Sony Online Entertainment announced today that the ninth downloadable content (DLC) pack for DC Universe™ Online (DCUO) – War of the Light Part I – is now available for download on the PC, PlayStation^®3 and PlayStation^®4 computer entertainment systems. War of the Light Part I is the first installment of an epic trilogy focusing on characters that wield power from the Emotional Spectrum.

Intense multiplayer action in War of the Light Part I centers on a brand-new storyline inspired by DC Comics’ vast Lantern lore and takes place in a re-envisioned Metropolis featuring nearby planets Mogo, the sentient Green Lantern Planet, and Ranx, the Sentient Sinestro Corps City. Players are introduced to Saint Walker and the Blue Lantern Corps in War of the Light Part I, and can expect to see additional Corps in future DLCs. Additionally, players now have access to Rage Powers and new Legends PvP characters – Saint Walker and Atrocitus.

“Players are getting more than just a new storyline with this DLC. We transformed Metropolis for the War of the Light trilogy and created new, expandable environments and content – separate from the original – for players to explore,” said Jens Andersen, Senior Creative Director for DC Universe Online. “In War of the Light Part I both heroes and villains can utilize Rage powers, a unique and challenging power set that offers a new tanking mechanic, adding yet another dimension to fights. It looks amazing and I’m looking forward to players mastering the Red Lantern-inspired power.”

In War of the Light Part I, Lanterns of all colors have lost connection with their Emotional Spectrum’s entities. Following cryptic evidence, four Corps – Green, Blue, Sinestro, and Red – converged on Earth, determined to find out what happened to their entities. This clash of the Lantern Corps has resulted in a new war of light, centered in Downtown Metropolis and nearby sentient planets Mogo and Ranx. Players must team up with Hal Jordan or Sinestro in high-level multiplayer adventures to investigate the strange colored mists that have descended upon Metropolis and are affecting the citizens’ emotions.

War of the Light Part I includes:

• New Rage Power – Drawing its power from the Red Light of the Emotional Spectrum, Rage can be utilized for either good or evil. Heroes and villains who wield the tank/damage power will notice its abilities have a berserker style feel.
• New 4-Player Operations – Unusual colored mists have appeared and caused a new war of light, centered in Downtown Metropolis, Mogo and Ranx. With the help of their allies, including Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner on the hero’s side, and Hank Henshaw and Sinestro on the villain’s side, players must uncover the origin of the mysterious mists.
• New 8-Player Operation – The Green Lantern and Sinestro Corps clash while investigating the mists in this new Operation taking place on Mogo and Ranx.
• New Legends PvP Characters – War of the Light Part I introduces two new Lanterns – the violent Atrocitus and the agile Saint Walker.
• New Lantern-inspired Gear – Heroes can earn Green Lantern-inspired gear, while villains can collect gear influenced by the Sinestro Corps. Both alignments can obtain the Red Lantern styled gear.
• New Feats and Collections

DCUO’s War of the Light Part I DLC pack is a free download for the game’s Legendary members and is now available for $9.99 USD for Free and Premium players via the PlayStation^®Network, the in-game Marketplace, or for PC players via the DCUniverseOnline.com website.

Square Enix, Inc., in partnership with visual computing technology leader NVIDIA, today announced the availability of bundled GeForce® GTX® 650-class graphics cards featuring a digital PC download and free 30-day trial of the hit massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), FINAL FANTASY® XIV: A Realm Reborn™.

Available for a limited time, these bundled graphics cards will allow players to upgrade their in-game HD for a truly next-gen PC gaming, FINAL FANTASY experience in one of today’s most acclaimed MMORPG titles.

The limited GeForce GTX 650 / FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn bundles are available today for the GeForce GTX 650, 650 Ti, and 650 Ti Boost at North American retailers NCIX, Amazon, Newegg, and Tiger Direct.

Additional information on the bundles, and accessing FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn, can be found here: http://www.GeForce.com/FFXIV.

For more details on the GeForce GTX 650-class graphics cards, please visit: http://www.GeForce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-650.

The AbleGamers Charity has announced the winners of its Accessibility Awards for 2013. The awards recognize the greatest accessibility achievements in the gaming industry across multiple categories.  This year, 7 awards are given out to those who have made a real difference to the realm of accessibility and gaming. AbleGamers hopes to help raise awareness for the good deeds these individuals are doing by giving each award recipient a small token displaying the appreciation from the gamers with disabilities community. Here are this year’s awards.

AbleGamers Accessible Mainstream Game of the Year: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

With the very first accessibility award for Square-Enix, FFXIV scored 9.1 in AbleGamers accessibility review scoring system including 10 for hearing and 9.5 for visual elements. FFXIV covers almost every area of accessibility with high standards and practical application. The mobility area of the game was nearly perfect except for the inability to use only the mouse to play the game. In upcoming patches, Square-Enix has the ability to achieve a perfect 10 with some very minor fixes.

In the meantime, with the year full of accessibility disappointments from many major mainstream games, FFXIV was the most requested review of the year from the AbleGamers community, and the mainstream title that fulfilled almost all of the requirements to be fully accessible to gamers with disabilities.

“We are very honored to receive AbleGamers’ Mainstream Game of the Year Award,” said Naoki Yoshida, producer and director of FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn.  “In terms of the visual aspect, especially how color is displayed, we took in the players’ feedback and continuously performed updates so that any player from around the world can enjoy the game, and are firmly committed to this moving forward. I would like to formally express my gratitude to AbleGamers for recognizing our efforts.”

Other Industry Awards:

Includification Award: Paradox Interactive. Paradox Interactive continues to publish strategy games that demonstrate crucial accessibility standards as defined by the practical set of the game accessibility guidelines.  Paradox also continues to work closely with AbleGamers to bring seamless accessibility to all games without interfering with any gameplay mechanics.

Best Media Champion: Paul Nyheart, HDFilms. Paul’s work to include gamers with disabilities and advocate for the works of those with physical challenges on both the Jace Hall Show and the 1337 Lounge continue to advance the awareness of gamers with disabilities.

Best Innovator: SpecialEffect. SpecialEffect has made many advancements for children with disabilities in the UK. With a full-time staff dedicated to helping those with disabilities, AbleGamers is proud to consider SpecialEffect an important resource for European gamers with disabilities.

Best New Device or Peripheral: StinkyBoard. StinkyBoard is a game changing device designed to allow gamers to use the abilities and their feet to add additional flexibility in the control schemes of any video game. Combined with the right software and macro systems, StinkyBoard gives an amazing amount of flexibility to those with physical impairments such as the loss of the use of one arm or limited upper body movement.

Best Accessible Indie Game of the Year: The Stanley Parable. The Stanley Parable exemplifies the extreme accessibility indie developers can display while leaving the exciting gameplay of traditional video games completely intact. Despite limited manpower and funding, indie developers continue to push the boundaries of accessibility. AbleGamers recognizes Galactic Café’s Stanley Parable as the best of the best in indie game development.

“It was a largely disappointing year for video games,” said Mark Barlet, Founder and Executive Director of the AbleGamers Charity. “We experienced many games that were overhyped and then found very inaccessible this year. Fortunately, Square-Enix delivered a very enjoyable game that is accessible to a large portion of the disabled gaming community. We look forward to them continuing to improve the experience of FFXIV to include the disabled gamers who are still waiting to enjoy such a spectacular accomplishment in mainstream accessible gaming.”

Please visit www.ablegamers.com for more information on AbleGamers and the charitable work continuing to help those with disabilities enjoy the wonderful world of gaming. Visit www.includification.com to see the best practical set of game accessibility guidelines found anywhere in the world. And www.ablegamers.com/donate to find more information about tax-deductible donations.