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These are some clips from Star Trek Online. Its mission: to make you buy the game; to seek out new subscribers and revenue sources; to boldly make money, like no MMO has done before ... except World of Warcraft.

To learn more about Star Trek Online before you beam aboard, check out Massively's coverage of the first few levels of the 25th-century simulator.

Cryptic is giving future Star Trek Online cadets the opportunity to name three different classes of starship in the game's universe. The gallery below features the three as-yet-unnamed classes. From left to right, they represent an escort type, science ship and cruiser. We suggest:

• Plot device class
• Eventual ghost ship class (alternative: Red Shirt class)
• Youessess class (as in: the U.S.S. Distress Beacon Responder is a Youessess class starship)

Make sure to read the full details regarding submissions [PDF link] before submitting ideas, which are due by January 8, 2010. Winners will receive a copy of the game and poster depicting their named class, which they can then fly when the game launches on Stardate 63554.5 (February 2, 2010).

[Via Big Download]

Atari has released yet another new trailer for Cryptic's upcoming MMO, Star Trek Online. The trailer features a particularly grim entry in a Starfleet admiral's log. Long story short, the battle between the Klingons and the Federation in the space surrounding starbase 24 isn't going too well. On the plus side, it makes for some great viewing, with lots of phasers, disruptors, torpedos and, most importantly, explosions.

Alas, it looks like the ol' "STO Assets" folder is still slated for quite a beating before the game finally releases in February.

Much like the dreaded Kobayashi Maru, there really is no right answer to the question, "Where should I pre-order Star Trek Online?" In its ongoing mission to make games as hard to purchase as possible, Starfleet has issued different pre-order bonuses to each major American retailer. Want to pilot the Enterprise? You'll have to order from GameStop. Need a pet Tribble? Best Buy. How about a gun that beams projectiles directly to their intended target? Target. That "Liberated Borg" bridge officer you always wanted? Amazon.

And here we thought all we had to do to get the full enjoyment out of our games was buy them. Those days are over, friend. Check out the full list of pre-order bonuses -- and where to find them -- after the break.

Klingons aren't the only thing in the galaxy you should fear, as your inner desire for paraphernalia and in-game items could push you over the edge to purchase the Star Trek Online Collector's Edition from GameStop. The online retailer details the $80 package as including a small, metal Communicator Badge, an in-game Red Matter Capacitor that gives all of your ships a little extra energy and exclusive Next Generation and Deep Space Nine uniforms for your crew. You'll also score some guest passes for a few friends and a deluxe, hardcover manual and requisite special packaging.

Above, you can check out a new trailer showing off some of the ship-based combat and, should you desire a look at the full Collector's Edition packaging, you can make it so by engaging past the break.

[Via Big Download]

If you've been on the sidelines, watching the fight between good and evil in Champions Online, waiting to don your own spandex and get into the mix, now might be a good time to bust out the sewing machine. A variety of retailers have bumped the game's price down to $40. In fact, Amazon even has it for $35, if you don't mind waiting for the pterodactyl to fly it over to your cave because you're super old and refuse to accept the digital downloadin' ways of the future.

Source - Champions Online on Steam
Source - Champions Online at Direct2Drive
Source - Champions Online at GameStop
Source - Champions Online at Amazon

Cryptic executive producer Craig Zinkievich has confirmed with Videogamer that the upcoming Star Trek Online is set to launch during the first quarter of next year -- which falls in line with an Atari document we reported on back in May. Zinkievich also confirmed that Cryptic will soon offer gamers a taste of the experience to come, stating that the game's closed beta is "right around the corner."

Though Videogamer set its phaser to "pester," Zinkievich wouldn't budge on any details about release date beyond the quoted Q1 2010 placeholder, citing that he would receive the full wrath of the marketing department should he crack. We'd like to imagine said department being full of Klingons, but we all know Cardassians really make the best marketers.

The folks at Cryptic have released some new screens of the upcoming Star Trek Online, and let's just say that Locutus fans should be pretty pumped. That's right, we finally get to take a look at the Borg (sounds Swedish ...) as they appear in the game. We can't help but imagine actually playing as a member of the Borg collective in the game, though that might be just a tad unfair to the rest of the organic exploring the virtual universe.

The screens also show off some of the spacecraft available in the game. Peruse them all in the gallery below. It's not like you have a choice in the matter.

[Via Massively]

The subscription plans for Cryptic's super-powered MMO Champions Online were revealed via a pre-order offer the developer just announced. Potential players who anticipate their prolonged enjoyment of the title can shell out $199.99 for a lifetime subscription to the game, while those desiring a less permanent commitment can sign up for a $59.99 six-month plan. Cryptic explained the latter would normally cost players $89.99 if paid for on a monthly basis -- seeing as how $90 divided by six equals $15, it's safe to assume that'll be the monthly fee for access to the game.

Pre-ordering one of these two subscription plans nets players a whole slew of bonuses, the most desirable of which is access to the closed beta for Star Trek Online, which will take place "later this year." Both plans also garner players an in-game "art deco" costume set -- but lifetime subscribers also get the "retro future" costume set, an in-game Foxbat action figure, eight additional character slots and even an additional costume for STO which will appear in players' inventory at launch. In the business, that's what we like to call "The Works."

[Via Massively]

Variety is reporting that "sources" reveal Cryptic is working on a Neverwinter Nights MMO for Atari to launch in 2011. Cryptic Studios is currently working on Champions Online and Star Trek Online, expected to launch this September and next March, respectively.

Considering that Neverwinter Nights -- developed by BioWare, with the sequel helmed by Obsidian -- was a mini-MMO to begin with, the idea of the series going totally online isn't a stretch. The only thing that's really a stretch is if Atari will be around to see it all come to pass.

[Via Massively]

An Atari financial document apparently reveals that the company expects Star Trek Online to launch no later than March 31, 2010. ShackNews read the report, which also states that players will boldly go where no one has gone before on "both console and PC formats."

We've hailed Cryptic for any official comment and will update as soon as it responds.

[Via Massively]

Originally slated to don its cape and take to the skies on July 14, Cryptic Studios' next superhero MMO, Champions Online, is staying put until September 1. The City of Heroes creator today announced a delay for the Atari-published title, with the studio's design director and Champions executive producer Bill Roper commenting, "Through our constant dialogue with our vocal and supportive community of beta testers, we quickly realized that in order to implement certain features that we all considered important the development of Champions Online would require more time."

But what features? We asked Roper, who revealed that, in addition to more instanced and scripted missions, the extra development time is being used to provide a larger variety of core powers, travel powers and upgrades. It's also allowing Cryptic that special something every developer wishes they had more of: time to polish. "We want the launch to be as smooth as possible, with the game as polished as it can be. We're glad to have the extra time to do so," he said, no doubt holding a soft cloth and a DVD to illustrate the polishing process.

[Via Gamespot]

Yesterday's Cryptic Studios panel was a two-part affair. The majority of the hour-long panel was allotted to talk on Champions Online – a super hero MMO based off the original 80s paper-and-pencil RPG. The last five minutes were reserved for Star Trek Online. Both games yielded tons of new info.

First off, Champions will feature a lot of unique and odd weapons such as guitars. Essentially, this means you can create a "Guitar Hero" (hey, not our joke – blame executive producer Bill Roeper). The crew at Cryptic is also looking into implementing vehicles such as motorcycles, tanks ... and pogo sticks. Lastly, the formation of "super hero groups" will still follow the basic MMO guild structure, but with an integrated ranking system.

Moving on to Star Trek Online, the game was revealed to be set in the year 2409. That's 30 years after the events of Star Trek Nemesis, which marks the end of the ST timeline. The MMO puts players in the captain's chair as they are tasked to command their own ship either under the banner of the Starfleet or Klingon Defense Force. Ships and bridge officers are customizable. Cryptic says to expect a lot of "beaming up and down" from ship to ground for an authentic ST feel. The most interesting reveal was the race creator, allowing players to customize their own race. See that in action after the break.

The buyout game, like any other, produces sore losers. In this case it's Ubisoft, who lost out to Atari in a bidding war for Champions Online and Star Trek Online developer Cryptic Studios.

Gamasutra quotes Ubi's CFO, Alain Martinez, as saying the company was "a bit mad [about]" losing the deal. "We were a bit disappointed," Martinez admitted, though he said Ubisoft is moving ahead with other planned acquisitions. "We have about three deals within [the] five million euro range that we are negotiating," he revealed, stating that, "Most probably, one or two of them will be closed in the next three or four months." One of those wouldn't happen to be Eidos, would it?

Former Blizzard director Bill Roper, whose most recent stint was co-founder and CEO of the now-defunct Flagship Studios (Hellgate: London), has joined Cryptic Studios. According to the press release, Roper will serve as Design Director for the upcoming superhero-infused MMO, Champions Online.

In an interview with GameDaily, Roper said his first order of business is to dig "deeply" into Champions Online. "There's a lot of fantastic stuff here, and we'll focus on figuring out what's working, what needs some polish and rethinking other things." CO is currently in production for PC and Xbox 360 with a tentative Spring 2009 launch, although given the timing of Roper's hire and from what he said in the interview, we wonder if that'll be pushed back.

An application for the CO beta is currently available. Cryptic Studios is also currently working on Star Trek Online, due out sometime late next year.

[Via Big Download]