From the 19^th to the 21^st of November, full access to spell tiers, equipment grades, 7-character slots, 75 active journal quests and a whole lot more will be yours for the taking.

Get the complete lowdown from their official membership details page. Now you’ve got your weekend planned!

You can now begin your pre-orders by heading to Batte.net. Take note that only the standard edition of the Cata expansion is available. If what you’re after is the collector’s edition, you need to do a little waiting. This is open to all players in Americas, Australia, Europe, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia. Go on, go digital now!

Some people may just have to settle for watching BlizzCon on Pay Per View but who would refuse a trip for two to see the real deal completely without charge? If you want to be the lucky winner, you have to fill up the entry form first. Just don’t forget to send them in before the 2^nd of October.

Yep, you read right. It’s safe to assume that players, hardcore and casual alike, have a lot to get excited about with Final Fantasy XIV. Adding to the hype is that the open beta for Square Enix’s newest MMO finally starts tomorrow!

News broke of the open beta test date after details were posted on FFXIV’s official Twitter account. A trailer was also released, with several copies already uploaded on YouTube.

The prerelease trailer, a three and half minute clip summarizing the high-definition gameplay experience, is accompanied by the official FFXIV theme song “Answers” as recorded by award-winning vocalist/musician Susan Calloway.

Apart from the outstanding musical score, FFXIV keeps content fresh with changes such as quicker leveling accessible in either solo or group play; high-definition, real-time cut scene features; and five new playable races.

Eorzea, the intricately designed FFXIV environment, is more than just a backdrop for one’s quests and combats. Comprised of six-city states, players traverse through various locations and immerse themselves further in the game. Grand landmarks that will undoubtedly attract players are the coliseum in Ul’dah and the medieval castle in Limsa Lominsa, to name a few.

There’s a lot to take in at this point so load up on FFXIV gil and boost your game time to prepare yourself.

ETA: Hold on, folks. An announcement from Square Enix said that the open beta test “will be postponed due to a confirmation of critical bugs”.  Details on the new schedule to come soon.

Challenge the architect in you with STO’s newest web-based mini-game!

Cryptic Studios and Atari just unveiled Star Trek Online Architect, a ship-building game designed to test players’ speed and accuracy as well as promote creativity.

Check out the site now and enter the sweepstakes to win prizes such as a TOS captain’s chair replica and Intel processors.

Get a chance to go behind the scenes with Sony Online Entertainment as they kick off Fan Faire 2010’s Backstage Blogger Contest on June 16, 2010.

To enter, participants must submit video or written entries showing off their fanboy/girlisms for any SOE game—from DC Universe Online to EverQuest II.

As for the prizes? A bloggie™ Camera Kit, which includes a bloggie™ PM5 MP4 camera, 270-degree swivel lens + 360-degree video accessory + 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo™ media card (approximate retail value: US$189.99), Fan Faire Platinum Pass and more await the winners.

Remember to read through the official contest rules first before entering.

The annual spring-themed celebration is back this year, kicking off on the 6th of June all the way to the 12th.

The weeklong player-run event will feature fun-filled, friendly activities such as scavenger hunts, archery and fishing tournaments, charades, duels, trivia contests, date auctions and so much more.

Get more info on the schedule and locations of events by going to EQII’s news page.

Heads up, Adventurers! Even more weapon enhancements are coming your way as FFXI expands Trial of the Magians.

Apart from further augmentations to relic and mythic weapons, there’s promise of getting to experience new trial sequences once the update goes live.

The new Miraculous Magian Spectacles is yet another addition to look forward to. You may obtain it from the Magian Moogle and once activated will conjure a Magian trial log by your side helping you keep track of your progress.

Say goodbye to hours upon hours of patching! Surely, all you diehard Aion fans are well aware that update 1.9 won’t be hitting the live servers until the 2nd of June, but who’s to say that you have to wait till then to download the full patch?

Now you can download portions of the patch in short and sweet stages instead of one huge content dump in one sitting. And the best part? You don’t have to go out of your way to do this.

The patch has been programmed to easily be detected and downloaded by your NCsoft launcher and all you have to do is click “check for updates”. Spread the word!

Aion fans will be given the opportunity to test new content for the first time on April 29, as two public test servers―one for US players and another one for EU players―go live.

You are given a free hand to create both Elyos and Asmodian characters, as well as experience heightened gameplay as this includes a “very substantial increase to experience gain, Abyss Point gain, crafting/gathering and item drop rates.”