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We have a date! Not that kind of date, not the awkward first kind. This is a better date, one where Warhammer Online will be released unto the masses. There have been many 'release dates' since the game went into Beta testing, but this one seems like it might have legs. The preliminary launch date is September 23rd. This release date has been updated on several retail sites, but what lends to its credibility is the official EA site was recently updated with the same date.

The developers acknowledged at E3 2008 that Warhammer Online was pretty much done and that the team is in high-polish mode. The guild beta will also be the last beta phase before the open beta starts. Of course, nothing is official until EA and Mythic Entertainment release an official press release or statement but the pieces are falling into place. Aside from any unforeseen circumstances September 23rd is the day that Warhammer: Age of Reckoning will launch. Delay after delay, no longer. There is no denying that WAR is inevitable, and if you need a heads up on what to expect catch-up on all our exclusive WAR coverage.

[Via Nullword]

It's been awhile since we checked in on Sparkplay Media's furry animal MMO, Earth Eternal. The story goes that, eons ago, the creatures known only as "Man", once the greatest of all living things, poisoned the Earth and warred amongst themselves, making themselves extinct. The gods and other elder creatures who had more or less left Man to their own devices, decided to give that whole"mortal creature" thing another try, cleaned up the Earth, and placed the Beast people on it.

Earth Eternal will be a free to play, Runescape-like MMO where you play one of sixteen different animal races in a land of adventure and high fantasy. The game runs with a small client that downloads new areas in the background as you encounter them. As well as the usual quests, adventures and dungeon crawls, EE players will be able to make their own Groves, areas of the world of their own design, in two parts. The public part will be above ground, but there will be an equally extensive portion below ground that can be set to be as private as you like. Pictured above is a shared Grove; they can be quite elaborate.

We estimate about ... three hours after it goes live before someone makes a Grove named The Island of Misfit Toys. It's not gonna be the kind of place you bring your children, either. Check out the latest teaser video after the break.

Check out the above glimpse from Florensia Online's vast dungeons, dark secrets, horrifying monsters, sinister nightmares, and infernal bosses. Oh no, what will you do? Combine efforts and lead your band of cute and merry anime-inspired adventurers to victory of course! If you want to dare the impossible join the open beta that is underway.

In all seriousness, the Japanese import is free-to-play and will sustain development from a micro transaction "itemshop" model. Florensia does feature a somewhat unique leveling twist. The dual battle system gives players the freedom to choose if they want to level at land or at sea, as well as the ability to specialize in both areas of combat. The sea system is more difficult to master, but the catch is that sea based gameplay is unavoidable if you want to visit other islands. There's a new dungeon preview on the official website along with other news updates. If you thought the trailer was a bit cheesy and left you lingering for something like some ship action, there are several other official clips available.

If you're looking to download a copy and check it out, our sister site Big Download has the files waiting for you!

Pirate-themed, anime-inspired Japanese import Florensia Online has just entered "Western Global" open beta. Another Asian import MMO? Well, yes, but this does have some nice bits. Florensia is actually two games in one, a sea-faring game and a land-based adventure. You build experience in each separately -- so you can play the game entirely on the land or on the sea, or a combination. You can build your own ships from five basic hulls with dozens of add-ons to make your ship truly individual. There's five classes to start with, and soon there will be twelve, including extended classes. Sieges and faction wars are on the horizon.

More on Florensia as we get some battle time with the beta. You can join the fun by registering on their beta sign-up page.

Frogster, noted European and Asian MMO publisher, has released a flying voidship-load of information about their upcoming MMOs for the European market.

Long awaited fantasy MMO The Chronicles of Spellborn is still due out late this year, with open beta to begin in October. We've been following this game closely for some time, but it looks like the rumored US publisher (given their prior relationship, perhaps Aeria Games) is not yet ready to announce North American release dates for the game. The World of Warcraft-ish Asian Import Runes of Magic, newly rescored and tuned toward Western tastes, will enter closed beta in September, for a European release about two months later. Isometric pet-raising, caveman-themed MMO StoneAge 2, already in open beta in North America, will be entering European closed beta in August ahead of a fall release. Next week, Frogster will release more information on its latest MMO, soccer-themed Kickster (formerly Kick Off). And they want us to keep an eye out for an expansion to the Bounty Bay Online pirate MMO.

Assuming you live in Europe, which ones should you particularly keep your eye on? If you bought a Gameboy just to play Pokemon, you might really enjoy StoneAge 2. If a subscription fee is keeping you from playing World of Warcraft, Runes of Magic might just be different enough to get you interested, and it will be free to play. If you liked Age of Conan's innovative combat system but couldn't get into the world of Hyboria, Spellborn's unique setting and combat system combined with its lush visuals might sell you.

Check out screenshots from each of these games in the gallery below.

If you ever played Secret of Mana on the Super Nintendo, and thought it would be totally awesome if they could make that sort of side scrolling, action-adventure fun into an MMO, then Aeria Games' Pi Story might be just the game you're looking for. To give you that chance, they have just started open beta, and further, in the most time-limited offer ever, they are giving away 50% bonus Aeria Points (the tender of their cash shop), if you buy before noon US Pacific Time (3PM Eastern Time). So if you're a fan of any of Aeria Games' MMOs, and the sale is still on, check it out.

Pi Story is a sidescrolling MMO in the style of old console action RPGs. Players meet in hub cities, and grouping is as easy as clicking on someone's "Join Party" button over their heads, and heading to an adventure is then a single click away. Additionally, you have your own room to decorate, and though the game can be played entirely for free, there is a cash shop available for purchasing power-ups and other goodies.

We had a fantastic chance to talk with Matt Wilson about The Agency during E3. While a great deal of the footage they showed was largely identical to the footage we'd previously seen, many of Matt's insights about the direction they're taking The Agency in were quite illuminating. From PvP to operatives to vehicular combat and the eventual beta, Matt was generous enough with both his time and knowledge, and let us in on lots of great news and background.

If you've been hungry for more information on some of the different aspects of this upcoming game, be sure to join us after the break for a great overview on this hot upcoming SOE property.

How many years has Darkfall been in development? Forever is a pretty good guess. Actually, go back to 2001 and that's when Darkfall was announced! Sheesh and people say Blizzard is slow. Darkfall sounds so good -- the real-time tactical and reactionary gameplay, the unrestricted siege warfare, the destructible terrain, and the bi-millennial patches.. err. But seriously, the proposed game systems sound decent. If the mounted combat emulates Mount and Blade, it's worth looking into. The current problem lies with the developer's decision to keep testers selected from the MMOG community away until the game is near-completion.

Progress is coming along nicely according to this latest Darkfall update by Associate Prouder, Tasos Flambouras. The Darkfall staff has expanded by eight new team members and the focus has been on polish and on the publishing side. You know server infrastructure, customer and technical support, the all important billing system, and distribution. It's summer though, and the development team needs some time off so they are rotating vacation time for the next three weeks. Don't rush it guys. There's always Warhammer Online to contend with if you launch too early. Still no word or more importantly a date on when the next beta phase will start, we'll be waiting!

[Via Warcry]

It wasn't long ago that Max Schaefer, a Flagship Studios cofounder and operations chief, admitted to mistakes that the company encountered with Hellgate: London. Now, in a strange twist of irony the players are learning firsthand the lessons of Flagship's failures. The Mythos beta ended as it was placed on hiatus last night, possibly being the last time players will grace the world of Uld. Not long after that the Mythos beta forums went dark but before they did Max Schaefer left a wonderful message to the community.

"They say it's not so much the destination as it is the journey that's important. We're really hoping that's the case around here these days. I can't really believe I'm writing a post like this, but here we are faced with the unpleasant task of taking a hiatus from this crazy project. Unlike most games, Mythos has been running with our testing community for almost its whole life. I really feel like we've all done this together. And despite this bump in the road, I think we've succeeded wildly. This is undoubtedly the best game community I've ever seen. This is the best game development team in the world, in both Seattle and San Francisco. The things we've learned here, and with you all, will be with us forever.

The latest graphical revamp shows off how far the old Fallen Earth character models have progressed. The key differential is in faces, hair styles, and equipment. While the artistic style is still the same, the art team has updated clothing, weapons and armor enhancing and adding more depth to character models. A wide variety of customization options like tattoos and face paint are also available which will allow players to create a truly unique appearance for their characters.

The woes continue at Flagship Studios. It was just announced that the Mythos beta will shutdown tonight. The official time slotted for its cease of operations is at July 18th, 2008 at 11:59 CST. Community manager Tiggs left the message on the forums which are also due to close at the same time.

"We, the ancient elders of Uld are issuing this warning to all citizens and travelers. Hurry! The great darkness that once plagued Uld is returning. Everyone is ordered to close down their shops and prepare. We predict the when night is at its peak the darkness will arrive. The ancient elders of Uld will be leaving immediately in order to preserve the lore of this wonderful world. Citizens please prepare thyself and know that the elders will be back from their travels some day."

Flagship Studios claims that the Mythos beta is going on a hiatus. That's pretty vague term associated with the closure of a beta that stems from a financial and legal crisis at a development studio. It does signal a possible return later, and we do hope Mythos continues development in the near feature and sees a well-deserved release. Lead developer on Mythos, Travis Baldree recently posted on the forums expressing his thanks and gratitude along with his uncertainty for how long the Mythos beta would remain operational. Now we know, and so soon.

In a post entitled, "A Fond Farewell" Baldree espouses gratitude to the Mythos beta community, the close relationship between employees, and does not disclose any specific details on the future of Mythos. Baldree is also unsure of how long Mythos in its current beta form will remain operational, but claims he will inform the community when possible. While Baldree did hint at reopening beta testing in the future, the question regarding on who owns the intellectual property and rights is probably going to be decided in a legal battle. Other developers that worked on Mythos also posted their farewells and appreciation to the beta community in the same thread. (We have copied Baldree's post after the jump in case the forums shutdown.)

[Via Warcry]