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Echo of Soul unveils new NA website
Echo of Soul is quickly becoming known around these parts as a title that is talking big talk prior to its North American debut, and now the Korean fantasy game has a new website to match these boasts. The US version of the website has now gone live, with information, art, community hub, and the vitally important beta sign-up button. It also has a short section on the game's mobile app that will feature access to chat and trading. Echo of Soul's North American beta test is planned for sometime this spring. [Source: Aeria Games press release]
Echo of Soul hopes to make a strong Western impression
What does it take to make a new MMO that can gain traction in this day and age? In a new video dev diary, the Echo of Soul team says that it's spent over four years and 110 developers to pursue a goal of "uniting MMORPGs and mobile games" while making it appealing for both an Eastern and a Western audience. The video goes on to talk up Echo of Soul's Asian launch; it claims the game is "constantly ranked among the top 10 Korean games" since then. Aeria Games Chief Manager Nara Kang concurred that the reception has been strong: "Players feel that EoS is the best MMORPG in a very long time." You can watch the full dev diary after the break!
Echo of Soul has 'everything an MMO player could want'
"At launch, Echo of Soul will include everything an MMO player could want," says Global Development Project Manager Junhyung Jung. "With 68 areas and over 1,600 quests, EOS offers far more initial content than other games." Them's fightin' words, Mr. Jung. But also playin' words, too. The above quote comes from a new Echo of Soul video dev diary, in which Jung makes a case for why this title should have broad appeal. He runs down the features list, including PvE content, PvP battles, and solo and team challenges. The level cap is also mentioned as where the game "truly begins." You can watch the full dev diary after the break.
Echo of Soul story trailer tells of the war between gods and giants
With Echo of Soul heading from Korea to North America and Europe next year, it may be time for those interested in the fantasy MMO to discover a little about its world and lore. For those fans, we present Echo of Soul's story trailer, which gives an overview of the conflict and struggles that players will be facing in this game. Players will take part of an ongoing battle between gods and the giants by attempting to prevent the giants from assembling six fragments of a "shadow soul" (Arrogance, Sloth, Jealousy, Rage, Despair, and Discord) that could spell the end for, y'know, everything. You can watch the full minute-and-a-half video after the break.
Korean MMO Echo of Soul immigrates to North America and Europe next year
Love Korean MMOs? Well, there's about to be a new one for western audiences in 2015: Echo of Soul. Aeria Games announced today that plans are in the works to take this free-to-play fantasy MMO and bring it to North America and Europe early next year. The hook for Echo of Soul is a "unique soul-collecting system" that results in a rich layer of skill customization for players. The MMO has a solid heritage behind it, as it was created by "key members" of Lineage II's dev team. Beta sign-ups are now live on the official site, and you can watch Echo of Soul's teaser trailer after the jump. [Source: Aeria Games press release]
F.E.A.R. Online comes to S.T.E.A.M.
As we all know, your games are incapable of being scary if they're not powered by the hatred of a forsaken child. That's why you need a jolt of F.E.A.R. Online this Halloween, an experience that is easier than ever to procure now that it's on Steam. You'll also be happy to know that the Desert Storm M4A1 DLC is currently on sale at 10% off, bringing it down from $0.99 to $0.89. This online free-to-play horror-themed shooter features both a co-op and PvP mode, the latter of which can turn players into literal beasts. F.E.A.R. also has a Soul King mode that allows players to "possess" enemy mobs in order to attack fellow players from any direction.
Chaos Heroes Online video shows hero roster
There's not going to be any of that gradual "drip, drip, drip" of character reveals for Chaos Heroes Online. Nay, Aeria Games has released a trailer that opens up the faucet to pour out the game's first 10 heroes all at once. According to the beta sign-up page, the free-to-play MOBA will have a cast that well exceeds that number; there are 50 "coming soon" slots on the chart begging for a future reveal. As for now, you can get a feel for this first batch of characters and their abilities, although apart from their names and visuals, deeper details will have to wait for a later date. We've got the full video after the jump, so check it out!
Chaos Heroes Online MOBA arrives this fall
It's safe to say that there are a lot of MOBAs on the market at the moment. Do you want another one? Because Chaos Heroes Online looks as if it's set to be just that. If you've found yourself saying that you've got only a limited number of MOBAs to play and really need another one on the pile, this game will completely satisfy you by virtue of being a MOBA and being released this fall. Chaos Heroes Online is based on a variant of the original genre-defining Defense of the Ancients mod for Warcraft III, and its main claim to fame is offering players the ability to gear up from anywhere on the map rather than requiring anyone to return to base. Beyond that, it offers... well, you can probably guess what it offers if you're familiar with other MOBAs. Because that's what it is. Purely. You can check out the trailer past the cut if you have a mighty need for another MOBA. [Source: Aeria Games press release]
Aura Kingdom lands on Steam
Aura Kingdom has been playable for some time now, but if you're one of those digital platform snobs who refuses to play anything that's not offered, you've previously been out of luck. This has all changed this week, as Aura Kingdom passed the Steam Greenlight process and has become available through the platform. Aeria Games CEO Pascal Zuta hopes that this will give the anime MMO a good boost: "Having a game launch on Steam is a sign of trust in the quality of the game and the service we provide. We are very excited to now be able to offer Aura Kingdom to a wider audience through the Steam platform." [Source: Aeria Games press release]
It costs nothing to enter FEAR Online's haunted arena
It's almost impossible to announce the news that FEAR Online is moving out of alpha phase and into beta testing without pretending to be a mad scientist working for the FEAR series' evil corporation Armacham, but here goes. *Ahem* PC horror/FPS mash-up FEAR Online will move to beta testing on May 26, publisher Aeria Games has announced. Players can register for the beta, free of charge, via the game's website. Developed by Inplay Interactive and published by Aeria Games, FEAR Online will feature 10 maps as well as competitive and cooperative modes to play. Competitive play will be team-based, while co-op scenarios will present a story that unfolds parallel to the events of FEAR 2: Project Origin. Whew, made it through the whole announcement without cackling maniacally. Heh. Heheh. Hehehehe! HEHEHE ... MWAH-HAHAHAHA!! *evil laughter* [Image: Aeria Games]
Massively Exclusive: Aura Kingdom's Dark Legion content update
Aura Kingdom is set to get a major update this Thursday called The Dark Legion, and Massively has the first look at the patch. Dark Legion, Aura Kingdom's fifth content update, contains a wide array of new content with an emphasis on high-level adventures. The update will add two new level 60-plus zones: the alliterative Vulture's Vale and Blizzard Berg. Also coming are login bonuses, the Kaiser Zeta eidolon, the level-65 Landing of the Sky Dragon King dungeon, better rewards, improvements to the weapons and partner systems. You can check out the Kaiser Zeta teaser video after the break!
ProSiebenSat.1 acquires Aeria Games Europe
The European gaming publisher ProSiebenSat.1 just got bigger. Pending approval by the responsible cartel authorities, PSS1 has acquired online and mobile games publisher Aeria Games Europe. The deal doubles the publisher's portfolio (upping it from 19 to 39 games) and almost triples its games community (rising from 27 to 77 million gamers). ProSiebenSat.1 will combine the games operations in Berlin and take on the name SevenGames. Dr. Christian Wegner, a member of PSS1's Executive Board, explained, "The acquisition of Aeria Games Europe allows us full access to new markets and target groups, making us one of the top three publishers in Europe in one fell swoop, and takes us a big step forward in mobile gaming, the sector's largest growth driver. The transaction is fully in line with our strategy of strengthening our portfolio of digital assets by making bolt-on acquisitions." [Source: ProSiebenSat.1 press release]
Aura Kingdom hacked and emails stolen... or maybe not [Updated]
Recent hacking of Aura Kingdom apparently resulted in stolen email addresses that are being used to pester users players are reporting that they're getting invitations sent to their Aeria Games email address from an individual asking them to join an Aura Kingdom private server. Fortunately Aeria Games does not store credit card information, so it seems as though that information is safe. An Aeria Games GM responded to the claims by saying that the company is investigating the issue: "Thanks for reporting this. We'll look closely into this reports. We will let you know if we need more information. Also note, we do not process any payments, this is done through the service you utilize to buy AP. So this is not something we store." [Thanks to Thomas for the tip!] [Update: Aeria has contacted us to update us about the situation and provide an official statement: "We have investigated this issue and would like to confirm that we have found no evidence of our servers or players' account information being compromised. This includes the email addresses that were reported to have been affected in this article. We have, however, found potential security vulnerabilities through third parties unaffiliated with Aeria Games. We caution against providing contact information to these unaffiliated entities and encourage all players to change their passwords on a regular basis to maintain account security."]
Aura Kingdom launches into open beta
Closed beta is now a thing of the past as Aura Kingdom moves into its open beta phase. As of today, anyone can hop into the free-to-play game and experience this new anime-styled world. Players can also take part in various GM events going on daily throughout open beta. Events include a screenshot contest (Can you capture a pic of a GM running by at superhuman speeds?), boss spawns, GM hide and seek, item matching, and more. A schedule of events can be found on the official site. Additionally, on Fridays at 7:00 p.m. EST, GMs will host welcome sessions to answer questions, and Saturdays will have live tutorials broadcast on Twitch at 5:00 p.m. EST to help new players get started. To learn even more about Aura Kingdom, check out Massively's Ride and Shiny. [Source: Aeria Games press release]
Some Assembly Required: Virtual world roundup for 2014 and beyond
Just over two years ago there was a great disturbance, as if millions (or so) of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. Yes, something terrible had happened: a beloved virtual world was destroyed. And that left a number of sandbox refugees looking for a new place to call home. At that time, Some Assembly Required offered a roundup of the then available virtual worlds that could possibly offer accommodation, depending on what qualities players most desired in their games. But as things are wont to, they changed; a lot can happen in the MMOverse in 24 months, from additional features in existing games to new games to the loss of more worlds. So it's time to update this list of virtual worlds to reflect 2014 and beyond. Take a look and see what titles or titles-to-be have the sandbox features that best make a game a home for you.
Free for All: The rising cost of early access and exclusivity
Here I sit, waiting to log into Aura Kingdom, a new Anime MMO by Aeria Games. The beta I am going to log into is the Founder's Beta, an exclusive early-access pre-closed beta that had an entrance fee starting at $19.00 and topping out at $299.00. Yes, 300 US dollars. I'm not trying to appear judgmental in my emphasis, but I do think that this provides more proof to the theory that prices for virtual items are continuing to climb. And why shouldn't they? I've talked before about selling power and how its slow climb will likely not stop. Just like selling exclusive or early access, selling powerful, useful in-game items most likely makes money. Something like a Founder's Pack offers useful in-game items and exclusivity, a very tempting concoction that many find too hard to resist. Is it fair to offer early access for such a price, and will other titles have to respond to the success of such sales by creating their own?
Aura Kingdom reveals guild towns, endgame
Aeria Games is sharing more information about Aura Kingdom's endgame as the fantasy free-to-play game inches closer to its Founders beta that starts on Monday, December 16th. High-level players who enjoy PvP can queue up for two different 5v5 experiences, either a battle to the death (available any time of day) or a capture point mode that utilizes vastly different terrain (available only at certain times). PvE-wise, players who want to collect the best battle companions, called Eidolons, will need to group up and raid the bosses in the high-level dungeons to collect rare key fragments. Additionally, guilds that level to a high enough rank can create their own towns that guild members can visit. Guild towns will spawn unique Eidolons that guild members must group up to defeat. Once defeated, those Eidolons can drop key fragments that, when combined, will allow players to summon that companion as his own. [Source: Aeria Games press release]
Dynasty Warriors Online shutting down in North America
Aeria Games is not having a good month, apparently. Shortly after the company announced the closure of Lime Odyssey in Korea, it broke the news to the Dynasty Warriors community that the North American servers will be shut down on January 10th, 2014. The company posted its reasons and condolences on the Dynasty Warrior forums: "We know and understand this is both sad and frustrating. The closure of a game is always hardest for us at Aeria as we recognize the community's dedication towards the game but regrettably games can't last forever." Aeria will be giving out 100% rebates to any AP purchased by players from now until the game's sunset. The company also promised that it's working on special events for the title's final days. [Thanks to Mehighlow for the tip!]
Lime Odyssey to shut down in Korea... again
Lime Odyssey apparently cannot catch a break. The game's English version has been leading up to a launch that hasn't happened for more than a year now, with no updates on when that might take place. Last March, the game's Korean client was shut down. Then the game underwent a revival, and now... it's being shut down in Korea again, apparently due to financial issues. What does this mean for the game's English version? That's unclear, although official statements seem to indicate that Aeria Games plans to release the English version after the launch of Aura Kingdom. Whether or not that release will come to pass remains to be seen, but based on the game's history to date odds are not favorable. Our condolences to the players and developers affected by this shutdown.
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Free for All: Ten of my favorite in-game items
I love things. Truly I do. Only specific things, though. Over the last year I have doubled my efforts to catalog most of the best things in my life, from pictures and artwork to writings and songs I have played on. It's a sort of meta-hobby. As part of the effort I want to organize many of my favorite MMO in-game items, simply because I have played MMOs for so long and they are such a part of my life. I have a lot of favorite items, but some tend to stick out in my memory like a favorite smell or place. After I finished an initial list of MMO items (it was well over 50 items in the beginning), I was surprised at how much variety there was in the items and in the games I listed. I think it reflects my character a lot, but also shows that I am a sentimental plod most of the time. I cut the list down to these 10, but I am sure I will wish to adjust the list again in the future. Feel free to add your own favorites in the comments section!
