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Free for All: Free-to-play MMO versions of your favorite Nintendo games
I have to be honest -- I wasn't the biggest Nintendo fan. I grew up right as the whole thing was really smashing and keeping kids glued to their TVs, but I generally went outside and played more than stayed inside and played games. (Odd, huh?) Still, I had my fun with certain titles. Contra rocked my boat, along with Kid Icarus and a bit of Mario Brothers. My friends, on the other hand, were full members of the Nintendo nation. They subcribed to the magazine, played the same games for hours and hours, and generally acted as though the fate of the real world hung in the balance as they attacked that last boss monster. Stylistically, the games have left a mark on the genre. Many of those same titles still sell as well, some of them reaching so many variations that I lost track a long, long time ago. I thought it might be fun to list off some free-to-play MMOs that remind me of those old classics. See what you think, and leave any suggestions in the comments section!
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%
Free for All: Twenty-five free MMOs for that shiny new laptop
So there you are, reading a column from your favorite Massively writer on your shiny new laptop. You might be stuck with your parents and family because of the snow, or you might simply want to find a new MMORPG to play on the device. Perhaps you broke down and bought that cute pink netbook at Target, and now you need something to do with it besides reading your favorite writer of all time? Don't worry, because I've taken the time to compile and test 25 MMOs that will work wonderfully on your new toy! Yes, there are real MMOs out there that are not dependent on the latest graphics card or six gigs of ram. These are fully realized worlds, complete with chat windows and socializing. I will make a note if the game might have some difficulty on the oldest of hardware -- or the least powerful -- so keep an eye out for that. Otherwise, download away! For the record, this is my new toy. I got it for work, but you know the first thing I had to do was try out gaming on it. Click past the cut to see the list!
FusionFall & Ben 10 Omniverse heading overseas
When it comes to free-to-play games, normally we hear about companies from Asia importing their games to us here in the US and EU. This time around, we get to turn the tables, as Cartoon Network Digital is sending its popular free-to-play browser-based games to the Eastern markets. That's right, with the creation of Turnout Ventures -- a combination of Turner Entertainment Asia and Outblaze Investments -- people in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand will get a chance to check out FusionFall and Ben 10 Omniverse for themselves. "The launch of the incredible online experience FusionFall in the Asia-Pacific region and mutually beneficial partnerships with Ben 10 MMOG publishers such as Omedia and c2vision, are set to bring gamers never-before-seen levels of immersive game play, as well as create even more localized, partnership opportunities," said Benjamin Grubbs, Regional Director, Interactive Media, Turner Entertainment Networks Asia and General Manager, TurnOut Ventures. "Most importantly, these initiatives build on and extend our iconic properties into the online space, so that fans can be part of the Cartoon Network experience anytime and anywhere." Meanwhile, here in the States, FusionFall has noted that over 9 million accounts have been created in the West, which certainly bodes well as a start for this venture. Considering World of Warcraft has easily half of their entire 11.5 million players overseas, then spreading the FusionFall and Ben 10 Omniverse love is a wise strategic decision.
Exclusive: FusionFall free to play launch details
Near the end of last year, Cartoon Network, the developers of FusionFall, announced that the game would move from a freemium/velvet rope type of pricing structure to a completely free-to-play model. While the fans waited, the developers were a bit silent as to when the new version would be released. Well, wait no more. We have received the official date, along with some exclusive shots of new characters and the new armor that subscribers would receive for being loyal to the game! If you haven't tried it yet, FusionFall is a browser based first-person style shooter that mixes elements of platforming, social gaming, and fashion. Think of Tabula Rasa's combat system, complete with its "soft lock" mechanism, and add tons of your favorite Cartoon Network characters. It makes for a very fun, actiony and surprisingly deep experience. Join me after the jump for an exclusive look at new characters and new armor!
Free for All: How free is freemium?
Welcome to Free for All, a weekly column highlighting the world of Free to Play/Freemium games! The new generation of free-to-play games are not only of the same quality as many "standard" MMOs, but they give players a chance to try them out before they ever spend a dime (if they choose to). I am going to try to make sense out of the masses with this column, so wish me luck and thanks for reading! Freemium is one of those rare hybrid terms that is used to describe some games in the MMO market. Yet, what does it mean? I prefer to use the term "velvet rope", because it places a good picture in your head as to how the game might work. I decided to examine what the term means, and what it might say to a potential player. The best way for me to do this is to look at some "freemium" games that not only do it well, but are some of the most successful games out there, regardless of subscription model.
Parents can breathe a bit easier thanks to Crisp Thinking's NetModerator
Letting your children play MMOs can be a tricky balancing act for gamer parents. On the one hand, you want your children to have fun playing games online while gaining socialization and computer skills. On the other, you're a protective parent who wants to make sure your kids are safe -- without making them live in a bubble. You can teach them about online safety and how to protect themselves, but there's always the possibility that something will take a wrong turn. Thankfully, it seems that a company called Crisp Thinking have developed a tool to help parents in their fight for online safety. Their system, called NetModerator, has been put into place in kid-friendly MMOs like Free Realms and FusionFall to combat against predators, bullies, and the like. It watches for certain keywords and phrases during online interactions. When detected, the system will step in and moderate the conversations -- allowing for real-time changes in potentially dangerous situations, as opposed to a reactionary method of dealing with abusive or predatory accounts after the conversations have taken place. The entire concept is fascinating, so we're sure parents will want to pop over to VentureBeat's Games Beat and check out Dean Takahashi's great write up about this new technology. With an accuracy rate of 98.4% in terms of flagging dangerous and harmful conversations, and the ability to learn cloaked phrases, we're sure parents will be glad to hear that there's another layer protecting their kids from online danger. It's no replacement for the first line of defense -- good parenting -- but it certainly doesn't hurt. [Thanks, Pete!]
Massively's Thanksgiving 2009 MMO wrapup
It's that time of year again -- Thanksgiving is tomorrow and all things turkey related have invaded the MMO world: hunting turkeys, eating turkeys, exchanging turkey parts for rewards, wielding turkey weapons, and even wearing turkeys on your head. Sending yourself into a tryptophan coma isn't the only thing to do, though. You'll find some non-turkey related PvP here and there, opportunities to spread Thanksgiving blessings, and even some new content. And of course, Thanksgiving bonuses, treats, and souvenirs are everywhere. Follow along after the jump for a look at what's going on for Thanksgiving.
How do you support players that don't trust your support?
Let's face facts -- people don't like admitting that they don't know something or need help. They'd rather hammer at the problem until they solve it themselves, or they'd rather ask a trusted friend for help. Kids are super guilty of this, as they'd rather not tell an adult when they can't do something themselves.So how do you work with kids when you're the support staff of their favorite game?Steve Wilson, customer service manager of FusionFall, decided to do some digging with support groups to find what they could do better in their customer support. What did he find out? Simplicity is key -- something that goes way beyond just the 8 to 13-year-old demographic. Customers don't want to be railroaded through a knowledgebase, nor sent to be put on hold with phone support. They'd rather perform a quick in-game chat to have their problems solved. He also found out that players would rather consult with other players than a member of a support team, which is why why FusionFall puts such a strong emphasis on their community forums and the support section. Players can ask questions of their fellow players while a support agent can chime into the threads when necessary. It maximizes the agent's time, and it allows the player to feel comfortable. A win-win all around! [Via Parature]
Massively speaks with Sparkplay Media's CEO on Earth Eternal pt. 2
How have the launches of FusionFall and Free Realms affected Earth Eternal? Have you changed your development or goals in any way because of the success of those two games, or have you stayed the course and continued to build things your way, disregarding those two games?Not really, no. Games like Runescape and Habbo have had more influence on our plans than either of those two games, simply because they're so much bigger. FusionFall and Free Realms have gotten a lot of press in the last year, but neither of them have achieved the level of success that games like Runescape and Habbo have. Actually, nobody really knows how Free Realms is doing outside of SOE. Three million registrations doesn't tell you much about how many active players they have as you don't know how quickly players are churning out of the experience. With the massive dollars they spent on marketing too, it'd be surprising if they couldn't get a few million registrations. The challenge for them (and everyone else in this space, including us) is to convert that fleeting attention into long-term, loyal players. "We're more in the vein of a classic fantasy MMO than a collection of minigames." How will Earth Eternal separate itself from the growing free-to-play genre in America? What will make this game stand out?We're a different kind of experience from FusionFall or Free Realms. We're more in the vein of a classic fantasy MMO than a collection of minigames. I think where we stand out is by offering the best browser-based fantasy MMO out there. We've made the decision to have no humans, elves, or dwarves (or gnomes, hobbits, or anything else too close to human), preferring instead to offer everything from humanoid lizards and falcons to the Clockwork and Yeti. We're definitely fantasy but we want to stay away from the pack, almost all of whom have the humans/elves/dwarves thing going on. We've also got an enormous number of races for players (unlike the two games you mentioned) – 22 at launch.Considering all of Earth Eternal's development, what part of the game are you the most proud of? What is that one feature you can't wait to show off?The number one thing I'm proud of is how much our team has managed to do on relatively little funding for an open world 3D MMO (about five million dollars.) As far as game features go the biggest feature I'm looking forward to showing off is our Groves system, which will be introduced at final launch, a few months after we go into open beta. Thanks so much for your time, Matt!
Massively Exclusive: 5 million accounts, vehicles & more in FusionFall
This past January, Cartoon Network launched their first foray into the MMO space with the wildly successful FusionFall, offering families who like to game together a great deal at $9.95 a month for up to four separate MMO accounts. Since those exciting first days of launch, they've given away all manner of funky swag, racked up over 5 million accounts, and started a whole new generation of explorers down the road of MMO enjoyment. With this summer, however, they're planning on adding even more to their fantastic freemium game with their first major content patch since launch - Dexlabs Upgrade 1: Speed and Style! This super souped-up update, slated to launch later this summer will bring vehicles to the lands of FusionFall. The first one will be a cool new limited-time availability promo vehicle which will be collectible by both paid and free members. After the first vehicle is launched, players will then be required to reach level 10 to start their collection of other vehicles. What types of nifty ways to get around will there be? Well, as you can see above, we have an exclusive first-ever look at FusionFall's Jetbike, Hoverboard, and a very special guest appearance by Kimchi from Chowder! We're not sure, but considering FusionFall still remains the only MMO where players can get around via flying monkeys, we'd bet that whatever they come up with will be cool.
Online gamers are logging more hours, but spending less money
Interactive marketing firm Future Ads revealed a very telling survey from Gamevance today, showing that casual gamers were playing games for longer, yet were spending less money on them overall. Other notable sections of the survey showed a declining gender gap in the gaming population, a melding of the "casual" and "hardcore" gamer markets, and a decline in purchases made for video game consoles.Gamevance's survey revealed that 61% of the 8,000 "casual" gamers who responded said they were playing games for longer periods of time than they were a year ago. However, 80% of those same gamers reported that they were cutting back on console game purchases while 77% of the 8,000 stated that the biggest drawback to console gaming was that it was too expensive.Pair this with the rising Free Realms, Wizard 101, and FusionFall populations, as well as the proliferation of free online gaming sites, and you have a very noticable switch to cheaper gaming alternatives. Will this recession be the rise of the free to play gaming model in America, or will this die off once the economy stabilizes?[Via GigaOm]
Kids exploring the Wastelands of FusionFall in ways devs never intended
Cartoon Network has done fairly well for itself with its IP-centric FusionFall. In fact, the words 'wildly successful' may come to mind when you take into account that FusionFall has already gained over 4 million registered users since its January launch. Having a TV network to promote the game is advantageous, of course, but with that many kids running around in the game's world, it was inevitable that some of them would get up to mischief. This topic came up in an interview conducted by MMORPG.com's Carolyn Koh with FusionFall community director Richard Weil. It's interesting to note that some kids are basically testing the limits of the game world by finding ways into the "Wastelands" -- vast in-game areas where the developers test aspects of FusionFall. These players have managed to find holes in the game code and slip into these off-limits areas that were thought hidden and inaccessible to them in the first place.
Earth Eternal opens sign ups for closed beta test
Interested in running around a browser-based MMO fantasy world filled with over 22 races? Yes? Then you need to get over to Earth Eternal's website and sign up for their recently announced closed beta test!Earth Eternal is an an MMO that's all about what happens when humanity ceases to exist and the Earth is roamed by beasts of myth once more. It's also free to play and will run on almost any computer thanks to a client that runs inside of the browser, similar to Cartoon Network's FusionFall. Players will find a wide variety of features available, including multi-classing abilities, customizable housing in the form of "groves," and a design emphasis on small groups rather than huge raids.There's still no release date announced for Earth Eternal, but we're guessing that with the closed beta happening so soon, there can't be much time left before the release date is fully confirmed.
Why the web browser may be the gaming platform of the future
Browser-based MMOs are nothing new, as games like RuneScape have dominated for a few years. Recent additions like FusionFall and Free Realms are opening up entirely new possibilities with browser-based game mechanics, and many feel it's only the tip of the iceberg.According to Frederick Wester, CEO of GamersGate parent Paradox Interactive, "Web-based content and web-based gaming has a fantastic future." With no limitations on hardware, the browser is one of the next logical steps in casual gaming for the masses; there's just no denying it. In fact, David Lau-Kee of Unity goes so far as to predict that the Playstation 4 and Xbox 720 will be browsers. Check out the entire article over at gamesindustry.biz for more insight from industry leaders on this topic.
Wizard101 hits 2 million unique user mark
The picture for massively multiplayer games aimed at a younger demographic is decidedly bright. Titles like Cartoon Network's FusionFall and Wizard101 from KingsIsle Entertainment have already attracted millions of players, though in the case of FusionFall, having your own TV network to promote it can't hurt those registered member numbers. Not to be outdone, the last word we had on the number of Wizard101 subscribers placed it at over 1 million accounts, but today's press announcement confirms the figure at double that initial estimate -- Wizard101 has now hit the 2 million unique user mark. That number is likely to grow with KingsIsle Entertainment's other announcement -- beginning today, Wizard101 prepaid gift cards can be found in 7-Eleven stores throughout the U.S., in $10 denominations.
FusionFall gets new VP and some Webby love
Things have been exciting at the Cartoon Network offices. FusionFall, their first-ever outing in the MMO space, got a warm welcome from players and critics alike when it launched in January. Their game hit 4,000,000 accounts earlier this month, showing the power of the Cartoon Network stars combined with really fun gameplay. Now, Chris Waldron, the Executive Producer for FusionFall has been awarded with his own special new (non-bubblehead) hat; he has been named Vice President of Gaming Operations for Cartoon Network! According to Paul Condolora, Senior Vice President for Turner's Animation, Young Adults & Kids media group; "Chris continues to be one of the great leaders of our digital team, overseeing the successful launch of our largest and most ambitious game to date - FusionFall. His commitment to quality gaming, relationships with game developers and expertise in the industry make him ideally suited to oversee our gaming efforts."Added to this is the news that not only will FusionFall continue to grow with Chris at the helm as both Exec. Producer and VP of gaming - but they've also been nominated under the games category for a Webby alongside games like Club Penguin, Kongregate, and Facebook's new crack, Mafia Wars. Considering how short a period of time FusionFall has been out before the Webby nominations, that's a pretty tremendous achievement in itself. Congrats to the Cartoon Network games team on their success thus far, and we'll be waiting to see what new surprises they have in store for the fusion-permeated future.
FusionFall offers spring chicken hunting fun
While many of the spring festivities in various MMOs have sprung, Cartoon Network has saved their particular brand of spring silliness in FusionFall for this next week! That's right - from tomorrow (4/22) to next Wednesday (4/29) Coco's helpers, who are dressed as Spring Chickens will be hiding in the Alternate Earths of FusionFall, and are just waiting for you to find them. When you do manage to locate them, they'll transport you to a secret Egg Hunt Zone, just filled with some special Spring holiday eggs - which means lots of goodies for you!As you zoom through the special Egg zones, the different eggs you'll collect will not only yield little surprises "to keep things interesting" according to the Cartoon Network devs, but there are two special bubbleheads available to those who are lucky enough to find them. Keep in mind that other players can warp in and out of the Egg Zones, so you'll need to be quick on your toes to pick up the special holiday eggs - and the related bubbleheads! Free-to-play players in Future World will be able to pick up one of the two, and Unlimited access players - at either $5.95 for one account or $9.95 for up to four accounts - will be able to find the Future World helmet and another bonus bubblehead. If you still can't find out where to look for Coco's helpers, check in on the FusionFall forums for some special riddles that have clues on where to go, or check with the other players in FusionFall and see if you can get a hand. After all, gaming is much more fun if you make some friends along the way!
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.
FusionFall developers hint at Wii, iPhone possibilities
Do you wake up in the morning and think that you need more Dexter in your life? Maybe more Ben 10? Megas XLR? We wish we had more Megas, but that's an article for another day.What we do know is that Matt Schwartz, content designer and writer, and Chris Waldron, executive producer of FusionFall, have hinted at their game possibly moving onwards to both the iPhone and Wii. The Unity engine that FusionFall was created on can also support both the iPhone and Wii as well. While they don't want to announce anything officially, Schwartz mentioned that their tech director did have a mockup with avatars running around on the iPhone, so it is a possibility.For the full interview, drop by MTV Multiplayer and check out their conversation.
