We’re coming very close to exploring the Final Frontier for ourselves in Star Trek Online and if you want to be flying in at warp speed with a bit of a discount, now’s the time to drop down your cash.

In case you haven’t heard, between now and the game’s release on February 2, 2010 inspired players will be able to purchase their Lifetime Membership or 12-Month Membership at a discount that will no longer be available once the game is launched.

The Lifetime Membership will cost $239.99, $60 less than the regular price of $299.99 and includes 2 extra character slots and “a playable Starfleet captain who’s been reclaimed from the Borg”, whatever that means.  The 12-Month membership on the other hand will cost $119.99 and also includes 2 extra character slots, which is about $60 less a year then compared to paying $14.99 a month.

Pretty solid deals for all the Trekkies sold on the game already and especially for those willing to throw down the big bucks for long term play. If the promising beta is any indication, Star Trek Online should have no problem living long and prospering. So, who’s in?

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Atari and Cryptic have announced that Star Trek Online for PC has entered its open beta phase which will run through January 26, 2010. Fans with valid open beta keys can now explore the Star Trek universe in all of its glory.

“We are thrilled to give open beta access to fans as we draw nearer to the official release of Star Trek Online,” said Craig Zinkievich, Executive Producer on Star Trek Online. “We are looking forward to the launch of our first-of-a-kind MMORPG with anticipation and excitement and we expect Star Trek Online to explode onto the scene, giving fans and gamers a Star Trek experience like no other.”

Interested? Information about where to obtain open beta keys and where to download the open beta client can be found on the official Star Trek Online website at: http://www.startrekonline.com/openbeta.

In an official blog post yesterday, Cryptic Studios invited players to participate in the closed beta for Star Trek Online happening later this year. For those who bought a six-month or lifetime subscription to Champions Online, Cryptic says not to worry; you’re already signed up. Hit the link above to check out the full article with all the details on the announcement.

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Folks looking to get their super hero on should be glad to know that Atari has finally unleashed Champions Online. The MMO is now available for Windows PC online and at stores across North America and will be available in Europe on September 4, 2009. Based on the award winning pen and paper role-playing game, Champions, from HERO Games and powered by the Cryptic Engine, Champions Online taps into a “rich universe of heroes and villains with unparalleled intrigue and adventure.”

“Champions Online is a great addition to Atari’s line-up,” said John Needham, CEO of Cryptic Studios. “After considerable anticipation and excitement, we are thrilled to present Champions to fans and gamers worldwide, and look forward to seeing what players create with the game’s limitless customization options. We are already hard at work developing new content and updates that will expand the Champions Online world even further.”

Here’s a description of the game:

Champions Online brings epic heroism back to the MMORPG genre with depth that will certainly challenge the most experienced online gamers, while its fast paced action promises to engage new entrants to the online superhero universe. Enter a world where the diabolical genius Dr. Destroyer has returned to wreak havoc. After he single-handedly destroyed the city of Detroit, many thought he had perished in the colossal explosion, but he is back to inflict his evil plans on the unsuspecting world. Join with Defender and the legendary Champions to stop Dr. Destroyer and his minions in an ultimate showdown of good versus evil.

Cool. For more, hit up the game’s official website.

Calling all current and future Champions.

According to VG247, they have details for current and future beta testers for the upcoming MMO, Champions Online.

For all of you lucky enough to be beta testing the game as we speak. On July 17, you will get a level cap extension to 17, with Millennium City open for extended beta hours to last full weekends.

Here are the dates:

• July 17 –20:  Friday morning 10:00 a.m. PDT (19.00 CET) to Monday morning 9:00 a.m. PDT (18.00 CET)
• July 24 – 26:  Same Times
• July 31 – August 10:  Same Times
• August 14 – August 16:  Same Times

For those of you itching to test this bad boy out, you will be able to jump in for open-beta on August 17 and the beta test for the game will remain open 24-hours until it’s finished.

So if you haven’t already doodled your new Champions costume and look.., then now is the time to start.

Attention future “Champions”, it’s time to upgrade your machine if you haven’t already in the pas 1-2 years. That is if you plan on playing the upcoming Champions Online MMO. Most of you will triumph this victory easily, while others may need to return to fight another day.

The required system specs for the game released by Cryptic can be found after the jump…GOOD LUCK Champions, and happy upgrade hunting….
Read the rest of this entry…

So, if you haven’t see any of the reports circulating around the nets today, here’s the deal…Cryptic Studios, who is owned by Atari and currently developing both the Star Trek Online and Champions Online MMOs, is said to be working on yet another MMO for release sometime in 2011….and, to the delight of many, today’s rumors suggest that the new MMO is based within the popular Neverwinter Nights universe.

Neverwinter Nights, which first arrived on PC back in 2002 via BioWare with the assistance of Bill Roper (currently at Cryptic) and later saw a sequel by developer Obsidian (in 2006), takes place in the Forgotten Realms universe. The games offered both offline and online play and were fan favorites for their broad community support and extensive mod toolsets.

Obviously, we have no idea if this is true or not as of yet, but we’ll reach out to our boys and girsl at Cryptic to see what we can dig up.

So, who amongst you would be interested if indeed this project is real? Is there really that much room for all of these MMOs? Let us know in your comments below or speak your mind in the EBA forums.

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