Paula Patton, Colin Farrell in World of Warcraft Movie?

Legendary Pictures’ Warcraft movie, based on Blizzard’s World of Warcraft MMO, should be getting some star power from Colin Farrell and Paula Patton. According to Deadline, Farrell has been offered a lead role and Patton is in advanced negotiations for a lead role. Other rumored casting choices include, “Paul Dano, fresh from the weekend openers Prisoners; Travis Fimmel, a revelation as the star of the History Channel series Vikings; Anson Mount, who stars in the AMC series Hell on Wheels; and Star Trek‘s Anton Yelchin.”

Anything with Colin Farrell in it is better from his involvement. He’s adept at action, comedy, and drama. I have no idea what his role in Warcraft will be, but in my head it would be a combination of his Bullseye character from Daredevil and his Bobby Pellitt character from Horrible Bosses. That would be cool…though highly unlikely.

Paul Patton is famous for being hot and having a lecherous husband. She was lauded for her role as Ms. Blu Rain in Precious and kicked all sorts of ass in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. With beauty, acting chops, and the ability to kick ass, she would be a fine addition to the Warcraft movie.

Sadly, there hasn’t been any news of Mila Kunis being in the Warcraft movie. In addition to being one of the most beautiful women in movies, she was an avid World of Warcraft player. Speaking of which, isn’t it strange how Kunis transformed from super cute to crazy hot seemingly overnight? My theory is that playing World of Warcraft for hundreds of hours triggered her mutant gene, with her mutant power being crazy hotness, of course. That theory aside, it would be awesome for her to be in Warcraft. It would be appropriate..and she’s just incredibly sexy.

Anyway, what do you think of the Warcraft casting rumors? Is there anyone you’d like to see in the Warcraft movie? Kindly share your thoughts in the comments section.

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Star Wars: The Old Republic Free-To-Play Next Week

Star Wars: The Old Republic will be a free-to-play game starting November 15, 2012. While the game, developed by BioWare and published by EA, was generally well reviewed, it hasn’t reached nearly as many customers as the publisher had hoped for. Many pundits believed that EA expected the game to be its World of Warcraft. The Old Republic has had some success, but not that kind of success.

According to the developer, players will be able to reach level 50 without paying a cent. It will be interesting to see if using a free-to-play model gives the game a significant boost in subscribers.

Let’s forget about the dilemmas of mega-publishers for a second and focus on you. Will you give Star Wars: The Old Republic a shot when it becomes free-to-play? Please leave a comment and let me know!

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World of Warcraft Mega Bloks Available Now

Blizzard has announced that World of Warcraft Mega Bloks toys are available now. I wrote about these sweet toys back in April and have been psyched for their release. For those of you not familiar with Mega Bloks, they’re toys that you assemble, similar to LEGO. Now you can reconstruct and deconstruct the Lich King whenever you feel like it!

A number of WoW Mega Bloks sets are available, including:

  • Deathwing’s Stormwind Assault
  • Colton
  • Ironoak
  • Ragerock
  • Valoren
  • Flying Machine
  • Goblin Trike
  • Swift Wyvern
  • Swift Griffon
  • Barrens Chase
  • Sindragosa and the Lich King
  • Demolisher Attack
  • Goblin Zeppelin Ambush

Any of you planning to pick up some Wow Mega Bloks?

The Elder Scrolls Online Coming to Mac and PC

Bethesda Softworks has officially announced the much-rumored MMO The Elder Scrolls Online. The game will be available for Mac and PC. Development is being handled by ZeniMax Online Studios and headed up by Matt Firor. In today’s press release, Firor said…

Bethesda Softworks has officially announced the much-rumored MMO The Elder Scrolls Online. The game will be available for Mac and PC. Development is being handled by ZeniMax Online Studios and headed up by Matt Firor. In today’s press release, Firor said:

We have been working hard to create an online world in which players will be able to experience the epic Elder Scrolls universe with their friends, something fans have long said they wanted. It will be extremely rewarding finally to unveil what we have been developing the last several years. The entire team is committed to creating the best MMO ever made — and one that is worthy of The Elder Scrolls franchise.

Expect more details on the release date, pricing, etc. at E3 2012.

Millions of gamers around the world love The Elder Scrolls games, but are they anxious to explore the world in MMO form? How will the game do against Blizzard’s monstrously successful World of Warcraft and BioWare’s recent Star Wars: The Old Republic? Most importantly, are you interested in The Elder Scrolls Online? Kindly leave your thoughts on the game in the comments section.

Blizzard and Mega Bloks Reveal Toy Info and Images

World of Warcraft and toys — what more do you need, really?!? Blizzard and Mega Bloks have revealed new information and teased all sorts of images on their upcoming lines of toys. Set for release this summer, the WoW Mega Bloks kick off with a sweet deathwing’s stormwind assault set, faction packs, cool vehicles, collectible mounts, and more. My early favorites include the goblin zeppelin and the lich king set, both pictured below.

When you have a chance, check out the two sites I linked to above. Any of you psyched for World of Warcraft Mega Bloks?

Sony Online Entertainment Rebrands Fan Faire as SOE Live

Sony Online Entertainment has rebranded its annual fan event; gone is the old SOE Fan Faire moniker, to make way for SOE Live! This year’s event will take place from October 18 to October 21 at Bally’s in Las Vegas. Why the name change? Here’s a clip from the press release that explains…

Sony Online Entertainment has rebranded its annual fan event; gone is the old SOE Fan Faire moniker, to make way for SOE Live! This year’s event will take place from October  18 to October 21 at Bally’s in Las Vegas. Why the name change? Here’s a clip from the press release that explains it all.

“The ‘SOE Live’ name change represents a deeper meaning behind our annual event,” said Laura Naviaux, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Sony Online Entertainment. “As our game portfolio continues to expand, we wanted to better represent our diverse player base and games, including the newest additions to the SOE family, with DC Universe Online, Free Realms, Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures, and the highly anticipated PlanetSide 2. Previous event attendees can rest assured that we are not removing any of our established activities in order to accommodate the new players; rather, they can expect even more to make this the ultimate SOE fan experience.”

SOE Live reflects the belief that all SOE players are part of one extended family and presents an opportunity for fans of all ages to meet the talented people behind some of the online world’s most successful games. In addition to a slew of social events, SOE will host developer panel discussions and game-themed live events, giving attendees a chance to voice their opinions of current and upcoming game content. SOE Live will also feature exclusive access to new announcements and beta programs, tournaments, premium swag and more.

That last paragraph kills me. I’m half-expecting SOE to adopt Black Eyed Peas “One Tribe” as the official song of SOE Live. One people!!!

Seriously though, I’m excited for SOE Live. It’s an event about games in Las Vegas. I’m totally down. Any of you interested in attending SOE Live?

MapleStory Players Love Obama, Worry About Unemployment

Nexon conducted an interesting poll and discovered interesting facts about the political leanings of MapleStory players. Apparently the majority of MapleStory players back President Barack Obama, are most concerned about unemployment, and classify themselves as independent. Check out this excerpt from…

Nexon conducted an interesting poll and discovered interesting facts about the political leanings of MapleStory players. Apparently the majority of MapleStory players back President Barack Obama, are most concerned about unemployment, and classify themselves as independent. Check out this excerpt from Nexon’s press release:

Favorite candidates
Forty-eight percent of the survey respondents favored Barack Obama. Twenty-one percent indicated that they did not know or favor any of the candidates, while Ron Paul was favored by 14 percent, Mitt Romney was favored by 10 percent, Rick Santorum was favored by 5 percent and 2 percent named Newt Gingrich as most favored.

Important issues
Additionally, 40 percent of those surveyed listed unemployment as the most important issue facing the United States. The gap between rich and poor was listed by 28 percent of those surveyed as most important, followed by social issues with 12 percent, with healthcare and terrorism/national security both weighing in at 10 percent.

Political identification
Players were also asked to identify their political affiliation. Fourty-nine percent of the surveyed indicated they were independent and not affiliated with any political party. Thirty-four percent identified themselves as being Democrats while 17 percent identified themselves as Republicans.

The poll was conducted from March 23 to March 26 and limited to U.S. residents only. 1,655 people were included.

I’m not going to take the results too seriously. The poll was fun and the results were interesting, but I’m hardly going to award Obama “the gamer vote.” Gamers encompass a wide range of people, spanning the full political spectrum. I suppose the one result that surprised (and disappointed) me was that MapleStory players don’t seem too concerned about healthcare reform.

Any of Nexon’s MapleStory poll results surprise you?

Blizzard Auctioning WoW Server Blades for Charity

Blizzard has announced an awesome charity auction that will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Starting October 17, 2011 gamers will get a chance to win retired World of Warcraft server blades. The server blades were done up commemorative style and signed by members of the WoW team in order to make them some of the coolest pieces of videogame-nerd art the world has ever seen. Here’s a clip from the press release:

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. announced a series of special charity auctions featuring server-blade hardware that was originally used during the early days of the company’s award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game, World of Warcraft. Game enthusiasts around the world will get a unique chance to own a piece of World of Warcraft history — original HP BladeSystem servers that once housed hundreds of different realms across North America and Europe. The net proceeds from the auction will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, one of the world’s premier centers for the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other catastrophic childhood diseases.

In total, approximately 2,000 of the original server blades from about 500 different World of Warcraft realms will be auctioned. The server blades will each be contained in a custom windowed case featuring the World of Warcraft logo and offering a view of the computer hardware inside. They will also come with a commemorative plaque signed by the World of Warcraft team, making each one a true collector’s item.

This auction rules on so many levels. I love that Blizzard is hosting an auction for a great charity. It gives me warm fuzzies and makes me proud to be a Blizzard gamer. On a purely superficial level, I can’t get over how cool these server blades are. If I win the lottery tomorrow then I’ll bid on all of them. I will make a geek wall of awesomeness that’s full of retired WoW server blades. It’ll be awesome!

For more info on the charity auction, go here.

Foo Fighters Closing Out Blizzcon 2011

Blizzard has announced that the Foo Fighters will be the musical guests at Blizzcon 2012. The all-things-Blizzard fan-festival usually ends with a star-studded performance. Past guests include Ozzy Osbourne, Tenacious D, Jay Mohr, and Level 10 60 70 80Elite Tauren Chieftain. Here’s a clip from the…

Blizzard has announced that the Foo Fighters will be the musical guests at Blizzcon 2012. The all-things-Blizzard fan-festival usually ends with a star-studded performance. Past guests include Ozzy Osbourne, Tenacious D, Jay Mohr, and Level 10 60 70 80Elite Tauren Chieftain. Here’s a clip from the official press release:

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that Foo Fighters will headline the closing concert of this year’s sold-out BlizzCon, taking place October 21-22 at the Anaheim Convention Center. While tickets to the convention are currently sold out, viewers can watch at home by ordering a BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, offering comprehensive live coverage of the event (including Foo Fighters’ performance) globally over the Internet and also on DirecTV in the United States.

One of my favorite shows of the year gets even better! I love Blizzcon. Blizzard is an incredible developer and publisher. The company has some of most passionate fans in the world. It’s brilliant watching thousands of people come together to celebrate Blizzard’s excellent games. Add the Foo Fighters on top of all that?!? Awesome!

Any of you making it out to Blizzcon this year? Are you psyched to watch Foo Fighters perform at Blizzcon whether you’re there or watching on DirecTV?

Star Wars: The Old Republic Launching on December 20, 2011

BioWare and LucasArts have announced that the highly-anticipated MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic will arrive on December 20, 2011. The launch date is fascinating. Major game releases typically stop in early December. A lot of my industry friends are thinking, “Sorry family. I’m abandoning you this Christmas.” Others are surprised that the game is coming out for the holidays, simply because MMOs are typically “me” purchases and not gifts.

I think it’s a brilliant time to launch an MMO. A lot of people have time off at the end of December and the beginning of January. That’s the perfect time to create SWTOR addicts! I can see lots of people giving the game a shot while they’re off from work or school. They’ll return to the office or the classroom and dream about their SWTOR life all day.

Of course I could be wrong. The pull of family and friends might be too much for the Force. What do you think about the unusual launch date of Star Wars: The Old Republic? Is it a great time to create subscribers? Or will the game lose out to Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa joy?

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