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Well, an iconic game for us has returned to us from the depths of the Ether. Most of you already know, but just the same, I'm going to post this mostly because I can. 
All I can say is.... YAY!
You can DL the game free to play after you've got your T3Fun account (direct link to the signup page).
Original 12-minute Hellgate trailer below.
As of June 1st, 2011, Turbine will be taking over full operations of The Lord of the Rings Online™ throughout Europe, merging the US and EU services into one global service.
As part of this transition, Codemasters Online will continue to operate the European LOTRO service until 31st May when the existing European players will begin the migration to Turbine's global service.
1. What’s happening?
Turbine is taking over full operations of The Lord of the Rings Online™ throughout Europe starting June 1, 2011. We’re merging the US and EU services into one mega-service we’re calling the LOTRO Global Service.
2. Will there be any downtime during the transition?
Yes. We do expect there to be a limited service interruption during the changeover. Additional details, including specific information about downtime or service interruptions will be addressed as we get closer to the official take over date.
3. I play on the EU service today. Do I need to do anything?
Yes. All current players of the LOTRO service operated by Codemasters will need to migrate their account to the new global service. This simple one-time process will allow current players to easily move game access and characters to the global service.
4. Should I create a Turbine Account now?
No. Please wait for the official migration process to start. If you create an account on the Turbine service prior to the launch of the global service you will not be able to merge that account and your Codemasters account.
5. I’m an EU player who already has both Turbine and Codemasters accounts. Is it possible to merge them after the migration?
No. Your accounts will remain separate.
6. I play on Turbine’s service today and do not have any accounts on the Codemasters service. Do I need to do anything? Will anything be different for me?
Players on the current North American service do not need to take any action. In general, your play experience should remain the same.
7. What will happen to my characters and items?
After you have completed the account migration process, all of your characters and items will be available to you. You need only log in to the game and they’ll be there waiting for you, right where you left them (even the server names are staying the same).
8. What about my billing information? Will you migrate that too?
No. we will not automatically access or transfer your private billing information as part of this process. During the migration you will be asked to provide your billing information to us.
9. Are there any differences in the VIP programs between Turbine and Codemasters?
The benefits remain the same. Players may also purchase discounted multi-month subscription packages and we are also offering special promotions for some plans during the migration period – please be sure to check the migration site for details.
10. I have a lifetime account with Codemasters. Will Turbine honor it?
All existing Codemasters Lifetime accounts will be converted to Turbine Lifetime accounts.
11. Will I lose my existing Points or will they be exchanged for Turbine points?
Any points on your account at the time of migration will transfer over to the Turbine service.
12. I am a VIP, will my subscription transfer?
Any VIP time you have remaining after migration will be honored. After that period you will lose VIP status unless you update your billing information and select a subscription plan.
13. Will I need to download the US client to play after June 1?
No. When the servers come back up your existing client will patch up to the global version of the game. Once the patching process is complete and you have followed the migration instructions you will be able to log into the game normally.
14. Will the EU servers be merged into the US servers?
No. All existing servers will become part of the Turbine service. After patching your client all existing EU servers will appear in the launcher along with all of the current US servers. Players will then be able to create characters on any server they wish.
15. Will Turbine continue to support language specific servers?
Yes. Servers currently designated as FR or DE speaking servers will remain as they are.
16. Will Turbine support European payment options?
Yes. We are expanding our current billing system to accept many new payment methods.
17. Will boxed products or Game Time Cards (GTC) published by Codemasters continue to work after the migration?
No. Due to technical incompatibilities between the systems Turbine will not be able to honor any Codemasters GTC or Codemasters retail product keys.
18. What Languages will be available in the global game client?
The Lord of the Rings Online™ is available in English, French (Français), and German (Deutsch). The game will default to your currently selected language. If you wish to play in a different language, simply select your preferred language from the launcher. Note: If you are using a DE or FR version of Windows then your game may automatically select DE or FR to match your OS.
19. Will EU players be able to use the my.lotro.com site and features such as the lottery after the change?
Yes! Once the transfer is complete and your characters are part of the Turbine service, the my.lotro.com site will start collecting data about your characters and adding them to the site. You will then be able to use all of the my.lotro.com features including blogs, character panels, and lotteries. Please note that your character history will start from the time you join the Turbine service.
20. I'm active on the Codemasters forums, will my posts be copied over to the US forums?
No posts, accounts, or other information will be migrated from the LOTRO EU forums. We encourage players to move their guides, tips, tricks, etc over to the Official Lorebook, and the new global community after June 1, so all players may benefit.
21. What will happen to any auctions/bids I have in progress at the time of the transition?
We encourage all European players to schedule their auctions to expire prior to June 1, 2011. Due to the nature of the transition we cannot guarantee these items will be available after the transfer.
22. Will Turbine support existing RP rules servers after the June 1 transition?
Turbine will continue to provide Role Play support on the existing RP designated servers at the same level currently provided by Codemasters.
23. What does this mean for the existing US Role Play community, specifically Landroval?
We will not be enforcing role play rules or adding official role play support to any of the existing US servers. However, the Landroval server will be designated [EN-RE] – Role Play Encouraged.
24. Role Play Supported and Role Play Encouraged servers after June 1, 2011
- [EN-RE] Landroval (Role Play Encouraged)
- [EN-RP] Laurelin (Role Play Supported)
- [DE-RP] Belegaer (Role Play Supported)
- [FR-RP] Estel (Role Play Supported)
Well, a few of you lot are already playing the Rift in beta, but for the rest of us, here is a fairly extensive game play video, this one showing a rogue class.
About the Rift
Join legions of adventurers in RIFT™, a new fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) set in a world being torn apart.
Rifts violently rip into reality across the land and release powerful forces that threaten the very existence of Telara. Each breach brings with it new characters, events, and treasures, while the world itself changes dynamically around you.
Play with your friends across vast, lavishly detailed environments, or go head-to-head in challenging Player versus Player (PvP) combat as you battle to uncover the secrets of the planes. Build and advance your character using an innovative new class system with limitless possibilities.
The rifts have divided the people and endanger the world. Whether you fight to seal the rifts forever, or harness their power for your own, epic adventures lie ahead for those willing to fight for the future of Telara.
You can learn more about the rift at riftgame.com.
Guys, this is absolutely worth seeing.
There's a group out there called The Lonely Mountain Band, made up of members of Fathom, a celtic rock band. The LMB of course focuses on Lord of the Rings prose and music.
The vid here is by a burg on one of the US servers called Lunna and uses the Song of Durin by LMB, put together with imagery from the game itself.
Pretty wicked stuff.
Woohoo! Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has been announced today (Thanks Trekkie!), and the official trailer is out as well.
I for one can't wait to get my hands on this one after the hours and hours of entertainment awarded to me by Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
There's not a lot currently on the official Skyrim Website other than the video, but I did find a bit of info on the FileFront Elder Scrolls site:
Skyrim, also known as the Old Kingdom or the Fatherland, was the first of the regions of Tamriel to be settled by humans, who migrated there from the land of Atmora in the north. The date of this migration is unknown, although it was during the time before the full flourishing of Elvish civlization. According to legend, Ysgramor landed first at Hsaarik Head, at the extreme northern tip of Skyrim's Broken Cape. It is said that he and his companions were fleeing a civil war in Atmora, which then supported a sizable population. They named the land Mereth, after the many elves that roamed the virgin forests of Tamriel.
For a long while, relations between the Elves and men were relatively peaceful. However, the Elves, seeing that the Nords, with their vastly shorter lifespans, fast rates of physical maturation and expedient (by Elvish standards) reproductive cycle, would eventually overtake them if left unchecked. At the time, men were viewed by Elves as being primitive and animal-like, and it was seen as no great moral remission to stop the spread of a potentially disastrous invasive species, who would destabilize the Tamrielic ecosystem. Thusly, Elvish pogroms razed the city of Saarthal on what became known as the Night of Tears. Only Ysgramor and two sons escaped back to Atmora, and, seeing the tenuous peace which had developed between the various factions, recognized the opportunity for their plight to become a great uniter for humanity as a whole. Within a few years, Ysgramor returned to Skyrim with an army known as the "Five Hundred Companions", composed of the heroes of the Atmoran civil war who, without much hesitation, drove the elves out and laid the foundations for the First Empire of Men.
Elves persisted within the borders of Skyrim until the reign of the Thirteenth of the Ysgramor Dynasty, King Harald, at the beginning of the First Era. Harald was the first to relinquish all holdings in Atmora (Until that time, the Nords of Atmora and Skyrim had been considered the same group), proclaiming that the people of Skyrim were an independent people. All humans on Tamriel are descended from these Nords, although some bloodlines run thin.
Vrage the Gifted started the expansion that would eventually lead to the First Empire of Men. Within fifty years of his reign, the Nords ruled all of Skyrim, as well as parts of High Rock, Cyrodiil, and the Dunmer lands of Morrowind. The acquisition of Morrowind was particularly bloody, still remembered in Morrowind today (The purpose of the formation of the Chimer-Dwemer kingdom of Resdayn was to expel the Nords).
The system which chose the successors to the empire eventually proved to be the Empire's undoing. For a great while the Moot, a gathering of the lords of the many different Holds, chose the successor to the Empire. This lasted well until the death of King Borgas, when the Moot failed to nominate the popular successor. From this came the disastrous Skyrim War of Succession, during which time High Rock, Cyrodiil, and Morrowind provinces seceded with little resistance from the Nords. The war did not end until the Pact of Chieftans, when the Moot was established to convene only when there was no clear successor.
The long-awaited Deus Ex: Human Revolution is now available for pre-order! That link takes you to the Augmented Edition, which doesn't really have a good explanation of what 'extras' you get, but it's the one I'll probably be ordering when the time comes.
In addition, the pre-order comes with a niftly Tactical Enhancement Pack, which offers two new weapons--a retro double-barrel shotgun and a futuristic sniper rifle.
UPDATE: Thanks again to Trekkie, got some info on the Augmented Edition, which includes:
- Bonus Mission
- In-Game Automatic Unlocking Device
- In-Game M-28 Utility Remote-Detonated Explosive Device (UR-DED)
- In-Game Linebacker G-87 Multiple Shot Grenade Launcher
- In-Game 10,000 Extra Credits to Buy or Upgrade Weapons
- In-Game Huntsman Silverback Double-Barrel Shotgun
- In-Game SERSR Longsword Whisperhead Silenced Sniper Rifle
- "Making Of" DVD
- Game Soundtrack
- Motion-Comic
- 40-Page Art Book
“2010 has been a year of unprecedented growth for The Lord of the Rings Online with our successful introduction of a free-to-play option for our players,” said Kate Paiz, Executive Producer of The Lord of the Rings Online. “This is going to be another outstanding year for the game as we progress on our journey toward Mordor and it all begins with our upcoming November update. The journey will carry through 2011 ending with our arrival in the epic region of Isengard where players will confront the raging war and shadow that has spread across Middle-earth.”
NEW FEATURES:
- Experience the Rise of Isengard – The Epic Story continues as the Grey Company makes its way south into Dunland, but troubles arise as their road takes them into lands where Dunlending forces, marshaled by the Wizard Saruman, prepare for war. The Rangers must seek new allies and face dangerous new foes, chief among them the traitor Saruman, whose web of intrigue threatens to endanger your quest, your friends, and your life.
- Increased Level Cap — Players will be able advance their characters up to level 70, gaining access to new traits, virtues, skills and class quests.
- Expanded Monster Play – LOTRO’s monster play system will get a major revamp including opening up the feature to all players, changes to monster player skills and advancement and a brand new region for players to battle for or against the forces of evil.
The Lord of the Rings Online is the ultimate adventure. This award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game delivers an interactive experience brimming with life and filled with the familiar people, places and monsters from the most famous fantasy of all time. From the picturesque surroundings of the Shire to Moria, the most fearsome underground realm ever imagined, players can experience the world of Middle-earth for free! For more information, visit www.lotro.com.