Mythic Entertainment's Warhammer Online keeps pushing the 29th of this month as a major day for them. As we previously noted, there may already be an additional class added on this magical day, but now news trickles in that may mean we have another class on our hands. A mysterious package arrived at The Green Skin Blog, and they are having a great time decoding it.

So, either Mythic is playing the cruelest joke of 2009 on us or we're in for some big news about the Slayer and Choppa careers on January 29, 2009! I somehow doubt they are messing with us here.

We hope they are not being messed with, as this could be some huge news. Hopefully this will mean there are some new classes from which to choose. Regardless of what it means, it is entertaining.

The time of year has come again. No, not tax season: Chinese New Year. And while we go from the Year of the Rat to the Year of the Ox, it also marks the time when World of Warcraft players celebrate the Lunar Festival.

The Lunar Festival consists of festivities that are based off of the Burning Legion being defeated all those centuries ago. Omen, a demigod red-eyed wolf with two heads, spawns around this time of year in Moonglade. Along with the constant-partying comes questing, and there are quite a few of those. Regardless, it is now time to whip out the fireworks and enjoy the shows in Stormwind, Thunder Bluff and Booty Bay when Chinese New Year hits, as they Blizzard makes them correlate as much as possible.

For those of you in the questing sort of mood, check out the festival guide over at our sister site, Wowhead. It can be a difficult series for even the most seasoned of veterans, so the advice for them is welcome and necessary. This year is going to be quite the shindig, to say the least!

James Tiberius Kirk made some tough choices in his reign as captain of the Enterprise. From battling his own Information Officer, Spock, to letting hundreds of unnamed ensigns simply get phased into oblivion. Star Trek Online has put forth a sort of "James T. Problem" in their forums, asking their users to submit their response to a critical situation.

"You have been assigned to take refugees to Starbase 187 when you receive a distress signal from a medical ship ferrying critical supplies to Pacifica, which has been struck by a plague of unknown origin. When you reach the medical ship, you find that the ship is surrounded by two Gorn Cruisers and five Gorn frigates. The medical supplies must reach Pacifica, but not only are you carrying innocent civilians on your ship; you limited weapons capability."

Most everyone thatwho read that is probably thinking the phrase “What would Kirk do?” Regardless of what decision you made, lives would be at stake. This is possibly what we all have to look forward to when Star Trek Online is released: Lots and lots of sticky situations.

Source: Star Trek Online Forums

For one reason or another, sometimes we all have to stop playing a game for a time. Be that reason frustration, or simply lack of funds or even some other unforeseen variable coming into our lives, most of us have had it happen and will have it happen again. At least those Lord of the Rings Online users don't have to fret as much.

"From 2nd February until 9th February, 2009 we’re inviting all players to come back and play LOTRO. The doors will be open for former players to enter the world of Middle-earth for a week of FREE game play."

Such news means those of you who let go of Lord of the Rings Online and are currently suffering from withdrawal symptoms, you can now get your dose for free for a week! This is the sort of innovation everyone likes to see from any massively multiplayer development studio.

Source: Lord of the Rings - Europe - Forums

With the current flurry of activity coming out of every major development studio this week, Bioware could not be left behind. Thusly, in light of this, they have decided to release a good chunk of media from Star Wars: The Old Republic  to the public.

Unlike Star Wars Galaxies, which is set in a more “modern” era in the Star Wars Universe, The Old Republic takes place roughly four-thousand years prior to the events of Star Wars: Episode One. This gives players the opportunity to enjoy a plethora of Jedi to slaughter, no matter what side of the Force they choose. With new screenshots and wallpaper coming out, we can do nothing but wait and anticipate. This game has the potential to either bring more people into the foray of the massively multiplayer genre, or just maybe rock the world of those already in it. We shall see.

Source: Star Wars: The Old Republic Official Website

It's official: Pirates of the Burning Sea, released on January 22nd, 2008 is now a year old. Celebrations are occurring not only in the offices of game developer Flying Lab Software, but server-side as well.

"To celebrate our anniversary, we will be giving all of our players access to a new Anniversary Coat, which will be available in the tailor shop. Each nation’s coat is different!"

Additionally, tomorrow marks the occasion where the Dread Saints fill the Caribbean with their woe and despair. All of this gets topped-off with a promise of new content and features. A chest-full of features is coming out of Flying Lab, so let it be known that it is time to set sail and maybe even enjoy another year of excitement and piracy.

Source: Pirates of the Burning Sea Online

Being the unstoppable powerhouse it has become, Cryptic has updated their questions regarding Champions Online. Users are submitting some pretty tough questions, regarding subjects such as weapon-wielding to PvP. With every passing day, they seem to pick up more steam for this massively multiplayer extravaganza. For instance, when asked about Nemesis' for any hero, Cryptic shot back with this.

"We're planning to do that. If you’re on a team together, eventually you’ll have the option to all battle one Nemesis, or you can have all of your Nemeses team up and battle against your super group."

Intriguing, interesting and, most of all, intense. Those three things are what we all look for in our games, and Champions Online looks like it will deliver, no-questions-asked.

Source: Champions Online: Ask Cryptic

Despite the delay for one of this year's most anticipated massively multiplayer games, they are still moving forward: Darkfall Online has just sent out the first wave of invitations to users, today. In no time, people will be flooding the internet with information and crazy problems associated with the game, and we shall all finally get our fill when it comes to knowing what we need-to-know about this game. Shrouded in secrecy, it seems, the developers have managed to make their game into something everyone just must play. Check your email if you signed up for a beta-test, as you might soon be invited to play what may-soon be one of the biggest releases of 2009.

Source: Darkfall Online Official Website

Valentine’s Day is coming, in case you forgot, and most of us men always forget or ruin it somehow. Well, Runes of Magic might have just the thing for you and your Significant Other. They have started the festivities early, and are now offering all sorts of goodies to those who are romantic! Grow some roses, eat some chocolate and enjoy the season of love.

"- You can make chocolate that will give you 35% health back when eaten.
- When you have collected 5 chocolate sweets you can use the world broadcast once.
- A good gardener can grow roses from seeds - and get a buff when the flower finally blooms.
- Exchanging 10 roses can be exchanged for certain gifts - like temporary mounts. - 30 roses will grant you a title"

Sounds like an excellent way to share time with the one you love, while possibly changing his or her mind about massively mutiplayer gaming. Not to mention an early Valentine's Day, lest you forget.

Source: Runes of Magic Official Website

Everyone needs some form of back-scratching and validation. Champions Online has provided both of these to their users by giving them a rating system. One star is terrible, or “pretty neat” whereas five stars is “SUPER COOL.” We're glad they are thinking outside the box when they create their masterpiece. We hope to continue to see this sort of development as we get closer to the release of this title.

Source: Champions Online Official Website