Pokeadot is back – and this time she’s brought some friends along for an all new dance adventure! Join them as they take you on a whirlwind tour of newly released beta locations including Tol Barad, Uldum, Twilight Highlands, and a few more surprises. You don’t want to miss it!

Many consider World of Warcraft to be the holy grail of MMOs because of its player base, but that doesn’t deter rival companies from attempting to improve the MMO formula to draw in players. While the fantasy genre has been nearly beaten to death with MMO titles that have come and gone, EVE Online has remained the one true space sim MMO for the past several years.

A new competitor in the space sim MMO realm is Jumpgate: Evolution. Some of you may be familiar with the first iteration of the series that had what some may call “boring at best” gameplay, but Jumpgate: Evolution’s developer NetDevil promises fast-paced Wing Commander style fighting amidst an array of PVE and PVP objectives.

Combat is very much akin to classic games like Wing Commander, as opposed to what a traditional MMO might have in store. Meaning it’s all about your ability to lead your target and track your enemy with the reticule. This isn’t a highlight and forget it experience…(source).

Event Sectors

While also supporting thousands of players in a single universe on a single server, much like EVE, Jumpgate: Evolution takes a unique approach to what many would recognize as “instancing”, except they are called “Event Sectors.” Event Sectors are not instanced and are instead daily, weekly, or even monthly areas that temporarily open up for players so they can race to achieve objectives before the sectors close. In the recent demonstration of Event Sectors at E3, a sector opened up where players had to defend a friendly space station that was under attack by enemy controlled spacecraft. In another, two opposing factions were forced to fight over and secure an area of space.

Players are by no means required to involve themselves in these Event Sectors, but the rewards, lore, and immersive experience that they offer is what NetDevil says will draw players out of their normal playing routine.

The 2010 E3 demonstration of JGE showed some massive changes to the game after its last public playtest back in 2009; fortunately, it has received a significant amount of buzz and some commentary that has piqued the interest of the MMO community.

It’s sort like what would happen if Wing Commander and Dark Age of Camelot had a baby, to be perfectly honest. (source)

Stay tuned, we may have a new contender in the MMO market yet!

While World of Warcraft may be my bread and butter of gaming consumption, I, like many of you, often like to play a myriad of other games in my spare time. After a very awkward transition into 3D gaming, it feels like games are finally getting back into another golden era where creativity and ingenuity has caught back up with technological advancement. It’s been a long time since I’ve been so excited for so many upcoming releases, and I thought I would share what I believe is some of the best stuff coming our way in the near future.

5. Dead Space 2

Dead Space was a modern masterpiece. It was the first truly cinematic gaming experience for me. Now, when I use the term cinematic in this case, I don’t mean in the way we are typically used to hearing it in association with games (such as with something like Grand Theft Auto or Heavy Rain). After all, there are no cut-scenes in the game at all and it’s not stylized to look like a film with fancy edits, filters, or angles. What I mean is that it’s the first game that made me feel like I was living a film. Everything was being meticulously orchestrated around me as I was driving a story forward while keeping me completely and utterly engrossed, and of course, terrified. First was the setting, a somber, zero gravity Titanic ripped straight from Ridley Scott’s Alien complete with it’s haunting isolation and it’s horrific use of lighting. Then there’s the sound design, from the pin drop silence, to the maddening whispers, to the percussion heavy orchestral score. And then on top of it all, the game mechanics themselves. The game is absolutely unforgiving (particularly if you play it on Hard your first time through, which I highly recommend). The game takes advantage of the fact that you’re already terrified and then amplifies that tension by forcing you to be pin point accurate with combat, as the only way to quickly dispatch enemies is to sever their limbs instead of plugging away aimlessly at their bodies. Throw in an absolutely bottom of the barrel scrap amount of ammo for the first half of the game and you’ve got yourself a total package.

It’s rare that a new franchise gets it so right on it’s first go around. Gaming, unlike film, usually improves with it’s first few sequels. The only real danger here is that the developers won’t be able to replicate what was so fantastic the first time around. Either way, I cannot wait to see where they take this series.

4. I Am Alive

There’s very little actually known about this game other than a promise and a premise. The game, developed by the producer of the first Assassin’s Creed, is supposed to be a first person adventure set in Chicago during the aftermath of a 10.5 earthquake that had rocked the 6 days prior. The MacGuffin is simple enough, you are separated from your fiancé and you vow to find her. It kind of reminds me of what a videogame adaptation of Y: the Last Man could be like. Even with very little information about game play, color me intrigued.

3. Sorcery

I find it funny that it took Sony ripping off the Wii to finally make a gaming experience that the Wii should have had from day one. Sorcery was unveiled this summer as an upcoming game for Sony’s Move platform, essentially their advanced Wiimote controller for the PS3. Now, like most people, I was totally stoked about the Wii when we first heard about it. I got one, of course, and it has been collecting dust ever since. For me, the Wii never delivered on the immersion it promised. It was never more than a glorified lazer pointer with an accelerometer built in. Dreams of one to one motion were never realized and I just ended up disappointed. And then I saw Sorcery for the PS3. It seems like we may finally have our first game that delivers on this promise. Finally, we’ll have a game that moves just like you do, points where you point, shoots at what you shoot. For goodness sake, it even changes color as you shake up a potion and lets you drink it with an actual gulping motion! If this gameplay demo doesn’t bring out the kid in you and get you at least a little excited – there is no hope for you!

2. Diablo 3

If you spent a good couple years of your life mindlessly clicking your mouse for SoJ’s, this next entry should be of no surprise. The first Diablo was groundbreaking for modernizing the gameplay of Gauntlet that we all grew up loving in the arcades. Then Diablo 2 came along and addicted us with it’s modernization of itemization and our compulsive need to collect. Years later it is still played and beloved by millions of gamers, all of them waiting for the day D3 drops on our doorstep. I have had the privilege to play Diablo 3 at the last two Blizzcons and I’m happy to report that the core gameplay is as great as ever. The design philosophy is very much in line with the recently released Starcraft 2. The core gameplay is very much the same, but exceptionally refined. It’s been polished and perfected with just enough new added to it without changing what we fundamentally love about Diablo. Most of the apparent changes are matters of convenience. An improved user interface, and more streamlined talent system (though this seems to evolve even more every year we see it), etc. The game itself looks great, keeping the same isometric perspective we know and love but adding detail and depth unlike we’ve seen before.

I feel like I don’t really have to say much about Diablo. It’s one of those things that most people have gotten around to playing at some point in their lives. But for those of you who haven’t yet had a taste, you’re in for a real treat.

1. Portal 2
It amazes me that there are still people out there, even avid gamers, who have not played Portal. I hold to this day that is it one of the finest games ever crafted. What made Portal so unique and amazing was the masterful way that it used what would have been in any other case a simple puzzle game as a vehicle for telling a compelling story through exploration and discovery. A first time player has absolutely no idea what is in store for them as the game progresses, and I can’t imagine that anybody could have anticipated the climactic finale when they fired up the game for the first time. It was a perfect and delightful surprise. To make things better, the puzzle game play was actually good! The puzzles started out simple and grew in complexity, teaching you things in phases and forcing you to evolve your thinking as the game went along. It had a perfect level of challenge. The game never felt too simple or too complex.

Next year we will finally get our hands on Portal 2. Portal 2 promises to be longer and to introduce all new mechanics to challenge us in ways we can’t even dream up. It was recently announced that Stephen Merchant will be voicing a new AI in the game which makes me even more excited which I didn’t think was possible. If you haven’t yet experienced this fantastic game, I highly recommend you head over to Steam and download it to experience it for yourself before Portal 2 releases next Spring. And for those of you who have, I highly recommend picking up a new game called Limbo (currently only available as an Xbox Live Arcade title) to tide you over.

Games that almost made the cut:

Rage
The Last Guardian

What other games are you looking forward to?

Over the past few months we’ve put in a lot of work to grow irnub. Luckily, with the sweat on our brow, a little bit of luck, and some great feedback from our readers, the site is growing into its own. I wanted to take this opportunity to do a quick recap of the site since launch.

Timeline of Events

• May 7th – irnub.com is launched, focusing on articles circling the games and lifestyles of people in the MMO community.
• June 2nd – irnub gets its first traffic surge from the article, “Nerdgasm.”
• June 7th – In the first 30 days of the site being live, irnub received 1200 unique visitors and 6,463 pageviews.
• June 14th – Guild Recruitment service launched.
• July 20th – The irnub forums launch, i.e., a lightweight forum for MMO players to discuss a variety of topics and games.
• August 26th – Past 30 day traffic is at 4,496 unique visitors and 29,729 pageviews, a 200% and 339% increase, respectively. In addition, bounce rate is at a mere 30.25% and the average time on the site is 4:44.

Interesting Facts

• Most popular article: Blizzard Implements Most Definitive Gear Reset Ever
• Most Search Engine Traffic: Google, 1,614 unique visitors
• External site sending most traffic: Facebook
• Average visitors on site at any time: 86

With that all being said, we wanted to thank you for your support and please feel free to let us know if you have any feedback by contacting us at contact@irnub.com. Also, don’t forget that we are always accepting contributing authors to the site.

Most of us don’t give a second thought to what it would be like to play our games if we were handicapped. Chances are that in your online escapades you’ve played with dozens of people that were handicapped. Thanks to perseverance, adaptation, and a little bit of technological engineering, these players are able to meld into a world where their physical disabilities no longer have value. –Krieg

Nerve damage; when it happens in your arms, hands, or wrists, the impact can be devastating to your gaming.

I have had surgery on both arms and I am still feeling it. My son and my friends all play World of Warcraft, so giving up the game is not an option. I know the pain will be an issue for a long time, so I am playing smarter to reduce the pain and soreness, have fun, and live my life playing and socializing the way I always did before my surgeries.

Having nerve damage or any other kind of crippling disability is not the end of your gaming experience. There are many tools and tips you can benefit from to allow for mostly normal play. Ergonomic mice and keyboards, in-game addons, and even simply taking frequent breaks can allow you to lead a less painful gaming lifestyle.

Here are a few pointers to those newly initiated into the, “OMFG my wrists and arms hurt” club:

1. Personally, I use a 3M EM550GPS Ergonomic Mouse at work and a Logitech Optical Trackman Trackball at home. These two mice are radically different and a little hard to get used to. I do notice that my speed and dps are slowed down a bit when using a trackball and having to use my thumb, but my well-being is a higher priority.
2. There are some relatively high end devices, such as one that you can wear on a baseball cap that will follow your head and let you use that target as your mouse pointer, while using your other appendages to click buttons; however, these devices seem impractical for gaming.
3. Utilize an ergonomic keyboard. Studies have shown time and time again that normal, flat keyboards just aren’t good for your wrists. Ergonomic keyboards can be expensive, but are often well worth the small investment.
4. Take care of yourself. Take frequent breaks and play smart–use flight paths so you can take your hands off the keyboard and massage them. Try to do less gathering since that can be hours of repetitive movements. Break up your playtime to give your body a break. Massage the area of soreness often. Monitor your pain levels and adjust your playtime accordingly. The goal is to put your health first and the game second, not the other way around.
5. If you are in a guild, Inform officers and/or raid leaders of your condition so if your dps slows or you need a break, they understand your issues. If they do not know why you are taking breaks or lower on the dps charts, they may misunderstand your issues. Do not use your disability as an excuse, but as an upfront explanation as to why these issues may occur.
6. Utilize addons. There are many addons out there to help disabled or players with reduced mobility. I use Squakandawe for my Moonkin, and a Pally Ret first come first serve addon that shows the icons of what to hit next in your rotation so using muscle memory and placing your buttons close will help you play and hopefully not irritate your nerve pain.

Above all, if you are getting pains in your wrist, arms, back, or anywhere else that may be the result of excessive gaming, you should go see a doctor and limit your time using your computer until your appointment. Once diagnosed be sure to take care of yourself . As long as you play smarter, you too will be able to continue having many enjoyable years gaming with your family and friends.

About the Author

Bloodragé is a single father of 2, a full time worker and a gamer–not necessarily in that order. He has been playing World of Warcraft since early Burning Crusade but has tried and failed many-a-MMO before that. He recently took a year break from the game, so no comments about his gear . He is sarcastic, witty and has a thing for cleft hoofed females. He is currently in the guild Illuminatus as a guildmate and on the guild council.

Would you like to write for irnub? Shoot us an email and you could have your article featured and the above bio would be yours!

People that play tank classes are psychotic shit-shows…and I’m not just saying this because I am one. Any person who plays a tanking class that takes it seriously is a rough blend of masochism, narcissism, and an unhealthy amount of unresolved angst. I mean lets face it, have you ever seen two tanks go at it in a raid before? It is basically a competition of who is more bat shit fucking crazy:

Tank 1: “HEY I’M TANKING 5 MOBS AT THE SAME TIME! RAWR!”

Tank 2: “OH YEAH WELL I JUST PULLED THIS ENTIRE ROOM OF MOBS!”

Tank 1: “GOOD ONE BUT NOW I’M TANKING TWO BOSSES AT THE SAME TIME…WITHOUT A SHIELD!”

Not only this, but they make sure everyone is watching when they do it. All the focus is on them and all the glory goes to them when things go well:

“YEAH I TANKED THAT BOSS LIKE A CHAMP, TOO BAD YOU IDIOTS COULDN’T DODGE TAIL SWIPE WHEN I MOVED THE BOSS!”

And when things go poorly, it is always someone else’s fault:

Tank: “WANNA KNOW HOW I DIED? YOU HEALERS ARE TRASH, THAT’S HOW!”

Healer: “You got hit for twice your health…”

Tank: “THAT WASN’T A QUESTION.”

Tanks usually like to yell as well. The best part about tank chatter is it often sounds more like a bunch of meat heads during a football game rather than anything actually constructive or relevant to how game mechanics work:

“YEAH, FUCKING HIT ME YOU BITCH” (I have actually said this while tanking)
“FUCK THIS SHIT UP BOYS, GET FUCKING PUMPED, IT’S GAME TIME!” (I have also said this)

Most tanks are essentially virtual embodiments of Tony Horton and they “bring it” every raid.

People often talk about the above “tank mentality” and I believe there is some truth to it. Personally, I like yelling at my screen, getting jacked as fuck before a raid and just letting loose in a way that other classes don’t allow me to. I enjoy living vicariously through my character and embracing all that is crazy.

Video after the jump.

I’m certain that everyone reading this has felt left out at some point in their gaming lives. It started when I started leveling my priest more than four years ago now and hasn’t stopped since. For me it has actually gotten worse.

As my husband says, “We’re on different levels of play. I’m more competitive than you.” How does anyone think that this amounts to a valid argument when someone feels left out – especially a significant other or spouse?

I am in a polygamous relationship. Krieg, myself, World of Warcraft, and Starcraft II are all shacked up in this house where Soviet Russia meets Utah, where the game plays and screws you.

There’s a “group session” going on and I’m not invited.

Compromise is Key

No play makes for a very sad girl, but I’ve come to realize something from this… my parents were right when they said that, “relationships change and you have to move with the flow or get washed up.” For any person in a relationship with a highly committed gamer this can feel like a whirlwind of pixilated chaos. As explained in some of my earlier articles, I started playing WoW in an effort to spend more time with my then boyfriend but failed miserably in the process. I still find myself trying to use the same tactic on my now husband and have met with some small success. A mixture of staunch persistence, understanding, and clemency are time-proven tools needed to get through the whirlwind.

An example of compromise:

Husband:
“Honey, there’s another GDKP run this week and I really want a trinket. Can I go?”

Wife:
“Am I invited? I like gold too…”

Husband:
“…no.”

Wife:
“The trinket could easily drop in the GDKP group that we do together, how about we spend some time together instead?”

Husband, with a defeated look:
“Okay.”

The gamer might be downtrodden but generally after a few compromises, in my experience, they start seeing the non-pixilated light.

This is my call to you, significant others and spouses of committed gamers, for many of you it has become obvious that they are not going to change. But, armed with persistence, understanding, and clemency you can get through the muck and mire together.

Now, for you gamers, since you seem to enjoy your polygamous lifestyle so much, it is up to you to compromise on a regular basis. Five days of gaming and half a night with your S.O. isn’t enough to stabilize the relationship. More time must be devoted to the non-pixelated world – either by cutting down on the number of hours each day or shaving off a day or more of the gaming week.

Be thoughtful in your actions and you won’t end up in the proverbial dog house like so many do!

Levelling a girlfriend is, in many ways like levelling in an MMORPG, like World of Warcraft for example. At first you start off with small simple tasks or ‘quests’ that you carry out in a safe and relatively danger free zone. These ‘quests’ can be something simple like gathering plants or flowers, and returning them to the quest giver (your girlfriend) in return for small, token rewards, occasionally a few silver or a small trinket or bracelet. Often these quests will grant ‘reputation’ with your chosen faction which, again, can be turned in at a later date for huge rewards in return for your diligent service.

As you continue to level your girlfriend, you will notice that quests seem to get harder and harder, and take more time. Soon you will find yourself running all over the place to complete quests but you will notice that the levelling speed which seemed incredibly quick and gratifying at first begins to slow down. Getting from level 1 to level 3 was all done in one busy afternoon, but by the time your girlfriend reaches level 40, progress seems almost almost nonexistent by comparison. Furthermore, in order to remain up to the task of levelling your girlfriend you will need to invest large amounts of gold in order to maintain momentum. At some point you will also find out in no uncertain terms that your weapon is just not powerful enough and you will be expected to upgrade but this can be time consuming, even painful. You can make life easier by levelling your cooking skills.

Perseverance is key. By the time you near level 80 you will have seen almost everything your chosen girlfriend has to offer. You will be aware of all of her special abilities and your rotation should be down to a fine art. You could even consider group questing, but make sure your girlfriend is willing and able to do a 5 man, they can be quite messy at first but a skilled healer will ease your girlfriends initial damage mitigation. Remember, if you find yourself wiping, you’re doing it wrong. Some elixirs can be really effective when trying to reach the last few levels though.

Sadly, when you have reached max level, it is often the case that the amount of gold and time you have to spend on your girlfriend can become tiresome and repetitive. At which point you might consider levelling an alt girlfriend. If you decide to do so, remember that alt girlfriends will expect you go through the entire levelling process again and it can be tricky to gain reputation with a new faction with which you are unfamiliar. Also, trying to sell your old girlfriend is highly illegal and will result in a permanent ban.

Good luck! (source)