This is a good idea in theory, as it gives plenty of time for players to explore the world instead of just going XP hunting. We’ll see if it pays off with increased subscriber count.

1. Aion
2. The Sims 3
3. Champions Online
4. World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack
5. Aion Collector’s Ed
6. Mumbo Jumbo Assortment
7. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe
8. World Of Warcraft: Battle Chest
9. Reel Deal Slots Treasures Of The Far East
10. World Of Warcraft

If you haven’t received an invite, don’t worry, as you can still apply for the beta here.

Final Fantasy XI was probably one of my favorite MMOs of all time, alongside WoW. I don’t play either of them any more (World of Warcrack) but when I did, FFXI was one of my favorite. I for one, chose to play it on the PC but there were other options as it was also out for the PS2 at the time.

Now, with Final Fantasy XIV’s upcoming simulatenous release on both the PS3 and PC, the game is sure to reach a much larger audience. Despite access to this large audience, Square Enxi doesn’t seem to be taking full advantage of it recently letting us know that the public beta for the game will in fact be for the PC only.

Of course, there is no telling exactly when the beta will even hit with FFXIV’s director Hiromichi Tanaka telling us that the studio is aiming to have a small (10,000 people) closed beta up and running by Summer 2010 with a more widespread public beta soon to follow.

Read (Game Watch) via Joystiq

The Namco Bandai Online Divisoin will expand on that presence with development on new titles, however for time being, the new division will only focus on Japan and the rest of Asia.

LucasArts has today begun accepting applications for their latest MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic. However, just because they are accepting applications doesn’t mean you will be guaranteed admission.

Only after you fill out some standard information and upload a DxDiag file will LucasArts consider letting you into the beta. However, the developer has said that those who sign up earlier will have a better chance at getting accepted into the beta so if you want in, you better get on it.

Head here to sign up.

via shacknews

This news was made known after it was noted that Paul Sims and his family (wife and 3 kids) have been listed as part-owners of the Pittsburg Steelers. Sure, this news may not have much relevance to the video game industry but perhaps we can expect to see the Steelers appearing in Cataclysm? Then again, maybe not.

via kotaku

If you’re one of the (un)lucky ones to already have Aion, hope that other players might find it discouraging and leave, cutting your wait time a bit. Stay tuned for our Aion review in the upcoming days.

While console games this generation have outsold the PC counterparts by large margins, not many MMOs have made it to the consoles yet. Actually, only two MMO games, Final Fantasy XI and Phantasy Star Universe have been released on consoles, and a third one is officially on the way, when Cryptic Studios revealed that the PC MMO Champions Online will make its way to the Xbox 360. However, the game has been delayed because of Microsoft’s policy towards MMOs on the console.

Once changed, you can choose any race to be as long as it matches your character’s class. For example, you can’t create a Draenei Rogue, but you can become a Human Rogue. But, who would want to go Alliance anyways? Traitor.

The faction change costs $30.00 and can be done here.

EVE Online: Dominion will focus on primarily endgame content – alliance warfare. A complete overhaul of sovereignty mechanics will occur, and new epic arcs for pirate factions will also be introduced.

The game has been around since 2003, so it’s very surprising that it’s still going strong against giants like World of Warcraft and Lineage II. Blizzard only offers paid expansions for their game, so CCP Games’ approach is a very unique one.

Read (EVE Insider)

However, millions of people do not share my same views, logging onto the game each and every day. The game is so popular, in fact, that Jagex has recently went on record to say that over 105 million people have signed up since day 1.

Sure, they also have said that the actually has 10 million active subscribers but being a browser based game with little to no publicity, this is an amazing feat.

via kotaku

One hundred beta testers, selected at random, will be receiving an exclusive in-game “Siberian Huskey Pet.”

Unfortunately, I received notification that the beta was going on just today, even though the beta has been up for a few days now.

Webzen will be releasing the final version of the game this Fall.

“We are very pleased to work with Shanda Games and very optimistic about the prospects of our partnership,” said Mr. Soichiro Hosoya, President of SNK Playmore. “We are honored that the KOF series has always been favored by Chinese game players, and KOF World is a game that we will work closely together with Shanda Games to develop, especially for Chinese players. We look forward to the game’s continued success.”

Subscribers the game were raised to the highest level, and given access to all of the stuff that they might not have been able to try before the game was ended. Additionally, the game was made available free of charge for anyone to try in its last days.

This isn’t the first time an MMO has died, just look at Hellgate: London, which only survived around two years of online service.

Rest in peace, The Matrix Online.

The reason behind the delay was to “ensure that we can support the massive increase in players that we are expecting and deliver them a free to play experience like none other.”

DDO Unlimited lifts the level cap, introduces a new player class, and has includes more content.