On the support forums there is a sticky locked thread entitled “Current Login Issue – Error 75 / Error 37 / Error 3003” with a forum support agent from Blizzard posting that they are aware of the login issues people are experiencing and that the issue is being logged into and that they hope to have it resolved soon. The posting occurred approximately at 9pm PST on May 15th. The posting has yet to be updated 18 hours later.

Visiting the “Known Issues” sticky locked thread “1.0.1 Known Issue List – Updated 5/14/12” post revealed that for Battle.net that “It is possible to get ERROR 37 (The servers are busy, please try again) when logging in if the servers are under heavy stress…” and they recommend that the servers are busy and that “you should try again, so please try again in a minute or so” – however according to many in the forums, waiting a few minutes doesn’t help the issue.

Since none of us are able to play without stabbing ourselves with a thumbtack in frustration over not being able to get in we’re suggesting instead to check out our Diablo 3 Release Party article or just check out this video from the event…

Error 3007 relates to a Lost Connection and 3005 maps to a Player has Disconnected error that many gamers are running into either when they log in or minutes after they log in and get booted. It would seem these errors are a direct result of server overloads, but in some forums on the Diablo 3 website (hosted by Battle.net) they are trying to trace the problems to potential issues related to firewall settings, antivirus software and even router and modem models. All this strikes gamers as being incredibly odd since we’ve all being playing World of WarCraft and StarCraft II just fine. Why would Diablo 3 be any different at all? Clearly, that’s an answer that potentially defies reason given that Blizzard VP Rob Pardo himself at the launch event said development on this game started back in 2003.

Some of the fixes listed in the forums submitted by users seem to be more voodoo than anything else. Many say that joining “general chat” helps get more playtime in a session before getting booted. Others report that this “fix” doesn’t actually do anything. What you will see after trolling the official forums is that Blizzard is getting flamed like never before. Quite frankly and understandably, there are a lot of angry Diablo 3 fans voicing their frustrations.

The silver lining here is that the memes haven’t been this good around reddit in quite some time. Our personal favorites include…

Error 37 Meme

Diablo 3 Error Meme

Another D3 Error Meme

Blizzard’s PR department has yet to officially make a statement about the Diablo 3 launch fiasco. In the meantime, gamers are going back to whatever it is they were doing before the Diablo 3 release when they were planning to waste their lives away with what looks like an amazing game (we’ll see!). Stay tuned to Gaming Illustrated for more news on Diablo-gate as it breaks!

ZOTAC GeForce GT 630

ZOTAC GeForce GT 610, GT 620, GT 630 series cards have a wide combination of configurations. Options for on-board memory range from 512 MB to 4GB of memory options for PCI Interfaces, PCI Express X1, and PCI Express 2.0 x16. With this many options, ZOTAC is aiming to bring their products to the casual computer users to the hardcore gamers. Diving deeper into these graphic cards, we can take a quick glance at the specifications: First off, with the GeForce GT 610 series of graphic cards you are going to be getting 48-processing cores. There will be options for 512 MB, 1GB, or 2GB memory configuration and a 64-bit memory interface. As for the GeForce 620 series of graphic cards you are going to get more power with a 96-processor cores. As with the GeForce GT 510, this line still remains the same in memory configurations with your choice of 1GB or 2GB, and your memory interface also remains at a 64-bit memory interface.

With the highest end card in this new series, gamers will be offered a lot of extras that will bring people to pine for the GeForce 630 series card. This graphics card is going to offer 96-processor cores and 1GB, 2GB and 4GB memory configurations. It is also going to offer a higher end memory interface with a 128-Bit memory interface. But the entire GeForce 600 GT series is going to offer a lot more, as they are all going to offer NVIDIA 3D Vision capability and NVIDIA Adaptive Vertical Sync. They are going to offer DirectX 11 technology and Shader Model 5.0. They are going to be OpenGL 4.2 Compatible and Blu-Ray 3D ready. Finally, they are also going to be Hardware-accelerated Full HD video playback and Loss-less audio bit stream capability. Marketing director for ZOTAC International, Carsten Berger said, “By installing one of our ZOTAC GeForce GT 610, GT 620, or GT 630 series graphics cards, users can experience faster video and image processing and perfect high-definition video playback with a simple upgrade.” From the announcement, it seems that ZTOAC is offering all these features without the pricing of the 680 series of GeForce graphic cards. With the high demand of powerful yet affordable graphic card ever increasing, these cards look like they could be exactly what gamers on a budget needed.

Fractal Design Interview with VP Josh Smith

Fractal Design is a manufacturer of accessories, case fans, cases and power supplies for PCs. In a short amount of time they have soared past the competition thanks to a fresh design and high quality of product. We held a Q&A with Fractal Design VP Josh Smith to discuss their company, where their inspiration comes from for their designs, how they were able to garner so many industry awards and what’s coming up in the near future.

GI: We met up at CES and were really impressed with your line of products, specifically the PSUs, case fans and cases. It was the first time we’d heard of you guys and I know our readers may not be aware of who you guys are. Could you give us a quick introduction to your company, letting us know how long you’ve been around, who your products are aimed for and what your vision is with your company?

JS: The concept of Fractal Design is to provide products with an extraordinary design level, without compromising the important factors of quality, functionality and pricing. The computer of today has come to play a central role in most people’s home, creating a demand for appealing design of the computer itself and its accessories. Our main product areas are computer enclosures, power supplies and related accessories. Fractal Design was founded in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2007. After an intensive design process we launched our first case, the Define R2 in 2009 to great industry acceptance. We have continually focused on product design and innovation while maintaining our Scandinavian styling and minimalistic appearance. Our customers come from all walks of life from hardcore gamers to professional users to those just looking for a more refined styling in their computer components.

GI: What is the main artistic and industrial inspirations that go into the design of your products? How would you categorize their design?

JS: Our design Scandinavian in nature and we pull from those design cues. With our design team based in Sweden we are able draw from their life experiences and cultural exposure. Our designs can be categorized as minimalist when it comes to styling, yet we are able to create products that appear minimalistic without being boring.

GI: How important is design with your product line and how do you marry that with factors like quality of function and price?

JS: Design is an incredibly important aspect of our products and arguably one of the aspects we are best known for. No one benefits from poor design and we understand that and use that ideology as a driving force in product development. With design at the forefront of our product development process we also understand the necessity for balance. Our products must not only look and perform well but also incorporate a high level of value. It is the combination of these factors that has fueled our rapid growth and industry acceptance. We listen to our customers and their voice becomes part of our design process.

GI: The list of awards for some of your products, like the CORE 3000 case for example, is pretty extensive. Do you aim to please both reviewers end-users alike or do you hold yourself to your own standard and hope the chips fall where they may?

Define XL USB 3.0 Black Pearl

JS: To be successful you cannot design in a vacuum. To only listen to yourself when developing products for others would be a tremendous failure. The reality of your question is that reviewers are end-users and vice-versa. If our products do not make sense to an end-user, then they will fail to do so with a reviewer as well. Our products are designed for the real world and everyday use, as opposed to marketing hype and gimmicks. We are a company of PC builders (for example, I was a boutique system builder for 8 years prior to joining Fractal Design) and enthusiasts, we live and breathe this stuff and we are the first to call out a flaw in one of our product designs and make the necessary changes before said product is released.

GI: Your PSUs have a 5-year warranty which we haven’t seen from many manufacturers because quite frankly, they never seem to last that long. How is Fractal able to stand behind such a warranty?

JS: We strive to make quality products and then we stand behind them. Internally we are relentless when it comes to customer service. If a customer has an issue we want to fix it, and fast. For our North American customers we have US based tech support with a dedicated phone number. We strive to answer calls and emails as quickly as possible and if you check out the numerous forums out there you will find that our customers have great things to say about our tech support, and they afterall are what we measure our success by.

GI: I happened to be the 9,998th person to give you guys a like on Facebook. So close to 10k! It seems the best companies that cater to a core power-user crowd always have a big following in social media. What are Fractal’s plans for reaching out to their fanbase?

JS: It is important to have a social media reach these days, however we did not merely want to hop on the “me-too” bandwagon. The reason for the rapid growth of our Facebook (it was just started in August 2011) is that we see it as a way to have a conversation with our fans and customers, as opposed to traditional media which is more of a lecture. Our fans provide us with great feedback and have been incredibly supportive. The addition of timeline in Facebook has presented some positives and negatives but one of the greatest features is that our fans can now directly message us with questions/comments/etc directly without having to post on the wall. This allows us more one on one time with our fans, which we love!

GI: Back at CES the folks at NewEgg awarded you guys the “Best New Vendor of 2011″ award. Clearly that had to feel great, but as they say, that’s yesterday’s news. What is your company doing in 2012 to continue the climb upward?

JS: The award from Newegg was great and they have been a great partner of ours. The award was a great testament to the hard work we have done and if you look at some of the other companies that received “Eggies” for other categories, we were in a pretty amazing crowd of global companies. However, as you mention, you cannot rest on your laurels, we are working at expanding our availability and recently launched our products in Micro Center’s 23 retail locations across the US. While I cannot comment on other negotiations that are in the works I can tell you that we are definitely growing and you will find Fractal Design products in numerous other locations in the coming months.

GI: Since we’re gamers here and we’re hoping you guys are too, what games can you admit to playing around the office?

JS: You name it and most likely someone here plays it We play of the big titles, BF3, MW3 etc etc. Personally I love Left 4 Dead/Left 4 Dead 2, the Assassins Creed series, the Hitman series as well as the DiRT series. At the last LAN we attended (Netwar 23.0) we spent as much time playing as we “manning the booth” It was great to hang out with our fans in the gaming community…then get pwned by them in BF3.

GI: Fractal has European flair to it, having been designed and engineered in Sweden. Clearly, when people see your products, they immediately buzz about the design. What talents are unique in Sweden that might be missed in Asia and North America?

JS: One of the strengths of our designers is their attention to detail and the ability to understand the nuances of design. When working on an overall minimalistic design, the design process becomes much more complicated. Instead of merely being able to “tack on” additional features and aesthetics, these features must fit cohesively with the rest of the design. The differences are found in the subtlety of the design and the slight nuances that can enhance the overall styling without contradicting it.

GI: In short order your company has gained quite the fanfare. Any comments to those fans?

JS: We appreciate the immense amount of support and loyalty we have received from our fans. Without them, we would not be where we are today, they are the ones that helped us achieve Newegg’s Best New Vendor of the Year award as well as the numerous other industry achievements we have reached. We want to thank each and every one of our fans for the role they have played in our success and we will continue to strive to earn their respect and their loyalty in everything we do.

GamingIllustrated.com would like to thank Josh Smith and the entire team from Fractal Design for their time with this interview!

Genius WideCam F100

The box includes the webcam, a 1.5 meter cord (which is about 5 feet) and a CD disc that includes the Arcsoft software, a Genius utility, a multi-language user manual and a multi-language quick guide.

The specifications of the Genius WideCam F100 are impressive for an HD camera at this price point. The camera supports both 720p and 1080p Full HD resolution, which equates to resolution sizes of 1280×720 and 1920×1080 respectively. The viewing angle is 120 degrees and the lens type is one that utilizes a manual focus. The white balance has both automatic and manual configurations. The interface uses a standard USB 2.0 port and the file format for stills and videos are JPG and WMV formats. Still image resolutions supported are 1920×1080, 1280×720 and 640×480. The video resolution is 1920×1080 at 30 frames per second, 1280×720 (30 frames per second) and 640×480 at 30 frames per second.

The minimum system requirements for the WideCam F100 dictate that you have an Intel Core2 1.8GHz or better processor and 512MB of RAM. You’ll need 200MB of hard drive space and a CD-ROM for the software, in addition to the USB 2.0 port.

If you are unfamiliar with this manufacturer, Genius is an international brand in computer peripherals and builds products such as computer mice, keyboards and even gaming-specific peripherals like headphones and gaming mice. Genius features the “GX Gaming” line of products which include mice, keyboards, speakers, headphones, mouse pads and laptop bags. Many of the products made by Genius is available for sale at their own online store.

Diablo III Launch - May 15, 2012

Gaming Illustrated was on hand for the event which started at 8pm PST. The event was located near the giant wheel with a big setup that included a stage with a projection screen and plenty of other activities going on. At the local GameStop location inside the Spectrum, gamers could pre-order their game and come back after midnight to pick up their copy and start playing as soon as they got home. The event was co-sponsored by both Blizzard Entertainment and GameStop to promote the launch of Diablo III. Everyone in attendance was promised to see Diablo-related cut-scenes and other video clips and also take part in several contests with exclusive D3-themed prizes. Some of the prizes included laser-etched desktop PCs, courtesy from Intel.

Plenty of Blizzard staff members were in attendance and walking around, mingling with those attending the event. This is standard practice with Blizzard launch events, most recently seen with StarCraft II where many staff members walked around and talked to gamers about the hard work that went into what was eventually an Editor’s Choice winner. After D3 went on sale at midnight, many key members of the Diablo III development team stayed on site at the official event area to talk to players and provide autographs.

Diablo III is the much anticipated sequel to Diablo 2 and is exclusively available for PC and for Mac OS X computer systems. The game features a gripping storyline where the very forces of Hell itself are unleashed once again in the land known as Sanctuary. It will be up to the heroes playing the game to thwart the forces of evil and ultimately Diablo himself, once again.

While on hand at the event we got to meet plenty of folks in the crowd – some were huge gamers, some just huge fans of the Diablo series and plenty of them were folks from Blizzard there to celebrate many years of hard work. Overall, there had to have been thousands on hand at the Irvine Spectrum, all of whom were treated to a great time. Blizzard always does a great job blowing these event parties out and the Diablo 3 Release Party was no different. From cut-scenes of many of the acts in the game to videos dedicated to each one of the playable classes, there was plenty to see on the big screen. On top of that, many of the project’s leads took the stage to say a few words to the crowd to thank them, including a touching speech by VP Rob Pardo. Also taking place were costume contests with people showing up as their favorite characters from the Diablo series. Associate Editor Carl Armstrong interviewed many of the contestants for our video recap of the release party. Most just showed up to have a good time and meet fellow gamers that love the series as much as they did. Other “events” taking place at the release party included many fan giveaways in the form of t-shirts (being shot out of a t-shirt gun at the crowd) as well as a beard shaving contest.

Overall, it was another enjoyable release party put on by the folks at Blizzard Entertainment. Clearly a lot of hours went into the preparation, set-up and tear down of the event and on behalf of the press in attendance (as well as on behalf of fans of the series), we’d like to thank the on-site staff for their hard work.

Below are photographs we took at the event!

Diablo 3 Release Party - Stage	Diablo 3 Release
This guy dressed up as the Witch Doctor and cut a pretty good in-character interview on camera for us.	This girl went all out for her costume and look amazing from head to toe in this outfit!
D3 Launch Party - All Dressed Up	Diablo 3 Costumes
Diablo 3 Release Party Crowd Shot	Rob Pardo, Blizzard Big Shot / VP
Diablo 3 Banner	D3 Character Posing
Diablo 3 is Officially Released

TERA Review

Creating a Character

TERA - Elin Race

Storyline

TERA MMORPG

One of the elements of TERA that was unique that we really enjoyed was the Prologue. You’ll dive right in as a level 20 for your character and at a critical part of the game. You’ll have a few quests to help you figure out the mechanics of moving around plus very simple combat, but quickly you’ll be thrown into a huge fight against a very impressive looking “BAM” (which stands for Big Ass Monster). Chances are you’ll flail around and not exactly know what the heck you are doing, but the fight will be a lot of fun. Once you’ve passed the prologue you’ll be thrown back to level 1 where the story really begins. It’s a nice spin on starting an MMO and gives you some quick incentive to level up so you can get all those fun abilities back.

Players will start out on an island (quickly nicknamed “Noob Island” by those in chat) and run through a series of quests mainly designed to get them acclimated to the game and to fuel storypoints that lead into the prologue. Quests on the island and running around is a lot of fun and the graphics are so stunning you’ll just keep playing to see what gorgeous zone you’ll see next or what awesome BAM is waiting for you at the end of a major quest chain. The story overall of TERA is decent but not something revolutionary and chances are hardcore MMO’ers will follow loosely through their entire adventure.

Combat System

TERA Combat

MMORPG Features

TERA definitely all the features you want. Gathering and crafting professions, auction house type thing, dungeon finder, achievements – it’s all there. Guilds are recruiting, main cities are bustling and all the elements that make for a good MMO are in there. We can’t stress enough how happy we were to find an dungeon finder, it almost feels like a necessity in today’s MMO landscape. The point is, TERA has striven to be a next-generation MMORPG and it is, with all of the features you’ve come to enjoy in other games.

Graphics & Sound

There’s little doubt that most people will walk away very impressed with the graphics of TERA. The visuals are really stunning and even with middle of the line hardware you’ll still be subject to some really well designed zones, generously graced with some very fresh art direction and combat animation. TERA frankly looks great and the “Far East” inspirations behind many of the areas you’ll visit and the monsters you’ll face came to us as a breath of fresh air for the genre. The sounds of the game are decent but nothing special. There’s no voice-over talent for picking up quests and regretfully reserved only for cut-scenes. The music definitely jives with the entire holistic feel of the game, while the “special effects” of creatures, spells and other effects in the game sound authentic enough to be legit. Overall with the A/V experience you’ll accept the audio as passable but really should come away impressed with the graphics – they’re gorgeous.

First Impressions Playing Up to Level 10

While we knew a bit of what we were getting into when trying out TERA we can say after playing through the first 10 levels that this game is a lot of fun, which is the most important element of any game we play. Certainly the graphics are amazing, but when we dive into the actual gameplay itself, it feels like a great new MMO where the storyline is okay but where the action is really where it’s at. You’ll definitely get sucked in and while it might take a little longer than you are used to, getting to level 10 is a lot of fun.

First Impressions – Overall

TERA is definitely worth checking out if you are an MMORPG geek. The game’s two biggest strong points are the graphics and the combat system – both of those alone make the game worth buying. So, if you are on the fence with TERA and aren’t sure if you should check it out or not – we’re definitely saying you should. The good news is that the game is much, much deeper than just playing through as an RPG and you can really have a lot of fun in a group and questing through a ton of zones. While you may not want to play this game with your five-year-old nephew in the room, we though the edgier characters were a nice spin for the game and something to snicker at but enjoy all the same. With all the usual MMO elements in the game most regulars in this genre will definitely enjoy the first impression that TERA provides. Overall, TERA feels like a next-gen MMORPG and if you want some action and to see some incredible visuals, pick it up – pronto.

Overall Ratings – TERA (First Impressions)

Most, if not all, of the conjecture about the “Xbox 720” has gone unconfirmed and seemingly risen out of nowhere, as tends to happen on the internet. Everyone has hopes that Microsoft’s next big release will include their choice feature that was previously left off the menu. In leaks from Microsoft, the project has been called both Loop and Durango, not to be confused with the SUV of the same name, although we wouldn’t mind if the Xbox 720 had the equivalent in power (but not in size).

Rumor has it that there will be a sizable power upgrade though, necessary considering the 360 lagged behind the PS3 in sheer power, though many would argue Sony’s bad boy went largely underutilized. Some have compared the future console’s power as being the equivalent of strapping two CPU’s together, but in our experience tape has been fairly inefficient at improving overall capability.

With the amount of force that Microsoft has put behind its Kinect add-on, many think there will be much more inclusion in the future. Currently, Kinect can be bought separately or bundled, albeit with a bump in price tag of about $100. When it comes to purchasing a new console shortly after release, the cost can hurt many gamers, but historically they have suffered through. Forced inclusion of Kinect with the next console and future titles may be a very real risk, one that we don’t necessarily want to see.

While the Kinect has added versatility to a variety of games with voice commands in Mass Effect 3 among other similar features, it has otherwise felt like a novelty. Case in point, the game it comes bundled with, Kinect Adventures, is simple and fairly childish, playing directly into what might be perceived as its intended audience: non-serious gamers.

Lest Microsoft make the same mistake as Nintendo, any move towards Kinect inclusion needs to keep their loyal audience in mind: shooter/rpg junkies who like the feel of a controller in hand and their couch at their back. There is little doubt that the future of a successful Xbox will include a gamepad, but it goes without saying that some people may need reminding. Sometimes change isn’t all that great.

There's no judgment here.

The idea of not being able to “show off the old collection” in the future is a very different concept to a group that spent their childhood collecting game cartridges.

Others disagree, unable to fathom a console without its staple: games. Rather, they cite a turn of Microsoft towards Blu-ray, following in the steps of Sony.

With either choice there is fear that somehow Microsoft intends to target the used games market, which it’s widely known has not benefited them. Movement towards online pass codes that restrict game sharing have raised a red flag. Should the disc drive go the way of the dinosaur and not be included, perhaps some middle ground could be found. Those paying attention early in the Xbox 360′s lifespan remember the attempts at pushing HD external disc drives (which failed miserably). Perhaps, dare I say it, an external disc drive for those attached to used games? At least if an included drive simply must go.

Whether or not the various rumors are true, Microsoft has a hard road ahead. Pleasing everyone is impossible and demands are already being lined up. At the minimum a quieter, lighter system is highly desirable, possible with better social network integration for a fast shrinking world. And while they’re at it, perhaps better quality headsets could be bundled too. Maybe? Please!

NVIDIA Technology in Tablets

SW: I’m Sean Wix. I do technical marketing at NVIDIA; I actually run our executive briefing center. So I’m in charge of doing all kinds of tech demos for execs as they come in to see different products.

GI: Very nice. So you’re the go-to guy when it’s crunch time.

SW: Absolutely.

GI: Very nice. Well, we’re seeing some really cool sneak peak stuff here. You’re touting console-quality gaming in a tablet.

SW: Yes, we definitely are. With Bladeslinger, THD, and Shadowgun you can see it. It’s amazing graphics fidelity and it’s a fantastic gaming experience.

GI: Talk about some of your tablet partners here. Is this going to be coming out with the NVIDIA logo or is it just a chipset thing.

SW: We still have a chipset so we have the ASUS Transformer Prime that’s already in the marketplace using Tegra 3. ASUS just launched a 7” tablet at $249 that’ll be using Tegra 3. We’re also showing the Acer Iconia Tab that’s Tegra 3, and the ZT 7 tablet is also using Tegra 3. Here at the booth there’s about six total design wins that are coming out or are out immediately following CES with Tegra 3.

GI: I’m looking at the graphics here as some people are playing. I agree – console level gaming, something you would see on the Xbox 360 is what I’m looking at basically.

SW: Yeah, absolutely. And it’s fantastically fun to play. I’ve been playing it all CES.

GI: Nice. So talk about the development process, talk about the quality that’s gone in. Obviously it’s one thing to develop a chipset for a laptop or even just a very ultra-lightweight laptop that weighs nothing – you’ve got to have a minimalist chipset. But it seems like a tablet’s just a whole other beast.

SW: It is. It’s a completely different architecture on the CPU side. It’s all ARM-based versus x86. So we have an ARM license and we develop an ARM CPU, and we integrate our technology to it and custom build a GPU for it as well.

GI: I’m seeing Windows 8 sneak-peak tablets here. Other platforms?

SW: We’re a hardware vendor so we sell Tegra 3 and if you want to run it on Windows 8 when Windows 8 comes out we’re going to fully support that. If you want to do a custom operating system based on Linux or something else we’ll support that. If you want to do Android we’re obviously there, too. We were the first tablet with Ice Cream Sandwich available on it.

GI: It seems like this could be a real game changer for everyone not named Apple.

SW: Yeah, it definitely could be. (Editor’s Note: Big smile from Sean Wix when he answered this!)

GI: Yeah, he’s smiling. He can’t give away anything. I know there’s some thoughts behind that. Certainly what do you think the reaction here at CES has been? With me it’s a wow factor. As a gamer, I really can’t believe I’m seeing this out of a tablet that’s being exported out to a 1080p monitor.

NVIDIA Tablet Technology

GI: Yeah, that’s the scary thing – you don’t want to just drain these suckers. One of the big advantages of a tablet is that they last a long time. They’ve got amazing battery power. If you’ve got an amazing graphics chipset there’s some danger there.

SW: Sort of – not really.

GI: Oh?

SW: We can do everything on Tegra 3 faster and for less power than we can do it on Tegra 2. So inherently going from a single core or dual core to four cores we are actually able to save power. We run our cores at different voltages for their workloads, so if we can run our cores slower and spread load across multiple cores we can save power versus pegging one or two cores all the way and running them at max power. So the equivalent performance is the same but the power is less.

GI: Awesome. Well, I know you have a lot of dedicated PC gamer followers that will be very interested in this. Any final messages to them as they see some of this for the first time?

SW: One of the big things about NVIDIA is we’ve learned a lot from our gaming heritage and our gaming experience on G-FORCE, and that’s really translated into all of our other businesses including the tablet space. So we’re going to have some awesome gaming experiences on G-FORCE and we’re going to have really awesome gaming experiences on Tegra as well.

GI: Alright, Sean, well thanks so much for joining us on Gaming Illustrated.

SW: Thank you very much for having us.

Gaming Illustrated would like to thank Sean Wix and the entire NVIDIA team for their hospitality and time for this interview.

I tend to poll the fellow nerds at my day job quite often about what games they play, what they like and what their perception is of games they aren’t playing. With SWTOR it seemed like a few of us bit into the bandwagon quite hard, overdosed completely during the first two months of release and eventually had to take a step backward. I started up a Sith Marauder while a friend of mine built up a Jedi Knight. While our in-game styles were much the same, the storyline perspectives were quite different. Both of us, at the start, we’re excited to get through the content of one side in order to create an alt toon to see what the other faction was up to. Part of what made the game so great, an engrossing storyline that sucks you in, also prevents you from picking up a toon. You think to yourself, are you really ready to go through all that again?, and realize that you might need a little more time before diving back in.

SWTOR

A couple of the mid-level zones include Tattooine and Alderaan. While you are given the option to skip Tattooine, I definitely suggest you check it out. For the Sith there’s some key plot lines that are discovered here, plus you should be well equipped to fight through the missions at this level. If you skip ahead straight to Alderaan, you’ll probably be in for more trouble than you can handle. Nonetheless, both planets offered a ton of fun and interesting stories to experience.

There are several flashpoints to be experiences when you hit the mid-range levels, including Cademimu, Boarding Party, Taral V, The Foundary (which requires Boarding Party first), and Malestron Prison (requires Taral V). Boarding Party and The Foundary are Empire only, while Taral V and Maelstrom Prison are Republic only flashpoints.

With the recent release of patch 1.2, those that are level 50s have a bit more to play through including a brand new major Operation, known as Explosive Conflict. The new legacy system is available which allows players to dig deeper in their personal saga. You’ll get to construct a family tree and unlock new rewards and abilities for all the characters in your Legacy. There’s also new level 50 dailies near the Black Hole on Corellia. There’s also the conclusion of the Rakghoul outbreak that can be experienced in the Lost Island Flashpoint.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

If you haven’t checked out The Old Republic yet and you want an amazing MMO experience set in an immersive Star Wars universe, just go for it. The game is solid, there’s no wait times anymore and you definitely won’t regret the purchase. For those of you that might be like my friends at work that played up to 50 on the Republic side and decided to take a 1-2 month break, be encouraged that there’s a definite payoff for starting up a Sith side character and embracing the dark side!

TERA, while making controversial waves in headlines thanks to various legal battles, has garnered a ton of buzz thanks to some sick graphics and change-of-pace action-centric gameplay. Early impressions around the industry have been fairly positive so far and we’re hoping in the next two weeks to release our own first-impressions review. In the meantime, let’s introduce you to this new MMO, the lore behind it, the race and classes, plus figure out what makes TERA different than the rest.

Tera

There are seven races to play from in TERA. The most noticeable are probably the Popori which are cute little fuzzy animal people that are rotund balls of cuteness. From there you’ll see two standard races in Humans and Elves. Past that there’s the Elins, who love nature, and the Castanics which are a demon race that offer customizable horns. Finally, there are the Baraka who are said to be a giant race of intelligent beings and finally the Aman who are a race of draconian humanoids. The Baraka, Elin and Popori are all gender locked.
There are a total of eight different classes in Tera: Archer (Ranged Damage Class), Berserker (Melee Damage), Lancer (Blocking Tank), Mystic (Support Healer), Priest (Primary Healer), Slayer (Melee Damage), Sorcerer (Ranged Magic Damage) and Warrior (Evasive Tank / Melee Damage). Some of the early impressions say that the Berserker might be one of the most fun classes to play as these folks use two-handed axes and wear heavy armor. While the Berserkers in Tera are the slowest in the game, they are also the heaviest hitters. They are said to be unreliable sources of damage and struggle to perform well in a highly mobile fight but in PvP (a big element in Tera) are said to be a huge threat because they possess the possibility to have a one-hit knockout.

Tera is Available for Download

If you haven’t seen some of the in-game videos posted on YouTube or any of the large gaming review sites, you’ll want to check them out. The graphics of the game look pretty hot and are said to not be all that taxing on your system. In any event, Tera from En Masse Entertainment has a real good buzz about it and we’re excited to be bringing you a first impressions review as soon as we can dive in and see it for ourselves.