a ranged “glass cannon” type of character than any of the others, and if you paired him with the Engineer or anything that is even semi-tough, they'll be able to defend themselves from hordes of enemies.

Runic Games made a pair of major Torchlight II announcements at PAX Prime today. The main news to come out of the convention is that Torchlight II will retail for $19.99, the same price as the original Torchlight. In addition, the magic-wielding Embermage has been revealed as the game's fourth and final playable class.

Do you want to get your hands on some Torchlight II bags and keychains? Then be sure to participate in our huge PAX Swag Giveaway by following @ZAMOfficial and @CodyBye on Twitter!

Torchlight is now available on the Xbox 360! You can download a free demo on Xbox LIVE Arcade or purchase the full game for 1,200 Microsoft Points, which is approximately $15.

For details on the differences between the PC and Xbox 360 versions, check out the brief FAQ after the jump. The UI has been completely overhauled, but no skills have been omitted from the game. Sorry PlayStation 3 owners, there are no plans to bring Torchlight to that console since Microsoft is the acting publisher.

Runic Games just announced that Torchlight will be coming to Xbox 360 in Spring 2011! The game will be available for download on Xbox LIVE Arcade as a part of Microsoft’s House Party promotion. The full House Party lineup was revealed at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which kicked off today in Las Vegas.

According to the FAQ, the user interface has been completely overhauled from the ground up. Combat is a little different, but no skills have been omitted from the console version. The only feature that has been removed is secondary weapon sets. Xbox 360 players can also expect to find a new armor set for each class, some new random quests and a new pet. More details can be found in the FAQ after the jump.

Oh, and there are no current plans to bring Torchlight to the PlayStation 3 since Microsoft is acting as publisher for the console release.

If you're looking for a last-minute holiday gift, you may want to head over to Direct2Drive. All Sony Online Entertainment titles (excluding DC Universe Online) are 50% off until Monday, Dec. 27 at 10 a.m. PST. Games that are offered in the sale include PlanetSide, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes and expansions for EverQuest and EverQuest II.

Direct2Drive is also currently offering sales on all sorts of indie games, including Plants vs. Zombies and Torchlight. You can grab both of these games for $5 each this weekend!

If none of these deals sound appealing to you, check out the above promo codes to save up to 25% off your entire order until 2011. Happy holidays!

The ZAM Network is growing! We are extremely pleased to unveil SC2Ranks.com, VindictusDB.com and TorchlightArmory.com, some of the most well-designed, informative, and accurate websites for StarCraft II, Vindictus and Torchlight! These three games are among the most popular PC games to be released in the last few years, and each site features its own impressive set of tools to help the gamers they serve. While you may come to ZAM to learn more about World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy or EverQuest, we're guessing that one of these new sites may focus on another game you're interested in.

Improving and enhancing the gameplay experience of gamers and online communities has always been the single most important goal at ZAM, and all three of our brand new sites continue this trend. Both Shadowed and Premixedpie, the founders of the sites, will continue to run their day-to-day operations and be the faces for their communities; some of you may recognize Shadowed from his efforts on WoW Interface and he's done a great job with SC2 Ranks. Any of you that frequent the Vindictus official forums may have heard of Vindictus DB, but if you haven't you'll find the same sort of terrific database experience that you've come to expect from ZAM's properties.

That said, the staffers here at ZAM are excited to further the vision of each of these sites. With over 10 years of experience in databases and resources, we're eager to bring our expertise to these sites while keeping the core of what made them great in the first place. So, if you dream about destroying Zerg, drop-kicking gnolls, or crushing endless waves of spiders with your bare hands, go check out SC2 Ranks, Vindictus DB and Torchlight Armory. Let us know what you think, and please shoot us your thoughts here or in our feedback forum!

The developers at Runic Games have nudged players to a mysterious picture this week, which might be our first look at the upcoming Torchlight Online MMO. The majority of the picture was obscured by darkness when it first appeared on the official website earlier this week, announced in this Twitter post from the Runic Games team. The picture was updated several times since then, revealing more each time; in its latest post earlier today, Runic Games wrote: "The darkness rolls back on the enigmatic image..." and indicates that more of the image will be revealed after this weekend.

What do you think of the image? Is Runic Games unveiling the first Torchlight Online in-game screenshot? Or perhaps some concept art, on the other hand? We'll have to wait until next week to know for sure, when more of the image becomes visible. To learn more about the upcoming MMO, which is based on Runic Games' popular Diablo-style RPG of the same name, read our previous "Torchlight Online: Poised to Become a Major MMO?" feature story and check out ZAM's Torchlight Online portal site for more news and info.

When the developers at Runic Games announced the Torchlight franchise last year, the MMO industry anticipated that something special was about to happen. The startup company was founded by more than a dozen shining-star RPG developers and game designers, so it didn't come as a huge surprise that the single-player Torchlight received widespread acclaim after its release in late-2009.

Last week, the gaming industry recognized Torchlight's unrelenting influence yet again, when Runic Games won both the Game Industry News’ "RPG Game of the Year Award" and the Game Developer’s Conference "Choice Award for Best Debut" on March 12. But could this be just the beginning of what's to come? As we reported earlier, Runic Games' single-player RPG is only a precursor to the upcoming Torchlight Online, a full-blown MMO based on the same IP that swept the awards last week. Now, more than ever, we're keeping a watchful eye on Torchlight Online, which could become one of the most-anticipated MMOs of 2010.

Perfect World Entertainment has just revamped its site, and the changes include a new blog that promises to "offer a glimpse behind the 'corporate curtain' of PWE and give our users an understanding of who we are, what makes us tick, further insight into our products/features along with the occasional dose of office shenanigans and if you're REALLY fortunate perhaps the recipe for the ultimate Banana-Walnut muffin!"

The blog has already received a ton of updates, including this tidbit from SillyPsyche: "We’re also getting ramped up for some huge releases next year including Forsaken World (formerly project Empire). From what I have seen so far it looks like it’s going to take the gaming experience to a new level. As a former hardcore MMO player I fear for my free time when this one comes out!"

The Perfect World Entertainment portal gives players access to games such as Perfect World, Jade Dynasty, Ether Saga Online, Torchlight, and the upcoming Kung Foo!