“Bigpoint’s goal is to raise expectations on what can be achieved in a browser-based game,” explains Heiko Hubertz, CEO and founder of Bigpoint . “Battlestar Galactica Online is the perfect license to help us elevate the consumer’s understanding of this genre of gaming and reach gamers who have never tried a free-to-play game.”

“Syfy’s Battlestar Galactica TV series is a rich universe for Bigpoint to mold into an exciting MMOG experience,” explains Jan Wergin, CTO of Bigpoint . “We’ve partnered with the creative forces behind the hit show to ensure the authenticity of our game design and identify story and character elements that Bigpoint can add to the Battlestar Galactica mythology.”

Building upon a strong showing at this year’s E3 Expo in Los Angeles, Bigpoint is sharing more details about Battlestar Galactica Online’s player customization, leveling and quest features based upon the hit TV series:

Player Avatar Customization, XP and Ranks:

Players in Battlestar Galactica Online take on the role of a pilot in their chosen faction’s military – either a ‘nugget’ recently recruited from the human civilian fleet or a recently generated Cylon ‘pilot mind’. From these humble beginnings, players can develop their character into a skilled and experienced officer capable of using the most advanced combat systems and commanding the largest and most powerful ships. Upon starting the game the player will be able to fully customize their avatar. This avatar will be used for the out of ship gameplay experience and in their respective faction’s homebase.

A primary form of character progression in Battlestar Galactica Online is through the accumulation of experience points (XP). Characters earn XP by performing various in-game actions, and these XP are used to determine the character’s rank and to train Skills. There will be 20 ranks available at launch for Battlestar Galactica Online.

Player Missions:
There are two types of missions in Battlestar Galactica Online – Story Missions and Assignments. Each faction has a series of Story Missions that introduce players to the game and gradually reveal their role in the struggle between Humans and Cylons. Characters will unlock access to story missions at specific ranks, and may accept them by talking to the military leader of their fleet. Story missions are designed to reveal to the player key plot points in the conflict, reward players with XP, resources and occasionally ship systems.

In addition, characters can receive daily Assignments by talking to important characters at their home fleets, or perform Duties. Assignments present the character with a specific task to complete, such as defeating a certain number of enemy players in combat or harvesting a certain amount of resources, and reward them with XP and resources. Duties are part of Battlestar Galactica Online’s achievement system. Completed Duties will reward the player with XP rewards and titles. Each title has a small bonus associated with it, and characters may choose a single ‘active’ title from all those that they have unlocked.

Ship Classes and Customization:

Each faction in Battlestar Galactica Online has several playable ship classes, divided into three ‘tiers’ by size (small, medium and large) and role (Offensive, Defensive and Command). Each ship class has a specific number of slots for Ship Systems, which are items that grant ships abilities and bonuses when installed. There are four general categories of ship systems (Weapon, Hull, Engine and Computer) and three sizes (small, medium and large). In addition, most systems have several levels of increasing in power and effectiveness. Characters begin the game with a small ship, but by collecting enough resources can requisition additional ships, and by earning enough XP can qualify to command larger vessels. Eventually, a character can own several ships of different classes. By allocating XP, characters can train the skills required to use additional types and higher levels of ship systems, which can be requisitioned with resources. Battlestar Galactica Online is designed to promote flexibility and freedom of choice for its players and will not forced players into flying particular types or sizes of ship, but there will be advantages for certain types of ships depending on the quest and gameplay situation.

The different combinations of ship class and systems determine what a character can do in combat, and their skills determine how well they can do it, allowing for a huge variety of different playstyles and combat roles. Each standard ship can be upgraded into an elite version of its class. The upgraded versions of each ship class will have additional system slots, stronger and more durable hulls, and visual customization options.

About Battlestar Galactica Online
Players will be able to choose to play as cylons or humans in a constant struggle to control the universe or just survive its perils. A blend of tactical space combat, exploration, and mission-based gameplay will provide a diverse experience. The dramatic missions will define the game’s overall storyline, enabling the player to delve into mysteries of the Battlestar universe. Battlestar Galactica Online will create a new standard for web games, with beautiful graphics and innovative game mechanics bringing a new level of game play to browser based MMOG. Assets from the television production will be integrated into the game to deliver an even more authentic experience. For more information on the game please visit - http://www.bgo.bigpoint.com.

On this day in 1789, the Storming of Bastille took place as revolutionaries stormed the medieval fortress and prison in Bastille. Fighting for the ‘people’, armed demonstrators set fire to the streets and stormed the fortress. In keeping with this theme Combat Arms Europe kicks off the first of the French Revolution events with ‘Capture the flag’ mode. Firstly players will have to secure the flag before fighting enemies to grasp possession. Once defeated and captured, users will earn unique in-game rewards.

During the event period Combat Arms Europe is also offering a discounted rate on its French rifle – FAMAS G2. Made in France, the FAMAS G2 is a modified version of the FAMAS that has improved stability and damage dealing capabilities. This rifle also comes fully equipped with a suppressor and HDS-4 Reflex Sight. Users will find the special offer in the black market for a limited period only, along with discounts on all explosives to celebrate the event.

For players that want extra challenges this month, Dark Forest and mini missions offer just that. Dark Forest is the latest addition which delivers a forest themed environment, which is difficult to navigate. Due to the dense forest, users should expect low visibility and heavy resistance from the moment they enter and attempt to defeat the enemy. And if that wasn’t enough, mini missions are also being introduced which will provide players with an additional opportunity to earn some great in game rewards! During any game, they may be issued a mini mission from Central Command with the chance of receiving extra EXP and GP should the mission be completed!

Also, Combat Arms is announcing an EXP/GP event every weekend in July! Users will be able to earn 50% extra EXP and Gear Points after each and every match from Friday to Sunday every weekend for the rest of July.

With all of the new French Revolution celebrations this month, as well as new content updates, players can expect to be kept busy as they immerse themselves in one of the fastest growing games that NEXON Europe has to offer.

Combat Arms is free to play, there are no monthly subscription fees and no “locked” premium areas so enlist now and join today.

To find out more about the game or any of the events visit http://combatarms.nexoneu.com or become a Facebook fan here http://www.facebook.com/combatarmseurope

Dark Forest
http://contents.nexoneu.com/combatarms/CombatArm

While players work on their tans, they can also now trade weapons, armor, quest items and more for gold in Dungeon Fighter Online’s Auction Hall. Instead of hitting up friends or cruising the personal shops, the Auction Hall allows players to browse and bid on items posted by fellow players, making finding that hard-to-find item a lot easier; or, for a nominal fee of 10,000 gold, players can set up auctions themselves. The Auction Hall is built right into the game’s user interface so it’s always easy to access.

Players will also be rewarded for leveling-up in Dungeon Fighter Online this summer. Now, through September 18, players who create a brand new character can receive some sizzling prizes when they reach level 22, 32 and 42.

For more information on the Auction Hall and new summer avatars go to http://dungeonfighter.nexon.net. Dungeon Fighters are currently uniting at Facebook, and players can see more of the action on YouTube.

The new footage shows the total freedom of passing PES 2011 offers, alongside closer looks at its new dribbling, defensive hold-up play, and jostling. Similarly, the trailer gives an insight into the new power gauge, while also showing how feints and tricks can be mapped on to the R3 button and accessed with ease. PES 2011 utilises over 1000 new animations, and these are also on show as the new game demonstrates its key attributes in the footage.

Konami has also released a number of new screens to accompany the trailer, and these reveal for the first time the new ‘Stadium Edit’ mode, that allows users to create their own home ground for use in the game, and the first screens for the massively reworked Become a Legend mode, where players are cast as an upcoming starlet and strive to earn major honours and become the world’s greatest player. More information on PES 2011 will be released in the coming months.

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Lovers are at the centre of this new feature: players can now get engaged by sending a Love Letter, and finally even marry one another. Frogster will provide the two lovebirds, whether they are straight, gay or lesbian, all the necessary decorum for such an important event. The union of marriage can then be celebrated in a romantic new wedding chapel, where they are going to walk down the aisle in one of two new wedding suits and exchange rings in front of all their friends and guild members.

Besides love and married couples, update 3.0.3 will implement several other types of relationships, including Family or Friendship. Two players can declare themselves family members or best friends simply by exchanging a special object that can be bought in Varanas, the capital city of Runes of Magic. A character can then link up to 20 other avatars through these relationships with, of course, just one marriage.

Relationships grant players bonuses when they are together in a group which can for instance raise one of their statistics or the chance to get a rare object when defeating monsters. In addition, characters bound together will be granted a special bonus when their counterpart’s health drops under a certain level. Family members will respectively see the damage they inflict increased, when two Friends will see a part of their health restored. These bonuses get more and more efficient as the link between the two characters becomes deeper, as defeating foes together grants them relationship points and help them to go through the ten different levels of this system.

Obviously, and as sadly as in real life, all links between characters can be ended very simply just by removing them in the Friends interface of the game. To find out more details about this new relationship system, please pay a visit to the official web site of Runes of Magic: www.runesofmagic.com.

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Update – New Pet system
In order to help players to get familiar with the new pet system introduced with patch 3.0.2, Frogster has just published a tutorial video explaining all the secrets of this new feature. They are available at this address:
http://www.runesofmagic.com/en/videotutorials.html

Along with giving players a chance to preview Power & Prestige’s new features, including over 60 new missions, Port Governance, and a brand new “Brawling” fighting school, Flying Lab will be running events on the Testbed server every weekend so that players can get together and experience the new content.

“Power & Prestige’s closed Beta has been a great success,” said Tom Atkinson-Edwards, Community Manager at Flying Lab Software. “The feedback from our testers has been fantastic and we’re excited to show Power & Prestige to the world!”

Below is what our beta testers have to say about Power & Prestige:

“I like what they have done, a lot … the new missions are great. The new graphics look really nice.”

“Good writing, good stories, memorable characters, fantastic images … I laughed out loud, and still smile when I think about it.”

“Eager and Anticipating. That’s the 2 words I would use for the release of P&P.”

Power & Prestige expands upon the game’s real-time Port Conquest system, allowing players to not only capture ports on behalf of their parent nations, but to also become a Port Governor with great economic and strategic influence. It also contains over 60 new missions, a new “Brawling” fighting school, and much more.

Pirates of the Burning Sea is an MMORPG featuring high-seas action and adventure in a bold world of pirates and plunder. Set against the backdrop of the New World of the 18th century, players can choose one of three nations — England, France or Spain — or choose the role of a Pirate to battle it out for glory and power.

To celebrate the birthday, Combat Arms is giving away exclusive permanent items for soldiers who log in during the celebratory period, which runs Friday July 9 to Sunday July 11.

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Nexon also uncovered some incredible data from the ongoing virtual war zones.

• More than 8.6 billion soldiers killed in action.
• More than 1.7 billion of those casualties were caused by headshots
• More than 99 million Nutshots have been inflicted since it was added to the title in April 2009
• More than 1.7 billion terrorists have been eliminated on the Desert Thunder map of Fireteam mode
• More than 55 million flags have been captured
• More than 350,000 clans have been created
• More than 336 million Gear Points earned in-game on a daily basis
• More than 8.8 billion EXP earned in-game on a daily basis

Combat Arms remains a leader in multiplayer online FPS action with a steady diet of content updates. In the past year, soldiers have hoofed across 10 new maps, played six new game modes, faced six new characters, fired more than 100 new weapons and used over 20 new pieces of gear. The game has also added major upgrades to the Clan functionality, a new user interface, frequent updates to maintain game balance as well as the new Rec Rules server and the option to purchase permanent weapons.

To commemorate the many milestones, Nexon America is not only giving away free gear over the anniversary weekend but also offering a 2X Bonus EXP/GP Weekend, as well as many Facebook Trivia Contests and giveaways for players.

To take part in the giveaways and contests, players can always enlist at Facebook. To see more of the action on the battlefields, head to YouTube.

“The EA SPORTS FIFA franchise is committed to investing and innovating for PC and this is a watershed moment,” said Executive Producer Kaz Makita. “We are delivering to FIFA 11 PC the high quality gameplay, innovative game modes and stunning graphics that have made FIFA the highest rated sports game on the PlayStation3 and Xbox 360 and winner of over 50 sports game of the year awards.”

The physics-based, data-driven technology behind the EA SPORTS football engine has been optimised for PC to deliver true freedom on the pitch with individuality of player control and movement, sophisticated ball touches, and physical interaction between players. FIFA 11 PC will feature the market-leading true 360° dribbling system that gives players precise control of the ball and next generation animation technology that delivers Skilled Dribbling, enabling skilled dribblers to face defenders and use highly responsive lateral dribbling to skip past them. Plus, Physical Play has been improved using collision sharing, creating a varied, less predictable, and extended fight for possession between players.

FIFA 11 PC features and game modes will be revealed in the coming weeks and months. Visit WWW.FIFA.EASPORTS.COM for more information.

FIFA 11 will be available in stores Oct. 1 across Europe and Asia for the PlayStation^®3, Xbox 360^®, Wii^TM, PC, PlayStation^®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo DS^TM, PSP^® (PlayStation^®Portable) system and mobile. It is developed under the EA SPORTS brand by EA Canada in Burnaby, B.C. The game has not yet been rated.

EA SPORTS^TM is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA, NHL^® hockey, NBA ELITE basketball, NCAA^® Football, Fight Night boxing, EA SPORTS MMA, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR^® golf, and EA SPORTS Active.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.co.uk to connect, share and compete.

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With the release set for Q1 2011, the unique setting of Deep Black combines action-packed battles with an immersive story line, of complex science-fiction mystery, espionage and bio-terror. Offering realistic physics in an underwater environment brings new “depths” to in-game challenges in Deep Black.

Players will take to the murky depths armed with a wrath of underwater equipment from specialized underwater jet packs with integrated harpoons, mini submersibles and other high tech equipment in pursuit of enemies. With the majority of the game play taking place below the water’s surface, action-adventure fans will need to master new skills to fight hostile enemies and infiltrate enemy bases.

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‘Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer’, the first expansion pack to the 2008 Best-Selling New MMO of the Year, has received universal critical acclaim, with medias such as PC Gamer, Eurogamer and MMORPG.com giving it a 8/10 score. StrategyInformer wrote in their review that the launch of the expansion “… may well mark the perfect time to jump into Conan’s low-fantasy world”, while Eurogamer.de gave it a 9/10 saying “… atmosphere and courageous design-decisions makes Age of Conan’s first expansion do almost everything right.”

“We are delighted to see how well the expansion has been received both among our own players as well as the worldwide gaming press,” says Morten Larssen, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Funcom. “After a full-scale release in retail and online the expansion has performed well in terms of both sales and traffic, and the activity on our servers has increased significantly in the last month. ‘Age of Conan’ has once again proven that it is truly one of the top MMOs on the market right now, and we remain dedicated to supporting it.”

The offer is available until July 15th and includes 10 days of free access to the expansion, as well as 10 days of free access to the core game for those with currently inactive accounts. All players have received a campaign e-mail, and can take advantage of the offer on their account page.

Launching in May 2008 ‘Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures’ quickly became a smash hit in retail, shipping over 1.2 million copies around the world. In the weeks after launch ‘Age of Conan’ simultaneously topped the charts in 17 countries, and the game received critical acclaim from gaming press across the globe. ‘Age of Conan’ is now available in English, French, German, Spanish, Russian and Polish localized versions, and is being prepared for launch in Korea as well.

To learn more about ‘Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer’ visit http://www.ageofconan.com