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New City of Heroes content update released


This apparently sneaked up on us (NCsoft usually sends over a press release) but a few days ago the latest content update for their super hero MMO City of Heroes was released. Titled Issue 15: Anniversary, the update adds five new missions each for Heroes and Villains. It also has new costume choices, new costume emotes, new character faces and new features and changes to the recently released Mission Architect tool.

NCsoft also announced that there will be a Double XP weekend coming up next month; specifically from July 31-August 4. Of course we are still waiting for more info on the upcoming new commercial expansion pack Going Rogue.

City of Heroes videos teach DIY mission construction


Those who are still a little confused or intimidated by the City of Heroes Mission Architect system, which allows users to create customized content for the game, need not worry anymore. These three videos will teach you the fundamentals of finding, playing and creating a custom story arc. The first video is shown above and the rest can be seen after the jump.

Download HD City of Heroes Mission Architect Tutorial #1 (129 MB)
Download HD City of Heroes Mission Architect Tutorial #2 (130 MB)
Download HD City of Heroes Mission Architect Tutorial #3 (91 MB)
Check out all City of Heroes downloads

Latest Aion tour takes us to Belusian


This Aion zone tour video takes viewers to an area called Belusian. The upcoming MMO where player characters can sprout wings and fly into a celestial war is expected to release in North America on September 22nd.

"Even by the standards of Asmodae, already a harsh and inhospitable land, Beluslan is particularly icy and forbidding. What life there is clings to existence on the rocky slopes and foothills of Chaos Pass, or is twisted into strange and disturbing forms on the Black Plains and in Giant's Valley."

Download HD Aion 'Belusian' Zone Tour Video (MB)
Check out all Aion downloads

Aion video podcast takes you to a broken world


Members of the Aion development team provide a great deal of detail on the background on Aion, an upcoming MMO game from NCsoft. A number of topics are covered, from the world's history to its rich mythology. The world of Aion is broken into two parts, with opposing factions found on either half. To top it all off, players will have the opportunity to sprout wings and fly. Aion is expected to release in the fall.

Download HD Aion Video Podcast #1 (635 MB)
Check out all Aion downloads

Aion gets final US and European launch dates


NCsoft' first major MMO release since the now shut down Tabula Rasa finally has an official Western launch date. The company announced today that the fantasy themed title Aion will launch in the US on September 22. European gamers will wait a few days longer; it will launch in that territory on September 25.

NCsoft has already announced their pre-order specials and a Collector's Edition for Aion's US launch (it is already a big success in Asia). In addition to retail stores, NCsoft announced today that it will make the game available as a digital download through its own site and via other game download portals like Direct2Drive and Steam.

Aion pre-order offers announced

We've already talked about NCsoft's plans for a fancy Collector's Edition of their upcoming MMO Aion but what about if you pre-order the game before it's released? NCsoft has got you covered there as well with a lot of pre-order special offers

People who pre-order the Collector's Edition (limited to 35,000 copies) and the first run of the standard edition will get access to all of the remaining beta events for Aion. Those players can also get a 48 hour head start on the final version before it can be accessed by everyone else. There are also a number of special in-game items for pre-order players (you can see one of them in the screenshot to the right). Finally pre-orders can enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win prizes including an Alienware notebook. The game is due for release in the US this fall.

Aion to get Collector's Edition this fall


NCsoft may not be attending E3 2009 this year but the MMO publisher has some major news to report today. Their fantasy MMO title Aion will get a big Collector's Edition version when it releases in the US later this fall (Aion has already launched in NCsoft's native Korea).

The contents of the $69.99 Collector's Edition (besides the actual game of course) include a hand-painted figurine of Aiva, a winged Asmodian Daeva from the game (pictured above). It will also contain a number of exclusive in-game items, two exclusive in-game emotes for your character, a Aion soundtrack CD, two dual-sided posters and a quick reference card.

City of Heroes goes rogue in expansion trailer


NCsoft today announced the development of City of Heroes Going Rogue, a retail expansion for City of Heroes and City of Villains. The expansion explores the grey area between good and evil and will expand the City of Heroes world to include an alternate dimension, Praetoria, where evil versions of the game's signature characters reside. No further information about the expansion has been announced, but fans can check out the official website.

Download HD City of Heroes: Going Rogue Teaser Trailer (115 MB)

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New City of Heroes commerical expansion, Going Rogue, revealed


NCsoft is preparing a major new commercial expansion for their five year old super hero MMO City of Heroes. News of the expansion, titled Going Rogue, was leaked out via an email blast that apparently was sent a tad too early. However, forum posts from the game's developer Paragon Studios have confirmed that Going Rogue is indeed a real and upcoming project.

Going Rogue will expand the game's territory to a new alternate universe with a city called Praetoria and like the classic Star Trek episode "Mirror Mirror" it depicts heroes in the normal City of Heroes universe as villains and vice-versa. An all new alignment system "explores the shades of gray that lie between Heroes and Villains" in the expansion. A teaser site for Going Rogue has already launched with a CGI trailer. There no word yet on a release date for this new expansion

[Via Kotaku]

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NCsoft reveals solid financial results


It's still earnings season and the latest company to reveal their financial results is MMO developer/publisher NCsoft. For the quarter that ended on March 31, NCsoft had $107.7 million in revenues, a 51 percent increase compared to the same period a year ago. The company recorded a net profit of $27.0 million, a whopping 315 percent increase for the same period a year ago.

Much of the increase in sales and profits was due to sales of NCsoft's flagship games in its native Korea, Lineage and Lineage II. In addition sales of their newest game launch Aion were also strong in that country. Sales in North America and Europe, on the other hand, dropped in the first quarter. NCsoft is set to release Aion in the US and Europe by the end of 2009. They also have Guild Wars 2 and other unnamed games under development.
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