Joining the Steam library as of right now are EverQuest, EverQuest II, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes and Pirates of the Burning Sea, as well as the latest expansions for EQ and EQ II.

Naturally, Valve and SOE are offering deals on the newest inductees to Steam, selling much of this stuff for as low as $14.99. Make with the questing!

Sony Online Entertainment [Steam]

Top 5 Botched PC Game Launches [1UP]

Sony Online Entertainment announced today that it has opened registration for its own online game gathering at the Rio Hotel & Casino which throws down August 2nd through the 5th. Fans of EverQuest, EverQuest II, Star Wars Galaxies, PlanetSide, The Matrix Online and the guy who's still playing Vanguard will have a chance to meet, greet and overeat with other SOE afficionados.

Blizzard's event, announced last month, takes place on August 3rd and 4th, meaning, if you really tried, you could hit up both. That'd be impressive.

Now, choose! But choose wisely. In fact, you might want to wait until tomorrow to make that decision. Michael McWhertor

SOE Fan Faire 2007 [SOE]
BlizzCon 2007 Announced [Blizzard]

So there you go. While some lost jobs, others are absorbed by SOE and tasked with making Vanguard into something people want to play. I still want my damn helmet to show up.

Hit the jump for the full text of the forum post. Michael Fahey

SOE and Vanguard [SOE Vanguard Forums]

Hello Everyone,

Today I would like to formally announce that SOE has acquired the assets of Sigil Games Online, including Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. As a part of this acquisition, we are bringing on approx 50 people from Sigil in order to insure that Vanguard continues to grow. SOE is dedicated to making sure that Vanguard is well taken care of and that we provide the same level of service we do for our other titles. In the near future we will come out with a publishing plan that will largely be driven by the strong player community that Vanguard has already built up. We plan on supporting Vanguard for many years to come, and you can expect many content updates as part of your subscription. Down the line we will of course be coming out with new expansion packs, but right now the focus is on making sure Vanguard is running the way it should be.

We are also officially opening up forums. In the past, our deal with Sigil didn't allow for this, but as with our other games we fill this is an important part of communicating with the playerbase. You can expect a strong presence from our community team as well as the development team members. While we realize that Sigil had said they wouldn't open up general forums, at SOE we fill this hampers our efforts to communicate effectively with the players. We will continue to support the fansites in a big way, and will be contacting many of them directly to discuss what this change means. By no means do we want to lose the strong fansite support by making this change, but we do think it's important to have a forum for players to communicate directly with SOE.

A few other items I wanted to mention

1. Brad McQuaid will be consultant to SOE as a creative advisor for Vanguard. Dave Gilbertson will be the person directly responsible for the day-to-day management of both the Sigil Carlsbad office as well as Vanguard.

2. We do not plan on making any major changes to Vanguard. Any changes are going to come from the team itself. We aren't mandating any big changes to the game. We've learned a thing or two with our experiences with the NGE and don't plan on repeating mistakes from the past and not listening to the players.

3. We do plan on spending a lot of time cleaning up legacy issues with Vanguard and making sure the game's performance improves.

By way of comparison, this team is approx. the same size as the EQ2 team and I feel like that team has done an amazing job improving EQ2 since it's launch. We intend to do the same thing for Vanguard and it is our hope that the players feel like we're doing right by them.

Smed

While we are still awaiting the official word from SOE promised later today, this move unfortunately makes a lot of sense, especially considering Sigil founder Brad McQuaid's words that we discussed back on April 30th. Sounds like the 'much closer' relationship between Sigil and SOE McQuaid hinted at might just be flat-out absorption.

Having been playing Vanguard on and off since launch, I really hope this doesn't signal the end of the game. There is a lot of potential there that just needs to be polished. Helmets would be good.

Once again, this is almost as good as confirmed, but we're going to hold out for word from SOE before committing either way. Michael Fahey

The Short and Morbid Tale of Sigil Games Online [F13.net - Thanks CyanBane]

To celebrate the one month anniversary of the game (like in elementary school, remember?), double kill experience shall be granted to all starting March 3rd and ending March 5th, and all players who successfully setup an account before March 31st will be granted a special in-game title (I'm betting on Sucker) that they can apply before their characters' names.

I like to rag on Vaguard a great deal, but I really see a lot of potential in the game, and a content update (that isn't completely patches) right out of the gate bodes well for the kind of support behind making the title a success. Michael Fahey

VANGUARD: SAGA OF HEROESTM FIRST GAME UPDATE SCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY MARCH 6TH

Celebration of 1st Month Includes a Founder's Reward and Double Experience Weekend
WHAT: Players will be able to sink their teeth into a wealth of new content with the first Vanguard: Saga of Heroes game update on Tuesday, March 6, 2007. New villains with new weapons in all new areas headline the additional content and changes available via the game update. Included in this update are:
Dozens of new weapon models
Six brand new NPC races to battle: Djinn, Mnalus, Mudmen, Sand Giants, Ichtakhta and Xennu
Two new mid to high level adventuring areas: Deep Swamp and Gorgalog
Nine dungeons with revamped art and/or lighting such as: Kalendra's Coven, Nusibe Necropolis and Vol Tuniel
For the full update notes visit www.vanguardsoh.com

Double Adventuring Kill Experience will be awarded to players from Saturday, March 3rd, 5:00am PST (Friday, March 2nd, 8:00pm PST for Europeans) until Monday, March 5th, 5:00am PST (Sunday, March 4th, 8:00pm PST for Europeans)

A Founder's reward, in the form of an in-game title, will be granted to players who have purchased a copy of Vanguard: Saga of Heroes between launch (January 30, 2007) and March 31, 2007, and successfully registered an account. This title can be applied to each character created on a qualifying account now or in the future. In order to qualify a player will need to have consumed the account key that comes in the box (if purchased at retail), from a Web site (if purchased digitally) or successfully completed a purchase on the Station Store by the March 31st cut off date (11:59pm PST). The title is scheduled to be awarded in early April. More details regarding a full Veteran Rewards program will be announced in the coming months.

WHEN:
Game Update #1: Tuesday March 6th
Founder's Reward: In-game title granted to players who purchase a copy of Vanguard: Saga of Heroes between January 30, 2007 and March 31, 2007. Title awarded in early April, 2007.
Double XP is scheduled for: March 3rd - March 5th for NA servers and March 2nd - March 4th for European servers.

###

If you've ever played a pen and paper RPG or read a D&D based fantasy novel, odds are you've seen Keith Parkinson's work. One of the greatest fantasy artists of our times, Parkinson also did covers for many computer games, including Everquest and its first three expansions, and was a founding member of Vanguard creator Sigil Games. Sadly Keith passed away in 2005 due to Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. In his honor, Sony Online Entertainment has now announced "The Masters of Fantasy Art - A Tribute to Keith Parkinson", an exhibition that will be featured at Art Institutes in five major U.S. cities between now and the end of July, starting in San Francisco.

"Our goal for 'The Masters of Fantasy Art' tour is to highlight the artistry that is integral to the creation of video games, as well as the influences of classical art on the industry as a whole," said Laura Naviaux, Senior Brand Manager, at Sony Online Entertainment. "By showcasing Keith Parkinson's work on the new 'Vanguard: Saga of Heroes' online videogame and joining up with The Art Institute, we hope to raise the public's awareness of computer and graphical arts as a discipline."

"The Masters Of Fantasy Art - A Tribute To Keith Parkinson" Art Tour Set To Travel To The Art Institute Galleries Across The Country

Tribute to Renowned Fantasy Artist Keith Parkinson to Demonstrate Classical Influence on Computer and Video Game Art

Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE), a global leader in the online games industry, and Sigil Games Online announced today an exhibition with The Art Institutes to bring "The Masters of Fantasy Art - A Tribute to Keith Parkinson" to five major cities across America. The tour will showcase the artwork of seminal artist Keith Parkinson as well as "Vanguard: Saga of HeroesTM," his posthumous masterpiece. Beginning this month in San Francisco, the tour is scheduled to be on display at The Art Institutes galleries across the country.

The Masters of Fantasy Art elegantly displays the convergence of fine art and technology in today's interactive entertainment industry. The late Keith Parkinson continues to act as art director in memorandum for Sigil Games Online. His artwork has directly influenced the artistic vision for "Vanguard: Saga of Heroes," a massively multiplayer online role-playing game that launched on January 30, 2007.

"Our goal for 'The Masters of Fantasy Art' tour is to highlight the artistry that is integral to the creation of video games, as well as the influences of classical art on the industry as a whole," said Laura Naviaux, Senior Brand Manager, at Sony Online Entertainment. "By showcasing Keith Parkinson's work on the new 'Vanguard: Saga of Heroes' online videogame and joining up with The Art Institute, we hope to raise the public's awareness of computer and graphical arts as a discipline."

"When we were approached to participate in this tribute to the late Keith Parkinson, we were thrilled at the idea of bringing the unique world of online video game art to a more mainstream audience," said John Mazzoni, President, The Art Institutes. "We are staunch supporters of artists in all genres and understand the importance of increasing public awareness and interest of art, and being able to do that while paying tribute to a renowned fantasy artist is an honor for us."

"Commercial fantasy artwork, be it on book covers or in video games is often overlooked as an art form. I am excited to help, through my father's art, shine the spotlight on not only his works but the teams of hardworking and immensely talented artists who make these worlds truly come alive," said Nick Parkinson, son of Keith Parkinson, and Community Manager for "Vanguard: Saga of Heroes."

"The Masters of Fantasy Art - A Tribute to Keith Parkinson" is scheduled to be on exhibition at the following locations and dates:

February 2 - 26
The Art Institute of California - San Francisco
1170 Market St. (at U.N. Plaza)
San Francisco, CA 94102
888- 493-3261
http://www.artinstitutes.edu/sanfrancisco/

March 6- April 2
The Art Institute of Las Vegas
2350 Corporate Circle
Henderson, Nevada 89074-7737
702-369-9944
http://www.artinstitutes.edu/arlington/

April 9- April 27
The Art Institute of Washington
1820 North Fort Myer Dr.
Arlington, VA 22209-1802
877-303-3771
http://www.artinstitutes.edu/arlington/

May 8 - May 25
The Art Institute of New York City
11-17 Beach Street
New York, NY 10013
(in TriBeCa, near corner of Varick)
800.654.2433
http://www.artinstitutes.edu/newyork/

June 4 - July 31
The Art Institute of California - San Diego
7650 Mission Valley Road
San Diego, CA 92108
800-591-2422
http://www.artinstitutes.edu/sandiego/

About Keith Parkinson
Trained as a classical artist, Keith Parkinson created well-known fantasy art images and book covers serving as the hallmark art style for the fantasy genre. His early work included book covers for the top-selling "Dragonlance," "Forgotten Realms," and "Gamma World." He also painted covers for best-selling fantasy writers Terry Goodkind, Margaret Weis, and Terry Brooks. Turning toward technology, Keith began work in the video games industry creating artwork for the original "EverQuest," an incredibly successful and genre-defining online role-playing game. He later joined Sigil Games Online working as art director to create the artistic vision behind "Vanguard: Saga of Heroes" before his death in 2005. For more information about Keith Parkinson, or to preview his paintings, log on to www.keithparkinson.com

###

Just a week after announcing the open beta for Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, SOE and Sigil have set a release date. The game will be released on January 30th across North America and Europe, with retail prices of $49.99 and $89.99 for the regular and limited editions respectively. Players who opt to preorder the game will receive beta access, a three day head start once the game goes live, and a special in-game scroll that allows players to sprint for longer periods of time.

This gives them two and a half weeks to add the final polish to the game, a process that will hopefully keeps servers from crashing every 5-10 minutes, balance the quest creature VS. player ratio, and hopefully make the game interesting enough to warrant spending a monthly fee to play it. Good luck with that. Michael Fahey

VANGUARD: SAGA OF HEROES" MAKES THE JOURNEY INTO RETAIL STORES ON JANUARY 30, 2007

San Diego, CA - January 11, 2007 - Sony Online Entertainment and Sigil Games Online today announced that the upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game "Vanguard: Saga of Heroes" will be released to retail outlets across North America and Europe on January 30, 2007, for the suggested retail price of US$49.99. A limited edition is also available for a suggested retail price of US$89.99.

Currently in beta, "Vanguard: Saga of Heroes" features vibrant environments reminiscent of oil paintings, a robust character customization tool and three distinct spheres of advancement in a seamless world without zoning or instancing. The immersive fantasy world is comprised of three massive, uniquely-themed continents for players to discover new creatures, new items and unlimited adventure. Players have complete freedom to roam the world whether flying dragons to islands in the sky or riding swift steeds to exotic lands.

"We are excited about delivering an MMO with immersive gameplay features that bring new depth and fun to the genre," said Brad McQuaid, CEO, Sigil Games Online. "Vanguard gives players the chance to live in a breathtaking world and try new things such as our diplomacy system and our unique approach to crafting. We're proud to be delivering this level of great gameplay for years to come."

"SOE is pleased to be working with Sigil to bring the eagerly anticipated Vanguard to fruition," said John Smedley, President, Sony Online Entertainment, "Vanguard not only broadens our product portfolio in the online space, but will also be a welcomed addition to our already value packed all-in-one Station Access subscription line-up."

Players can pre-order "Vanguard: Saga of Heroes" now through a variety of methods including digitally and at retail, and by doing so, obtain an invitation to entrance into the live beta and, with purchase, access to the live servers up to three days prior to the official release. In addition, players that pre-order and purchase at retail will receive an exclusive in-game scroll that will allow their character to sprint for longer periods of time due to an endurance buff (one per account). For more information or to order "Vanguard: Saga of Heroes" visit www.joinvanguard.com/buy/

About "Vanguard: Saga of Heroes"
The only limits are your own in Telon. The adventurous can choose from multiple paths of exploration within the three spheres of advancement: adventuring; crafting; and diplomacy. Players can delve into the mysteries of Telon, and embark upon quests to slay monstrous beasts locked deep inside rugged mountain ranges. Those with a quick mind can use diplomacy to convince kings to move armies and change the course of history. With player-crafted boats, flying mounts, and customizable player housing, "Vanguard" offers players a world of their own choosing.

Key Features of "Vanguard: Saga of Heroes"
No boundaries: Explore an epic seamless world. From the smallest dungeon to the highest peak. If it can be seen it can be explored.
Limitless customization: In a world of thousands, carve your own unique destiny and appearance with an unparalleled character creator and by choosing one of 19 different races from Orcs and Goblins to Dwarves and Elves.
Forge your own path: Choose from one of 15 exciting professions including Paladin, Ranger, Sorcerer, Psionicist, Bard and Rogue.
Immersive and interactive: Vanguard's unique, dynamic, reactive, combat system allows you to build chains of special attacks and reactions with Openers, Bridges and powerful Finishing moves.
Ride or sail around the world: With dozens of unique mounts to collect, you can race into battle on your warhorse, command the skies on the back of your dragon or join friends and embark on a sea-based adventure to discover faraway lands.
Play your way: Advance your character as an adventurer, set up your own shop as a crafter, talk your way to the top as a diplomat or do all three with the same character.
Open Market: Collect essential materials and use skills such as blacksmithing and artificing to create valuable and powerful items as well as ships and housing.
Home for sale: Make Telon feel like home by staking your claim on a piece of land and furnishing your own house with unique items.

For more information about "Vanguard: Saga of Heroes" please visit: www.joinvanguard.com

About Sony Online Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers around the globe. SOE creates, develops and provides compelling entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless markets. Known for its blockbuster franchises and hit titles including EverQuest(R), EverQuest(R) II, Champions of Norrath(R), Untold Legends(TM), and PlanetSide(R), as well as for developing Star Wars Galaxies(TM), SOE continues to redefine the business of online gaming and the creation of active player communities while introducing new genres on various entertainment platforms. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, with additional development studios in Austin, TX, Seattle, WA, Denver, CO, and Taiwan, SOE has an array of cutting-edge games in development. SOE is owned by Sony Pictures Digital and Sony Computer Entertainment America.

About Sigil Games Online
Based in Carlsbad, California, Sigil Games Online is a studio dedicated to creating massively multiplayer online (MMO) games. Founded in 2002 by Brad McQuaid and Jeff Butler, key figures in the development of award-winning EverQuest, the company plans to be a driving force in the continued evolution of this unique genre. Sigil Games Online is comprised of an all-star team of experienced developers with an impressive pedigree of commercially successful and critically acclaimed online games. The company's first game, "Vanguard: Saga of Heroes", will be co-published with Sony Online Entertainment and is scheduled for release Q1 2007. For more information, visit www.sigilgames.com.

###

The open beta Sigil's Vanguard: Saga of Heroes begins today, with the beta client up on FilePlanet as we speak, though only available to subscribers and preorder folks for the first week. With the beginning of this final phase of testing the NDA has also been lifted and tongues are wagging, including my own. I've been in the closed beta for the past several weeks now, having spent more than enough time to give you some basic impressions of the game.

Vanguard is an MMO created by Brad McQuaid, one of the creators of the original Everquest, who left the company to explore possibilities. Possibilities like creating a game that plays like the missing link between EQ1 and EQ2. You get the relatively simplistic (in most cases) gameplay of the first game with graphics halfway between the two. In part I blame the overall lack of character and the generic fantasy setting for failing to keep my interest. While the variety of class and race combinations is impressive, but I am getting tired of plastic looking characters that only truly shine if I push my computer to its limits.

I wish MMO developer would focus less on the look and instead focus their energies on creating something fluid and entertaining. Even in the trailer from GameTrailers.com below you can see the framerate stuttering.

Now I do enjoy the quest system, which encourages you to explore the world, propelling you across the countryside engaged in a variety of tasks. I also like the variety between class mechanics, which is much like you find in World of Warcraft. The monk character, for instance, accrues points as he uses abilities, which can be used to unleash even more powerful ones.

In the end, I'm just a guy writing on a gaming blog, and this is just my opinion, which carries just as much weight as yours does. Try the game out for yourself, see how you like it. It isn't shaping up to be my cup of tea, but I certainly wouldn't want you to avoid something just because I didn't like it. Check the press release below for info on downloading and forming an opinion for yourself! Michael Fahey

OPEN BETA BEGINS ON JANUARY 5th FOR VANGUARD: SAGA OF HEROES
Sony Online Entertainment and Sigil Games Online today announced that open beta will begin tomorrow, January 5th, for the upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. Tomorrow players that are participating in the pre-order program will be able to access the open beta. Other adventurers interested in exploring the world of Telon can head over to www.fileplanet.com to begin their journey. Vanguard: Saga of Heroes will immerse players in a classical fantasy setting filled with magic and intrigue beginning in Q1 of 2007.

About Vanguard
The only limits are your own in Telon. The adventurous can choose from multiple paths of exploration within the three spheres of advancement: adventuring, crafting, and diplomacy. Players can delve into the mysteries of Telon, and embark upon quests to slay monstrous beasts locked deep inside rugged mountain ranges. Those with a quick mind can use diplomacy to convince kings to move armies and change the course of history. With player-crafted boats, flying mounts, and customizable player housing, Vanguard offers players a world of their own choosing.

To join the North American open beta please visit: http://www.fileplanet.com/promotions/vanguardbeta/landing.aspx
For the first week the offer is only open to File Planet subscribers, to subscribe visit www.fileplanet.com

The European beta will open on January 8th. European customers who have pre-ordered Vanguard: Saga of Heroes and received their key can also join beta on January 5th.

For more information about Vanguard: Saga of Heroes please visit: www.vanguardsoh.com and www.joinvanguard.com

###

With the New Year just around the corner, MMO players are going to need a new calendar to monitor how many days they can safely go without sleep before succumbing to death's icy embrace. MMO Portal has exactly what they need in the form of their 2007 MMORPG calendar, featuring art from a different game every month, signed by members of their respective dev teams. It'll cost you $14.95, and 100% of all proceeds go towards the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Tennessee.

Featured games include:

• Dark Age of Camelot
  
• Dungeons & Dragons Online
  
• Eve Online
  
• EverQuest II
  
• Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising
  
• Lord of the Rings Online
  
• Star Wars Galaxies
  
• The Chronicles of SpellBorn
  
• Ultima Online
  
• Vanguard: Saga of Heroes
  
• Warhammer Online
  
• World of Warcraft
  

MMO Calendar 2007 [MMO Portal, via GamePolitics]

Unfortunately, they didn't write up any specific details, just that they were blown away and that some of the demonstrations were interrupted by spontaneous applause. Well, what did you expect them to say?

If any of you guys read Kotaku, could you please drop some info on the blog about the HD-DVD, we're very curious.

Impressive 360 Demos [Gamerscoreblog]