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MV Guide: August 22-28, 2011
MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively's Livestream channel. Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of titles to take a look at. During livestream events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, livestream events are subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.) Follow along after the jump to see what's scheduled for this week!
MMObility: Fifty games for the mobile lifestyle
I like lists. Lists help keep my candy-coated brain functioning. I see so many games, devices, and developers that I need to write things down periodically or become lost. Not so long ago I made a list of 25 games for your shiny new laptop, but I wanted to update it with other devices as well. I'd like to clarify the devices I have, though, especially since it was brought to my attention that a lot of players use laptops as their primary gaming machines. When I refer to a laptop, it is far from a gaming machine and could not run games like EverQuest II or Age of Conan. So here are some stats: I have an HTC Inspire, an iPhone 3GS, an iPad, a Phenom Triple-core PC desktop with an Nvidia 9800 card, six gigs of ram and onboard sound. My laptop is an HP G62 with an AMD Athlon II P340 dual core processor, three gigs of ram and an AMD graphics chip built in. I also have a more powerful gaming PC, but that is often referred to as "the wife's machine" around here, and it is so packed with her items that I rarely touch it. So most of these games can be run on their native devices, and if they are meant for PC, probably on netbooks as well. When I'm playing on netbooks, resolution is often the major issue. Some games just will not fit on the tiny screens without some slight modding. Anyway, click past the cut to see the list. The first 11 are my favorites, the ones that I play often, if not every day. The rest are in no particular order, so keep that in mind as well. Remember that this year is going to be an incredible one for mobile, thanks to the new games I found at E3. So this list will change!
Massively Exclusive: FusionFall gets new nanos and more
Two years ago, Cartoon Network Digital unleashed its browser-based MMO FusionFall on the world with a velvet-rope freemium option. Players could try out the first four levels (the FutureWorld) for free, but getting past that and into the current-day world zones involved a subscription. A year later, the studio opted to take its game to a fully ad-supported free-to-play model so more people could have fun stomping around in the Cartoon Network universe with their favorite characters. Now, just past the game's second birthday, Cartoon Network Digital has decided to crank things up yet again with a bunch of major changes that will rock the world of FusionFall -- and we've gotten an exclusive first look! Set to launch on February 16th, this bigger, badder version of FusionFall will add in the number one change that players have been asking for since the game's launch: new nanos! Indeed, the team at Cartoon Network Digital has been hard at work creating a slew of brand-new nanos that will be added over the next year -- a whopping 20 in all. However, this isn't just an update in terms of smacking a handful of levels on the end and calling it good. Instead, the dev team has decided to change the nano system entirely so that picking up new nanos will no longer be tied to leveling up. No more nano level-lock means players can pick them up as they adventure! Sound exciting? There's even more in store with the update. Join me behind the break for the rest of the details -- including an exclusive reveal of two of the three all-new nanos that players can expect to see this Wednesday in FusionFall! %Gallery-16922%
Massively speaks with Sparkplay Media's CEO on Earth Eternal
With Sparkplay Media's first game, Earth Eternal, going into beta, we got the chance to sit down with the CEO of the company, Matt Mihaly, and pick his mind on a variety of things related to setting up shop in the free to play genre.Matt's no stranger to the massively multiplayer space, holding a strong background as the CEO and founder of Iron Realms Entertainment, a company dedicated to creating multi-user dungeons (MUDs) including Imperian, Aetola, Achaea, and Lusternia. If that wasn't enough, Achaea was one of the first games to introduce the sales of virtual goods, making him one of the pioneers of the base that free-to-play games now stand on.So what's his thought process behind Earth Eternal? What are some of the things we can expect from the MMO that's sporting over 22 races? Hit the continue reading link, and find out!
FusionFall hits the 4 million mark (with bonus Bubblehead, free!)
We got some great news today from our friends over at Cartoon Network. It appears that their freemium family browser-based MMO, FusionFall, has crossed the 4-million registered member mark since their official launch in January! That's a tremendous chunk of growth, and we're glad to see FusionFall getting the love. (Any game that incorporates flying monkeys as a method of traveling around in-game rates an "awesome" in our book.)To celebrate this excellent milestone, the crew over at FusionFall headquarters decided to whip up a special in-game item, the Zak Saturday Bubblehead Helmet, as a way of saying thanks to everyone for playing. All you have to do to get your hands on this limited-edition special celebratory goodie is to head over to the FusionFall site, grab the code, and add it to your account. Of course while you're logged in, you'll want to check out all the new missions and crazy items that the FusionFall team have been hard at work adding in.
First Impressions: Cartoon Network's Fusion Fall
In First Impressions, Krystalle takes on a MMOG and reports back at what you can expect from the game. Is it painful? Awesome? Find out as she takes an unscientific (and highly opinionated) view of a game you may not have seen. Also remember, this is not a review; simply a First Impression - as such, we always recommend you give games that seem interesting a shot and decide for yourself. Cartoon Network's MMO, FusionFall, is definitely a strong first entry into the market. With the Cartoon Network stars as the basis for their IP, and many industry names involved in the project, the hopes have been high. The story is set in a future version of Cartoon Network's own variant of Earth, where the characters are now teenagers - and a bit more anime-styled than their counterparts we know from TV. The premise is that Planet Fusion, a big nasty greenish planet-devouring ball of space-muck run by a terribad guy named Fuse, has come to snack on our beloved home. The only thing standing between Fuse, his sludge minions and the total annihilation of Future Earth is you - and the people playing in the world with you. Along the way Fuse is also spawning evil green versions of all the Cartoon Network characters to aid him in his sinister plan.Now that you've got the general back-story, I've included the FusionFall opening cinematic behind the cut to set the mood before we move on. So far as opening cinematics for web-based games go, this one is definitely worth watching. From there, be sure to jump into the gallery for the full First Impressions on FusionFall. Welcome to the future >> %Gallery-39282%
