Spending a bit more cash on your Star Wars the Old Republic isn’t such a bad idea, not when it can boost your cosmetic prowess. In a blog post over the weekend, BioWare detailed the in-game items that will come with the Digital Deluxe and Collector’s Editions, which are the more expensive pre-order options for the upcoming MMO.

Digital Deluxe Edition owners will receive clever doodads that inject more fun to intergalactic adventures.

• Flare Gun. The Flare Gun is a small cosmetic device that allows you to fire a particle flare high into the sky above your character’s head.
• Training Droid. A small but advanced piece of machinery, the Training Droid will hover by your side as you explore the galaxy. The Training Droid will also serve you in combat, marking your target with a particle effect that clearly identifies them as an enemy.
• HoloDancer. The HoloDancer allows you to take the party with you in your travels and can be deployed at almost any time by activating the HoloDancer and targeting the ground near your character.
• HoloCam. The HoloCam lets your character take high-resolution images of the countless wonders that they will discover on their journey across the galaxy.
• STAP. The STAP, or Single Trooper Aerial Platform, is a custom-skinned vehicle that you will be able to acquire at no cost to you. The vehicle itself will become available once your character gains the ability to pilot vehicles.

The more prestigious Collector’s Edition owners, meanwhile, get all the item perks above plus two more – a robotic rodent pet and exclusive access to an appearance customization shop.

• Mouse Droid. This mouse droid, custom-skinned for Collector’s Edition owners, serves as a faithful pet that will follow you as you make your way across the galaxy.
• Collector’s Edition Store. At launch the Collector’s Edition Store will be available to those who have the Collector’s Edition of The Old Republic, and will feature items found nowhere else in the game! The Collector’s Edition will be stocked with exclusive social items for yourself, and unique appearances for your companion. The store will also have regular updates to give players incentive to keep coming back.

We’re still awaiting confirmation on what we need to buy at the Collector’s Edition Store – we could be buy with Star Wars Credits or real cash – but the idea of a VIP concierge should appeal to elite fans who want to set themselves apart from the huddling masses.

This Halloween RuneScape Membership Card holders who buy 30- 35-game cards for the two weeks starting October 20 will unlock the green skin option. But instead of a one-off prank, the sickly shade will be an evergreen option for fans that avail the promo before it ends November 4.

This is the third reward which you can buy with real world money instead of RuneScape Gold, after the Flagstaff of festivities and the Ornate Katana, according to the RuneScape wiki entry for green skin. A fourth reward, the RuneFest Hood, is also slated for release.

The color change can be availed by talking to Diango or the Makeover Mage, which Jagex suggests will be perfect for wannabe “zombies, sugar-fiends and those spending time in Burgh de Rott.” Because, you know, you can’t buy this kind of putrid pallor even with a stack of RuneScape Gold.

BioWare has given sanction to a council of chosen sites, including IGN.com and Massively.com, to unveil embargoed articles about Star Wars the Old Republic, reports fan site DarthHater.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the Star Wars embargo release is a deliberate attempt to spoil the Blizzard hype train as it hosts the BlizzCon 2011 shindig in Anaheim, California this weekend.

Blizzard is widely rumored to announce a new WoW expansion this weekend – its latest and third Cataclysm expansion is on its final raid cycle – and BioWare has every incentive to keep some spotlight trained on its own Star Wars MMO, which launches less than two months away on December 20.

It’s great that BioWare is so feisty, fighting for every square inch of press coverage.

In all likelihood, the stream of insider Star Wars coverage will focus on gameplay features and videos, guides on what you can actually buy with SWTOR Credits, and possibly a viral trailer like a the cinematic opening of a class or two. What do you think, guys?

Jagex opens up The Horsemen’s citadel, where such otherworldly lumaries like Famine, War, Pestilence and Death himself are hosting a party, for the next three weeks as part of DeathCon II.

Everyone – members and free subs alike – can attend the Halloween bash that’s shaping up to be ghastlier than the first go-around. Beauty is in buying grander decorations while and a dude named Frank is setting up a sell-out fireworks show.

It’s a strange mix of company and festivities, no doubt, but it’s bound to be a blast for all characters involved, if the previous Deathcon’s popularity is any indication.

The Deathcon II guide gives an overview of the event activities and rewards to be had from hanging out with the netherworld’s hangmen. There will be in-game t-shirts, emotes and hourglass shield stand-ins to be given away, which you cannot otherwise sell for or buy with Runescape Gold.

BioWare unveiled the first of these SWTOR Operations, the Eternal Vault, which follows the prison outbreak of a sealed malevolent force in the remote mountains of Belsavis.

“Each story-driven Operation is available to both factions and is designed to challenge groups of either eight or sixteen players to use their skills, wits, and teamwork to ensure that they successfully complete the mission while still being accessible to newcomers to the genre,” assured BioWare.

Republic and Empire factions will experience different viewpoints of the Operation, and all players who succeed in clearing these intricate encounters will earn weapons, armor and Star Wars credits. Like in most MMOs, you won’t be able to buy raid-earned gear via vendors.

Based on the Eternal Vault preview, operations are repeatable but will probably have lockdown timers. There will also be several difficulty modes available, the hardest of which will obviously be reserved for the most coordinated hardcore guilds.

Given that there are only eight companions confirmed so far, the thought of having thousands of identical Vette’s and Bowdaar’s running around the game world is maddening for some. There must be a way to buy companion attires and alter their look – and there will be, thankfully.

“It’s fairly simple. At the same quest step where you get your companion, you get to chose from several alternate appearance options. These are ‘customization kits’ that can be equipped on your companion’s character sheet,” says principal lead combat designer Greg Zoeller.

“Since you meet most of the companions earlier in the story, you already know their default appearance, so there’s no sense in ‘hiding’ that you’re changing something here. Think of it like a forced reconstructive surgery on your companion.”

Details are scant on whether you can buy these so-called customization kits with Star Wars credits, craft them via crew skills (and if so, sell them at the marketplace), or earn them as mission rewards. We’ll know for sure in a few months, but the last thing most people want is to have to buy these cosmetic items through a microtransaction credits shop.

When developer studio Jagex reactivated Free Trade and reopened the Wilderness in Runescape, both popular if abused features, they anticipated a spike in bots and promptly rolled out countermeasures to fend them off.

But its programs are proving too weak to repel the bot swarms that peddle and deal Runescape Gold, forcing Runescape vice president Daniel Clough to sound a call to arms: Players, help us!

“We would like to set up a special forum where we can have targeted Q&A’s and get formal feedback from you about specific initiatives… We hope that you will engage with and encouraged your friends to use any tools we provide to you that will help us identify and ban the bots like the Spam Filter feature.”

Self-policing isn’t a new concept in the fight against MMO spammers. With millions of active players at its disposal, Runescape has an untapped market of amateur banners who can report bots who sell and buy Runescape Gold. Will it work?

Developers reminded fans this week to stop violating the NDA, no matter how well-meaning their intentions are. (Most are smuggling screencaps and lore details that will help hype the game to still dithering friends and family.)

“For those asking about the status of the NDA: At this time, the Game Testing Agreement remains in place, and all testers remain bound by it. We know everyone is eager to share their experiences and learn more about the game, but we ask that all testers continue to observe the terms of the agreement…. Thank you all for your understanding and patience – we’ll definitely let you know if this changes!” says a BioWare moderator in the forums.

With the December 20 release date looming, the NDA curtain should come down soon enough and usher in waves of class tutorials and Star Wars Credits guides. Can’t wait!

Yes, it’s yet another layer to keep off unauthorized access from your accounts. But there is a huge difference. As posted by Blizzard Entertainment in their official site, you will be asked to make a phone call only in the event that your login attempt appears out of the ordinary.

“For example, if you were to log in from a location from which you do not typically play, you may be asked to call in and provide your selected PIN and a unique, single-use security code before access to the account will be granted.”

The best part is that this new feature is completely free!

For the 8^th time now, Blizzard is welcoming artists to submit photos of their hollowed out Blizzard-inspired masterpieces from the 15^th to the 27^th of October for their annual pumpkin-carving contest. The five best entries will not only be displayed in Blizzard’s galleries, the winners will also take home a 64 GB iPad! So, sharpened those knives yet?