MAG has gone gold, and all is on course for its January 26th North American release. Now all Zipper Interactive and Sony have to do is make sure the game doesn't explode on launch day, so they're holding an open beta for the game between January 4th and January 10th. When they say open, they mean extremely open. If you are in a territory with the PlayStation Network, then you're in. Simply log into the PlayStation Network tomorrow, download the MAG open beta demo, start it up, and wait for it to download upwards of 2.3GB of data. You'll want to do this as early as possible, to make sure you aren't stuck waiting when the 4th rolls around.

Consider it Zipper Interactive's way of saying Happy Holidays, please buy our game next month.

MAG is Gold, Beta for Everyone Soon [PlayStation Blog]

Mytheon is an online strategy game in which players collect and trade power stones containing troops and spells to use in battle against their opponents. It sounds a lot like EA's BattleForge, only with rocks instead of cards and a strong focus on mythology. Want to try it early? Participating in next week's stress test could be your best bet.

"We want our players to stress our servers and push our technology to its limits so we can really evaluate things in preparation for our official closed beta in January," said Peter Cesario, Director of New Business and Product Development at True Games. "We invite you to tell your friends and family and really put our servers to the test. And, in return, you will get a first look at the game and a ton of cool exclusives."

What kind of cool exclusives? For starters, participating in the stress test will score you an exclusive forum avatar, which doesn't exactly fall into the category of cool. Once the game launches, however, they'll be passing out in-game items to players who participate, so this is your chance to get in on the ground floor. That, and True Games warns of limited space for the closed beta test, so any leg up you can get on the crowd should come in handy.

Visit the Mytheon website to sign up for an account. The stress test will take place on Monday, December 21st, so join up and give those servers hell for Christmas.

Players who picked up early copies of the LittleBigPlanet Game of the Year Edition already know how to get into the ModNation Racers beta test, kicking off on December 18th and running through January 10th. They should have received a voucher to enter inside the LBP box. I'd dare say there are still boxes out there with the voucher inside, but be sure to check used game cases at your local retailer before plunking down cash on a new copy. Odds are good that someone traded back in a copy without removing the voucher, so nose around a bit first.

Alternatively, you could stay tuned to the PlayStation Blog over the course of the next week and a half, where there will be a beta giveaway event going on. Winning entry is probably a bit easier on the pride than digging through used game boxes. I just find pride terribly overrated.

ModNation Racers Beta Starts December 18 [PlayStation Blog]

For those of you not up to par on your Star Trek calendar, that's actually January 12th, 2010. The open beta will run through January 26th, giving players two weeks to play the game prior to the February launch. Open beta keys will be given out on a first come, first serve basis, with players urged to watch the game's official website at http://www.startrekonline.com to keep abreast of the situation.

"We are excited to announce the dates for the open beta phase as this is one of the final steps in launching Star Trek Online to the public," said Craig Zinkievich, Executive Producer on Star Trek Online. "We are looking forward to the launch of our first-of-a-kind MMORPG with anticipation and excitement and we expect Star Trek Online to explode onto the scene, giving fans and gamers a Star Trek experience like no other."

Star Trek would be a much bigger hit with the fans if video game website writers didn't have to covert dates to stardates of their own accord. Just sayin'.

Funcom wants you back in Age of Conan, and they want you back bad. As of today, they are offering a free two weeks of Age of Conan to returning players, with some rather special incentives for those who pony up cash for a renewed subscription. One month nets you a free week's worth of game time, which I suppose is nice, but not nearly as nice as the three months incentive. Re-subscribe to Age of Conan for 90 days and you get a beta slot in The Secret World, which is looking much more interesting than many MMO games out today, including Age of Conan.

But wait, there's more! Subscribe for six months and you get all of that, plus a 10% experience boosting helmet, and a year will get you the beta spot, the helmet, and the upcoming Age of Conan expansion, Rise of the Godslayer, completely free! All of this, plus double XP for everyone in the month of November.

A deperate move by a desperate company, or an outpouring of love for the fans that they've lost? Is beta access to The Secret World worth $40 or so? You be the judge.

Earlier this week EA DICE shot down rumors of a November 19th launch date for the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 multiplayer beta for PS3 owners, but now it looks like they just wanted to announce it themselves instead of having GameStop doing it. To participate in the North American multiplayer beta test, PS3 owners need only reserve a copy of the game at the GameStop website or retail locations, at which point they will receive a key allowing them to join in the fun on the 19th.

The multiplayer beta takes place on the Arica Harbour map, pitting Americans against Russians in ground and vehicular combat for up to 24 players. You can check out the official beta announcement trailer below.

"With Battlefield: Bad Company 2 we're looking to raise the bar across all aspects of our multiplayer experience, setting a new standard for online play," says Patrick Bach, Senior Producer on Battlefield: Bad Company 2. "From the graphics to the vehicles, weapons and destruction, we are delivering the best online multiplayer game next year, and we want gamers to experience it themselves by playing the beta and demo."

What about the Xbox 360 and PC gamers out there? Don't fret too much. The PC open beta for the game kicks off next month, followed by a multiplayer demo for the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 early next year.

Image courtesy of the PlayStation Blog.

Why "pre-season" you ask? The competitive online strategy game uses a seasons model in order to keep gameplay fresh for everyone involved. October 27th sees the start of its pre-season, a period in which players can form teams, learn the game, and formulate strategies in advance of season one, which kicks off in early 2010. The model also allows Riot to cycle content, meaning the set of Champions you have at your disposal and the maps you play on can change with each season, keeping the game fresh and the competition on their toes.

Riot has just opened up the beta for the game, allowing anyone interested to sign up and participate for free, holding on to their accounts once the game launches. The closed beta has been running for awhile, so you're late to the game, but every extra day helps. You've got five. Go play.

I've been following Earth Eternal for quite some time, and AJ recently had occasion to go hands-on with the game, dispelling worries that the game was for furries. After all, only 16 of the game's 22 player races are animals, with the rest made up of mythical beasts and machines with only a passing resemblance to people in animal costumes. The ancient beasts that man descended from have returned, and you take on the role of one of these, confronting dragons, fairies, gods, demons, and titans - you know, the usual.

The browser-based game is now available for all to play for free. Simply visit the game's official website and sign up for an account. I've signed up, but judging by my current schedule won't have time to actually play until sometime in 2011. Till then, I live vicariously through you.

Be sure to pack your spandex if you plan on attending Hero-Con this year, and make sure you can write legibly in order to ensure your spot in the City of Heroes Going Rogue closed beta. Paragon Studios will need you present at registration to fill out a Going Rogue non-disclosure agreement in order for you to help test out the expansion that allows heroes to become villains and vice-versa. You'll need a steady hand, however, as Paragon has to be able to match your information to your account info before they activate your access.

Hero-Con takes place October 24th and 25th at the Doubletree Hotel in San Jose, California. Along with the beta access there'll be panels, LARPing, community events, and in-game items to prove that you were there. You can visit the official event page for more information on how to attend this super heroic event.

Go Rogue At Hero-Con [City of Heroes via Inc Gamers]

According to MTV Multiplayer, Microsoft plans to issue said beta publicly "middle-towards-end of October." That would point to a finalized roll out likely sometime in November, perfect timing for commercials that would air just prior to Black Friday's holiday shopping madness.

Xbox 360 Dashboard Update Public Beta (With Facebook) Coming This Month [MTV Multiplayer]

Realtime Worlds CEO Gary Dale was on hand at the Tech Media Invest conference in London, where he confirmed that the game some describe as a persistent world Grand Theft Auto would slowly begin letting in beta testers next week. One would expect those accepted into the test to find out extremely soon. Dale also made a point of mentioning that the number of beta participants would steadily increase leading up to next year's launch, so don't give up on it, baby.

I honestly have no idea where that last bit came from.

APB beta to go live next week [GamesIndustry.Biz]

Signing up for the Star Wars: The Old Republic community is your first step towards become a closed beta tester for the next big Star Wars MMO. BioWare wants active community members as testers, as active community members are more likely to provide feedback than dirty, stinking lurkers who lurk and stink. Once you've become a member of the community, you can visit the Game Testing Portal to sign up for your chance to be a part of Star Wars history or something.

Mind you there are no guarantees, but such is life.

Sign up to test STAR WARS: The Old Republic! [Official Website]

How limited? Downloading the alpha client takes only a moment, and that's because there really isn't all that much to it. You'll be able to see the Love client running on your system, giving you an idea of how well the finished product will perform, but there are no servers and no logins. How does this help Eskil? When you open the client, it will send him data on your video card, and whether or not it supports the OpenGL extensions he is using. It's not much, but it should prove extremely helpful to the development process.

Check out the gameplay video we posted of Love back in April for a better idea of what Eskil is creating.

Stand up and be counted [Quel Solaar - Thanks, Chris!]

Nexon America's latest addition mixes arcade action with RPG leveling, allowing players to step into the role of a Fighter, Gunner, Priest, Mage, or Slayer to beat the living hell out of anything that moves; even each other. The open beta launches tomorrow, allowing all comers to sign up at http://dungeonfighter.nexon.net/ and get a piece of the 2D brawling action.

"Video game fighting has never been so fun in an online environment," said Min Kim, Vice President of Marketing for Nexon America. "Dungeon Fighter Online is like a Molotov cocktail of fun, mixing the fast and furious action of arcade fighting games with an online community and the customization features found in role-playing games."

I got a chance to play a little Dungeon Fighter Online at PAX earlier this month, and for a free-to-play 2D online title it's rather sweet. Traversing dungeons works just like any other side-scrolling beat-em up you've encountered, only with a bar full of powers and attacks like you might find in an MMO. I even got to take on another convention-goer on PVP, which was extremely entertaining, though I did win both rounds so my perception might be a little skewed.

Riot Games wants 40,000 folks to follow the League of Legends Facebook group, or become fans, or whatever it is you Facebook people tend to do. And once they reach that goal, all 40,000 fans will receive entry into the closed beta test for the action-RTS. This means that once they reach that goal, if you ask another League of Legends tester for their Facebook and they say they don't have one, there's a good chance they are lying.

To become a fan of League of Legends on Facebook, go to the official page and do that fan thing.

You kids today, I swear.

Closed beta - the initial frontier. These are the voyages of the Star Trek Online beta tester. Your continuing mission? To explore strange new worlds; to seek up new bugs and report them to Cryptic; to boldly go where only a handful of people have gone before. Interested parties are urged to visit www.startrekonline.com to sign up for their chance to help make Star Trek Online the best game it can be.

"Closed beta registration is an important step in bringing Star Trek Online to the public," said Craig Zinkievich, Executive Producer on Star Trek Online. "We are looking toward the launch of our first-of-a-kind MMORPG with anticipation and excitement and we expect Star Trek Online to explode onto the scene, giving fans and gamers a Star Trek experience like no other."

I'd say your chances are pretty good if you sign up early. How many fans that enjoy both Star Trek and PC gaming can there possibly be?

The trailer, much like the frozen treats trailer previously released, is full of carefully distilled win. A blonde woman walks through a playground at night; a mysterious creature appears; awesome ensues. It doesn't tell us much more about the game, but that's where the Dark Days are Coming website comes in. A link has appeared on the site with a personality quiz that rates your suitability for one of three game factions - the untamed Illuminati, the holy Templars, and the manipulative Dragon. Completing the quiz and filling out your name and email qualifies you for game updates, a package of wallpapers and avatars, a chance at beta access, and an exclusive in-game item once the MMO launches.

Incidentally, I fit the Dragon clan, as my Facebook profile now indicates. Why set the world on fire when you can make others do it for you? Look at me. The game is nowhere near complete and I'm already roleplaying.

Blir «The Secret World» en våt konspirasjonsdrøm? [Dagbladet.no -thanks Lars!]

The Dragonica Online open beta kicks off this week, running from September 3rd to October 27th. During the open beta, monsters will be dropping special raffle cards, which players can collect and accumulate until they are nearly choking on them. Raffle cards can either be redeemed for an in-game item, horded, or combined in stacks of five to create high-end raffle cards.

So how does one win?

At the end of the beta testing event, every player with raffle cards in their possession is entered into a drawing to win real-world look as well as in-game items. Take a look at what THQ*ICE is offering up:

- A Trip To Korea: Meet the masterminds behind the game, Barunson Interactive, in-person;
- iHome's iP71 iPod Computer Speakers: Charge, play, and sync your iPod and iPhone with iTunes while it's docked securely into the base of the computer speakers;
- 8GB iTouch Video and Music Player: A perfect fit with your iHome speakers;
- Dragonica Online Skinned Laptop: Play Dragonica Online in style while on the go;
- ICE Cash: Customize your character and gameplay experience with ICE Cash, the exclusive THQ*ICE virtual currency;
- In-Game Prize Pack: A collection of useful items every player should have while on their journey;
- Exclusive Dragonica Online Themed Premium Items: Cool wall scrolls & t-shirt

I crave the skinned laptop myself, but given the sheer adorability of Dragonica Online, I don't like the odds. Visit the THQ*ICE registration page to sign up for a free account for the free to play MMO.

Up until now the closed beta events for Aion have all been weekend-only affairs, giving fans a brief taste of gameplay before shutting things down again, so the week-long open beta event NCsoft has planned should be a real treat. It runs from September 6th to the 13th, and will give players in North America and Europe a taste of the Western enhancements made to the title, including new skills and more Westernized character creation options. NCsoft will be maintaining a level cap of 30 throughout the event, so players will still have something to do when the game comes out.

After the open beta closes, players who preordered the game will be able to login on the 18th to pre-select their character name and server, reserving them in advance of the headstart program, which kicks off 2 days later on the 20th.

And that's how any free time I had at the end of September was completely ruined by NCsoft. Hope to see some of you in game!

Right now FilePlanet subscribers and those with preorder codes for Champions Online can download the game and start playing immediately, as long as they don't run into any patching issues. Seems there might be a few of those going around, but Cryptic already has a workaround in place while they iron out the issues.

Other than that issue and a very large download, nothing is keeping you from rolling around in spandex with your fellow caped crusaders leading up to the game's September 1st release! Go play.