mmo-roundup
Latest
MMO Roundup: PAX East in review, RIFT account security, and more
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. PAX East 2011: One Massive(ly) roundup PAX East has already begun fading into memory, but there was a lot to see and do over the three days of the convention. Even if you disregard the numerous fan gatherings and community events taking place, there were an awful lot of games on the floor, with showings from MMOs that dwarfed last year's offerings. Head over to Massively to check out all of their coverage of the event. NCsoft makes multi-million-dollar Japanese relief donation NCsoft is throwing a considerable contribution into the relief drive for victims of the recent disaster in Japan in the form of 500 million Yen (or 4.5 million Euros/6.3 million USD, for those of you counting along at home). NCsoft's Sung Joon Park explained that the sum equals a month's worth of sales. Trion responds to RIFT account hacks Trion World's Scott Hartsman responded to the hacker attempts, reassuring fans curious about what steps were being taken to secure their accounts. Citing "constant attacks" since the launch of RIFT that have impacted 1% of accounts, Hartsman said that the team is blocking hackers and botnets as quickly as they are identified but that this will also be an ongoing process. World of Warcraft bloggers fight back against RIFT While RIFT is certainly a four-letter word, it's becoming that kind of four-letter word for certain bloggers in the World of Warcraft community. Reala of Click the Lightwell went so far as to whip up a graphical badge certifying WoW blogs as RIFT-free zones in response to the amount of virtual ink devoted to Trion's title on Azeroth-centric websites. Massively Speaking Episode 141: PAX East wrap-up Massively Speaking is back this week with a special PAX East wrap-up episode. Eliot Lefebvre, Larry Everett, and Karen Bryan join Shawn to talk about their experiences at the event, including panels, interviews, and an exciting hands-on demo of SWTOR. Massively's Week in Review: New promise for an Old Republic Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: PAX, Titan, and more
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. Blizzard COO: We hope Titan will still be growing in 20 years "I believe [it's] the most ambitious thing we've ever attempted," Sams said. "And I feel like we have set our company up to succeed on that. We have some of our most talented and most experienced developers on that team. Many of the people that built World of Warcraft are full time on that other team." BioWare reveals new Old Republic trailer Fans were expecting a big showing out of Star Wars: The Old Republic at this weekend's PAX East. BioWare didn't disappoint, as the renowned RPG maker released the newest (and best) trailer for its upcoming Star Wars MMORPG opus. Player-run event in RIFT kicks off an eight-month war One of the core conflicts underpinning RIFT is the righteous and absolute morality of the Guardians versus the technology and self-determinism of the Defiants. You might not feel that distinction in the most of PvE gameplay, but a player-run public event is hoping to change that. EVE ISK buyers outed in database leak Beware, EVE Online ISK buyers! Big Brother is watching you. Actually, the whole internet is watching you, too, thanks to an insider leak at the IskBank.com currency trading site. EVEnews24.com, a fan-run news site dedicated to the goings-on in and around CCP's New Eden, has published a huge list of virtual currency buyers that earned IskBank some $290,000 between April 2010 and March 4, 2011. Massively Speaking episode 140 Massively Speaking returns from GDC with the remainder of the news from the last week. A sick Shawn and Rubi discuss their final day at GDC, RIFT's launch, Ryzom's new business model, Bungie's MMO hoax, and the latest Guild Wars patch. Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: Massively's GDC coverage and more
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. GDC 2011: Impressions of the conference and what 2011 will bring The Game Developers Conference of 2011 has come to a close, and it's given us a better idea of what's to come in the world of MMOs this year. Head over to Massively for Editor-in-Chief Shawn Schuster's impressions of the conference and a glimpse at the future. Bungie admits to MMO hoax Is it or isn't it? This is the multimillion-dollar question for Bungie Studios, who had all but confirmed that it was working on a MMO of sorts. Apparently, this was either a ruse, a goof or a massive misunderstanding, as a Bungie representative clarified David Aldridge's comments at GDC as being nothing more than a tongue-in-cheek joke. BioWare's Damion Schubert on designing for loners Nothing stirs up a good MMO debate like the age-old question of whether or not the genre should cater to solo players. BioWare's Damion Schubert, lead systems designer on the upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic, recently added a bit of fuel to that particular fire during a presentation at last week's GDC in San Francisco. Star Wars: The Old Republic: Another look at the bounty hunter It has been two years since the bounty hunter class was unveiled as the first player class in The Old Republic. BioWare has released another class video for its Star Wars MMO, highlighting the bounty hunter and his/her tricks and gadgets once again. Massively Speaking at the Games Developers Conference Looking for even more GDC information? Massively Speaking, Massively's MMO podcast, recorded a show live each night of the conference. Hear the team's impressions as they developed! Massively's week in review: GDC madness Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: RIFT launch coverage, world records, and more
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. Massively's RIFT launch day coverage RIFT's launch has, so far, been an undeniable success. For those of you who decided not to take the preorder plunge and weren't playing during the preorder head start, Massively has everything you need to know about the game -- guides, content previews, soul (player class) reveals, and more. World of Tanks sets Guinness World Record This surprisingly popular MMO, which is still hip-deep in beta, already has one record for the books -- literally. Wargaming.net announced that World of Tanks set the Guinness World Record for Most Players Online Simultaneously on One MMO Server. The event happened on Jan. 23, as 91,311 players crowded onto its Russian server. DCUO launches first major content patch The first content patch of the recently release DC Universe Online hit live servers this past week, and Massively has all of the details. Help Batman out in the batcave and chase Catwoman over the rooftops of Gotham City! Exclusive launch trailer for EverQuest II: Destiny of Velious expansion This past week, Sony Online Entertainment unleashed its seventh expansion for the company's premier title, EverQuest II: Destiny of Velious. In celebration, SOE has released a brand-new video calling all EQII players to arms. It features narration from the Erudite Al'Kabor and boasts footage shot entirely in game. Massively Speaking episode 136 Massively Speaking returns this week with Shawn and Rubi being joined by SWTOR columnist and Contributing Editor Larry Everett. Topics include the new Norn race details for Guild Wars 2, EverQuest II's newest expansion launch, DCUO's first patch, Xsyon's postponed release date and more! Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: Bungie's MMOFPS, RIFT endgame, and more
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. RIFT's endgame detailed in 18-minute video Much has been written about RIFT in regard to the title's first 20 levels, its soul system, and the titular rifting mechanics. Endgame has remained something of a mystery up to this point; a new 18-minute video will shed a little light on the proceedings. "WoW in space": Bungie's MMOFPS named Destiny A couple of years ago, fans of the Halo franchise were crushed to find out that their favorite first-person shooter probably wasn't going to make the leap to MMO space. However, the company behind the Halo phenomenon has been diligently at work on another highly speculated-about project -- and it looks as though this project could go a long way to giving the fans what they want. Champions Online gains profits and players as a free-to-play Since Champions Online's relaunch as a free-to-play title a little less than a month ago, any player who has logged into the game has undoubtedly noticed the sheer number of folks running around Millenium City. Cryptic Studios and Atari have both declared that the move to free-to-play has been a huge success. First Impressions: Fortune Online Are you looking for another Diablo-esque title to hold you over until Diablo 3? How about a top-down adventure MMO? Massively's Beau Hindman took the game hands-on and supplies his first impressions of Fortune Online! Massively Speaking episode 135 Massively Speaking returns this week with Shawn and Rubi discussing the week's latest MMO news. Later in the show, Shawn is joined by Gremrod and Styx, two members of the Menace to Society corporation in Perpetuum Online, to chat a bit about the recent insurance fraud actions taken by Avatar Creations. Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: Blizzard's new MMO, latest RIFT trailer and more
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. Blizzard speaks (briefly) about new MMO plans "To break the mold, sometimes you have to start over," says Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime. "We're really trying to leverage all the lessons we learned through the years. Some of which we were able to address in World of Warcraft and others that maybe because of the design decisions we've made, you just can't address. So we're kind of taking a step back with all that knowledge to make something that's completely new and fresh." New RIFT trailer shows off dynamic invasions RIFT developer Trion is preparing for the MMO's impending release and has released another trailer. This trailer (titled Cry Havoc) is composed entirely of in-game footage, highlights of zone-wide invasions from the game's last phase of closed beta. The evolution of /dance Who doesn't love a good /dance? Even the most serious of gamers needs to break down and /dance once in awhile. In this weeks' edition of The Perfect Ten, Massively breaks down the ten best dances in all of MMO gaming. Did any of World of Warcraft's dances make the list? Massively's guide to Valentine's Day festivities World of Warcraft isn't the only MMO where love is in the air. From Lord of the Rings Online to Free Realms to DC Universe Online, gamers are celebrating Valentine's Day all across gaming. Interested in how other games celebrate the holiday? Head over to Massively to find out. Massively Speaking episode 134 Massively Speaking, Massively's MMO podcast, returns this week with possibly the largest collection of Massively writers ever! Hosts Shawn and Rubi are joined by Senior Editor Bree Royce, Contributing Editors Larry Everett and Brendan Drain, and Columnist Patrick Mackey to discuss the life and death of MMOs. Massively's week in review Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: RIFT open beta, SWTOR profitability, and more
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. RIFT's open beta starts Feb. 15 If you've wanted to try out RIFT but haven't been able to get into the closed beta, mark Feb. 15 on your calendar. In addition to the open beta, any dungeon boss that dies by your hand grants you a chance to win a Nvidia graphics card as well as an in-game prize pack. EA aims at a half-million subscribers to make SWTOR profitable "It's a big bet, but it's the right kind of bet to make for EA." These are the words of BioWare's Ray Muzyka, responding to a conference call to EA investors in which the company admitted that Star Wars: The Old Republic will need to pull in at least 500,000 subscribers to become profitable. This is substantially less than the 2 million subscriber mark that industry analysts previously predicted. Five mobile MMOs that are not Pocket Legends When looking for an MMO to play on the go, the first one you'll find is Pocket Legends. It's the most recognizable for certain, but what if you're looking for something else? What other options are available? Massively Speaking episode 133 Massively Speaking returns this week with Beau Hindman joining Shawn Schuster and Rubi Bayer for some discussion of the week's news. Topics include the newly announced Guild Wars 2 Guardian profession, RIFT's sixth beta event, Vanguard's fourth anniversary and more! Massively's streaming schedule Have you ever wished you could see a game in motion before you decide to try it yourself? Do you enjoy watching WoW Insider's weekly live streams? All week long, Massively streams the hottest MMOs around. This week you can see DC Universe Online, Allods Online, Runes of Magic, and more. Massively's Week in Review: Spite or cynicism? Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: RIFT cinematic, TOR's death penalty, and more
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. Trion releases new RIFT CG cinematic If you've been on the fence about whether or not you should try upcoming MMO RIFT, perhaps this newly released CG cinematic trailer will convince you. At the very least, it will supply some delightful eye candy. Damion Schubert philosophizes about TOR's death penalty Lead Combat Designer Damion Schubert recently discussed the philosophy behind SWTOR's death penalty on the game's official forums. "I would rather our challenges be gated by whether or not you have the skill, the gear, and the teamwork to succeed than whether or not you have the credits and/or time to wait out the forced downtime in between, you know, the fun part," Schubert explains. Gamers documentary now available for streaming In the 60-minute film Gamers, filmmaker Ben Gonyo explores today's online gaming culture in an effort to make it more accessible and understandable to a wider audience. For two years, Gonyo immersed himself in World of Warcraft and the gaming subculture to find out what it's all about. Fan hired to edit video for Star Wars: The Old Republic Fans often ask developers, "How do you get started in the business?" If you want to know the answer, then maybe you should ask Brandon Miletta. Last night, the Star Wars: The Old Republic podcast TOROcast announced that Miletta was leaving the long-running show to go work for the very company he has been talking about in the show for the last two years: BioWare. Massively Speaking episode 132 Massively Speaking returns this week with Shawn and Rubi dishing out the usual news and views, but there's an added bonus. In the second half of the show, Champions Online Executive Producer Shannon "Poz" Posniewski joins Shawn and CO columnist Patrick Mackey for an interview about the recent F2P relaunch of the superhero game. Week in Review: Freemium spandex Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: World of StarCraft, RIFT news, and more
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. StarCraft II turned into World of StarCraft by enterprising fan World of StarCraft is, by all indications, high on the list of desirable games that have never been announced or even hinted at. It's certainly a universe ripe for development, and it's not as if Blizzard doesn't know anything about running an MMO. But why wait for an official release when you can put the game together yourself? The latest RIFT news If upcoming MMO RIFT has caught your attention, the past week had a number of RIFT-related news stories that might strike your fancy. New beta additions? PvP details? New class reveals? Massively has it all. First Impressions: Battlestar Galactica Online Last year, developer Bigpoint announced that Battlestar Galactica Online was being developed as a free-to-play browser MMO. Just last week, Massively was able to get its hands on the game and take it for a spin. The Guild Counsel: What every leader should know about recruiting Do you like WoW Insider's Officers' Quarters? Then you might like Massively's Guild Counsel. This week, The Guild Counsel tackles the topic of guild recruitment, discussing the right and wrong ways to do it. Hello Kitty Online meets Manhattan Hello Kitty Online is near and dear to our hearts here at WoW Insider. We were all excited to hear about the latest HKO update. Hello Kitty Online visits New York City, where the locals have gone missing for mysterious reasons. Find out what happened, and cheer up the victims! Week in Review: It's all about souls Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: Virtual crossing guards, DCUO's launch, and more
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. Top 10 best non-traditional MMO fantasy races Elves. Dwarves. Humans. Gnomes. Just about every fantasy MMO has the exact same stable of stock fantasy races. In this Top 10 list, Massively honors the races that break the mold and bring some originality back into the genre. Did any of World of Warcraft's races make the list? Find out! UK government spends £2.8 million on road safety browser MMO Children are generally far more interested in video games than in mundane things like crossing the road safety. You can almost understand why the UK's Department of Transport would have something like Code of Everand developed -- it's a browser-based game that's meant to help teach children proper road safety procedure. DC Universe Online launch day coverage Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's the launch of DC Universe Online! If you're interested in trying this game out, Massively has everything you need to know. Item-swap controversy hits MapleStory Europe Adding more fuel to the virtual goods vs. physical goods fire is this story from MapleStory Europe. During a sale on double experience cards, players noticed that Nexon had listed the 24-hour double experience card with an expiration time of 90 days instead of of 24 hours. Players flocked to the item shop in droves to take advantage of this amazing deal, and they weren't pleased with Nexon's inevitable response. Massively Speaking episode 130: Talking RIFT with Scott Hartsman Massively Speaking episode 130 brings you the week's latest MMO news with Shawn Schuster and Rubi Bayer, as well as an interview with Scott Hartsman and Cindy "Abigale" Bowens from Trion Worlds. New RIFT columnists Karen Bryan and Justin Olivetti join in on the questioning for what turns out to be a fun conversation. Week in Review: Caped crusaders Don't let WoW Insider do all of the talking when it comes to Massively's best content of the week. The Massively staff themselves have picked out what they think is the best content their site has to offer in their own weekly roundup.
MMO Roundup: RIFT, lawsuits, Gabe Newell, and more
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. Them's fightin' words: RIFT commercial takes on WoW "We're not in Azeroth anymore," Trion Worlds' new TV commercial proclaims before a rift gobbles up the words. This 30-second spot for RIFT features a hero opening a rift with a jewel, a dragon roaring, an ogre on the warpath, and adventurers gearing up for the fight. Want to see it? Head over to Massively. Blizzard, Zynga sued over gaming patent What's an upstart company to do in a world dominated by deep-pocketed publishers and corporate titans? Sue them, of course! Walker Digital, the brainchild of Priceline.com founder Jay Walker, made headlines by suing Facebook late last year and has now completed a legal double play by filing a patent infringement suit against Zynga and Activision-Blizzard. RIFT beta events: Impressions from the Massively staff Trion Worlds' RIFT has become the talk of the town in MMO-land lately. Since the NDA dropped a few weeks ago, every MMO blogger, journalist, and fan is spewing his impressions of the game. Head over to Massively to find out what the staff really thinks about the game.
MMO Roundup: The last two weeks of Massively
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around -- past, present and future. Due to a slight BlizzCon interruption last week, this week we've picked the top posts of the last two weeks of Massively. The Soapbox: Don't hate the game, hate the copy The Massively staff's new editorial column, The Soapbox, kicks off with Eliot Lefebvre tackling the World of Warcraft clones plaguing the MMO genre. Someone is to blame for it -- but it isn't World of Warcraft. Blizzard's Pardo talks Bungie MMO Blizzard Entertainment's Rob Pardo recently discussed the possibility of Blizzard and Bungie sharing resources on a future MMO project. He also mentions how much he would love to play it! Zynga sued over Facebook privacy breaches Zynga and its stable of Facebook games have never exactly won the hearts of MMO fans, but they've managed to avoid a lawsuit up until now. Unfortunately for them, a class action lawsuit has been filed today seeking monetary relief for the unwarranted and undesirable release of private information.
MMO Roundup: E3 begins
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around: past, present and future. E3 reveal: Player spaceships and PvP Battlegrounds in SWTOR A new door has been opened today in Star Wars: The Old Republic: the door to your very own customizable spaceship! Mary Bihr and Dr. Greg Zeschuk, of LucasArts and Bioware respectively, stood on stage at E3 to shock Star Wars fans everywhere. Since the first movie with the Millenium Falcon, the starship has been the center of every character's personal story. Now you can have your own. Ask Massively: Why so serious edition Ask Massively, Massively's version of WoW.com's The Queue, has returned this week with answers to a handful of new questions. Topics include Guild Wars population numbers, All Points Bulletin impressions and our new code of conduct. Battlestar Galactica Online E3 trailer divides players ... literally "Human or Cylon... Man or Machine... who will you choose?" asks the maddeningly vague Battlestar Galactica Online trailer. More of a teaser than anything, this trailer will make the rounds at E3, trying to tempt MMO gamers and Battlestar Galactica fans alike with intergalactic conflict.
MMO Roundup: Star horses, extreme multi-boxing and more
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around: past, present and future. Shut up people, come buy my horse Anti-Aliased, Sera Brennan's weekly column about just about anything, tackles Blizzard's explosive (and controversial) Celesetial Pony sales. How does this compare to microtransactions from other games? How does this look from the point of view of someone who plays MMOs other than WoW? Intimate apparel among Final Fantasy XIV equipment When character creation previews started emerging for Final Fantasy XIV, one of the oft-heard bits of speculation was that there would be some way to customize your character's undergarments. Of course, the idea is on its face rather ridiculous. We shudder at the thought of farming a boss for underwear. Turbine responds to community with removal of Offer Wall A few days ago, Turbine announced a new way of earning Turbine Points. We'd heard hints of this new method back at PAX East, and several of us at Massively were curious to see how it would work out. Well, we have our answer. The launch of the DDO Offer Wall was met with a pretty heated response -- a large portion of the Dungeons and Dragons Online fanbase was extremely displeased, to say the least.
MMO Roundup: Billing errors, FFXIV leaks and more
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around: past, present and future. Star Wars: The Old Republic reveals Voss The looks we've gotten inside the planets of Star Wars: The Old Republic paint a number of different pictures, but for most of them the conflict is fairly cut and dry. There are objectives for Imperial Sith forces or the Republic, but there haven't been things that are external to both forces. But Voss, the latest world revealed, is a bit different. There is already an intelligent species living there, and they face utter annihilation even as both the Empire and the Republic try to curry their favor. Massively Speaking Episode 95: A chat with Perfect World Entertainment Massively Speaking, Massively's MMO podcast, returns this week with Sera, Rubi Bayer and special guests Jason Varden and Jonathan Belliss of Perfect World Entertainment. Discussions include the upcoming Battle of the Immortals and the general state of free-to-play games. Alganon founder David Allen strikes back Derek Smart is famous for having the subtlety of an Imperial Walker, so it's only fair that we give the target of one of his laser-focused rants the chance to respond. In a press release over at PRWeb.com, Quest Online founder David Allen addresses his role in the development of the troubled MMORPG known as Alganon, as well as the fallout from the hiring of Smart and the events that led to Allen's departure.
MMO Roundup: Retrospectives and prospectives
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around: past, present and future. April Fools'! A roundup of the best pranks in the MMO world today Blizzard isn't the only MMO developer that likes to participate in April Fools' day. Check out what other developers contributed to the holiday! Guild Wars, Lord of the Rings Online, Fallen Earth and so many other games joined in on the fun. Another look at Champions Online, six months later One thing that can be said about Champions Online in the period following its launch is that it has gone through some severe growing pains. Champions Online was in a bad spot. The community was revolting, the product was unpolished, and despite Cryptic's best attempts to make things out to be okay, it was obvious that the game was at a breaking point. Six months after launch, are things still looking grim? FFXIV gameplay footage explores cities, chocobos and emotes A lot of news has been coming out for Final Fantasy XIV lately, and we're quite happy to see it. This time Massively has the first episode of what's sure to be recurring series of in-game footage of players exploring one of Eorzea's cities on the game's official Japanese YouTube channel. If nothing else, watch it for the Tarutaru.
MMO Roundup: Betas, patches, trailers and vampires
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around, past, present and future. SWTOR testing portal discovered, confirmed by BioWare Few communities are as enthusiastic about their upcoming MMO as the one surrounding Star Wars: The Old Republic. Recently, they found what appeared to be a testing portal for the game and the discovery created a fervor of speculation and discussion on the official forums -- mostly surrounding whether or not beta was near. Funcom teases new Secret World trailer We here at Massively aren't ashamed to admit that we're looking forward to The Secret World. Between our sit-down with Ragnar Tornquist at GDC10 and the juicy bits of into slowly making their way out of the game's unofficial web sites, we're, to put it mildly, stoked. The new trailer features a healthy dose of story-based voiceover, glimpses of combat gameplay, and oh yeah, player characters shooting fire from their hands and hacking away with samurai swords. ArenaNet releases fourth Guild Wars 2 concept art video Guild Wars concept art has always been known for being the best in the business, and this latest video chock full of Guild Wars 2 art is no exception. It's worth a view, even if you're not much of a Guild Wars fan yourself.
MMO Roundup: Derek Smart, the art of Guild Wars 2, and more
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around, past, present and future. How online gaming can change the world Jane McGonigal (a 10-year game designer of projects such as the I Love Bees ARG for Halo 2) has a self-professed "crazy idea" -- that gamers have the potential to change the world for the better by doing what they're already doing. At her speech, people chuckle when she first says this, but twenty minutes later they're giving her a standing ovation. Video footage of CCP's realistic cloth simulation We've known for some time that CCP planned to use physics simulation to make the clothes in EVE Online's Incarna expansion and their upcoming World of Darkness MMO more realistic. They even gave a talk on using NVidia's APEX cloth simulation at the 2010 Game Developer's Conference. Until now, all we've seen are technical details and the occasional screenshot, which makes it hard to work out how the end product will look. Now? Now we have video. BioWare and EA expect at least 2 million subscriptions for SW:TOR As if the idea of 100% voiced dialogue trees wasn't ambitious enough in an MMO property, word has now come out that EA and BioWare are expecting to have two million subscriptions for Star Wars: The Old Republic. In a genre where only one game has ever exceeded two million subscribers at $15 per month, that's a very high standard to put yourself up against.
MMO Roundup: Looking back on GDC10
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around, past, present and future. The last week's headlines are dominated by news from GDC10, including a hands-on with Star Wars: The Old Republic, an interview with R. A. Salvatore, and a hands-on with Fallen Earth's upcoming iPhone app. Hands-on with Star Wars: The Old Republic Massively's big cheese, Shawn Schuster, had an opportunity to sit down with Star Wars: The Old Republic and get a hands on feel for the game. Does the single most anticipated upcoming MMO live up to the hype? An in-depth look at Battlestar Galactica Online During GDC, Bigpoint announced their upcoming Battlestar Galactica MMO. The initial announcement was met with a bit of apprehension from fans -- they love the IP but aren't sure how well it will translate into an MMO, particularly a browser-based MMO. Check out this closer look at how the game might play out. New playable faction and more coming to Star Trek Online We spent some time talking with Cryptic's Craig Zinkievich at GDC today, and got some fun new information on Star Trek Online. The most exciting thing was news of a new playable faction in Star Trek Online. We can expect that sometime "within the year," and we as players get to help decide. Borg, Romulan, it's up to you guys. Hands-on with Fallen Earth's iPhone app Blizzard has been working on some pretty cool apps for the World of Warcraft, but so far they pale in comparison to Fallen Earth's upcoming iPhone app. Check out your gear, do your crafting, work the auction house, examine maps, talk to your guild/clan, and much more, all in one app.
MMO Roundup: Olympic medalists, Warhammer 40k, and more
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? It's not all WoW, all the time! Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all of the other MMOs around, past, present and future. Check out this roundup of the latest news from the wider MMO world, including previews of Aion's patch 1.9 (as well as their 2.0 update), 10 reasons why you should be playing Lord of the Rings Online, the story of the EVE playing Olympic medalist, and much more. 10 reasons why LotRO is worth picking up over newer MMOs With all of the more recent MMOs around, why should you try Lord of the Rings Online? Or how can you convince your friends to try a three year old MMO? Check out these ten reasons why the game is worth playing. Will farmers finally be the death of WoW? Activision-Blizzard's annual 10k report, filed on March 1, is chock full of worrisome anecdotes about the future of their massively multiplayer behemoth as well as some interesting tidbits regarding payment models. Mobile games like iPhone apps and social networking games such as Farmville are cited as a potential risk for the company. Massively Speaking episode 91 Massively Speaking, Massively's MMO podcast, is back this week with episode 91 as Shawn Schuster and Rubi Bayer discuss the week's MMO news. Topics include Dungeons and Dragons Online's success with their new business model, LotRO's Vol III Book 1 update, the latest Guild Wars skill balance uproar and much more. EVE player wins silver medal at the Winter Olympics It's not every day you run across an Olympic Medalist in your favourite MMO, much less gank them and take their stuff. For some EVE Online players, that opportunity may be closer than they think. With the conclusion of the recent Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, it came to light that one of the medal winners is not just an EVE player but also an avid PvP junkie. Casting off the stereotype of MMO gamers as unfit and demotivated, Kjetil Jansrud is a professional alpine skier at the peak of physical fitness.
