This past weekend, we had the opportunity to check in with NetGame's Rise of the Dragonian Era or RODE as it is more commonly known. RODE is currently in closed beta testing with this weekend being one that specifically targeted the game's PvP aspect. See what we thought of our time in the game.

There are several features that RODE developers are quite proud of when talking about the game though there was no opportunity to see them during this weekend's PvP event. Among other things, players will be able to ride dragons. But these dragons will be more than simply mounts. RODE will ship with aerial combat with players mounted on dragons. If that doesn't conjur visions of Eregon, nothing will. Players will also have the chance to participate in castle sieges in the contested Piral zone as well as have their holdings randomly attacked by monsters utilizing the "Deablo" system. According to what devs have said, this is to "create tension".

Read more of Suzie Ford's Rise of Dragonian Era Beta Weekend Preview.

Ankama Games and Square Enix have announced the addition of a new multi-tiered quest line to the game when the next update goes live on February 15th. The ultimate goal is to conquer Ogrest but getting there is half the job. Ogrest resides on Mt. Zinit, crying his eyes out over the loss of his lover. Players will have to scale the mountain and take on new quests, monsters, bosses and more on their way to the top.

Devs have announced that the first part of the Mt. Zinit storyline, the game's primary storyline, is free to all players.

Find out more about Wakfu.

The Martial Empires team has announced that it has deployed a "huge PvP update" to the game. The update now includes a tournament mode and a region war mode where up to sixteen guilds battle over contested zones. Winners each week will be able to levy and collect taxes for that week before the next battle begins.

In addition, players at Level 52+ can head to the new high-level dungeon to loot crafting materials used to create top tier equipment. The enchantment system was also overhauled to add a more consistent chance of success and the costs have been reduced.

Find out more on the Martial Empires site.

Sometimes we just want to get into a game and not only feel like we're saving the world, but saving it in a truly badass way while we're at it. In The List today, we take a look at five games that can make us feel like the baddest ass on the planet. Check it out!

Ok look, many video games out there do a great job of pulling you into the story or giving a romance to care about. Today we want to go over games that just flat out make you feel epic! Sure I am sitting on my couch with a pile of Doritos around me and a half spilled soda on my shirt. Even in this state these games make you feel supersonic, hardcore, and awesome! The list spans the ages so there are older games on here too. And no, not all of them are MMOs.  Let's call this List a diversion shall we?  Let’s start our list! Get psyched, drink a Red Bull, do a push up and pump up for the fight!  

Read more of Garrett Fuller's The List: 5 Games to Feel Badass.

Carbine Studios' WildStar is a game that many are watching with a keen eye as 2012 unfolds. We had the opportunity to chat with Producer Troy Hewitt about WildStar and about Carbine's plans for the year. See what makes WildStar one of our most anticipated titles for 2012 in our exclusive interview.

In dealing with a sci-fi genre game what are the biggest challenges?

One of the biggest challenges in dealing with sci-fi is the “sci” part of the equation. That might sound weird, but let me explain: First, mixing sci-fi and fantasy is great. The creative freedom you get by taking the best elements of both and combining them has been a lot of fun. We can tell almost any story we want, and it feels threaded into the fabric of our world, rather than trying to introduce some discordant add-on that ends up feeling like some strange exception to all the rules.

Read more of Bill Murphy's WildStar: Troy Hewitt Interview.

In The WoW Factor today, we take a look at the concept of "utility" in an MMO with specific regard to a recent post by Blizzard's Ghostcrawler. "For MMO purposes we'll just say anything that isn't directly prioritized on fulfilling a roll of the holy trinity of tank, healer, or DPS is utility." Check out what we think about utility and how it can be managed in WoW. Let us know what you think in the comments.

In Ghostcrawler's most recent post the lead system designer addresses the topic of "The Role of Role" and throws around some ideas about how things may be handled in WoW’s Mists of Pandaria Expansion. All in all it is a very interesting write up that shouldn't be missed by anyone who concerns themselves with MMOs, yet I feel Mr. Ghostcrawler left out a bit of desirable discourse on the topic of utility within the role system. Whether this was through intent or with forethought for length and readability I cannot say, nonetheless there is plenty to discuss regarding what I see as the sickly bastard child of the holy trinity.

Read more of Joe Sanicky's The WoW Factor: The Role of Utility.

That is one crustacean with a sharp tongue and a keen sense of purpose.

Our own Pokket is in this weekend's TERA beta event. She will be live streaming her experiences in TERA's game world beginning at 7:30 p.m. CST (8:30 EST, 6:30 MST, 5:30 PST) so make plans to join her on the MMORPG.com LiveStream Channel on Twitch.TV!

MMORPG.com is very pleased to present this exclusive sweepstakes event! We are giving away 3 gaming hardware packages consisting of an Alienware keyboard, mouse and headset!

NOTES: Trion Worlds, Inc. is not a sponsor or administrator of this offer and assumes no responsibility for this offer. This sweepstakes is only available to residents of the United States and Canada.

Ready to enter? CLICK HERE NOW!

Come join us as we stream 38 Studios' Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning during the Saturday Morning Happy Fun Zone (yes, we're calling it that). If you've got questions about the game, we've got answers, but it could just be fun to eat our cereal together and reminisce about Ren & Stimpy.  Remember, the stream begins at about 10am EST, and should run for about an hour before Bill runs off to record the podcast, so come hang out!

MMORPG.com's LiveStream Channel on Twitch.TV

We've pored over your many awesome DC Universe Online screenshots for this week's "Screenshot of the Week," and today we're excited to announce the winning entry!

Congratulations to Orion886, this week's Screenshot of the Week winner!

The winning screenshot and Orion886 and accompanying description can be found below:

"Crimson Paradox, always on the run, always chasing crime."

This is a great action shot from Orion886 that highlights one of DC Universe Online's more interesting features: running up (or in this case, down) buildings. Having played the game myself, I always found Super Speed to be the most exhilirating of travel power options.

This week's winner snagged himself a key code granting some Station Cash for the PC version of DC Universe Online. Be sure to check back next Monday for a chance to win more awesome prizes!

The Firefall team has thrown down the gauntlet to all fans to become filmmakers in the just-announced Battleframe Trailer Challenge. Devs have provided a bevy of images and clips of various battleframes and are asking players to put them together in a trailer showing off their favorite. After that, simply upload it to the Firefall site and wait to be chosen as the winner.

Grab all the juicy details on the Firefall site.

Earlier today, we reported on the lawsuit filed by Blizzard against a trademark filing by Valve over the DOTA name. In a new piece at RTSGuru.com, Cassandra Khaw gives some of the background on the issue and her thoughts about what's in store for the two gaming titans. Check it out at RTSGuru.com.

The End of Nations team is hard at work giving their fans what they want: BETA KEYS! You can grab one via the @endofnations Twitter feed.

Repulse, just released into open beta by Aeria Games, has hit the ground running. We managed to catch up with Associate Producer Scott Hartz to talk about Repulse and what sets it apart from other games of its type. Read on!

MMORPG: How will the pricing model be handled on the game?

Scott Hartz: Repulse offers a wide variety of guns, gear and accessories that are available for both in-game credits and Aeria Points. Most items are available in 1, 7, 15 and 30 day durations and can be found in Repulse’s in-game store. Players will be pleased to find that most of the weapons we sell for Aeria Points can also be purchased with the credits they earn from gameplay.

Read more of Garrett Fuller's Repulse Interview with Scott Hartz.

According to a pair of legal filings, it appears that Blizzard is suing Valve to prevent it from trademarking the DOTA name. Blizzard claims that the DOTA name has been closely aligned with the Warcraft series for the past seven years. Defense of the Ancients was originally created as a mod for Warcraft III.

1. By this Opposition, Blizzard seeks to prevent registration by its competitor Valve Corporation ("Valve") of a trademark, DOTA, that for more than seven years has been used exclusively by Blizzard and its fan community, under license from Blizzard. By virtue of that use, the DOTA mark has become firmly associated in the mind of consumers with Blizzard, including to signify a highly popular scenario or variant of one of Blizzard's best-selling computer games, Warcraft III. Over the past seven years, the mark DOTA has been used exclusively in connection with Blizzard and its products, namely Warcraft III. Most notably, DOTA has been used as the popular name of a Warcraft III software "mod" file that has been distributed, marketed, and promoted by Blizzard and its fans (under license from Blizzard)

Read the legal documentation here.

Sources: Destructoid and @DevinConnors.

Another terrific article has cropped up on network site RTSGuru.com. This time, the team takes a look at several ways the community can help turn eSports into something more than just a hobby. Check it out at RTSGuru.com.

Repulse is the latest addition to the Aeria Games stable of F2P titles. As an "MMOFPS", Repulse is aimed squarely at those who enjoy PvP Mayhem. We recently logged into both the closed and open betas to check out Repulse. See what we discovered. Played Repulse? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

The game is very reminiscent of the old shooter, Unreal Tournament, both in feel and in action.  It offers three player settings: Assault, Sniper and Engineer, each of which you can assign specific weapons and items appropriate for that class. One of the extremely helpful things you can do with these classes is switch between them as needed for the current situation by choosing between the F1, F2 and F3 keys – in short, you aren’t stuck with one player and one load-out;  if it’s to your advantage to suddenly be a sniper, with the press of a button you can suddenly be one.

Read more of Tony Ford's Repulse Beta Preview.

Gameforge has sent out a new trailer featuring the new and updated features for Aion as it sits on the precipice of going F2P in Europe. Features that have been updated or improved since the game's original launch include the following: More quests and better rewards; New regions and solo instances; New PvP arena and instances. In addition, Gameforge is looking ahead to the addition of housing and weather effects.

From February 9th to February 16th, Lord of the Rings Online players are challenged to dress for success in a series of in-game events and contests designed to show off fashion flair.

Grab all the details on the Lord of the Rings Online site.