Publisher NSoft and developer ArenaNet just announced that Nightfall, the latest addition for their smash hit, Guild Wars, shipped today. The game will go live this Friday, October 27. The full text of the press release, including details on the game's new features is copied below.
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October 26, 2006 (BELLEVUE, WA) – Guild Wars Nightfall, the most anticipated PC game release of the holiday season is on its way to retailers and will be available on store shelves in North America and Europe tomorrow, October 27, 2006. Nightfall is the latest campaign release in the award-winning Guild Wars franchise played by millions worldwide, created by ArenaNet and published by NCsoft, the world's leading developer and publisher of online computer games.
Set in the land of Elona where an evil ruler is attempting to summon her outcast god, Nightfall will ask the stout of heart to answer the rallying cry of the Sunspears – the protectors of the realm – to fight back the looming darkness descending upon the land. As you explore opulent cities, brave savage coasts, delve deep into ancient monuments, and discover the secrets of poisonous deserts, you will determine the fate of the entire realm of Elona.
To aid you in your duty, Nightfall introduces exciting new features such as:
* Heroes – customizable companions that level up with you, use weapons and skills of your choosing, and go forth with you into battle.
* Hero Battles, the ultimate one-on-one challenge, that allow two players, and their Heores, to compete against one another in new PVP gameplay
* Templates that let players save, store, and exchange Hero builds, providing countless ombinations to create the ultimate team of Heroes. Along with the new features Nightfall provides twenty new missions, hundreds of new skills, new armor, two fierce new professions, and endless replayability.
"Guild Wars Nightfall is already being heralded as the best of the Guild Wars series by the record-breaking number of fans who participated in preview events," says Robert Garriott, EO, NCsoft North America. "Nightfall brings innovative new features to the game hat revolutionized the online gaming genre and NCsoft is thrilled to launch this lagship game in time for the holidays."
Guild Wars Nightfall will be available in both Standard and Collector's Editions. The Collector's Edition includes the Guild Wars Nightfall game as well as a Making of Guild Wars Nightfall behind-the-scenes DVD produced by Gameplay HD, a collector's art book, collectible skill pins, a character mini-standee, a poster-sized map of Elona, and the Guild Wars Nightfall soundtrack CD. Guild Wars Nightfall is also premiering the PlaySmart tips ard that will be included in both retail editions.
"The Guild Wars Nightfall launch is one of the most anticipated of the holiday season," said Bob McKenzie, Senior VP of Merchandising, GameStop, Inc. "From its beginnings just year and a half ago, the Guild Wars franchise has grown into an unquestioned success story. The new play experiences and features in Nightfall clearly show the ArenaNet developers have hit yet another home run."
Guild Wars, an instant bestseller in North America and Europe upon its release in April 2005, and Guild Wars Factions, the number one game in both North America and Europe earlier this year, are global online roleplaying games. With an expected retail price of $49.99 and still no subscription fee, Guild Wars Nightfall is set to become an instant hit when it becomes available worldwide. Servers supporting the new release will "go live" at 12:01 AM PDT /7:01 AM GMT on October 27, 2006.