Earthrise devs have sent over another batch of three exclusive screenshots for your viewing pleasure today. This time, the screens feature a player standing in a huge canyon, an upward look at a structure on a peak and a guy checking out a contraption of sorts.

Check them out!

Perfect World International is celebrating its second anniversary and players have the opportunity to score some special gear. The new anniversary wear and more will be given to players free of charge. Two year players will receive an extra set of clothing and one year players will receive an anniversary mount.

"Even though we have reached the two year benchmark, we are still committed to providing players a high quality free to play game with much more content on the way," said Clifton Chu, Product Manager for Perfect World International . "We are proud to be able to respond to our players' wants and successfully launch these expansions in a relatively short period of time. Our players make Perfect World International what it is today and to kick-off this celebration, we plan to reward every player regardless of membership length. Our hope is that players will continue with us in the adventure of creating a perfect world."

Read more here.

RiftNexus.com has scored a new preview of the Rift: Planes of Telara zone called Stonefield. Stonefield is one of the first areas for the Defiant faction where players are challenged to fight the servants of the Titans, protecting helpless townsfolk and descending into the Deepstrike Mine.

The Bones of the Earth
In some places, the titans’ influence bursts through the very stone. At Titan’s Rest, the skeleton of a particularly vast specimen juts from the hills, jaw agape in an endless scream. Rocs flit between his ribs, as if hoping to pick an ancient scrap of meat from the bones.

Mountain trolls wander his upturned grave, resting against his wrist-bone or making their lairs in his empty eye sockets. These rough-hewn brutes are split into two factions: those who yearn for a return to titan rule, and those who savor the freedom to roam the hills, smashing and slaying at will. When trolls from rival camps meet, they charge at each other, their bulbous feet tearing the earth, and crash together like boulders. Cracks in the titan’s massive bones might be evidence of where one troll smashed in another’s head.

Read the full Stonefield preview, check out the screens and a flythrough video at RiftNexus.com.

Thanks to Cyphers for the tip!

A couple of days ago, MMORPG.com's Adam Tingle started a battle royale between fans of Vanguard: Saga of Heroes and fans of Everquest 2 in his latest Fighting Words column. Adam fans the flames as he takes a look at solo experiences, group experiences, crafting, fluff, the end game and, finally, the bottom line. See if Adam's fighting words make your fanboi blood boil!

Dum, dum, dum, dum. Dum dum, dum dum. Dum dum durr. Rising up, back on the street, took my time, took my chances. Went the distance, now I’m back on my feet, just a man and his will to survive. So many times it happens too fast, you change your passion for glory. Don’t lose your grip on the dreams of the past; you must fight just to keep them alive. It’s the eye of the tiger, it’s the thrill or the fight, rising up to the challenge of our rival, and the last known survivor stalks its prey in the night and he’s watching us all in the eye. Eye of the tiger.

Read more Fighting Words: Vanguard vs Everquest 2.

Frogster has announced that it has launched the European website for Mythos and that beta registrations are now being taken for the hack and slash MMO in development at Hanbitsoft. Frogster also indicated that it is working on a new video to show the transformation of the game since Hanbitsoft took over development duties from Flagship Studios.

Gamers will be shown the visual transformation of the online RPG, which was taken over by the Korean software company HanbitSoft in 2009 after the closure of the original developers. As well as other improvements, the trailers show three game zones completed during this developing period: Evergreen Pasture, Jagged Canyons and Crystal Peaks. Whether lush, spring pastures, desert terrain or a winter landscape, each region provides a new backdrop, along with the local dungeons and monstrous foes. Not only have the zones received a visual overhaul, they have also been expanded and the players’ “hubs” have been totally redesigned. Gamers can now move their character through the game world in the classic RPG 3D view, as well as in the classic isometric perspective from the previous version.

Read more on the Mythos Europe site.

KingsIsle is preparing to celebrate its second birthday with the launch of the new zone called Celestia. Celestia is set to launch a bit later this fall and a new quest will show up this month to get players prepared. Celestia will raise the level cap and introduce new spells and head under the sea for adventure.

To promote the launch of the new world, later this month KingsIsle will launch a quest featuring one of the hottest teen icons on the planet. The quest, which will introduce players to new underwater environments and preview features of the upcoming Celestia expansion, will be available to all players in the game.

Learn more about Wizard101 here.

Opening the Lord of the Rings Online game client reveals a pair of announcements for Turbine. Consignment quests will not be available after September 7th and players are urged to complete them before that time. Secondly, developers have announced the names of four new servers being brought online in anticipation of hordes of new players for the F2P version set to go live on September 10th.

ALERT: If you currently have active crafting consignment quests, please cancel or complete these quests before server maintenance begins on Tuesday, Sept 7.  These quests (available in Overhill, Silverdeep Mine, Combe Lumber Camp, or Duillond) will no longer be available once Volume III, Book 2 goes live.

Current Subscribers and returning players will be able to access LOTRO Free-to-Play on the North American servers starting September 8th and Head Start players will be the first to play on our newest servers! The following worlds will be available starting September 8, 2010:

To help players organize their friends and Kinmates, the official server forums for these worlds are now available.

• Riddermark
• Crickhollow
• Dwarrowdelf
• Imladris

Find out more about LOTRO here.

Icarus Studios has announced that the companion app for Fallen Earth is set to be updated very soon. The app allows players to participate in a variety of in-game activities from the comfort of their iPhone. Players can check out auctions, chat, view character stats, send/reply to in-game email and more. The new update will grant even more in-game access including the ability to craft.

That means, in addition to checking out your characters’ stats, achievements, and in-game mail, chatting with other online players and viewing the Auction House, world maps and crafting queues, you’ll be granted full access to all of the Auction House features, have the ability to craft an item from scratch and send and receive in-game mail attachments!

The app will be $9.99 on the Fallen Earth site or at various other mobile app sites. The charge is a one-time fee.

Sounds awesome! Grab the current Fallen Earth companion app for $1.99 on iTunes and get access to the new features during the beta phase. The app is also available for Droid and for Blackberry.

Sounds sweet!

Aika Online is teaming up with MMORPG to bring you a special Pran Pack Giveaway! Deck out your favorite fairy familiar with two exclusive, never-before-seen Pran wings and a special pack of 25 portal scrolls.

And to spice things up, once you redeem your coupon code you will be automatically entered to win an additional Perfect Pran Pack, including a Pran Costume of your choice and an extremely valuable Enriched B Extract!

1. Angelic Wing (Pran) x 1
2. Demonic Wing (Pran) x 1
3. Portal Scroll [Event] x 25

1. One of the Following Pran Costumes (of your choice)
2. Snow Princess Dress
3. Engineer’s Outfit
4. Little Devil’s Dress
5. Naval Coat
6. Femme Fatale Tracksuit
7. Enriched B Extract x 1

** Perfect Pran Packs will be given to 5 randomly selected users who redeem the Aika Pran Pack Coupon Code.

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE GIFT CODE NOW!

In his latest entry into the MMORPG.com Staff Blog, Bill Murphy admits that he's a swag, slang for a lady of the night. Bill gleefully runs around trade shows collecting swag when and where he can. At this year's PAX, he's got a definite destination in mind. See what it is and then talk about your own swag-ness!

I'm the kind of guy who has already admitted in the past to purchasing the Lord of the Rings Collector's Editions not for the added footage, but more so because I wanted the pretty statues.  I'm even wrestling with the notion of sprining for the DCUO Collector's Edition, because I really want that Jim Lee designed Batman statue.  I love fluffy extras, and I love the one room of my house I'm "allowed" to store them in.

Read more in the MMORPG.com Staff Blog.

Wargaming.net has announced that the second beta phase for World of Tanks will bring new features and new maps to players. Devs also let us know that they will be moving the game to American servers to assess regional data. We've got a bunch of new and exclusive screens for your enjoyment as well.

• Squad fights. Call your friends, join action-packed battles as a single fighting unit of two or three people, and crush enemy defenses by well-coordinated actions.
• Additional modules. Increase your firing rate by installing rammers, improve your tank’s tonnage with suspension stiffeners, put on a camouflage net and decrease your visibility, choose between dozens of upgrades that will improve your vehicle.
• Crew kits. Equip you tank crew with fire extinguishers, repair kits, first-aid sets and other elements providing extra help in battles.
• Brand-new maps. The game maps feature various kinds of terrain and areas to provide great replayability.

Beta applications are still being accepted so head here to get signed up. Check out our six exclusive screens in the World of Tanks gallery

MMORPG.com columnist Angie Webb recently had the opportunity to sit in on a live demo of DC Universe Online. During the demo, she saw developers play through an area called Amusement Mile, the proverbial playground of The Joker and Harley Quinn. Find out what Angie thought of the demo and about some of the nifty small touches devs have included in the game (the Jester hat equip!).

Russell Shanks, COO of SOE, gave the presentation we saw. It was a single-player area of Gotham called Amusement Mile. This is Joker and Harley’s play area. The demo was played on the PS3. The controls are a little awkward to get used to at first if you’re used to the PC, but if you’re familiar with the PS3 controller then it should be no problem. The goal of the demo was to stop the Joker and Harley Quinn from releasing laughing gas into Gotham, and also to find Robin, who’d gone missing.

Read more of Angie Webb's Basic Recap of DCUO.

Joe Grubb is the Content Designer at NetDevil for Jumpgate Evolution. He started at NetDevil back in November of 2009 and has since crafted hundreds of multi-step missions to inject the Jumpgate universe with a living, breathing world. A few months back he was integral in the design of JGE’s Sector Warfare System – a mission system that will help JGE deliver PvP space combat to the MMO market on an unprecedented scale. We’ve asked him to take a brief moment and discuss a new feature in Jumpgate Evolution that takes full advantage of this new system – Event Sectors.

Greetings all! I’ve been asked to take a moment and discuss an exciting new feature we’ve been building in Jumpgate Evolution – Event Sectors. In a nutshell, an event sector is a non-instanced sector that is available to players for short durations (this could be once a day, once a week, etc. – depending on how rare we want a particular sector to be). Event Sectors emphasize immersive, repeatable content; content structured to blend player vs. player and player vs. environment while supporting each faction’s unique goals and ideologies and remaining fictionally relevant.

Read more Jumpgate Evolution: Event Sectors.

In this week's column about Star Wars: The Old Republic, MMORPG.com Community Manager reveals a dirty little secret: He loved Knights of the Old Republic II. He liked the first KOTRO enough but two was -it- for him. Mike spends time in this column considering what aspects of the KOTRO series could be effectively brought into play in Star Wars: The Old Republic. See what he thinks then add your own ideas to the mix.

While Star Wars: The Old Republic is an MMO and is also set several hundred years after the events of the Knights of the Old Republic games, Bioware often likes to say that The Old Republic is “KOTOR 3, 4, 5, 6..” etc. This week we’ll talk about what that really means and what we hope Bioware brings over from the beloved RPG series.

Read more Star Wars: The Old Republic: KOTOR in The Old Republic.

After the furor over the postponement of the Final Fantasy XIV open beta, Square Enix has revealed that the bug issues causing the delay have been solved. The open beta will begin on September 1, 2010 (that's today!). Here's the full press release.

We would like to take this opportunity to provide an update regarding FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test, which was announced to be postponed on Aug. 31, 2010. Along with the completion on investigation and correction of the critical issue, we have decided to begin FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test on Sep. 1, 2010 at 19:00 (PDT). Starting on Sep. 1, 2010 at 19:00 (PDT), acquisition of registration code required for FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test will be available.

We are looking forward to your participation in FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test!

Read more here.

Ed note: Sorry for the confusion. The press release I received in mail said Sept 2 but the official site says Sept 1.

Blizzard is working with t-shirt designer Swag Dog on a contest where winners can pick up a World of Warcraft class icon t-shirt. The contest will involve checking out Blizzard's Twitter feed and correctly answering class-specific questions.

Starting Tuesday, August 31, we'll be posting two questions per day on our Warcraft Twitter page that will focus on key aspects of each World of Warcraft character class. For each of the ten class questions, we'll be selecting five winners at random from those who answer correctly to receive their very own SwagDog Class Icon custom t-shirt!

Read more here and/or check out the full set of rules.

The Warhammer Online team recently announced the RvR Pack during GamesCom. The announcement seemed to create quite a stir given how few details were released at the time. In this month's Producer's Letter, Carrie Gouskas begins by talking about some of the many changes that have been implemented over the past year. Then she moves on to a recap of the RvR Pack and the 're-envisioning' of oRvR for players.

• NOT F2P: Gouskas puts to rest the speculation that WAR will be going F2P: We’re learning lessons from micro-transaction driven games; however we’re not interested in directly selling things like armor progression or other piecemeal power options.
• New Skaven Themed RvR Zone: The new zone will be integrated into the existing Tier 4 campaign and supplement it rather than becoming a siphon.
• Skaven: WIth the new RvR pack, the Skaven playable character will be introduced.
• Power, Progression, and Personality will tie into RvR.
• RR Cap Increase to 100

So there it is: No Hype, All Fight. More news about the RvR Pack will be coming in the weeks ahead. Come and join Andy Belford and myself at Games Day UK on September 26th 2010; we’ll be there to talk more about the future of WAR and our  2 year anniversary. We’ll also be giving out exclusive in game items and, provided they don’t get stuck in customs this time, WAR T-Shirts, Hats and who knows what else.

Read more here.

Age of Conan game director, Craig Morrison, has posted the latest development update letter on the official AoC forums. Morrison starts off with a discussion of the recent multi-part survey that players were asked to fill out. The results are in and the update focuses on some of the information developers garnered. In addition, fans can download a 20+ page .pdf file with the full results.

Morrison moves on to a discussion of the v2.1 patch that is slated to go live in the next month or two. There are some big changes in store:

• Dreamworld Technology Integration: This is the back end stuff that Morrison discussed at length in the June newsletter.
• PvP Content: Morrison indicated that a new 12v12 mini-game map will most likely be added. He also said that this was a big area of 'concern' to folks completing the survey.
• New Raid Content: More raiding content  (Edited for clarity) with a new instance with a trio of encounters and a wrap up instance for Khitai with three encounters. He did indicate, however, that the latter may fall to the v2.2. patch but that players can definitely expect three tier four encounters for v2.1.
• PvE: Two districts in Pai Kang will open up for exploration.
• Social & Guild Content:

Guilds will be treated to some cool new NPCs that allow for having some specific guild social events. This addition will allow you to hold certain new events amongst your guild, like a treasure hunt, a storytelling competition or a demon hunt.

Then we have a new social feature of horse racing. Players will be able to sign up for some new ‘just for fun’ horse races at a track near Old Tarantia, or you might just fancy going along to watch.

The rooftops of Old Tarantia are also now home to an exclusive venue that only most esteemed of guilds can reach, as a little extra fun reward for topping the rankings.

Read the full Producer's Letter and grab your copy of the survey results.

Thanks AmazingAvery for the tip!

Aeria Games has announced that the closed beta for Legendary Champions has gotten underway. There is no word on how long this particular beta phase will last but players can still sign up for the CBT.

Legendary Champions is a fantasy MMORPG which draws from many sources of culture to create a vast world filled with epic characters. Players will ally themselves with one of two factions and collect an army of heroes to aid them in solo quests and PvP battlefields, including DotA-style challenges with the game’s larger-than-life heroes. With over 60 iconic champions to choose, Legendary Champions allows players to decide, once and for all, who would win in a fight – Beowulf, Mulan, Alexander the Great, or Sinbad?

Find out more about Legendary Champions.