What... what is this? I don't even know.

Well, I guess I do.

It's a music video for Runes of Magic, composed and created by the German a capella metal band Van Canto. If you think that sounds like an odd mix, you're probably right, but the video in itself has very high production value, in addition to being quite an entertaining listen. The track is called "Magic Taborea," and apparently the album that it's been released on, called "Tribe of Force," has made it to the German album charts after its release.

Either way, give it a listen after the jump and... well... be happy in knowing that a capella metal music is on the rise in MMORPG music videos.

When you get the chance to play Rift: Planes of Telara, avoid the plants in the Plane of Life. That will be hard to do since the place is completely overgrown, but you've been warned. Trion Worlds just released all sorts of information on the Plane of Life and the Life Rifts that have taken hold of Telara. If you want information on the lore, head over the Rift site for all the details.

If you prefer visuals, you can stay right here. We've added screenshots of the Plane of Life to our gallery, and we've posted a video that shows you the dangers of the area. You can watch the video after the jump.

En Masse Entertainment has released a video walkthrough of the TERA demo that was showcased at the Penny Arcade Expo, and it's definitely worth watching for a hands-on look at this upcoming action MMO. Producer Sam Kim and Associate Producer Stefan Ramirez take viewers through the Cultist's Refuge and even provide some gameplay pointers along the way.

Watch the video after the jump to get a glimpse into TERA's action and storyline. While you're at it, be sure to check out our interview with Senior Producer Brian Knox. He answers all the hard-hitting questions that came to our minds following PAX.

The DC Universe Online cinematic trailer is, to put it simply, epic. It's worth watching even if you don't plan on playing the game. To make it even better, Sony Online Entertainment has released a director's cut version of the trailer that features commentary by Jim Lee, a legendary comic artist and DCUO's creative director, and Blur Studio Director Tim Miller.

Lee and Miller go through the film frame by frame to discuss the creative process and provide more details from writer Geoff Johns' original script that established the back story of the game. Watch it after the jump and let us know what you think! 

The Vindictus Early Access Beta has been under way for a little more than a week now, and players have until Oct. 6 to master their fighting skills during this testing phase of the free-to-play action MMO. With the clock ticking down, Nexon thought now might be a good time to show players how they can use grappling moves to finish off their opponents.

If you haven't gotten the chance to try out Vindictus yet, you should definitely check out the video. You can grab enemies and toss them around or smash them into walls, and you can also pick up debris and use it as a weapon. Watch the video after the jump and let us know what you think in the comments section.

The Final Fantasy XIV servers are open for business for players who purchased the Collector's Edition, but the remaining fans have to wait until next week to enter Eorzea. And then there's Mike B. His latest BFF Report focuses on Square Enix's newest creation, and we get to find out what he really thinks of the game.

Now might be a good time to point out that the BFF Report does not represent the opinions of the entire ZAM Network. Yeah, now might be a really good time mention that. Whether you agree with him or not, check out episode 41 of the BFF Report!

Lord of the Rings Online switched to the free-to-play model last week, so Mike B (aka Fony) decided to take this opportunity to visit Middle-earth and find out exactly what the move from subscription to free means for gamers everywhere. Watch Episode 40 of the BFF Report to hear Fony's true feelings about the F2P Lord of the Rings Online.

Make sure you watch until the end of the video. That's all I have to say.

There has been a bunch of updates on external sites lately. Since we're ZAM, it seems strange to cover news on other fan sites. Usually, I'll wait until there's a bunch of stories and mash them together in one post like this. Hopefully it's not too confusing! We've got a lot of content, like MarkeeDragon.com publishing a video interview with Brian Knox (En Masse) @ Gamescon 2010, TERAHispano.com published an interview with Pat Wyatt (En Masse), MMORPG.com published an article about their combat exercise back at E3, and TERA-Welten.de published a video of a Q&A session with Jason Mical (En Masse). If you want to dive right in, be my guest and click the above links. If you're not sure if you're interested, click "Read more..." and preview more content from each link!

p.s. TERAFans.com got an extended version of the Gamescom 2010 trailer originally posted on IGN.com. It has a few more seconds of footage over the original: http://www.terafans.com/topic/4594-exclusive-gamescom-extended-trailer/

After a brief lull since Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium Online was officially unveiled at E3 earlier this summer, developer Vigil Games brings us a new video trailer showcasing the MMO's first playable race, The Imperium of Man. This news shouldn't come as a surprise to the hardcore War40K fan community; the Imperium is a defining faction of the original Warhammer 40K tabletop game. In the new trailer, Vigil Games introduces the Imperium as the first "playable race," however, indicating that it will be one of several races included in the MMO's two factions (in a recent interview, Vigil Games executive producer Tim Campbell confirmed there will be "two overall factions in the game, and all of the playable races are going to fit into one or the other").

The video reveals that the Imperium of Man have returned to the Sargos Sector; the narrative and in-game footage highlight the Imperial Guard, Tech Priests of Adeptus Mechanicus and Space Marines (Angels of Death), which appear to be at least three confirmed character classes. Some of the video is recycled from the original announcement trailer from E3, although we do see a substantial amount of new material and gameplay footage. Titans and Dreadnoughts make another appearance, as well as several vehicles like Thunderhawks and Predators. The video includes a few quick-cuts of unconfirmed classes, which some speculate to be Inquisitors or Psykers, for example. In addition to the new trailer, Vigil Games released four new screenshots at GamesCom. Check out the full video and screenshots after the jump, and visit ZAM's Warhammer 40K: DMO portal site for more news and information.

Alright so! Gamebreaker.tv's show "This Week in MMO" featured TERA in their 9th Episode, talking about "westernization", expectations, and other such things in regards to TERA and Asian MMO's in general.

I actually agree with a lot of the points regarding "westernization" in MMO's - its really just a bunch of bullcrap adding extra quests, all the translating, etc. And people definitely take it the wrong way.

For the full video, see: http://www.gamebreaker.tv/video/this-week-in-mmo-9-tera/2010/07