MMORPG.com Managing Editor Jon Wood recently sat down with the folks from Square Enix for a whirlwind tour of the newest Final Fantasy XI expansion, Wings of the Goddess. Today, he posts this report.

Last week, I had my very first opportunity to log into Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XI. For some reason this has been, for quite some time, on my list of games to try, but I’ve just never found the time before. Well, an invitation from the SE folks to participate in a small tour of the new Wings of the Goddess expansion was enough to finally get me to try it out.

First of all, to those of you who may have been in the same boat as I have, I would suggest that at some point you try this game out. Folks who are clamouring for an MMO that doesn’t resemble WoW in terms of the UI and the way that the game is played should certainly take a look.

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Gamesindustry.biz has posted an interesting story that reveals that Americans have spend over one billion dollars in online game subscriptions.

The NPD Group has released data indicating that the value of US online game subscriptions exceeds USD 1 billion annually.

This finding was based on data gathered between October 2007 and March 2008. The NPD also said that 11 million people subscribe to online games each month.

"Now that NPD can estimate the value of the subscription market, it's clear that there is a sizable chunk of revenue being generated by PC gaming beyond what is reflected in retail sales," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier.

Other analysts and execs have previously suggested that data showing a decline in PC sales does not reflect a true picture of the business because it does not account for digital distribution and online subscription sales.

NPD also analysed the demographics, finding that the majority of gaming website players are females over 35 years of age, while MMO players are largely males under age 35.

Read the rest here.

The folks at Vanguard have announced that they will be holding two server transfer opportunities to new, old and returning characters. The first round happens on May 13th.

Vanguard’s excited to announce that we’re offering two opportunities for server transfers to new and existing Vanguard players! Originally, we had offered one transfer per character created before the server merges, but due to a large amount of old friends coming back to the game, we’ve decided to do away with all those rules, and open up the server transfers to anyone – regardless of their creation date or prior move history.

We’re hoping this opportunity will let people come back to the game, and easily find a home on a server where their friends are playing.

The first round of transfers will be happening on Tuesday, May 13th. The second will come sometime the following week. Requesting a move is simple, and only requires logging into the game and using the /petition command. Players will need to include the names of all the characters on their account they would like to have moved, along with the server they would like to be transferred to.

Things to keep in mind:

Players cannot transfer to the Sartok (PvP) server, but are free to move to any other server.

All broker items should be packed up before the move, tombstones and house items collected. Players do not need to tear down their homes.

Read more here.

Vestgame, the company behind the MMO World of Kung Fu has released details on the game's Forging System.

Armor and weapons bring their owner not only powerful attack and defense capabilities, but also reputation and honor! Every weapon or piece of forged armor records its owner’s heroic deeds. The WoKF Forging system is an excellent way for players to improve their weapons and armor.

Key Facts about the Forging System

Attributes:

Four attributes can be increased through forging: Hit Points, Magic Points, Attack and Defense. Different equipment has different forgeable attributes. For weapons, helmets, and cuffs, attack and defense attributes can be increased by forging. For chest armor, leg armor, and boots, Hit Points and Magic Points can be increased by forging.

Bonus Levels Achieved by Forging:

Armor and Weapons will increase by 1 level after each successful forging. Each time an item is forged, the forging bonus will increase one level. The forging bonus will be +2, +3, and so on up to 20.

Success and Failure:

Forging is not without risk. If the forging is successful, the armor or weapon’s attribute will be increased. Otherwise, the armor or weapon will vanish.

Shine:

Armor and weapons are likely to shine after forging.  Depending on the forging level, the color of the shine will be different.

No shine: +1 to +3

White: +4 to +6

Blue: +7 to +9

Green: +10 to +12

Orange: +13 to +15

Red: +16 to +18

Purple: +19

Black: +20

Charms:

Certain charms are available that can help ease the forging process.

The Craftsman’s Charm increases your chance of success while forging.

The Advanced Craftsman’s Charm will improve the odds of a successful forge even more than the Craftsman’s Charm.

The Forging Safety Charm will prevent an item from vanishing after an unsuccessful forging attempt.

Read more here.

A new Game Update is coming to Gametribe's Dream of Mirror Online on May 14th.

Time has come to discover some new areas of the fantasy world of Kunlun Mirror: enter the Foggy Forest and the Blakatoa Peak!!! And if you want to follow your path now you have also the chance to enjoy the new steps of Main quest and of the new Hero Quest.

We add new contents to the item shop too:

Minor Dimension Rift: this is a really useful item that allows you to access your warehouse anywhere anytime
Hair colors: change your hair look with the brand new bright green, Emerald green, Carmine Red and light blue colors
Enchantment scrolls: 6 new scrolls to enchant your armor and improve your defence bonus
Some new fancy costume: the Mecha’s armor and equipment (helmet and jetpack) and cowboy’s costume and hat
Intermediate evolution stone: make your pet grow! Thanks to this item, pets can now reach upper levels!


GameTribe will release this new game update on the next weekly patch on May 14th.

Read more here.

The team from NCsoft's Dungeon Runners has provided us with this new and exclusive gameplay video.

Gameplay Video This exclusive MMORPG.com gameplay video gives us an example of the gameplay in NCsoft's free to play MMORPG, Dungeon RunnersVideo Description

Check it out here.

Every month, the folks from Funcom provide us with a new developer profile Q&A, telling us just a little bit more about the people behind Age of Conan. This time around, it's Per Storløkkenn, a Gameplay Designer.

MMORPG.com:

Can you remember your first video game? How often did you play, what other games had an influence on you?

Per Storløkkenn:

One of the first games I remember playing repeatedly was a Space Invaders clone on the VIC-20 that I think was called Battlefield. I also remember playing the first Donkey Kong on a handheld. I never played a lot when I was young, that came later.

There isn’t one game that has influenced me a lot; there are rather many games that each has influenced me a little. However, when I started gaming “for real” two of the games that I spent the most time on were QuakeWorld: TeamFortress and Ultima Online - they both represent the type of game I prefer. They both gave me (to some degree unintentionally) a lot of freedom as a player. In QW:TF the unintentional gameplay made the game; it’s a fact of life that rocket jumps, grenade jumps, and triple pipe jumps are fun!

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Sounds are generally used in games to set some kind of mood while the player is moving through the world. While we still don't have much information on the game, the folks from Earthrise have provided us with these two tracks from their upcoming MMORPG.

Vision of a Dream

Sal Vitas and its advanced towns are the cornerstone of human culture and art. Unlike 20th century cities built to fit the landscape, Sal Vitas has terraformed the land to fit the imagination of the glorious architects. Every element is designed and built carefully, down to the most minute detail, in an effort to complete a solid image. Sal Vitas is not only a city, but a testament to vision and determination.

You can download the song from the feature.

Check out these two tracks here.

Turbine has announced the launch of a new game on unlocktheminesofmoria.com called Swig and Toss.  Players can now unlock content on the site by flinging axes at a target and knocking back some dwarven brew.

Turbine, Inc. and Codemasters Online today announced the launch of Swig and Toss, the second mini-game on www.unlocktheminesofmoria.com . Registered participants can challenge themselves and their friends to earn special deeds that unlock unique rewards including exclusive videos, images, and in-game items that will aid them on their journey when The Lord of the Rings Online™: Mines of Moria launches this fall.

Swig and Toss is an axe throwing competition with a bit of drinking and wagering to make things more interesting! In this 10-round game, players try to keep a steady aim while attempting to hit a target with their axe. Hit the mark and win! Miss and hear the Dwarves around you scoff at your lack of skill.

Between rounds, players can take a few swigs from their mug to help quench their thirst. This will help boost their confidence and loosen their pocket strings, increasing the amount they can wager.

Swig and Toss is available today at www.unlocktheminesofmoria.com . Registration is free!

Read more here.

Funcom will be holding an Ag