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It's finally here. More than a year after it debuted and months after it went free to play, Star Wars: The Old Republic is getting its first downloadable expansion, Rise of the Hutt Cartel, due to arrive on April 14 (or April 9 for early preorders). The obvious question is, what has it got that could tempt former players to come back?

First of all, a new planet and more story. Much of the appeal of BioWare and LucasArts' MMO is the way every quest takes place against the backdrop of the galaxy-wide struggle between the Empire and the Republic, and every player class ends up playing a different but pivotal role.

Rise of the Hutt Cartel picks up at the end of the original story: The Republic's beating back the Empire, and the war machine on both sides needs fuel (hey, it's more dramatic than trade sanctions). The resource-stripping Hutts decide it's a good moment to take over the galaxy and be generally slimy, as they are wont to do, but now you can shoot them. Yay! Actually you're fighting their mercs. What starts as a quick smackdown of the Hutts turns into something more urgent and planetwide, and as usual, it's all up to you.… Read more

Same-gender romance will soon be in the air in Star Wars: The Old Republic, meaning your Jedi Knight or Bounty Hunter will have more opportunities to get some lovin' in the online game.

To date, characters' romance options have been limited by class and gender. But in a blog post today, Jeff Hickman, executive producer of the BioWare/EA title, revealed that that's shifting come spring -- to an extent.

The upcoming Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion pack, he said, will make it possible for players on the new planet (called Makeb) to flirt with same-gender non-player characters, created by BioWare to give quests, sell items, and otherwise move the story forward. Players will not yet, however, be able to put the moves on same-sex companion characters, the NPCs that accompany them on their intergalactic escapades as a major plotline piece. … Read more

Star Wars: The Old Republic has been given a free-to-play date, meaning that from next week on, gamers will be able to get their Jedi jollies without forking over a single penny.

The game's free mode goes live on November 15, Videogamer reports, and lets you play through the game up to level 50.

You won't get every aspect of the game for free though -- click here for a full list of which midi-chlorian-soaked features you can get for nothing, and which ones will cost you real-life galactic credits.

Read more of "Star Wars MMO free on 15 November as WoW enjoys boost" at Crave UK.… Read more

Outdoor grilling has its time (daylight) and place (outdoors). But sometimes, the grill gremlins growl deep in the pit of the stomach when it is just not convenient to fire up the monster out back. Luckily, there are other ways of soothing the pangs for a grill session by moving it indoors where it is safe. But that doesn't mean cooking inside can't stand up to the toughest of tasks.

With strong heat retention, along the associated heat recovery, the Waring Pro CIG100 Cast Iron Grill supplies grillers with a heavy-duty indoor alternative. Thanks to its cast-iron grill … Read more

Deep frying is serious business. Just look at all the attention that deep frying anything and putting it on a stick gets in the food world. This of course, is not a bad thing; deep fried anything on a stick is usually quite delicious. However, there happens to be another way of achieving deliciousness by the spearing of meat: the rotisserie.

The Waring Pro TF200 Rotisserie Turkey Fryer/Steamer offers a bit of something for everyone -- and more than enough to go around. The integrated rotisserie mechanism rotates a turkey through hot oil creating an intriguing method of cooking … Read more

Eager to try out Star Wars: The Old Republic but not willing to pay to get started? You're in luck.

BioWare yesterday announced a free-trial promotion for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game that will allow users to try out the game's 8 character classes, and level their avatars to a maximum of 15.

In addition to trying out the game's classes and traveling through their origin worlds, free-trial participants can fight against others in the player-versus-player warzones, or work alongside players through flashpoints. There is no time limit for the game's free trial.

Read more of "Star Wars: The Old Republic now free until level 15" at GameSpot.… Read more

Years from now, when our children are grown, we'll tell them we were all online when a single Web site changed the way we use the Internet. Unfortunately, Chatroulette stumbled after racking up more than a million users thanks to a certain part of the male anatomy, but Napster co-founders Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning have teamed up again for a video-chat pivot called Airtime.

Though it's not ready for deployment yet, Airtime is already getting support from celebrities like Jim Carrey, Alicia Keys, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus who can't wait to start a random conversation with a Facebook user online. The service is different from Chatroulette in that it actually protects the eyeballs of its users from "vulgar behavior, sexually suggestive behavior, violence, and animal cruelty". In other words, nobody associated with The 404 will receive an beta invite.… Read more

Kitchen gadgets are often designed to do one thing and do it well (hopefully). Sometimes, however, that is simply not enough. Rather than use one gadget to do one thing and another gadget to do another, sometimes it's nice if all you need can be found in one place. Especially when the good times are waiting.

Standing by at the ready, the Waring WC400 Professional Wine Center comes in handy at the beginning of the night, the end, or both. Consolidated into one convenient unit are a wine opener and a wine preserver. Included along with the base display … Read more