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Vindictus spreads the joy of Season 2 Episode 2
It's update day for Vindictus, as players will have the fun of exploring the Season 2 Episode 2 patch after the download is complete. The update is a hearty helping of content that includes dungeons, battles, and character revamps. Nine new battles are now available in the Twilight Desert, and players might have to cut their way through the addition of Grim Reapers and Guardians to get to them. The update implements a time progression feature, which is important since it determines which of the patch's 14 dungeons are open or closed for business. There's also a new expertise to level up in called Gathering, although it's accessible only in the Season 2 zones. [Source: Nexon press release]
MapleStory rewards new and existing players for this week's World Transfer event
All this week from June 19 to 26, MapleStory is holding a special World Transfer event where anyone who wants to move characters over to a new world can do so for only one meso. But the best part is the free stuff! For any new players that sign up for a MapleStory account through June 30, a Blue Dragon Adventure Pack is waiting in the game. This adventure pack includes customization coupons for face, hair, eye color, and style, as well as a set of Maple items that boosts your character's stats. Pet accessories are also included, as well as the coveted Blue Dragon pet. Check out the videos and run-down of the Blue Dragon Pack features after the cut for more information. [Source: Nexon press release]
Exclusive: Mabinogi trailer teases new saga in Iria
A new story is unfolding in the land of Iria in the fantasy free-to-play game Mabinogi and we've got the teaser trailer to kick things off. It all begins when Shamala, who has been imprisoned in Cor Village and purifying the demons, suddenly and mysteriously disappears, leaving players to help defend the village from the demons. In the midst of this, players meet up with Milia, a girl bent on punishing Shamala for the death of her father at the hands of the demons. What's the full story behind it all? Perhaps players will find out in the new series of quests that will accompany the story when the new episodes begin next week. Until then, check out the teaser trailer after the break. [Source: Nexon press release]
Free for All: My very own top ten list of MMO pet peeves
I couldn't just sit back and let Justin Olivetti have all the fun, could I? When he published The Perfect Ten: My gaming pet peeves, I swept my fist to the sky and screamed "Sypsterrrr!" Literally a week earlier I had jotted down an idea for a similar column. I mean jotted down because I keep yellow pads around the house for late-night ideas or dog-walk eurekas. Of course his will probably end up the superior article as he is the better writer (and has a good bit of facial hair), but I'm going to present mine anyway. In fact I'll do one better by listing 11 of my MMO pet peeves because, well, I jotted down 11.
Vindictus EU shows off next episode of Season 2 with video, screenshots
Vindictus fans in Europe don't have long to wait for the second episode of Season 2 as Nexon EU has announced that The Secret of Twilight Desert will launch on May 29th. As one of the largest updates ever to the game, this episode will expand the storyline and add new enemies in new areas as well as a dynamic day/night cycle. Both new terrors and rare beauty come with the nightfall; the Grim Reaper and Guardian Soldiers will threaten adventurers after the sun sets, but the moonlight also reveals the Luminary Plant, a beautiful and powerful plant able to bestow rare gifts upon those capable of harvesting it. And for those seeking treasure buried under the sands, a new underground dungeon (with a traveling entrance) built by the eccentric wild Coffer Chasers offers adventurers a choice of treasure rooms. Choose wisely, though, as all other treasure rooms are locked once one is picked! Get a glimpse of the coming adventures in the video after the break and the 11 new images in the gallery below. [Source: Nexon EU press release]%Gallery-97587%
Maplestory celebrates eight years with events
Do you remember what you were doing eight years ago? Nexon does. It was introducing the 2-D fantasy MMORPG game MapleStory to North America. Since then, the game has grown with plenty of content from new characters (like Kanna and Hayato) to extensive character customization options. To celebrate this eighth anniversary, Maplestory is holding a number of events for players to enjoy, including daily eighth anniversary coin giveaways to all players level 10 and above, and special XP bonus events and hot-days throughout the month. Special celebration boxes containing in-game items will also drop off defeated mobs. As for going into the ninth year, NA Producer Teddy Kim stated, "We have a dedicated and engaged group of players, and we appreciate the loyalty and passion they have for MapleStory. We are committed to continuing to deliver the best content to our players to keep the adventures rolling." [Source: Nexon America press release]
Rise and Shiny revisit: Mabinogi remains magical
I try to take deeper looks at certain titles at least once a year. These are special games that prove to me that MMORPGs are still the best gaming you can participate in, pixel for pixel. Mabinogi is one of those titles. It's also one of those titles that almost makes me want to quit writing about games. Ironically, the more you write about games, the less time you have to play specific titles, games that could easily suck away hours of your life every day. These are virtual worlds with open character development and grand, sweeping storylines. If I had the time, I'd probably spend most of it in Mabinogi. During this week's revisit, I knew I had to accomplish several things. First, I needed to clean up my quest list. Mabinogi is wonderful in the way it offers a player tons and tons of content and storylines, but they can be visited in a non-linear fashion that leads to confusion. Second, I wanted to revel in the glory that was the newly free extended inventory. Third, I wanted to check out the new systems and tweaks that have come along since I last dived into the game.
Atlantica Online goes to West Atlantis
Atlantica Online is in the middle of a three-patches-in-three-months cycle right now, starting with Awakening, moving on to Ascension, and finishing up with Judgment. The Ascension patch has gone live with a host of additional content for the game including the journey to West Atlantis. The new zone of West Atlantis is a former technological haven turned centaur refuge and offers plenty of mysteries and adventures for the daring player. It's there that teams can tackle the Centaur Hero raid dungeon and hire a new merc named Chironia. Other changes that have come with the Ascension patch include an increased level cap to 160, the Transcendent Temple dungeon, and an array of new talents. You can watch the update trailer after the jump!
Rise and Shiny: Heroes and Generals
Heroes and Generals is a new browser-based game set in the wonderfully bright and shiny world of... World War II. OK, so it's really a gritty game, and it's sluggish at best, but I have a feeling that combat during that amazing time was from the "two steps forward, one step back" school of warfare anyway. I tried to keep that in mind as I slogged through round after round of being shot in the head. It's not that the game is boring. It's fun-ish, but when I compare it to many other MMOFPS titles, I find it small and slow. It's an instanced-based lobby sort of design. That's not normally a bad thing, and we certainly cover that style of game here on Massively, but this one just sort of felt a bit too small. There's more coming, I hear, so maybe in the future, the game will feel larger.
Dragon Nest reveals its newest character, Kali
Here's the problem with having a destined hero -- no matter how specific you make the criteria for being the chosen one, there's always the chance you'll wind up with the chosen two or four or whatever. That's the case in Dragon Nest, where the new character Kali is a second prophet in addition to the prophet Rose. While Rose seemed to be the chosen one, Kali wields the same amount of power, albeit in a very different fashion. As demonstrated in the preview video, Kali revels in dark magic and spirit attacks, mixing up large magical attacks flowing melee strikes. She's advertised as moving quickly between targets, and certainly seems built for speed and multi-target abilities over single hits or durability. But you don't have to take our word for it, as you can check out some of Kali's moves for yourself in the video embedded just past the break. [Source: Nexon press release]
Jukebox Heroes: Battle music!
It's time once again to take a week off from looking at specific MMO soundtracks and open ourselves up to a theme instead. The topic? Battle music. Yeah, it can be some of the most obnoxious music in the game, especially after hearing it for the 3,000th time, but every once in a while I hear a piece that has some merit to it. These are the ones we want to examine today. What makes for a good battle music track? I think it has to get you excited without being annoying or grating and not so loud or incredibly noticeable that you can't help but get tired of it sooner rather than later. It was actually pretty tricky to pull together six such tracks for this column, but I managed to do with with the help of Colonel Bugle up there. He's got the best MP3 collection around.
Nexon EU offers two Vindictus gameplay videos of the new cross gun
A month ago Vindictus fans learned of the new cross gun being introduced to Kai's arsenal. It's a rapid-firing weapon that merges the look of the traditional crossbow with the firepower of the gun. Now, Nexon Europe has released two new videos that highlight the gameplay of Kai with his new armament. Watch the cross gun in action as teams take on various foes amid ruins, in the jungle, and across the desert dunes in the two trailers after the break. [Source: Nexon press release]
One Shots: Paging the burn ward
It's a little amazing, when you think about it, that all of these magic-users who prance around in extremely flammable robes don't suffer from third-degree burns more than we see. Or maybe the game is hiding the awful, scarred truth from us. In any case, our opening screenshot this week should have resulted in a quick trip to the ER for both parties. "This is a simple yet fun battle in Vindictus' early levels," reader Carolina says. "I love the detail of the damaged shoe on my spellcaster character." Forget the human element; now the shoes are the ones suffering for our casual disregard of fiery magic! If you can get past the misery of the moment, we've got plenty of other great one shots this week for you to admire.
Vindictus introduces PvP changes, new clothing, and the deadly Cross Gun
You know what sucks about crossbows? They're so slow. Sure, they make a nice thrum as you fire off a bolt at whoever is about to die a pointy death, but then there's the whole reloading process and it's really just not quite action-combaty enough, is it? Vindictus is sorting this appalling deficiency by introducing the Cross Gun, a rapid fire ranged weapon available to folks playing as Kai. While that is impressive in its own right, the Cross Gun is not all that's coming to the game this month. Nexon America has plans for new open PvP death matches, custom clothing options, and a number of in-game events throughout March. The new PvP mode will be open to players regardless of their guild membership. One of the inbound clothing options is a St. Patrick's Day outfit, for those of you who want to look a little luckier whilst slaughterfying your opponents. Skip below the cut for a video teasing the March updates. [Source: Nexon America press release.]
Free for All: How to be OK with not knowing how to play
I've written before about how to accept your fate as a permanent newbie, international game explorer, or constant PvP victim. It has always come down to accepting the fact that many MMOs require hours of dedication in order to become skilled. Sure, we can break down what "skilled" really means and examine what sort of timetable is realistic for most human beings, but let's just say that we're past that. We're well into the territory of accepting our fate as a digital traveler, someone who simply cannot say no to a new MMO. This time I thought it would be better to list some lessons on how I learned to love the MMO explorer lifestyle. It worked for me! (Cheesy theme music starts in the background.)
Free for All: The continued standardization of selling power
Selling power is a much quieter controversy than it used to be. I've been in gaming long enough to remember when selling anything desirable at all was taboo. At the same time, it's always been OK to sell some things like subscriptions or special boxed editions, proving that MMO gamers and others are brilliant at segmenting their rage. If it's a cool, special box with a neat virtual item inside, it somehow does not fall under the same umbrella as selling powerful, useful items in game. I think it does. But geeks in general are good at justifying poor behavior if they get what they want; just ask the hackers and file-swappers. Still, it doesn't matter how we feel about selling power because the industry is already moving in the direction of selling power, lots of power. EA recently announced that every title it produces from now on will feature microtransactions. While that doesn't guarantee the sale of powerful items, I can promise that it will include some. This train ain't stopping. Sure, the console community seems a bit late to the party when it comes to the power-selling controversy, but that's likely because of MMOs' always-on multiplayer mode.
Massively Exclusive: MapleStory adds samurai Hayato
The pantheon of MapleStory characters has just admitted a newcomer to its ranks -- the legendary samurai Hayato. Having lost his clan to the evil forces of Oda Nobunga, Hayato seeks vengeance. Weakened by his mysterious appearance in the Maple World, he must regain the knowledge of his fast and powerful sword combos in order to fight off the invading forces of Oda. In this exclusive video, watch Hayato battle through ninjas and face Oda Nobunga himself in order to stop a dark ritual and save the princess. [Source: Nexon press release]
MapleStory celebrates the magic of marriage and subsequent divorce
Valentine's Day is nearly here, and the best way to celebrate it is to have your pixelated avatar pretend to marry someone else's pixelated avatar. MapleStory allows you to do just that, and the game has thus far had around 28,000 couples tie the knot in-game. It's also seen 15,000 of those couples subsequently divorce, which seems like a staggering number when you realize that the game does not offer any systems to model the crumbling of your emotional bonds and the slow desertion of your childhood dreams. As it turns out, the staff at Nexon keeps track of a lot of interesting little tidbits about the marriage system. The longest marriage in the game is at 1,100 days; the shortest one clocks in at just three seconds. The average isn't too bad at 518 days, but couples that both married and divorced in 2012 wound up with an average run of 107 days. And some poor soul is already on marriage number 13, which implies Larry King-like devotions to remarriage. If you're looking at all of those stats and thinking that you can't say no, check out the wedding trailer past the break. [Source: Nexon press release] %Gallery-16709%
Jukebox Heroes: Eleven MMO soundtracks you can get for free
Collecting MMO soundtracks is a scattered, scavenger-like experience. Releasing video game soundtracks isn't exactly high up on studio and publisher to-do lists (although we're seeing more love from digital stores), so whether or not a title will get a music release is really a crapshoot. What does get released is never in the same place twice: Some game soundtracks are released as special editions only, some only as CDs, some as full MP3 album releases, some directly from the composer, some are buried on websites, and so on. So I'm constantly looking everywhere trying to beef up my MMO soundtrack library, and as a result I've uncovered several scores that the studios are giving away for free. I'm all over free (legal) music, especially when it's in my area of interest! If you've been looking to start an MMO soundtrack collection or are looking to add to what you have, I've put together a list of 11 MMO scores that you can get today free of charge. Sound good? It does to me!
Massively Exclusive: The MapleStory developers talk about the Root Abyss
When dealing with international games like Nexon's MapleStory, it's a simple reality that updates are often going to be coming out later for US players. It's just the nature of the beast; new updates have to first be tested natively, then localized. But the upcoming Root Abyss breaks the mold, with the full version due to be released on the global servers on January 16th before the Korean servers get a live push of the update. But there's more to the dungeon than just the release date -- there are four new bosses and a variety of updated prizes for everyone to earn. If you're looking for more insight into how the dungeon was designed, click on past the break for an exclusive developer diary from the Korean design team. You can also check out the dungeon's trailer, which features a quick preview of all four monstrous and disturbing bosses.
