Ok.. maybe not a saviour, but probably one of the best looking ARPG’s to date is due to release tomorrow. What am I talking about? Torchlight – created by a bunch of folks who were behind the ill-departed Mythos, as well as a few talented folks who worked on that obscure title.. Diablo.

There are many videos on YouTube right now from press-release copies, the reviews have all been outstanding and I, for one, am agreeing by just what I have seen. There are also some live streaming videos from people with reveiw copies, on Livestream.com, uStream.com, and Justin.tv.

So get ready folks, a brain blasting addicting ARPG is on its way… if you haven’t pre-ordered it yet do so now! Theres a link on the left hand navigation to the pre-order page on GamersGate, but its also on Steam, Direct2Drive, PerfectWorld and will be on TorchlightGame.com and WildTangent soon. Its only $20.00… you cannot go wrong there.

PS – I guess I forgot to mention one of the best parts of this game… it will have a full featured Toolset provided free of cost with the game. The toolset is the exact same toolset that the developers designed the game levels with, and will be able to modify just about every single portion of the game.

Haven’t updated the blog in a while but I want to assure my readers that I am still going strong – I have just been distracted lately, and coming up with an article idea for this blog.

What has been distracting me? Well, between Dragon Age: Origins (with its impending release and its ‘companion’ flash game: Dragon Age Journeys), looking at Torchlight (an upcoming ARPG created by talent that was behind FATE and… Diablo [and the much missed Mythos] now living together in Runic Games), and guest writing over at the Grey Wardens website.

I hope to have my article idea up here today some time, or at least this weekend. I doubt it will garner me more page views than I get daily right now (less than 30 on average) or more comments, but I hope it will be a good discussion tidbit .

Back to distractions!

I am so seriously sick of having bad luck.. I mean seriously. Everyone gets a break now and then right? Not so it seems. Was offered an opportunity today that would have rocked my world… of course, my situation at home says that I cannot take the opportunity.

What was it? A person I do game content articles with had a chance to go to London to be w/ EA & Bioware when Dragon Age Origins was released… he couldn’t go so offered it to me… and of course.. I can’t go. @#%$!@#%#@#@$!!! What did I do in a previous life to get the run of bad luck I have been having the past few years?

Well, I think I will go wallow in self pity for a little while.

Update from Sneaky Hobbits:

LotRO Lottery – Win stuff for your characters! « Sneaky Hobbits

Turbine announced today a new meta-game experience for Lord of the Rings Online, the LotRO Lottery! Playing the LotRO Lottery is as simple as logging into your My LotRO account, and selecting various drawings via a widget on the left hand side of the screen (default location).

This sounds like a very nifty system! I know that I will be trying my luck at it (though my luck with online competitions tends to.. well.. suck).

GoG.com posted a special Mod Spotlight on one of the FPS genre defining titles: Duke Nukeum 3D. The spotlight goes over mods that bring this great old classic into the modern age of computing and include a High Resolution Texture mod, Weapon Mods, and much much more.  Considering that Duke 3D was one of the games I grew up playing, I just had to post about this.

Mod spotlight: Duke Nukem 3D

The original Duke Nukem 3D is a game that never gets bored. Even you’ve finished it 3, 30 or 300 times you’ll never get enough of the good ol’ Duke – you know it and we know it. But if you’d like to something a little bit different, the Duke Nukem community has prepared couple great modifications – some bring you more of the Duke-gameplay and some make it even better (yeah, right). Below you’ll find the spotlight on couple cool Duke Nukem 3D mods!

Read the rest of the Editorial Here

GoG.com keeps coming up with awesome content for their site, and continue bringing classic gaming goodness to the light of the modern day computer.

Keep it up GoG!

What is GoG.com?

GoG.com is a site that brings the classic gaming back to the masses at really good price points. Thats not all though, each game GoG releases has also been gone over to ensure compatibility with modern machines; All GoG games are supported on Windows XP and Vista – even if they were released before the OS in question!

Another huge vantage to GoG is that all GoG games are 100% DRM free. You buy the game and its yours. No activation limits, no disk checks, no authentication required; which means you can install the game(s) on any computer you own. You can also re-download your games as many time as you like.

Key Features of GoG.com

• Critically acclaimed games
• DRM-free
• Unbelievably low prices
• XP & Vista compatible
• Classy community

LotRO News Update – Sneaky Hobbits LotRO Blog – Orion on Factions/Reputation; Skirmish System Dev Diary Part 3

Sneaky Hobbits

Lord of the Rings Online Developer Orion posted on his My Lotro blog regarding the Faction/Reputation system. In his post he talks about the reputation system as it is and how he is looking to work on it to bring it up to ‘par’ for players who see it as lacking. He goes over how the system is working currently, and how he sees it to be working in the future – I have to say, the post is quite an interesting read:

Lots of interesting information posted by Turbine today – should keep the forumites busy I think.

LotRO Sneaky Hobbits Alert:

Sneaky Hobbits

Jumped into Lord of the Rings Online during daylight hours today to get some more questing in Angmar done, as well as to take advantage of the +25% XP enabled for the current Welcome Back Week event (Fall Festival is running now too folks!).

LotRO Sneaky Hobbits Alert:

Fall Festival is Live… No, Really « Sneaky Hobbits

Well, the Lord of the Rings Online fall festival should be 100% live right now, Sapience made a post on the LotRO forums about it:

Read the entire post

From Sneaky Hobbits LotRO blog.

Well, the fall festival for Lord of the Rings Online was scheduled for today, but it was ‘tentatively’ scheduled (something I probably should have pointed out huh?). All reports from In Game show the Festival has not gone Live yet, no word on the Turbine front but it looks like it is delayed.

I will be sure to update when I find out that the festival is indeed truly live.

~Branadoc

(Credit for alerting me to this goes to Goldenstar & Merric from A Casual Stroll to Mordor via Twitter)

(Originally posted on my LotRO Blog: Sneaky Hobbits)

Lord of the Rings Online will be having a Welcome Back ‘weekend’ from October 15th through October 21st. During this time period previous players of LotRO can come back to their accounts and play for free, and everyone who plays will receive a 25% XP buff for the duration of the event.

Looks like it is a drive towards the release of the next expansion (Siege of Mirkwood) as the forum post regarding this points out that any returning customers who re-up with a multi-month subscription plan will receive Siege of Mirkwood for free.

Quoted Source:

Lord of the Rings Online: Forums

Posted by Sapience:
During The Lord of the Rings Online™ Welcome Back Week from October 15th through October 21st, you can play your old characters for free and get a +25% XP Bonus. Plus, if you come back now and renew your subscription to LOTRO with any 3-, 6-, or 12-month $9.99/month* subscription plan by October 31st, we’ll give you The Lord of the Rings Online™: Siege of Mirkwood™ digital expansion for free! (Click here) for full details!

(Originally posted in my LotRO blog: Sneaky Hobbits)