The latest Call of Duty kill-fest has overtaken Amazon's previous pre-order record holder, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. Activision Blizzard and its shareholders must be so pleased.

In other Modern Warfare 2-is-selling-well news, Amazon tosses us another figure, saying that "Release-Date Delivery pre-orders" for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 surpassed the total orders for Wrath of the Lich King at the company. Which must mean this "release-date delivery" thing at Amazon is working out for them.

The only downside to this consumer love-in is the PC version of Modern Warfare 2's customer rating at Amazon.com, currently suffering from a revenge score of one-and-a-half stars. Hey, you can't win 'em all.

Cinematic Art provides a very pretty look at the behind-the-scenes development of WoW's well-received second expansion. There are over 200 pieces of artwork in the book – conceptual and developmental – as well as 75 exclusive pieces of original art. With backstory, character descriptions and lengthy explanations of the rendering and development of Lich King concept art into WoW's engine, this book makes for a good read as well as for sweet, sweet eye candy.

From right to left:
1) As a coffee table book – it's not a hardback, but it is loaded with amazing images that would appeal to more than just WoW fans.
2) Spice up your bookshelf – because you shouldn't be ashamed to show off your geekdom along with your obscure literature prefences.
3) Bathroom literature – for times when Smallville fanfiction just doesn't cut it.
4) Fix that pesky short leg of the kitchen table – -5 wobbliness, +10 chic.
5) A decorative bed for your pet snake – because if you're into dragons (and Lich has a lot of them) chances are you own a snake.

The Cinematic Art of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King is published by Insight Editions and is already available on Amazon (despite the press release saying it won't be out ‘til March 11). The book retails for $29.95 – which is pretty cheap as coffee table books go.

The Wrath of the Lich King expansion pack flooded the World of Warcraft serves with Death Knights, but it might not have wound up that way had one of the other two hero classes that made the final cut had been chosen.

"We were talking for a while about a Necromancer. He would kind of be a range caster, do a lot of corpse explode, that sort of thing. Things we ended up incorporating into the Death Knight.

"We also had a cool idea for a Rune Master. That was going to be more of a melee type - think rogue or monk type character. But Death Knight ultimately fit."

While I would have personally killed someone with my bare hands for a monk class in World of Warcraft, I think they ultimately made a wise choice, even if no one knows how to play a Death Knight yet.

Blizzcast Episode 7 [Blizzard via Eurogamer]
image link

While the ability to create a Death Knight on any server is nice, and the fact that damage over time spells that don't immediately damage monsters now tag the critters as yours anyway is a great boon for several casting classes, WoW Insider's Guide to Patch 3.0.8 highlights the greatest change the patch has delivered.

Players can now open clams while riding a vehicle, sitting, mounted, stealthed, and invisible.

You hear that rumbling? That is the sound of hundreds of thousands of lapsed WoW players rushing to their computers. This changes everything.

About clams.

WoW Insider's Guide to Patch 3.0.8 [WoW Insider]

That extra .5 million is the focus of Blizzard's press release today, earning top billing over the much more impressive news that the Wrath of the Lich King sold 4 million copies in the first month, breaking the monthly PC sales record previously held by The Burning Crusade. Barring some sort of global awakening I suspect we can just save these press releases and change out the names and numbers once the next WoW expansion hits.

Sales of the core game and the World of Warcraft Burning Crusade Battle Chest also jumped during the month as Lich King mania drove more holdouts over the edge, helping bring in those extra 500 thousand subscribers so that Blizz could issue the press release version of a 6-month anniversary.

World of Warcraft® Subscriber Base Reaches 11.5 Million Worldwide
Wrath of the Lich King™ expansion fuels growth with record first-month sales of more than 4 million

IRVINE, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that World of Warcraft®, its award-winning subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game, is now played by more than 11.5 million subscribers worldwide. This new high was reached following the November 13 release of the game’s second expansion, Wrath of the Lich King™.

Within its first 24 hours of availability, Wrath of the Lich King sold more than 2.8 million copies, making it the fastest-selling PC game of all time. In addition to winning a number of editor’s choice awards from major gaming publications, the expansion has now gone on to sell more than 4 million copies in its first month, setting a new record for monthly PC-game sales. Both sales records were previously held by World of Warcraft’s first expansion, The Burning Crusade®.*

“We’re pleased to welcome the new and returning players who have helped World of Warcraft reach these new milestones, and we appreciate the enthusiasm and support that the game’s global community has continued to show,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment®. “We look forward to providing all of them with an excellent entertainment experience for a long time to come.”

“Not only is Wrath of the Lich King still doing well, the base World of Warcraft game and the World of Warcraft Battle Chest® are performing better than last year,” said Bob McKenzie, senior vice president of merchandising at GameStop. “That type of traction is very impressive for a game that is going into its fifth holiday season and speaks to the enthusiastic player base Blizzard Entertainment products have.”

To keep pace with the continued growth of World of Warcraft as well as development on other Blizzard Entertainment games, the company is currently hiring for numerous open positions. More information on available career opportunities can be found at www.blizzard.com/jobs. More information about the latest World of Warcraft expansion is available at the official Wrath of the Lich King website: www.worldofwarcraft.com/wrath.

World of Warcraft’s Subscriber Definition

World of Warcraft subscribers include individuals who have paid a subscription fee or have an active prepaid card to play World of Warcraft, as well as those who have purchased the game and are within their free month of access. Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days are also counted as subscribers. The above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or cancelled subscriptions, and expired prepaid cards. Subscribers in licensees’ territories are defined along the same rules.

While there are indeed a great deal of tweaks coming for the game's first hero class, the changes certainly don't represent the massive nerf that players in general chat seem to think is in order. If anything the changes mainly serve to balance out the various Death Knight builds, rather than tone down power across the board. They've traded off some of the bonus damage from Rune Strike in favor of more threat, reduced the duration of a few abilities, but for the most part the changes are positive, including the best change of all - Death Knights will be able to be created on any server, not just the one your level 55+ character resides on.

Other big changes in the patch include the removal of racial restrictions from mounts (Tauren chocobo time!) and the fact that any aggro-inducing abilities will now tap monsters, meaning no more dotting a mob only to have it yanked away before the first tick. Hit up the link for the full patch notes.

World of Warcraft PTR Patch 3.0.8 [World of Warcraft via Blue's News]

The talking plush murlocs that were all the rage at BlizzCon 2008 are now available in limited quantities at Jinx.com for $39.99 as part of their newly unveiled winter lineup. Along with the fishy plushies comes a new line of World of Warcraft t-shirts and accessories for men and women, featuring some of the nicest work I've seen from the company so far. I particularly love the faux sports team shirts, which include the Teldrassil Shadowmelders, Undercity GraveDiggers, and the Darnassus Nightsabers. Anyone reading the site searching for Fahey gift ideas might want to pay special attention to the Arcane Intellect ball cap. Just make sure you opt for the Horde wrapping paper, or you could be risking my ire.

Hit up the link for the full winter WoW lineup, or check out their other winter releases for one damn spiffy Pac-Man shirt.

Jinx Warcraft Winter 2009 Launch [Jinx.com]

The ambitious new expansion pack gives players access to the icy continent of Northrend, home to the Lich King, the ungodly powerful melding of former Draenor warchief Ner'zhul and former crown prince of Lorderon, Arthas Menethil. Along with new lands to explore and new quests to fulfill, Wrath of the Lich King also introduces the game's first Hero Class in the form of the dreaded Death Knights, plate-wearing wielders of runic power.

I've spent a significant amount of time exploring all that's new in Azeroth. Was it just a temporary visit, or does Wrath pack enough punch to lure me back in full-time?

Loved
More Better Quests: Continuing the trend started with The Burning Crusade, quests in The Wrath of the Lich King are even more dynamic and enthralling that ever, with new mechanics to keep things fresh. Sure, you'll still find plenty of kill X number of Y quests, but you'll also find yourself flying rickety planes to remote locations, launching cannon attacks on huge creatures, or participating in giant battles that leave you giddy afterwards.

The Scenic Route: Northrend is far more than snow. You'll find rolling hills, steep mountain slopes, ruined temples, and floating cities in the sky — along with a fair amount of snow. Zones in Wrath are gigantic, lovely to look at, and seem a great deal more vertical than what I'm used to in World of Warcraft. Expect to see many breathtaking sights on your first run through the frozen lands.

Multiple Starting Points: A large improvement over The Burning Crusade, Wrath gives both factions two-different areas to launch their expedition into Northrend from, rather than dumping every one in the same starting area so they can kill quest mobs to extinction. It also means that leveling multiple characters in the expansion isn't quite as repetitive as it was in the previous expansion.

Open-World Instancing: Open-world instancing is a new technique they are using to effect changes to the game world without zoning you into your own private instance. It's almost like having another instance of the same location layered on top of the first, only with changes to reflect the state of the quest you are in. It's used to great effect in the Death Knight starting area, where different stages of a massive war are all played out in the same area. One moment you're fighting to take over a human settlement, the next moment things seamlessly transition to the same settlement raised to the ground by your efforts. It really gives the illusion that your actions are making a difference.

The Knights Who Say Death: Blizzard introduces the first Hero Class to World of Warcraft in a truly epic fashion. The starting area for Death Knights is brilliantly executed, deftly weaving a tale of corruption and redemption over the course of a few hours. The aforementioned open-world instancing plays a large role in the starting experience, and the final battle at Light's Hope is one of the most spectacular moments I've seen in the game. As for the Death Knights themselves, they make excellent additions to most parties, whether you play them as the far superior frost-build tank or the dime-a-dozen DPS unholy spec.

More Realistic Equipment: I'm really digging the dark and gritty look of the equipment drops I've managed to collect in the expansion so far. A far cry from The Burning Crusade's Final Fantasy meets Sid and Marty Croft colorful glowing weapons, Northrend equipment looks more like something out of a Frank Frazetta or Brom painting.

Hated
Easy Mode: The main thing that Wrath of the Lich King lacks is any sort of significant challenge. The progression to level 80 is far faster than it should be, with even casual players in my guild already at or quickly approaching level 80. The new dungeons are particularly simple, even compared to the easy beginning dungeons from The Burning Crusade. I blazed through several of them with pick-up groups the first evening of release with little or no problem at all. I know World of Warcraft isn't exactly famous for it's difficulty, but I would have expected a steeper climb.

Not For Noobins: There is absolutely no reason to buy Wrath of the Lich King if you are new to the World of Warcraft experience. You cannot create a Death Knight unless you already have a character who is level 55 or more, and all of the new content is geared towards players level 68 and above. Not a problem for veterans, but new players won't be missing out on anything should they give the expansion a pass for now.

The launch of a major expansion pack in an MMO always has its upsides and downsides, and Wrath of the Lich King is no different. It did flood Hellfire with hundreds of baby Death Knights looking for healers, fill the general chat channels were filled with players asking questions that could be easily answered by reading quest text, and there is some general bugginess in some of the new zones (hello, Zul'drak). Those few nagging issues are balanced by the excitement of discovering new things and the revitalization of guild dynamics as old players flock back to see what's going on. After nearly two years of getting to know everything there is to know about The Burning Crusade, it's good to feel like a total noob all over again, even if the feeling doesn't last very long.

Wrath of the Lich King does what an MMORPG expansion should, adding tons of new content and refreshing the sense of wonder that drew players to World of Warcraft in the first place.

Wrath of the Lich King was developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment, released in North America on Nov. 13 for Windows PC and MAC. Retails for $39.99. Spent countless hours playing through expansion content, leveling a Death Knight to 70 and Mage to 75. Participated in multiple dungeons under both guises. Completed far too many quests to mention. Earned achievement for killing turkeys.

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But today, it holds that record, an internal email circulated to stores revealing that Lich King was not only the most-preordered game the chain has ever seen, but is also the biggest-selling launch they've ever seen.

And that includes multiplatform titles. Like GTAIV. Wow indeed.

WotLK breaks internal records at EB Games [WoW Insider]

Tonight on Unlikely Juxtaposition Theatre.. Silvio from HBO's The Sopranos endorses World Of Warcraft: Wrath Of The Lich King. Two great tastes that taste.. a bit odd together. Like Ziti Al Forno and Ogre Mead.

Silvio Dante (Steven Van Zandt) may be used to pimping of the more traditional nature but he has been able to adapt his skillset to help Blizzard get the message out about Lich King. "Just when I thought I was out..."

Up next - Al Swearengen from Deadwood for Peggle Nights.

[via MAXCONSOLE]

The boy is expected to make a full recovery but his father said he plans on limiting the amount of time his son is allowed to play computer games. His father also warned other patents about the dangers of their sons’ extended game playing. “They also think the boys need to reduce the amount of time they play and will themselves be more vigilant,” he said.

Daughters, on the other hand, can game all they want.

Not a bad start, Sweden, but only 24 hours? I could do 24 hours in my sleep. Still a ways to go before you catch up with Korea and China.

Boy collapses after playing World of Warcraft for 24 hours straight [TimesOnline - Thanks Voxynn!]

We are proud to declare that all WOTLK PVE raid content has now been cleared. This is both a moment of triumph and a cause for concern. The question in all our minds right now is if we could do this, how soon until the rest of the top guilds in the world clear all the raid content that WOTLK has to offer? Did Blizzard miscalculate in the tuning of these encounters? Or is this Blizzard folding under the weight of a large casual player base that demands to be on equal footing with end-game raiders?

Granted, SK Gaming and Nihilum have long since transcended humanity, having become one with their server, but three days is completely ridiculous. I expect some difficulty tuning coming in the near future.

All WotLK PVE Content Defeated [TwentyFithNovember]

In the slim chance that you're not, we'd direct you to the site of Dr. McNinja, where one can purchase the t-shirt that inspired the hidden gem.

Reader Patrick was nice enough to screen cap it and let us know. Thanks for making our day a little brighter. *high five*

It bears noting that A - I did not pick the still picture that accompanies this video...that was pure Adam, and B - I've got a recently emptied Hooters chicken wing box sitting next to me, a testament to the value of attending midnight launches.

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A few minutes before the official release, the media gathered outside not knowing what would really happen. Coming down the sidewalk, 4 blood elves carried a sword, which they handed-off to Blizzard President Mike Morhaime out in front of Best Buy. With the help of the first person in line (who had been standing there for close to 24 hours) they jammed the sword into the ice-shaped styrofoam block and pulled out a copy of the game. Yeah, it was totally nerd fest 2000. Still, it was a great time. Blizzard developers autographed copies for everyone who wanted one. Check out the rest of the pictures below from the night!

There were plenty of people to laugh at - some 500 people came and went from the site of the party between 8 pm and 11 pm. Strangely, less than 10 were in costume.

Party festivities included face painting, ice sculptures spouting chilled Rockstar, raffles and... the big one... a dance competition where contestants had to freestyle one of the six race dances based on routines from movies like Saturday Night Fever and Napoleon Dynamite.

Things started to get ugly around 10:30 when the dance competition sparked a noise complaint from a local resident. San Francisco police were slow to respond as they considered the event to be pretty well-behaved and had two officer stationed outside the store for the entire evening.

"I've never even heard of [World of Warcraft] until today," said one officer. "I had to ask some guys down at the station about it - they're into that stuff."

"That stuff" has already sold a ridiculous amount of copies in only a short amount of time. This may be due in part to 7-Eleven.

Hit the jump for more pics.

Servers are up, evil is rampant...it's a good day to be a bad person!

While we wouldn't pin your hopes on Target as WoW:WotLK savior — note: Amazon manages its inventory, but the CE doesn't show as available at the online retailer — it's a good back up.

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Collector's Edition for PC [Target - thanks, Joshua & Roufuss!]

7-Eleven Breaks Wrath of the Lich King Street Date [1UP]

For how long I couldn't say. Surely not too long after this post goes out, but if you hurry you can still get your hands on tons of limited edition goodness and a box that matches the other two on my bookcase, in case you were trying to coordinate with my living room.

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Collector’s Edition [GameStop - Thanks Jim!]