Spore, SimCity Societies, & LOTRO Free Deals

There's a few freebies floating around the internet I thought you might like to know about, as well as a great interview with Lucy Bradshaw, one of the developers of Spore.

Spore

• Spores Illustrated links us to an interview in which EA Maxis Production VP Lucy Bradshaw discusses the making of Spore. The interviewer asks about Spore Creature Creator, missions in Spore, the beginnings of Spore, and Spore game levels, among other things.

• The Creature Creator will be free in the UK, according to ripten:

"EA’s UK PR manager, Jonathan Goddard, was at hand to inform us that the cost of the Creature Creator will be taken off the full retail price of the Spore game, due in September.

This incentive offer is only for UK customers and only those that made the initial pre-order for Spore, at selected incentive stores."

Lord of the Rings Online

• Turbine updated the LOTRO download manager so players can download the LOTRO soundtrack for free! I've already done it, and have really enjoyed the music. My favorites are probably "East of the Sea" and "Far Ahead the Road Has Gone," which is the song that plays when you create your character.

• Of course, they still offer their 14 day free trial which gives you something fun to do while you wait for the Creature Creator to arrive.

SimCity Societies

• I don't blog about SimCity Societies because I don't play it. But I found out through Urban Online Entertainment that there is now a free demo of SimCity Societies. I was reluctant to buy SimCity Societies because I've read mixed reviews. I'll be sure to play the demo and see what it's like.

Some jokes to get you through the rest of the week


What can a shadow priest add to your raid? This video shows you!


'Warcraft' Sequel Lets Gamers Play A Character Playing 'Warcraft'(Note: The Onion website is for those over 18.)

Read More......

Lord of the Rings Online -- Refuge from WoW

I've never gotten into a Blizzard beta (and boo to the Warhammer people, because I never got in there, either), and I'm pretty sure I won't be testing any stages of World of Warcraft's WotLK, either. However, I was a beta tester for Lord of the Rings Online, and I have no real idea why I never signed up. It's a really fun game, lots of eye candy, and continues to have a great community. Plus, it's cheap.

Anyway, they sent me an email as a former tester to try to lure me back, and I tried it again. It was just as much fun as I remembered. One of the things I really like about it are these scenes that you solo play through alongside the major characters, kind of like the Caverns of Time in World of Warcraft, but you do it every so often as your character grows in level. I don't really know much about Lord of the Rings lore (beyond reading the books as a kid), but I really liked the Warcraft games, and if I had been able to fight with Thrall when I was a lowbie, I would have been messing myself.

So, I signed up (only days before Medicine Man got sick. Oh well. I never claimed to see the future.) and I'm looking forward to the PvP--you get to play a LotRO monster, like an orc, spider, or wolf, and attack players! W00t! So, I guess I'll be spending more time in LotRO and less in Azeroth until WoTLK comes out. Yeah, it's not perfect, but it's nice to read forums with respectful players congratulating each other on their accomplishments instead of calling eachother "welfare epiced-out scrubs."

Read More......