WOW Inside news said that they found the familiar faces in Wrath of the Lich King. Details is as below:





While Northrend is a distant and strange land, there are a few friendly and familiar faces in Wrath to ease our pain. These range from joke appearances to lighten the mood, or more serious storylines being continued from WOW Classic and the Burning Crusade.

These familiar faces are spread all throughout Northrend, and we've collected a lot of them in a gallery for you to look through. A few of the returning characters are missing from the gallery for various reasons (like turning in an unfinished quest despawning all NPCs in the area) but we'll get those when we can, too. There's plenty of spoilers in this gallery, though not many of them are massive plot points. Still, if you want everything to remain a secret, I'd be careful.

Oh, before all of you spam the comments about it, no I did not forget 'the Scourge.' I thought that was a little obvious. Also, there are two massive zones and numerous dungeons not yet implemented. There are probably way, way more to come. We haven't seen Sylvanas yet.

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An article that is about the Warhammer Online Greenskins posted on Massively.com. Do you think Jay Leno really prefer being a Gobbo in Warhammer Online or is it just that Gobbos are the only ones with big chins? Let's read the details as following:



On first seeing this video, we're not entirely sure what to think. Does Jay Leno really prefer being a Gobbo in Warhammer Online or is it just that Gobbos are the only ones with big chins? We're guessing it's the chin. You're probably rightfully wondering why Warhammer Online is appearing on The Tonight Show. Well you're not alone. Our only guess would be that this is some sort of preemptive strike at cultural relevance before the game is even out. Everyone knows that once a game has cultural relevance it's just a matter of time until those subscription numbers start falling from the sky like nerdy rain.





It's also probable that this is just an honest-to-goodness case of The Tonight Show taking an interest in Warhammer Online. Paul Barnett is there on that video doing his "Crazy Englishman on Crack" bit that we love him for doing. Either way, it's a baffling video to watch and you'll probably find your palm firmly pressed against your face by the end of its short duration. It's after the cut, for those of you brave enough to watch it.



Source here.

Codemasters, a developer and worldwide publisher of entertainment software appealing to all ages and interests. The Archlord is their product. Recently, Codemasters announced that they had released the first trailer for Damnation. Details is as below:



Today, we’ve released the first trailer for Damnation. The trailer gives an exclusive insight into the game’s dark world, where conflict has raged across America for 40 years. With resources exhausted, a new industrialist army haswept across the country destroying the shattered remnants of the remaining militia and mercilessly crushing the civilian population. You assume the role of a member of the Peacemakers, Rourke, and embark on an epic journey and adventure!



The video showcases the huge scale of the magnificent landscapes in the game, using both FMV and gameplay footage. The stunning open environments provide the backdrop for the frenetic combat, daredevil acrobatics and vehicle based stunts make for exhilarating, fresh and revolutionary gameplay. Engage in slick, high-octane gun battles with PSI troopers, the drug-enhanced regimented footsoliders of PSI ‘s forces and engaged in deadly acrobatic combat against the Revenant, a mysterious being able to leap huge distances wielding its deadly steel blade.



In addition to the single player experience, It’s also going to be an extensive multiplayer game that uses the towering scale of the levels to take multiplayer shooting vertical. For more information, and to catch a glimpse of what the future of gaming has in store, visit the Damnation website.



Sourece on Codemasters.

There is a news posted on gamasutra.com said that Shandra Interactive Entertainment, the Chinese publisher of Dungeons and Dragons Online (among other games) game out on top for sales in the second quarter. Shandra got away with 20% of a $637 million dollar market (that's roughly 130 million).

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China's online gaming market raked in $637 million among all its operators in the second quarter of 2008 -- an 11 percent increase on the quarter and a 66 percent jump over last year, says China-based consultant Analysys International.

Shanda Interactive Entertainment has the highest marketshare in the region at close to 20 percent. Shanda publishes Ragnarok Online, Dungeons and Dragons Online and Three Kingdoms in China, among others, and most recently began work with THQ's new China office on a microtransactions-driven Company of Heroes for the region.

In second place is Journey to the West publisher NetEase, with 12.8 percent of the market, while Zhengtu Online publisher Giant Interactive comes in third with 11.4 percent. Giant recently invested $51 million dollars into social networking service 51.com with the aim of expanding its reach.

The remaining leading online game companies Analysys listed in order of marketshare are The 9 (10.9%), Tencent (10.5%), Sohu (7.4%) Perfect World (7.4%) 9You (5.6%), NetDragon (3.8%), Kingsoft (2.8%) and China.com (1.7%)

Business consulting firm Pearl Research said earlier this year that popular Chinese games earn $7 to $12 average revenue per user per month. According to Pearl, NetEase's Journey to the West is China's most popular title in terms of users, supporting 1.66 million concurrent users at its peak. Giant's Zhengtu Online, the majority source of the company's $209 million in revenues, clocked 1.52 million peak concurrent users.



Source here

As we know the Lineage 2 Gracia – Part 1 has been launched. Now the Ncsoft team have announced that the NCsoft Ushers will be in a new age in Lineage II Gameplay.

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AUSTIN, Texas, August 13, 2008–NCsoft®, the world’s leading publisher and developer of online computer games, today announced major changes in its massively multiplayer online (MMO) game, Lineage®II. In an update from The Chaotic Throne™ series called Gracia™ – Part 1, players will find advancing in the game to be dramatically faster. This, plus a host of other changes to enhance the player experience, make this update much more accessible to newer players than before.

The increase in leveling speed is due in part to a new Vitality system, which rewards the player with an experience bonus for time either spent away from the game or in safe zones. New characters will start out with maximum Vitality, so they can begin improving their character’s advancement within minutes. An increase in rewards for accomplishing quests, battling boss creatures, as well as greater accessibility of items also enable players to increase their character’s level more quickly.

“Gracia represents a huge change to Lineage II,” said Tim Tan, NCsoft’s North American producer. “The increase in leveling speed allows players to create new characters and advance nearly twice as fast as before. This will allow players to experience the meat of Lineage II quickly, giving them the ability to visit new and exciting areas and cool high-level content much quicker than before. While this game is still a hardcore game, these changes with Gracia – Part 1 make the game much more accessible to new players. I hope gamers will take another look at what Lineage II has to offer.”

Continuing the storyline and changes brought with the earlier expansions, this first of three updates involving the land of Gracia, introduces a new terror with the strange dream-like inter-dimensional world of Kamaloka. Adventurers of varying levels can easily travel to Kamaloka and face a series of incredibly potent creatures that are tailored to the experience of the players. The expansion also offers a selection of new and improved skills, many new items, and improvements to the Cruma Tower, as well as other hunting zones.



Full news here.