The world’s most popular sport, Soccer, came to the land of Free Realms today, allowing gamers to take part in 3v3 matches and reach a highest level of 20 in the activity.

The “Goal Time” content update went live in the free-to-play MMO today and unlocked the playing fields scattered throughout the land allowing players access to the new Soccer Star job class.

Twenty new soccer-themed quests and lots of gear and equipment came with the update. Additionally, skills and powerups, earned by progressing through quests, will grant your avatar an upper-hand in matches, which can be played either against a computer-controlled team or against three fellow Free Realmers.

Paying Free Realm customers can enjoy all 20 levels but those choosing the free path can only rank up to level 5.

Have a look at MMO soccer action. I mean, where else have you seen this?

Sony Online announced the launch of Broodcall, the 11th expansion pack for PoxNora. The Broodcall storyline will introduce 8 new dragons, powerful new runes and an Avatar level cap increase. Within the game, the peoples of Valdac have fallen victim to a dreadful plague that changes the inhabitants into monstrosities. To further complicate matters, the arrival of dragons threatens to plunge the entire world into a never ending abyss of fire and ash. With 72 new runes to wage war with and an increase in the Avatar’s level cap, players will be able to fight against the dragon menace as the war continues. To assist in the new campaign, new relics, spells and equipment have been added along with a streamlined trader system so that traders can swap items without delay. As an added bonus, Premium memberships in Broodcall will include Warbanner Rentals so that members can use any of the 8 warbanners unlimited while a member (this is revoked if membership is stopped).

Interested?Broodcall is available here. Comment below with thoughts and opinions.

Back in the Good Old Days, pretending to be a super hero required going to the store to buy costumes, training hard with your local Kung-Fu sensei and, of course, walking to the Justice League headquarters (AKA your friend’s DC-decorated basement) barefoot in the snow uphill both ways.

Soon all you’ll need is a PS3 or PC and a copy of DC Universe Online.

Yes, the age of sewing your own costumes and jumping off tall structures is over now that Sony Online Entertainment will be their new super hero MMORPG based in the DC comic book universe.‚  I was lucky enough to sit with Wes Yanagi, Senior Producer at SOE, as he showed me all the cool features in the upcoming game.

Yanagi chose to describe DC Universe Online in an interesting way.‚  He decided to call it an “Action MMO” making it clear that this game was unique when compared to the numerous Massively Multiplayer Online games available today.‚  What makes DC Universe Online an Action MMO is that none of the combat sequences need to be scripted and waited on.‚  Instead of planning out attack sequences, players can improvise with the control their super hero by rattling off seamless punching, kicking or power attack combos instantaneously.

The features in the RPG portion of the game are exciting as well.‚  Upon creating a character (using the character creator as described a few paragraphs below), players will be able to decide if they would like to become a villain or hero in the DC Universe.‚  This choice will determine how characters will approach quests and which famous super hero NPCs (Batman, Bizarro and Wonder Woman, just to name a few) they will interact with.‚  As characters level up, players will be able to “build their own legacy” as they game namesake within the super hero/villain communities.‚  Eventually, players get their characters invited to join the Justice League or Legion of Doom, depend on which moral route they take.‚  Also, with the in-game stories and quests being written by some of DC’s most famous writers, the RPG aspect of DC Universe Online is an exciting prospect for even the most casual of comic book fans.

No DC Universe-based game would be complete without the ability to visit some famous landmarks.‚  The folks with Sony Online Entertainment recognized this need and developed their upcoming game accordingly.‚  Players will be able to take their characters to such places as Metropolis, Gotham City, Justice League and Legion of Doom headquarters, STAR Labs and many others.‚  Though I wasn’t able to get a look at places like Gotham or Metropolis (the concept art of these places is available in our gallery below), I was able to look at some in-game action inside STAR Labs and the Justice League HQ.‚  The environments seemed authentic, clean and rendered well, which is no surprise given that many of the game’s locations were created and designed by legendary comic book artist Jim Lee.‚  I especially enjoyed the intricate and brightly colored designs in STAR labs.‚  I can’t wait to see more in-game renders as they are unveiled.

Sony also stepped up and created a legitimate character creator for DC Universe Online.‚  The creator is based on three basic concepts of customization: the super power of the character, the power source of that super power and the movement style of the character.‚  The super powers include options such as fire, ice or mental abilities while the power sources can be anything from a simple ring on your character’s finger to something as complex as your character’s eyes.‚  Finally, the movement style of your character can be walking, flying or possibly something in-between.‚  The character creator also allows players to completely customize their character’s costume, color scheme and accessories, making it nearly impossible to find someone else who has the exact same super hero as yourself.

Once a color scheme and costume is established, all items that are picked up and equipped on a player (such as a helmet or body armor) will automatically adjust to your character’s design.‚  For instance, say you find a green item but your scheme is red.‚  DC Universe Online’s developers have found a way to change the item’s color to match your scheme when it is equipped.‚  Also, lets say you’ve found a helmet that looks good on your character, but you’ve also acquired a less-fashionable helmet that has better stats.‚  Instead of having to choose between the two, players can now just take the statistically better helmet and make it look exactly the same as the better looking one.‚  These two features allow players to avoid that multicolored “hobo” look that many gamers encounter in MMORPGs.

There’s very little to not like about how DC Universe Online is coming together.‚  It’s a game that is clearly staying true to its roots and addressing many issues that MMO fans have grown to hate.‚  Unless there is some fatal flaw in the gameplay or gaming engine, there wont be much that could hold DC Universe Online back from becoming a very popular and entertaining RPG when it drops sometime late 2009 / early 2010.

Sony Online today revealed that their family-oriented and free-to-play massivley multiplayer online role playing game has garnered its 3 millionth registered user.

Free Realms, which launched mere weeks ago on April 28 for PC has been a smashing success and a testament to SOE’s determined effort over the past 4 years to bring the experience to those everywhere. Free Realms destroys the normal bars that most MMOs incur including monthly subscriptions and painful system requirements.

To celebrate, SOE is giving the first 3 million registrants the “3M Party Pack,” a mix of exclusive goodies to adorn your pet, whether cat or dog with.

Now, the caveat still remains, and that is, 3 million registered users likely does not correlate to 3 million active players, but it is likely that a significant portion of that 3 million plays at least a little.

If you’re in the market for a robust title that bleeds pure fun, or desire a way to safely occupy the kids, head on over to FreeRealms to sign up and begin questing today!

Sony Online Entertainment and The Jace Hall Show pleasantly announced today that the culturally undeniable and now 10 year old EverQuest massively multiplayer title will grace the movie theater with a documentary titled “Evercracked! The Phenomenon of EverQuest.”

The film is said to chronicle the “trials and tribulations leading to the development, launch and success of the hit massively multiplayer online game” and will, without doubt, draw hordes of gamers to movie halls everywhere.

“When we began mapping out ideas for EverQuest, we never anticipated it would endure to create such a powerful cultural impact over the next decade and beyond,” said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. “As part of the continued 10th anniversary celebration, this film does a fantastic job at revealing the story behind the game and how the team created a franchise that forever changed the landscape of online entertainment.”

The film will debut in beautiful Las Vegas at the Fan Faire festival June 26 but no mention was made surrounding where else the film will be shown.‚  Vegas anyone?

Sony Online Entertainment, creators of the free-to-play, but pay-to-add-to MMORPG Free Realms recently announced that their ambitious child-oriented online title is crazy popular to the 2 millionth degree.

Free Realms launched about a month and a half ago, garnered‚  a whopping 1 million users in just 18 days, and has since doubled in size to a gargantuan 2 million players.

To celebrate such grand success SOE is giving away in-game items (listed below) to the first 2 million who registered.

• Cotton Wool Candy “" Eating this food will change your character into a shaved ewe for thirty minutes.
• Hot Cheese Fondue “" Eating this food temporarily increases your character’s matcher’s advantage.
• Kavod Rainbow Candy “" Eating this food temporarily increases your character’s maker’s reach.
• Silver Surf n’ Turf “" Eating this food will cause a vortex around your character for thirty minutes.
• Super Coin Booster “" Your character will temporarily have better luck finding wealth after reading the magic words on this scroll.
• Super Star Booster “" Your character will temporarily learn faster after reading the magic words on this scroll.

Try out Free Realms today by signing up over at FreeRealms.com, where you’ll literally be up and running in minutes

Free Realms, the aptly named kid-friendly MMO has finally, totally, and completely arrived.‚  After an extensive public beta test period, the ambitious open-world title is ready for you to jump into.

The experience is clearly tailored towards children but is also a profoundly deep and socially active title that aims to break down the lofty walls of traditional MMO’s.‚  Oh and it’s 100% free to play.‚  Of course, ponying up extra scratch will earn you extra in-game goodies, but the free experience is actually quite robust.

Head on over to FreeRealms.com, sign up, and you’ll literally be in-game in minutes!

LOS ANGELES — By all surprises, The Agency was one of the coolest and most unique games at the convention, when, as an optional first-person/third-person shooter, it shouldn’t be.

Coming from Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), The Agency is a massively multiplayer online shooter taking place in a world where spies and assassins are a day to day commodity. At the beginning of the game, the player decides whether they want to be a part of the sophisticated and stealthy Unite, or if they would rather enter with a bang in ParaGON.

After the player makes this decision, they do not have to choose what type of spy they will be. Unlike previous SOE titles like Everquest and Vanguard, players are not stuck to the role of a medic or a sniper, but rather can change their class whenever they want.

The Agency is an online game where it is important to spend a lot of time developing a character to be the best it can be, but developers behind the game understand that people have lives they have to live beyond the game. That is why they developed Operatives, non-playable characters work under a player’s character and do various missions to assist a player in completing their own. Operatives can carry out missions even when the player is not playing the game, which allows for continual development. Even when a player is not on The Agency, they can still receive text message and e-mail updates of decisions and achievements their Operatives completed.

Coming from a long line of multiplayer online games, SOE is making The Agency more personal by allowing four to 16 player matches versus the 256 player mªl©e in Sony’s upcoming title Massive Action Game (MAG for short).

The Agency will be released in December of this year for PC and the Playstation 3. SOE is developing ways to allow cross-console gaming for their online community.