City of Heroes HeroCon spawns Real World Heroes

City of Heroes players are decent people, as evidenced by a charity they helped create called Real World Heroes. This six week charity drive will help raise funds for three organizations dedicated to real world heroes and heroic and lofty causes. The charity will also get the support of NCsoft, who will help promote its efforts with the City of Heroes MMO. The idea for a charity drive was conceived by Joel and Karen Garcia, long-time City of Heroes players, after attending the HeroCon 2009 fan event hosted by NCsoft and Paragon Studios, the development studios behind the game.

The charities getting the proceeds from this drive include Child’s Play (an organization created by Penny Arcade creators Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins donates toys, games, books, and cash for sick children in hospitals across the U.S. and the world), Donate Games (a charity dedicated to funding research and support for children with “orphan” diseases) and Operation Gratitude (a charity dedicated to sending 100,000 care packages annually filled with snacks, entertainment items and letters of appreciation to U.S. Service Members deployed in hostile regions).

This time of the year is particularly important to charities around the world because it is when people tend to be the most generous and giving. As gamers, we should show the world that are hearts are as big as our dedication is to playing games. I encourage you to check out www.RealWorldHero.com, see the great work they are doing, and get involved.

Aion in stores today

NCsoft today released, Aion, the company’s latest massively multiplayer online (MMO) game to retailers across North America. Having sold out of its Limited Collector’s Edition version and tallying more preorders than any other massively multiplayer online game this year (which is very few, to be fair), Aion’s release does mark the biggest MMO launch of this year so far. Aion also released today in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore and launches this Friday, September 25, in Europe.

In Aion, gamers explore a celestial world where they cab create either winged Elyos or Asmodian avatars, sworn enemy races that discover a common foe: the twisted and depraved Balaur.

Aion’s preorder sales have exceeded NCsoft’s expectations, and the game has remained ranked among the top games on both Steam and Direct2Drive throughout the preorder period. Those pre-orders account for sales of 450,000 copies before launch. Aion is available at retailers such as NCsoft.com, Amazon, Best Buy, EB Games Canada, Fry’s Electronics, GameStop, Steam, Target and Wal-Mart.

NCsoft’s Aion pre-orders near 400,000 mark

NCsoft has proclaimed Aion is the biggest MMO launch of the year and a must-have game this holiday season. The company is basing these lofty claims on the latest preorder figures for its newest massively multiplayer online game, Aion, which is nearing 400,000 preorders.

NCsoft says, as a bonus to the nearly 400,000 players who have preordered their copy of Aion, will be treated to server Pre-Selection (beginning tomorrow - September 18) and a two-day Headstart period (beginning September 20) allowing them to get a jump start on their exploration and progression prior to the official launch on September 22. Players can still participate in Aion’s Pre-Selection and Headstart programs by preordering the game through several participating online and brick-and-mortar retailers, including the NCsoft Store, Amazon, Best Buy, EB Games Canada, Fry’s Electronics, GameStop, Steam and Target.

For more information about Aion check out www.aiononline.com.

DC Comics, NCsoft team up for limited edition Aion comic

NCsoft’s Aion, the next original massively multiplayer online game from the company responsible for Lineage, will come alive in a comic book being created by DC Comics. NCsoft and DC Comics announced “Aiva’s Story,” a limited edition comic book based on the world of Aion from renowned artist Neil Googe and writers David Noonan and Ricardo Sanchez. This one-time collectible will be made available free with purchase of Aion exclusively at GameStop stores in the United States, as well as Electronic Boutiques in Canada. Additionally, in celebration of this week’s Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, a limited number of copies will be made available free for show attendees in NCsoft’s Aion booth.

The comic tells the story of Aiva, a young Asmodian warrior who vows vengeance against the Elyos who killed her family during a raid. Aiva trains ceaselessly, hoping to become a Daeva and someday find her nemesis on the battlefields of the Abyss (where only Daevas can go). Her story unfolds in the limited run comic by NCsoft and DC’s Wildstorm Studios.

If you’ll be at PAX this week, stop by NCsoft’s Aion booth to learn more about the game and the comic.

Two chances to play the Aion beta in Sept., says NCsoft

NCsoft announced today that, in the next four weeks, it will give North American and European gamers two opportunities to jump into the world of Aion and explore Atreia as Asmodian or Elyos characters ahead of its release in North America on September 22 and in Europe September 25. Aion’s Open Beta Test featuring the version 1.5 (which will be highlighted at PAX in September) will take place September 6 – 13 and will include numerous Western enhancements, including improvements to Aion’s character customization with a host of Western styles, as well as new zones, instances, skills, quests and continued game balancing and improvements. Open Beta will retain a level cap for both Elyos and Asmodians characters at 30 allowing players to focus on getting to the same level so they can explore the lands of Atreia together, as well as the Abyss.

Players who have preordered Aion will be treated to a Pre-Select and a two-day Headstart period giving them the opportunity to explore, organize and progress through the game prior to the official launch. Pre-Select will take place on September 18, while Aion’s Headstart will begin September 20. Players can still participate in the Aion’s Pre-Select and Headstart programs by preordering the game through several participating online and brick-and-mortar retailers, including Aiononline.com, Amazon, Best Buy, EB Games Canada, Fry’s Electronics, GameStop, Steam and Target.

Guild Wars 2 Trailer

NCsoft and ArenaNet debuted the very first Guild Wars 2 teaser trailer at GamesCom this week in Cologne, Germany. Show attendees got a mere glimpse of what ArenaNet has in store for players, though a large portion of it was cinematic and not the in-game action we’d have preferred to see. What the teaser trailer does reveal are some of the world-shaking events that set up the story of Guild Wars 2 and the game’s pretty graphics and environments.
Building on the success and lessons learned from Guild Wars, ArenaNet is creating an MMO that gives Guild Wars fans the gameplay mechanics they want, while retaining the no-subscription-fee business model that has made the original so popular.

You can check out that brand new trailer in high definition at www.guildwars2.com.

Aion gold, ready for launch Sept. 22

NCsoft announced that its latest MMORPG, Aion, has completed its North American development cycle and has been released to manufacturing. Aion will be released in North America on Sept. 22. In advance of the game’s launch, Aion will be showcased at both GamesCom 2009 in Cologne, Germany, as well as the Penny Arcade Expo 2009 in Seattle, Washington. Both events will feature exclusive hands-on access to the 1.5 version of the game, which has yet to be unveiled to Western audiences. This version of the game introduces several new enhancements, including continued improvements to Aion’s character customization system that includes a host of Western styles, as well as new zones, instances, skills, quests and continued game balancing and improvements.

Aion has already built decent momentum among gamers across Europe and North America, with more than three million hours of gameplay logged in the game’s closed best testing. Additionally, the Limited Collector’s Edition version of the game is nearly sold out at retailers, and Aion is currently on the best-seller lists for PC games weeks ahead of the game’s launch.

Aion is available for pre-order from several participating online and brick-and-mortar retailers, including Aiononline.com, Amazon, Best Buy, EB Games Canada, Fry’s Electronics, GameStop, Steam and Target. For more information about Aion go to www.aiononline.com.