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Massively's ho-ho-holiday MMO roundup for 2010
It's that time of year again -- when snow falls in lands that normally don't even see weather effects! When you're supposed to love your fellow elf, human, dwarf -- or at least maim them in the nicest, most brotherly way possible. As one would expect with a plethora of MMOs out on the market, there are gobsmackingly huge numbers of events to take advantage of. Being the festive holiday folks we are (well, OK, some of us anyway), we've gathered up a listing of some of the many things going on. So if you're curious about just what holiday merriment can be found out there, grab some egg nog (alcohol optional), click past the break, and dive into our festive roundup of holiday events. Also, be sure to keep an eye on Massively as Rubi continues giving great gifts to gamers galore in our 12 Days of Giveaways event!
Indie Mac Gift Pack offers discounted Mac software for the holidays
A crew of well-known independent Mac developers has banded together to offer a pretty good deal on some Mac software this holiday season. The Indie Mac Gift pack is offering six great Mac apps (Acorn 2, Delicious Library 2, MarsEdit 3, Radioshift, SousChef and Sound Studio 4) for just $60, a savings of more than $200 if purchased separately at full price. That's a phenomenal deal -- in fact, the only reason you probably wouldn't want to take advantage of it is if you already own a few of these apps, which you might already, given that they're pretty darn good. But if you haven't yet picked these up to use in the past, the gift pack is a nice little bonus right before Christmas. The sale's going on for over two weeks (right through the holiday season), so you've got plenty of time to head over there and both get some great software and support some of our favorite indie Mac devs.
Atlantica Online rings in the holidays
Christmas has come to Atlantica Online, and with it, a host of changes that are certain to excite both new and veteran players. In the most recent updates, players are enjoying sweeping changes in the game's tactical battle system, the opening of Santa's Villa, and a new dungeon to explore. Small groups of three 125th-level-and-higher players can head into the Ancient Lava Valley area and pit their skills against a host of monsters called the Flame Guardians. The overhauled battle system has opened up more control of battles for players, as well as introducing a solo mode for the Trojan War missions. As if that wasn't enough, players also have the option of adding a stable, which allows them to showcase two mounts of their choosing at their homes for other players to ooh and aah over. In addition to all of the above, Atlantica Online is also holding a 200% bonus experience weekend from December 24th to the 26th, perfect for getting your character caught up over the holidays. Those playing at other times won't be left out, however, as nDoors is running 150% bonus experience weekends in Atlantica Online leading up to the big Christmas event. To top it all off, players who log in Christmas day will be awarded gifts at certain times -- and the next day boasts a huge World PvP competition for those more interested in a festive holiday gankfest. Pop over to the Atlantica Online site to check out the details of their most recent patch and the various ho-ho-holiday events!
One Shots: Magic hour
While Vanguard's Telon is normally a land teeming with magic and heroic deeds, there's a bit of special magic that comes around at this time of year. As we noted before, the Festival of Gloriann is already going on, offering players lots of wintry magical fun. Aside from gifts and a general feeling of cheer, there's also the ability to take a certain famous reindeer with a shiny nose out for a ride! This image comes to us from regular Massively reader, Stuxatte, who explains the festive fun in today's One Shots: "Just as the sun was setting, the hills around Veskal's Exchange were bathed in a warm light, and I decided to take Rudolph the Reindeer up for a better view." Have you captured a festive screenshot in your favorite MMO? If so, why not send it in! You can think of it as a virtual present to One Shots. Email your image to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll post it out here and give you the credit for sending it in. %Gallery-85937%
[Updated] Massively's big fat Black Friday roundup
Can you feel the love? The food comas? The day of sitting around napping while the kids sneak into the kitchen for another piece of pie? As you can see from the holiday e-card we've gotten, the gorging has already started in certain MMOs. However, for the rest of us who aren't virtual-demented-clown versions of Mr. Creosote, the promise of great deals looms once the turkey and pie are dispensed with. As we here at Massively are always on the lookout for a good deal, we've rounded up some MMO and hardware deals worth putting on your wish list. Join us behind the break for some of the best 100% frosting-covered-clown-free bargains we've found. Also, if you spot anything particularly tasty in terms of sale prices, be sure to let us all know in comments! [Updated] Switched the image out due to unintended offense, and adding more deals in as we find them!
Digital photo frames top list of least-wanted holiday gifts, better find those receipts
Finished your holiday shopping already? That's good news, but if you've made any purchases from the following list of goods you might just want to think about just going ahead and taping that gift receipt right to the bottom of the box. A survey from the British Video Association shows that digital photo frames are the least-wanted holiday gadget among those who consider themselves worthy of receiving gifts this year, beating out all-time flops like foot massagers, electric shavers, and those poor bread makers destined to make a single, crusty loaf before being permanently relegated to their box. Granted this was a survey of British holiday folks and so Ma and Pa Apple Pie may have somewhat different desires, but a quick poll among Engadgeteers confirms that digi frames do indeed fall squarely in the "no, really, you shouldn't have" category. Oh, and if you're wondering what you should get your loved ones this holiday season, we can help.
Holiday sales more crucial to Nintendo than competitors, says Fils-Aime
Speaking at the BMO Capital Markets Annual Digital Entertainment Conference in New York today, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime highlighted the importance of this year's holiday season, and contrasted his company's greater reliance on the end-of-year sales boom over that of competitors. "The holidays are more important to Nintendo than to other manufacturers," Fils-Aime said. "We have a distinct edge when it comes to gift-giving, and it's no doubt because of the familiarity and recognition of both our brand and key franchises." Nintendo's upcoming software lineup for November and December boasts some famous -- though not distinctly edgy -- brands, including Donkey Kong Country Returns and Disney Epic Mickey, but hardware has historically been the company's best performer during the holiday season. Nintendo sold over five million DS units and five million Wiis in the US through November and December last year, a two-month tally which Fils-Aime said comprised over 40% of Nintendo's annual sales. Fils-Aime also cited NPD data, which showed that Nintendo had shifted 43.1 million DS systems and 30.4 million Wiis in the US thus far. The holidays are just as crucial for software sales, with Fils-Aime noting that 44 percent of all annual game sales were incurred during the last two months of the year (compared to 33 percent for other manufacturers). Nintendo had the top three best-selling games in December 2009 -- New Super Mario Bros., Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort -- though it conceded November to Call of Duty. It's likely to do so again this year. With the introduction of new Mario-themed console bundles and a solid lineup of seemingly evergreen first-party sellers, Nintendo seems adequately prepared before it wades bravely into that throbbing, Black Friday consumer crowd. Perhaps Microsoft is the smart one for courting those same customers from a distance -- of eight feet or so.
