In a move that would be considered ambitious for even an A-list MMO, Dungeons and Dragons Online has today released the largest content update to date.  Turbine’s free-to-play MMORPG’s newest update introduces two new player races: the Half-orc and Half-elf, a new 12-player Raid, a major upgrade to the graphics engine and UI and adds a new free adventure pack: Deception in Stormreach.   These releases are also quickly followed by dozens of new items becoming available for purchase in the online DDO Store.

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Wizard101 is a game from KingsIsle that by all appearances would encourage many adult gamers to look the other direction.  Its cartoon-like appearance masks a game with surprising depth however, and with a moment’s glance, the dynamics of the game become apparent.  The card-based battle system, as well as the character customization, are just some of the aspects that help separate this MMO from so many others in such a saturated market.  These parts of the game offer complex and varied experiences that are not often found in other games of the genre.

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*ALL VINDICTUS BETA KEYS ARE GONE.*

Sorry to those looking for some, better luck next time!

MMOCrunch is announcing today that we are giving away beta keys for the new Action-MMO, Vindictus.

This game has been hailed by many as a up-and-coming top-tier MMO in which you can hack and slash your way through ranks of enemies, while at the same time enjoying the near-seamless looking dungeons and combat that Vindictus has to offer.

Using a modified version of Valve’s hailed Source Engine, enemies react to your sword swings by being staggered and tossed back; your character can even pick up monsters and toss them into each other.  Everything collides with everything else and the model detection of Vindictus is phenomenal for a game only in its second phase of beta.  The physics engine, as can be expected, is superb and would be a gateway into the MMO universe for those whom exist solely to play console action games like God of War and Devil May Cry.

For now, be warned that only two character types can be created, and while you only have access to the tank and melee damage classes, these characters can be altered to make them stand out from everyone else, to a limited degree.

Also, for the first chapter or so of the game, the only enemies to face are Gnolls: a race of Dog-men that look quite a bit like werewolves and giant spiders that look like, well, spiders.  While the never-changing enemy models get slightly repetitive after the first six missions or so,  they do go squish in a spectacular fashion.  It never seems to get old when you shield bash an enemy down a hallway or toss one into a pillar which then collapses onto said monster.  Now that’s funny.

Be sure to get your Vindictus beta key as soon as you can, they are disappearing left and right on every other MMO site and it would be a shame to miss out on all the violence.  We have a small number, but once you receive a key, you can then give 2 of your buddies a key as well, so keep that in mind for those folks who miss out on our site!

MMOCrunch has come, luckily, into possession of a bunch of keys for the second closed-beta test of Microvolts.  Produced by RockHippo, this action-packed game is nearing the general end its closed-beta phase, and is assumed to be entering its open beta by the end of the year.

With a peculiar mix of action and third-person view shooters, Microvolts has created its own niche in the surging MMO market and surprisingly, does it well.  With funny and cartoon-like combat that ranges in locations from a kitchen to what seems to be an abandoned toy town, Microvolts comes off as a Toy Story movie gone horribly wrong.

Sniping, rocket launchers and machine gun battles from behind cover are the name of the game here as the toy characters throw down for their own reasons, or maybe just sheer boredom.   Microvolts seems to be the physical embodiment of the imagination of an over-active six year old and appeals to the inner child as such.  Didn’t you always tell yourself that being an adult would be awesome? Well, now aside from work, rent and bills, it can be.

Microvolts is primed to become very popular, very quickly so make sure you get your Microvolts beta key while we still have them.

Hot on the heels of the last Faxion screenshot release, four more scenes have been unveiled.  The new shots showcase the in-game combat special effects and the first glimpses of both Heaven and Hell.

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On September 15th, Nexon announced in a news post that early access will be allowed to the open beta of their newest game: Vindictus.  This means that any player with a closed beta key or those lucky enough to have received a beta-key from another player will be allowed to log-in to the game.

Vindictus is an exciting game, judging from the released cinematic videos.  They not only exhibit the brutal violence and split-second action involved in the game, but also show in-game play that resembles the popular game series God of War and Devil May Cry for the PlayStation 2 and 3 consoles.

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For those who are not already sitting on the edges of their seats, a new contender in the MMO industry is going to soon be released.  Calling itself Kitsu Saga Online, it will be leaving its beta phase by the end of the year and players should definitely be looking forward to this.

With its rich graphics and in-depth gameplay, Kitsu Saga Online will be offering players an exciting and action-packed game experience while still involving the more industrious aspects of the MMO genre.  Crafting and farming are all taken care of via the robust pet system in-game.  This leaves more time for players to get their hands dirty, so to speak.

A few weeks ago, MMOCrunch.com was lucky enough to have the opportunity to be able to interview a representative from Aeria Games.  In these questions, we poked and prodded interviewee Kevin Simmons, a Game Master (GM) from Kitsu Saga Online about every aspect of the game we could think of.  His detailed answers offered new insights for a MMO that is sure to sweep the Free-to-Play North American market in the months to come.

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As of today, another Turbine MMO title has become free-to-play, for the most part.  Lord of the Rings Online has finally adopted its sister game’s (Dungeon and Dragons Online) micro-transaction scheme in order to swerve away from the traditional subscription models that are so commonly seen in the higher-end MMOs like the industry-leading titan, World of Warcraft.

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In a sudden and shocking announcement today, Bioware‘s Sean Dahlberg has resigned as Community Leader for the much-anticipated MMO: Star Wars: The Old Republic.  As far as reasons why, none were offered in his good-natured blog post about enjoying Labor Day.

He goes on to state in his blog that while stepping away from his position at Bioware and into the great unknown, there are still things to come from Sean Dahlberg in the future.

In a cryptic paragraph before being assaulted by an image of a cat bursting out of a Dr.Pepper box at another cat, he hints at something being in the works behind the scenes.  Many an eye will be kept on our dear Mr. Dahlberg as anything that can pull you away from the imminant release of a major MMO is definitely something to look forward to.

Released at Gamescom, the newest trailer video for Warhammer 40k: Dark Millennium showcases, finally, more information from THQ about the newest media expansion of the Warhammer 40k universe.

Shown in the newest Warhammer 40: Dark Millenium trailer is the mighty Imperium, mankind’s interstellar empire comprised of millions of planets and trillions of inhabitants.

Amongst the defenders of humanity against the alien, mutant and heretic are the three types of characters previewed: The mighty Space Marines, the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Imperial Guard.

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