Massively Speaking

EVE Evolved: Touring a galaxy reborn

Brendan Drain — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, EVE Online, Culture, Expansions, Game mechanics, Wallpapers, Hands-on, EVE Evolved, Sandbox

EVE Online recently celebrated the release of its incredible Crucible expansion, noted as one of the most feature-heavy expansions in the game's history despite the majority of its features being produced in a period of just a few weeks. Two years' worth of graphical upgrades, features, balance upgrades and quality-of-life fixes hit Tranquility all at once, and the response from players has been incredibly positive.

Last week I rounded up all the information there is to know about the Crucible expansion, but reading articles and news posts is no substitute for hands-on experience. This week I took a tour around parts of New Eden to explore the incredible new graphics Crucible delivered. As I have a background in graphics programming, the graphical upgrades are obviously the most exciting change for me. The astounding background nebulae are even more impressive when you know just how difficult it would be to build a nebula system that looks this incredible from any location.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I explore a reborn galaxy and catalogue my adventures in a massive HD gallery.

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EVE Evolved: Touring a galaxy reborn originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ArenaNet unearths treasure trove of lost Guild Wars concept art

Brendan Drain — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Culture, Lore, MMO industry, Wallpapers, News items, Dev Diaries

ArenaNet has always taken Guild Wars concept art very seriously, edeavouring to make the in-game graphics match the concept as closely as possible. This is particularly true of Guild Wars and its upcoming sequel Guild Wars 2, both of which feature gorgeous vistas and impressive architecture. A lot of the original Guild Wars concept art has made its way to the public, where it offers us a glimpse of the visual targets for Ascalon, Kryta, Tyria and beyond.

In a new devblog, ArenaNet's David Campbell unearths a treasure trove of previously unseen concept art for Guild Wars' Eye of the North expansion. David explains that these five postcard-style pieces were experiments by the art team to create distinctive environments using a variety of colour palettes. Among the postcards, you'll find forested areas, epic cliff-faces, enclosed valleys and even frozen tundra.

ArenaNet unearths treasure trove of lost Guild Wars concept art originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 29 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cardmon enters open beta

Krystalle Voecks — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Screenshots, Wallpapers, News items, Free-to-play

The time has come for CardMon Hero's card-summoning free-to-play MMO action to be released on the masses -- although there's still a bit of testing to go. That's why they've finally started open beta for the game as of today. Now players who have been curious are able to get in and check it all out, and T3 Entertainment, Redbana, and Hanbitsoft can get valuable feedback about the direction they're headed from a wider variety of gamers. (As well as the inevitable stress testing that generally goes on during this phase.)

With CardMon Hero's card-based systems, players can build up a store of Mercenaries, skills, and more to set their character up however they'd like to play the game. Whether you are the overlord of a series of powerfully-built minions, or prefer to get into the thick of combat yourself, it offers quite a variety of styles. Aside from that, players will find a deep card crafting system, lots of quests to do, and much to explore. So, if you're interested in checking out the open beta -- or just remember it from back when it was Camon Hero and want to sign up to see the changes -- then head over to the CardMon Hero site. If you'd like a preview before signing up, we have a series of new screenshots and exclusive wallpapers in our gallery below!

If you'd like a full-sized image of any of the exclusive wallpapers, you can snag them by clicking the images after the break to get the large image.

Gallery: CardMon Hero

Continue reading Cardmon enters open beta

Cardmon enters open beta originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Guild Wars 2 necromancer revealed

Rubi Bayer — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Video, Classes, Wallpapers, Guild Wars 2

This is not your ancestor's necromancer. Much like the ranger, the necromancer in Guild Wars 2 is bigger, badder, and deadlier than her Guild Wars counterpart.

The Guild Wars 2 necro was officially revealed today, and though we've pretty much known it was coming since Killeen made fallen soldiers dance in the sewers of Ebonhawke, it's still nice to see descriptions, videos, and screenshots straight from ArenaNet.

Follow along after the jump as we take a look at the necro and all of her glowy green skills and abilities.

Continue reading Guild Wars 2 necromancer revealed

Guild Wars 2 necromancer revealed originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cats invade Star Wars: The Old Republic in this week's Fan Friday

Larry Everett — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Fan art, New titles, Wallpapers, Star Wars: The Old Republic

The community of Star Wars: The Old Republic did not quite make the Twitter and Facebook goals, so the developers decided to punish us by announcing another species that we will not be able to play. (Just kidding, it wasn't punishment.) In addition to spotlighting fan art and video, this week's Fan Friday column mentions Cathar as being another species players of SWTOR will bump into on their travels across the galaxy. The feline species from the planet bearing the same name was first mentioned by name in Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith, but gamers are probably more familiar with it from the other BioWare game, Knights of the Old Republic. Although the devs did not say where or how the players will run into this highly anticipated species, fans are hoping for a Cathar companion character.

As mentioned above, the social media goal was not reached. Even so, the community team did give the fans some gifts. The Fan Site Kit has been updated with more digital goodies. New avatars, screenshots, and biographical images can now grace your SWTOR fan site. Not to mention, the team has included six new desktop wallpaper images straight from the exciting "Hope" trailer.

Be sure to check out all of this and the amazing new fan art on the official SWTOR site.

Cats invade Star Wars: The Old Republic in this week's Fan Friday originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fan-run EVE competition offers prizes for best wallpaper

Brendan Drain — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, EVE Online, Contests, Wallpapers

EVE Online player Xiphos83 has teamed up with our friends over at Crazykinux's Musing to make an EVE competition that's definitely worth entering. Always on the look-out for a new desktop background, for this competition he wants to see your best attempt at a visually stunning EVE wallpaper. With all the graphical upgrades EVE has received over the years, it's always kept its spot as one of the most visually stunning MMOs out there. It lends itself spectacularly to taking awesome screenshots and making dramatic videos. Entries must be at a minimum resolution of 1280 x 1024 and should fit into either an "Action" or "Scenic" theme. Anything from well-posed snaps of your favourite EVE planet to full-on PvP shots are in with a chance to win.

Entry costs 10 million ISK and the winners will split the entire pot between them, with an additional 175 million ISK contributed by donors. Judging by the number of comments the competition has received so far, there could be a lot of ISK in that prize pot up for grabs. To enter, simply email your screenshot to crazykinux [AT] gmail [DOT] com along with your EVE character's name and wire your entry fee to character "CrazyKinux" in-game. Entries must be in by March 26th and to be in with a chance to win, make sure you read the contest rules.

Fan-run EVE competition offers prizes for best wallpaper originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BioWare details new TOR planet, web comic

Jef Reahard — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, Video, MMO industry, New titles, Wallpapers, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

BioWare has released preliminary details on another planetary play field from their upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG. Belsavis plays host to an ominous Republic prison facility, apparently used to process all manner of Sith, Mandalorians, and troublesome aliens of various species. Check out Belsavis' HoloNet entry, don't forget to watch the video, oh and there's also the media section featuring screens, wallpapers, and lore.

BioWare has also partnered up with Lucasarts and Dark Horse Comics to bring you Blood of the Empire, a new web comic by senior writer Alexander Freed. The title, set prior to the Treaty of Coruscant, promises to shed some light on the machinations of the Emperor's inner circle as well as inform portions of The Old Republic's extensive back story.

Check out a preview panel from the forthcoming comic.

BioWare details new TOR planet, web comic originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE spaceships artfully designed into nature

Kyle Horner — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Wallpapers, News items

Regardless of whether or not you play EVE Online, this is something you have to see -- especially if you're a lover of either science fiction or pretty things.

This Russian blog has a whole lot of cool spaceships from EVE Online that have been turned into all sorts of cool pieces of art. And yes, not all of them are necessarily "nature" art, but most are more or less -- with the major exception of a robot and alien from, er, Aliens. There's one that's even a sneaker! Although, we're personally fans of the apple, eagle and Star Wars images. They come in wallpaper format for your laptop or desktop and honestly, there's not too much more to say about them besides praise them. Mmm.... beautiful wallpapers.

EVE spaceships artfully designed into nature originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Begin 2010 with Turbine's wallpaper calendars and more

Rubi Bayer — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Lord of the Rings Online, Wallpapers, Free-to-play

Happy New Year from Massively, and from Turbine! Whichever of their two popular games -- Dungeons and Dragons Online or Lord of the Rings Online -- you prefer, Turbine has just the thing for your desktop to ring in the new year.

Both games are offering free quarterly wallpaper calendars featuring some of the gorgeous screenshots that Turbine is known for providing to its fans. Three different choices are offered for each game, depending on your preference: flashy new Siege of Mirkwood, or good old dependable Gollum? Close-up character shot or faraway landscape shot in Dungeons and Dragons Online?

If a calendar's not really your thing but you still love the artwork from Turbine, some nice alternatives are offered on each site. A full Siege of Mirkwood shot is available with no calendar, or you can try the three different pieces of concept art from DDO. An extensive archive of past wallpapers is available too, if this is new to you, or if you missed any. You can get the LotRO wallpapers here, and the DDO wallpapers here. Enjoy!

Begin 2010 with Turbine's wallpaper calendars and more originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 02 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Reakktor Media drops new batch of Black Prophecy wallpapers

James Egan — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, New titles, Wallpapers, Black Prophecy

One of the upcoming titles making its way to the sci-fi MMO scene is Black Prophecy, which is being developed by Reakktor Media. We're hoping that we'll have some new info about the game for you soon, but in the meantime Reakktor Media has released a batch of new wallpapers of the genetically optimized Genides faction and the cybernetically augmented Tyi.

You can find the new wallpapers in our Black Prophecy gallery below, but you could also head on over to the official game site to get them in different resolutions, with gorgeous panoramic views at the highest resolutions.

Gallery: Black Prophecy

Reakktor Media drops new batch of Black Prophecy wallpapers originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Postcards from EVE: Reader Submissions

Brendan Drain — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, EVE Online, Culture, Wallpapers, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

As a tribute to EON Magazine's "Postcards from the Edge" feature, last week I started this two-part series of postcards from all around EVE Online. In last week's first part I presented a gallery full of postcards from my own travels in EVE. I then asked readers to email in any of their own screenshots that they wanted to appear as postcards. This week, I finish the series with a mixture of reader submissions and my own remaining postcards. As with last week, they're all high-resolution shots suitable to be used as widescreen backgrounds. Feel free to save them out from your browser to get them at full resolution.

Thanks go to Massively readers "Mike", "Mark Pittam" and my corpmate "Retalus" for their submissions. Included are some shots of the new planets coming with the Dominion expansion in December and a lot of pictures from Sleeper space. Hope you enjoy!

Gallery: EVE Online Postcards, part 2

EVE Evolved: Postcards from EVE: Reader Submissions originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Postcards from EVE: Wish you were here!

Brendan Drain — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, EVE Online, Culture, Lore, Wallpapers, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

Whether you love EVE Online or hate it, there's one thing people tend to agree on - it makes for some great screenshots. EVE has a history of players producing some amazing videos, screenshots, artwork and fiction. YouTube is filled with intense PvP action videos and over four hundred players write the stories of their travels on personal blogs. People have even created some incredible papercraft ship models. Because we all love eye candy, screenshots from EVE even make a regular appearance in Krystalle's daily MMO screenshot column "One Shots".

EVE's Official magazine EON runs a regular feature called "Postcards from the Edge" where players write in with a screenshot and a short story about it. As a tribute to EON, who I wrote for before coming to Massively, this week and next I present galleries full of postcards from my own travels in EVE. They're all high-resolution shots suitable to be used as widescreen backgrounds, feel free to save them out from your browser to get them at full resolution.

Gallery: EVE Online postcards part 1

Do you have a particularly awesome screenshot you'd like to see as a postcard? Email it to me at brendan.drain AT weblogsinc DOT com along with a few words describing its contents and I'll make it into a nice postcard for next week's second part of this gallery piece.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Postcards from EVE: Wish you were here!

EVE Evolved: Postcards from EVE: Wish you were here! originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fallen Earth releases new fan assets

James Egan — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, Fallen Earth, New titles, Wallpapers

A number of our readers at Massively have been playing MMOs for years, but of course this means that some people out there have had their fill of the fantasy genre. There are more genres to be explored in the coming years, one of which should please fans of games like Fallout 3: post-apocalyptic MMOs. Perhaps chief amongst these upcoming titles is Fallen Earth, a Mad Max-like take on a post-apocalyptic setting... but populated with mutants and factions of zealots.

Some gamers like the idea of playing in a very different kind of setting from what we've seen in MMOs thus far, and the Fallen Earth team's latest announcement is for those post-apocalyptic fans out there. They've put out a fansite pack, with all the art assets (new screenshots, wallpapers, textures and backdrops) you'd need to build your fan site. This will lead up to their Fallen Earth Official Fan Site Program, where approved sites will be eligible for "special site promotions and early access to Fallen Earth news and updates."

If you find this appealing, you can grab the zipped assets (66mb) linked in the announcement over on the official Fallen Earth site.

Fallen Earth releases new fan assets originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CrimeCraft's box art unveiled

Seraphina Brennan — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Wallpapers, Crime, CrimeCraft

The box art for the gang warfare MMO CrimeCraft has been revealed, showing an interesting blend of the game's art style and in-game screenshots on the front of the box. The top of the box is dominated by this image, while the bottom blends in a screenshot of the game's gang based action.

What we have above is just a small sampling of the game's front cover, but if you're intrigued by the thought of seeing the full version then go on ahead and jump over to the picture at MMORPG.com.

CrimeCraft's action packed gameplay will be unleashed on the masses next month on August 25th, but you can certainly pre-order the game over at Best Buy or apply for the closed beta to keep your destructive tendencies in check until then.

CrimeCraft's box art unveiled originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earthrise wallpapers show Eastern Gardens denizens and tamed mutants

James Egan — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, New titles, Wallpapers, Earthrise

Masthead Studios just got in touch with us and sent over two new wallpapers for their upcoming post-apocalyptic game Earthrise. One image shows off a group of kabuki-masked ~~freaks~~ denizens of the Eastern Gardens, one of the more outwardly utopian zones to be found in Earthrise's island setting of Enterra.

Continue reading Earthrise wallpapers show Eastern Gardens denizens and tamed mutants

Earthrise wallpapers show Eastern Gardens denizens and tamed mutants originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 28 Jun 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New screenshots and concept art of The Old Republic revealed

Seraphina Brennan — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, New titles, Wallpapers, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

You don't need to travel to distant worlds, or perform any jedi mind tricks to get more looks into the deep world of Star Wars: The Old Republic. Today's website update provides more concept art, in the form of desktop backgrounds, and screenshots for those hungry for Star Wars information.

These screenshots focus on the planets of Korriban and Tython, and much of the action that can take place in those two very different environments. Some of the highlights of these screenshots include the showdown between a Mon Calamari and a traitor outside of a jedi academy and a jedi facing off against a very large, and equally scary, Acklay.

Check out the screenshots in the galleries below and see the action for yourself!

Gallery: Star Wars: The Old Republic Screenshots

Gallery: Star Wars: The Old Republic Wallpapers

BioWare has finally unveiled Star Wars: The Old Republic, their new MMO! Massively's got you covered on all the details. Check out our comprehensive guide on everything we know so far about the game, or just peruse our screenshot/concept art galleries. Join us in the Galaxy far, far away!

New screenshots and concept art of The Old Republic revealed originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Newest batch of Global Agenda concept art released

Shawn Schuster — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, Wallpapers, Spy, Global Agenda

In our third installment of concept art images from Hi-Rez Studios' Global Agenda, we get a look at some of the newest environments from the game. Previous batches have shown us tropical, arctic and underground scenery, as well as some gorgeous in-game shots of characters and environments. This set, however, takes us into a few of the desert locations with a look at a desert mine tunnel, desert lab hallway and a desert test chamber.

As you may remember from our hands-on time with the game, Global Agenda is a fast-paced action MMO using Unreal(R) Engine 3 set in Earth's near future, a spy-fi world of advanced technology and player-driven conflict. These concept images represent the type of exotic and futuristic locations that players and player-run groups will visit as they compete in a global conflict for territory, resources and advanced technology. Be sure to check out our entire Global Agenda gallery linked below.

Gallery: Hi-Rez Studios and Global Agenda Gallery

Newest batch of Global Agenda concept art released originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aion enters open beta in Korea

Shawn Schuster — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Aion, Business models, Culture, Events, real-world, MMO industry, New titles, Wallpapers

NCsoft has just announced that the highly-anticipated Aion: The Tower of Eternity MMO will be entering open beta in Korea on November 11th of this year. Not only is this exciting news for Koreans, but also for the rest of the world, as it means our betas are drawing near. NCsoft addresses this in a recent press release: "We are currently in the process of localizing and culturalizing the game for the western market in order to reach the same level of quality that the game provides for the western world, and are in heavy planning for our testing phases in North America and Europe. We are taking the utmost care in the localization process and we're dedicated to releasing the very best product in NCsoft West territories. With the ball now rolling, expect to hear much more, and see much more out of Aion in the coming months."

To help us get even more excited about this game, they've sent along 2 new videos and a ton of new wallpapers in our gallery below. The first video is a CG cinematic (second video down), and the next video is an amazing 4-minute walk through some breathtaking in-game footage. This game is obviously much more than just winged combat, as these videos will prove.

Gallery: Aion Wallpapers 1920x1200

Aion enters open beta in Korea originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Views from Star Wars: The Old Republic

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:50:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, Launches, New titles, Wallpapers, Star Wars: The Old Republic

The flood gates have opened to the Old Republic, and Massively has you covered both in written and visual content. BioWare has unleashed a wave of screenshots and artwork for their latest announced game, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and we don't want you to run around the internet to find all of the content. So, we've collected all the wallpapers, screenshots, and concept art from the Old Republic and dropped all of it into three holocrons... er... galleries just for you!

SWTOR screens >>

Gallery: Star Wars: The Old Republic Concept Art

Gallery: Star Wars: The Old Republic Screenshots

Gallery: Star Wars: The Old Republic Wallpapers

Views from Star Wars: The Old Republic originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Trek Online wallpapers are 75% generic, 25% gorgeous

Samuel Axon — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, New titles, Wallpapers, Star Trek Online

There's been a dearth of Star Trek Online news or information these past few weeks. We've been upset about it. Cryptic just broke radio science at long last, though: four Star Trek Online wallpapers have been posted at the game site. We've got all of 'em here for you to see, but head over to the official gallery for the full breadth of resolution choices.

One of them is a rare in-game glimpse at a planet surface. It looks gorgeous, although we're suddenly worried about the minimum system requirements. Hopefully those nice lighting and shadow effects will scale back for low-end desktops and notebooks.

Gallery: Star Trek Online Wallpaper Gallery

Star Trek Online wallpapers are 75% generic, 25% gorgeous originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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