Back in 2007, the Korean MMO house released an open beta build of RO2 to the Korean market.  The universally panned for numerous reasons and Gravity decided to go back to the drawing board and rebuild the game from the ground up.  The new version of the game, Ragnarok Online: The Legend of the Second, is now powered by Gamebryo (the same engine powering Bethesda’s hit games like Fallout 3, Fallout NV and Skyrim) and sports a whole new different job and leveling system.  Ragnarok Online fans may want to start looking out for groups willing to work on a translation patch soon.

Fans of the original Ragnarok Online MMO (and those still playing it) will be pleased to know that Gravity has ensured that the sequel will have maps, monsters, items, etc that will make you feel right at home (or at least make the game familiar enough to warrant a decent play through).

Gravity has announced that Ragnarok Online 2 has been licensed to 10 countries, and the localization work can start at any time.  As of press time however, the list of countries to be included in the first release wave has not been made public.

Ragnarok Online 2: Legend of the Second will go into open beta in South Korea, starting on February 22nd.

source MMOsite, GNJoy

• Steam Mobile App now in Beta for Android, iOS
• Skyrim 1.4 Beta Patch now available
• Diablo III Beta is now Live!
• StarCraft II Closed Beta Begins!
• HON (Heroes of Newerth) Beta Keys/Invites

Yes.  The app is currently in beta an the first time you sign-up you’ll likely get this error:

Bummer.  One more caveat is that if you have Steam Guard active, you’ll have to authorize your phone by entering the authorization code the first time you connect to Steam using the app — which will end up in the screen above because, hey, what are the chances that you’re already in the Beta?

Gabe Newell had this to say:

“Seeing which of your friends are online and playing a game, sending quick messages, looking at screenshots for an upcoming game, or catching a sale – these are all features customers have requested. Mobile is changing way people interact, play games and consume media, and the Steam app is part of our commitment to meet customer demands and expand the service functionality of Steam to make it richer and more accessible for everyone”

While I’m a bit disappointed that the current beta is closed and by invite only, I can’t help but applaud Valve for finally addressing the need for a way for gamers to use Steam using their smartphones.  Now, if they’ll just allow my Steam account into the Beta..

source Steam

• Steam Holiday Sale Encore
• 2011 Steam Holiday Sale begins
• Diablo III Beta is now Live!
• Steam Summer sale begins
• EA starts pulling games from Steam, props up Origin

To opt-in and download the Skyrim 1.4 Beta Patch, just follow the instructions below:

1. Log into Steam
2. Click on Steam in the upper menu
3. Select Settings
4. Under the Account tab, go to the Beta Participation section and select Change.
5. A drop down menu will appear. Select Skyrim Beta.
6. Select OK.
7. Steam will now restart. After Steam restarts, Skyrim will be updated to the Beta version currently available.

The changelog for Skyrim BETA 1.4.15 Patch is available below:

NEW FEATURES

• Skyrim launcher support for Steam Workshop*

BUG FIXES

• General optimizations for memory and performance
• Optimized bookshelf script in player-owned houses that would occasionally cause active scripts to lag and also cause an increase to saved games filesize (PS3)

Improved compiler optimization settings

• Memory optimizations related to scripting
• Fixed crashes related to pathing and AI
• Fixed crash in Haemar’s Shame if player had already completed “A Daedra’s Best Friend”
• Fixed rare crash with loading saved games
• Fixed issue with accented characters not displaying properly at the end of a line
• Fixed issue where quests would incorrectly progress after reloading a save
• Fixed issues with placing and removing books from bookshelves in the player’s home
• Fixed issue where weapon racks and plaques would not work correctly in player’s house if player immediately visits their house before purchasing any furnishing.
• Fixed issue where the player house in Windhelm would not clean up properly
• Fixed crash related to giant attacks and absorb spells
• Fixed issue with ash piles not cleaning up properly
• Fixed occasional issue where overwriting an existing save would fail
• Fixed memory crash with container menu
• Fixed infinite loop with bookshelves
• Fixed issue where traps in Shalidor’s Maze would not work properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian versions
• Fixed issue where transforming back to human from werewolf would occasionally fail
• Bows and daggers will display properly when placed on weapon racks

QUEST FIXES

• The Unusual Gem inside the Thalmor Embassy is now accessible after finishing “Diplomatic Immunity”
• In “Breaching Security”, the quest token is no longer required to receive a fortune reading from Olava the Feeble
• Fixed issue where Galmar would not complete Joining the Stormcloaks properly if “Season Unending” was an active quest
• Fixed issue where starting “Season Unending” after finishing “Joining the Stormcloaks” would prevent “The Jagged Crown” from starting properly.
• Fixed issue progressing through “Message to Whiterun” while “Season Unending” was still open would block progression for both quests.
• In “Arniel’s Endeavor”, fixed issue where a quest journal would trigger multiple times
• In “Forbidden Legend”, the amulet fragment can no longer disappear after player leaves a dungeon without taking it
• Fixed rare issue in “Forbidden Legend” where killing Mikrul Gauldurson while sneaking would make his corpse unaccessible
• In “The White Phial”, the phial can no longer disappear if player leaves dungeon without taking it
• “The White Phial” will now start properly if player already has a briar heart in their inventory
• Player can no longer get stuck in Misty Grove after completing “A Night to Remember”
• Fixed issue where leaving Riften during “A Chance Arrangement” would prevent quest from progressing
• In “Darkness Returns”, a door in Twilight Sepulcher will properly open if the player leaves the dungeon for an extended period of time before completing the quest
• In “Revealing the Unseen”, if the player leaves the Oculory for an extended period of time after placing the focusing crystal and returns, the quest will proceed correctly
• “Onmund’s Request” will now start properly if player has already found Enthir’s staff before receiving this quest
• Fixed instance where Tonilia would stop buying stolen items and also would not give Guild Leader Armor
• “Repairing the Phial” will start properly if player already has unmelting snow or mammoth tusk in their inventory
• Finding Pantea’s Flute before speaking with Pantea no longer prevents her quest from updating
• In “The Break of Dawn”, fixed rare instance where a quest object would spawn incorrectly on the Katariah during Hail Sithis
• Fixed rare issue in “The Mind of Madness” where player is unable to equip the Wabbajack
• Fixed issue in “Pieces of the Past” where Mehrunes Dagon’s Razor will not trigger properly if player leaves the cell for extended period of time before activating it
• “Blood’s Honor” will start properly if you visited and completed Driftshade and an extended period of time passes before starting the quest.
• Fixed rare issue where “Dampened Spirits” would not start properly
• Fixed issue where killing guards in Cidhna Mine would block progression for “No One Escapes Cidhna Mine”
• Fixed numerous issues with “Blood on the Ice” not triggering properly
• In “Blood on the Ice”, Calixto can now be killed if player owns a house in Windhelm
• In “The Cure for Madness”, killing Cicero then resurrecting him no longer impedes quest progress
• Fixed rare issue in “To Kill an Empire” where an NPC would fail to die properly
• Clearing Knifepoint Ridge before starting “Boethiah’s Champion” no longer prevents quest from starting.

source Beth Blog

• Ragnarok Online 2 finally ready for Open Beta
• Steam Mobile App now in Beta for Android, iOS
• Skyrim mod turns your character to Hatsune Miku
• [Fix] The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Crashes, Freezes, Steam Errors, Audio Problems, slow framerate
• Diablo III Beta is now Live!

SOL: Exodus is an indie game powered by Unreal Engine 3 giving it modest system requirements:

Creative director Chris Stockma describes SOL:Exodus as “a chance for gamers to get back to some real fun in a genre that’s lost its luster in recent years. We want to revive space combat games. People today want epic games and tense, action-packed experiences and we believe we’ve done that with SOL: Exodus. The game has huge battles and in some cases you are fighting against very large capital ships, which you can take down on your own. It’s a blast in so many different ways.”

SOL features an eight-mission story that covers the first half of a campaign to rescue refugees fleeing the impending supernova. The second half it seems will be available via DLC.  Seems fair enough considering that the price is just $9.99.

The game is set to launch via Steam on January 25.

• [Fix] The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Crashes, Freezes, Steam Errors, Audio Problems, slow framerate
• GPU Driver updates
• Just splurged on the Sims 3 :/
• Early peek at the The Sims 3 3DS
• Blizzard Product Roadmap Leaked!

The confirmed character roster includes Leon S. Kennedy and Chris Redfield.

Resident Evil 6 is set for release on November 20 of this year on XBox 360 and PlayStation 3, with a PC version to follow at an unspecified date

The trailer is embedded below:

• Sony affirms that a PlayStation 4 is too soon
• Final Fantasy XIII-2 demo now available on PS3 & Xbox 360
• Rumor: Monster Hunter for PS Vita set for 2012 release
• Nintendo’s 2012 full console line-up
• Metal Gear Solid 5 Announced by Hideo Kojima

Yes, the image you see in front of you is a Tablet PC featuring the following specifications:

• Intel® Core i7
• 10.1″ 1280×800 display
• Full-screen user interface supporting multi-touch
• 3-axis gyro, magnetometer, accelerometer
• Force feedback
• Dolby® 7.1 surround sound
• WiFi 802.11b/g/n
• Bluetooth® 3.0

For a gaming PC, it seems to be missing on key component, the GPU.  Like the original Switchblade concept, it could be using an on-chip graphics card which could come from Intel’s upcoming Ivy Bridge processor by the time this thing starts shipping.  Now that the graphics issue has been addressed, lets take a look at the input.

See any keyboard?  No?  Well that’s because the Fiona doesn’t ship with one.  You’ll control the Fiona with the 10.1inch multitouch display, accelerometer, gyroscope and integrated gamepad located on the sides of the tablet.  From that spec sheet it’s like one of the currently popular tablets in the market (iPad 2, Transformer Prime, Kindle Fire) with an Intel processor and dedicated gamepads attached.

Fiona is expected to ship with Windows 8 and priced below $1000.

The problem with Fiona is that the Core i7 appears to be all she has to offer – there’s no separate graphics referenced in the proposed specs, which means that even though she can play PC games, she’s not going to be up to a reasonably priced laptop’s standard.

The quirkiness continues, however, with the controller. Rather than sticking a fold out keyboard underneath her rear – Fiona isn’t that sort of girl – there’s an integrated gamepad in the shape of two large handles sticking out from either side. On top of that, there’s a built in gyro and accelerometer for motion based controls.

The screen is a 1280×800, 10.1inch multitouch display.

Interested?  I know I’m not.

More information can be found via Razer’s Microsite

• A new gaming rig :)
• Sega celebrates one million Hatsune Miku Project Diva shipments
• Razer now taking pre-orders for Blade Gaming Laptop
• First Look at Project Diva Extend
• Razer unveils the world’s first true gaming laptop

How to Install Hatsune miku Mod:

• Download the mod files
  Mirror 1
  Mirror 2
• Extract downloaded and copy into the Data folder of your Skyrim directory

Upon seeing Miku’s face stabbing one of the Helgen Imperials… Yeah I’d rather not.

source: 3DMGame

• Skyrim 1.4 Beta Patch now available
• [Fix] The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Crashes, Freezes, Steam Errors, Audio Problems, slow framerate
• Sega Teases New Hatsune Miku Game
• Sega celebrates one million Hatsune Miku Project Diva shipments
• Hatsune Miku set invade the 3DS

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Crash Fix and Fixes to CTD, Freezes, Errors, Steam crash, Audio and Sound Problems, Lags, Choppy framerates

First things first, make sure your PC can meet The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim minimum requirements:

Minimum System Requirements

• OS: 7/Vista/XP PC (32 or 64 bit)
• CPU: Dual Core 2.0GHz or equivalent processor
• RAM: 2 GB
• HDD: 6 GB
• Graphics: 512 MB card
• Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible
• DirectX: Version 9.0c
• Internet for Steam activation

Recommended System Requirements

• OS: Windows 7/Vista/XP (32 or 64 bit)
• CPU: Quad-core Intel or AMD CPU
• RAM: 4 GB
• HDD: 6 GB free disk space
• Graphics: 1 GB Graphics Memory
• Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible
• DirectX: Version 9.0c
• Internet for Steam activation

Supported Graphics Cards:

Recommended: Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 or higher; ATI Radeon 4890 or higher

If you meet the requirements, be sure to run through the Generic Problem Fixes post.

Fixing Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Crashes, Freezes, Steam Errors, Audio Problems, slow framerate

If you’re encountering skyrim crashes (TESV.exe stopped working) while starting the game, this generic fix will help:

In Windows 7:

• Go to Control Panel > Sound > (right-click on sound output device(e.g. speakers), properties > Advanced
• Set Default Format to 24 bit, 48000 Hz (Studio Quality)
• Hit Apply/OK, then re-run Skyrim.

The issue doesn’t seem to affect Windows XP users.

If this doesn’t work simply browse through our laundry list of fixes and solutions.  If none of these work for you or if you have a solution to offer, don’t hesitate to post a comment.

Issue #1 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Crash Fix – Crash to Desktop upon Launch / Startup

If the generic fix didn’t work, try the following:

• Disable SLI/Crossfire
• Disable anti-aliasing and filtering
• Disable V-sync
• Try changing the compatibility to Vista SP 2 or at worse XP SP3
• Update to the latest Skyrim Patch.

Issue #2 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Game Freeze Fix – Game Freezes during the Intro Video

If you installed the game via Steam, verify the integrity of the Steam game cache.  If not, you may need to reinstall the game.

Issue #3 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Crash Fix – Game crashes when launching / upon launch

You didn’t run through the laundry list of  Generic Problem Fixes.

Issue #4 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Performance issues –FPS Fix , The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Lags, freezes, or has poor FPS performance

Disable vsync and antialiasing via the Skyrim Launcher and disable antialiasing on AMD Vision Engine Control Center (AMD/ATI) or Nvidia Control Panel (nVidia).

Issue #5 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Performance issues –Lag and Choppy framerates appears in bright areas

Do fix for issue #4. Set your shadows to Low and turn your Anti Aliasing Off

Issue #6 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Performance issues –Slow performance even on a good rig

1. Open the nVidia Control Panel  or AMD Catalyst Center
2. Ensure that Skyrim overrides the default GPU performance setup

Issue #7 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Random Freezes

1. Skyrim seems to have an issue with some USB peripherals which causes it to hang periodically.  Disconnect any non-critical USB peripheral from your computer.
2. Your antivirus software maybe flagging Skyrim.  Enable it’s game mode or disable it when you want to play.

• Skyrim 1.4 Beta Patch now available
• [Fix] Steam: stuck on preparing to launch
• Skyrim mod turns your character to Hatsune Miku
• Steam Holiday Sale Encore
• Steam Error: Servers Are Currently Unavailable or Too Busy

As a frequent Team Fortress 2 player, this is just awesome. You can view more of SLiD3′s work on his page right here

• A new gaming rig :)
• Team Fortress 2 goes Free to Play
• Team Liquid releases 6.20/6.35/6.39 Pro-B6
• PSA: doing minor blog fixes
• Merry Christmas from Atma Xplorer

Fret not, Steam has one more chance to abuse your wallet, err, is giving you one last chance to buy the games you missed! Well, some of them at least.

Today is “Encore Day” and Steam is featuring the biggest deals of the entire sale one more time including Skyrim at 33% off, Arkham City at 50%, Dead Island at 50% off, Modern Warfare 3 at 25% off, etc.

Damn! And I thought my wallet is safe.

source Steam

• Steam Mobile App now in Beta for Android, iOS
• 2011 Steam Holiday Sale begins
• Kinect gets a Holiday Bundle
• Steam Summer sale begins
• Valve unveils Portal 2 and Steam for PS3 details

Hello Skyrim in Ultra.

The specs are currently as follows:

• Intel i5-2500K
• Asus P8P67-M B3 (to be replaced soon with a Z68 board)
• G.Skill RipJaws 8gb (2x 4GB 1600Mhz)  DDR3
• Seagate 500GB 7200 Sata 3
• Geforce 460 GTX (recycled from the old PC)
• Cooler Master V8 CPU Cooler
• Cooler Master Storm Enforcer
• AeroCool Strike-X 80PLUS 600W PSU

Details of the build can be found on this post on my personal blog.

Thanks to the readers for sticking with Atma Xplorer, please keep tuned as we’ll be having a few contests with giveaways in the near future.

• Razer now taking pre-orders for Blade Gaming Laptop
• Razer unveils the world’s first true gaming laptop
• Happy New Year from Atma Xplorer
• Just a minor site update – shifting paradigms
• Handling multiple blogs; a Gaming AND a Technology blog comparison

Mind you that an anime that shares the same title has nothing to do with the game except that they’re both NSFW

Noted the posts title? Queen’s Blade will feature female-only characters (see the appeal now?) with six classes revealed so far: Deffender, Shadow Walker, Whipper, Punisher, Sentinel and Medic.

The story synopsis (do we really need that?) so far is as follows:

Here’s the story synopsis as posted there:

Invasion by the “OTHERS” – No one exactly knew who they were.

The fall of human beings had begun by invasion of the others as known as “Narak”. The devastated world has remained chaotic for a century since their first strike. The tragic event has generated a great number of mutated creatures caused by unknown viral plague, and even worse was all of them came under Narak’s command. Shadow government, the only elite resistance troops having fought until the last, was nothing but merely a weak prey of Narak.

Birth of New Civilization – Elkana, the Beautiful Battle Machine loyal to Brahmans

Yet, not every single effort has gone in vain. Elka system designed to secure human genes was about to begin its operation in the deep underground where Narak’s recon didn’t reach. With the help of the super A.I. computer “Mother”, the system had finally launched and the entire world was getting ready for an unprecedentedly massive counterattack.

A gameplay trailer is available for viewing here:

A closed-beta is scheduled for Q1 2012.

source Siliconera, Official Queen’s Blade site

• A peek inside the PlayStation Vita
• Razer now taking pre-orders for Blade Gaming Laptop
• Razer unveils the world’s first true gaming laptop
• Early peek at the The Sims 3 3DS
• Blizzard Product Roadmap Leaked!

The sale will run from today, December 20, 2011 until January 1, 2012 and will have new deals for each day. If you’re new to the Steam Sales, be sure to check out the Daily Deals as they are usually the best priced items compared to the publisher packs.

Today’s daily deal is as follows:

• Just Cause franchise: 75% off
• Sam & Max franchise: 75% off
• Metro 2033: $4.99
• Fable III: $12.49
• Portal franchise: 75% off
• Amnesia: $4.99
• Singularity: $7.49
• Orcs Must Die: $3.74
• Rift: $7.49
• Bunch Of Heroes: $2.49
• Pendulo Studios Adventure Pack: $12.49
• Max Payne franchise: 75% off

Aside from the sale, there’s also the usual achievement to gift raffle

And you have this:

Thanks Steam!

More info from the Store Page

• Steam Holiday Sale Encore
• StarCraft II goes up for Black Friday Sale
• PlayStation Move gets Holiday Bundles
• Kinect gets a Holiday Bundle
• Steam Summer sale begins

With the closed beta currently ongoing, does that mean we’ll finally get the game to release in the expected Q1 2012 range? We’ll just have to wait and see. Here’s the trailer for your eyes to feast on:

• Watch Final Fantasy Type-0′s 10-minute opening
• Buy a WoW Annual Pass and get Diablo III free
• Diablo III Collector’s Edition unveiled
• Diablo III release delayed until 2012
• Diablo III Beta is now Live!

Blizzard is taking off 50% from the usual $59.99 price, dropping the game to an attractive $29.99. You might argue that it’s still a pretty expensive price for a year old game but this is StarCraft that we’re talking about.

You can get your discounted copies via the Blizzard Store.

• Limited Edition Flame Red 3DS up for Black Friday sale
• Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS set for Black Friday sale
• StarCraft 2 Heart of Swarm Teaser Trailer
• HowTo: Fix “The Battle.net Account does not include an associated copy of Starcraft 2” error
• StarCraft II: 1.8 Million Copies Launch Date sales