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Ragnarok Online goes free-to-play
Ragnarok Online's been pretty quiet following its Renewal update last year, but the free-to-play train is now passing through town and it looks as though the game is hopping aboard for the ride. Gravity Interactive has announced that it is dropping the subscription model from Ragnarok Online effective immediately. The company encourages new and returning players interested in this F2P format to make their home on the Yggdrasil or Valkyrie servers. The company is also offering a premium VIP subscription package for players looking to turbo-boost their advancement. VIP players not only have the option to play on a VIP-only server (Ymir) but will also benefit from a 50% increase in experience gain, loot drops, more storage, a lessened death penalty, access to special areas, and the full use of all nine character slots. If this low, low cost of entry tempts you to check out the game, all it takes to play is a free Warp Portal account through the official website.
MV Guide: January 31 - February 7, 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 games to take a look at. During Livestream events, you can participate in the live chat to learn about the game, ask questions, and spend some time with Massively staff and readers. If you missed out some of our Livestream events from last week, check out our on-demand videos to catch up at your leisure. We had a busy week! Karen and her guild did some raiding in EverQuest II, Rubi and the Massively Overpowered guild did some damage in Guild Wars' Factions campaign, Larry played some DCUO, Krystalle took to the skies in Black Prophecy, Beau treated us to some Asheron's Call, and Shawn explored some of the awesome features of Champions Online. Do you have a game you'd love to see on our Livestream channel? Let us know in the comments section. For now, if you're looking to check out some new games or see your favorite game from a new perspective, follow along after the cut for this week's installment of MV Guide!
Ragnarok Online brings new updates to Renewal
Ragnarok Online fans have something new to enjoy lately thanks to the recent content update, Renewal. Renewal has been bringing some exciting events to the game, including the race to 150. The first 10 players to reach the current level cap of 150 will receive a a "Hall of Honor interview, and a free upgrade of their most important leveling item to +11." The developers aren't done with the surprises, though. They'll be taking feedback on Renewal in the coming weeks, and you'll find even more updates, changes, and additions to the game as time goes by. For now, make sure you check out the lore behind Renewal and all the details on the Race to 150!
Ragnarok Online II scrapped, new Ragnarok Online II takes its place
It's always a difficult decision to take a game that you've put a ton of work into already and scrap it. Sometimes, no matter what developers dream up, it just turns out to be nowhere nearly as fun as originally intended. While we don't know the specifics on what precisely made Gravity Interactive change directions on Ragnarok Online II, news has come down the wire that they have nonetheless decided to heavily alter the direction they were headed in and instead deliver a true sequel to Ragnarok Online. The new version of Ragnarok Online II, now subtitled "Legend of the Second" will offer players familiar systems from the first game, only this time in an updated, immersive 3D world. Gone are the chibi graphics of the initial design in favor of more mature-looking characters. Gone too is the character-based weapon leveling system, the new leveling system, and unfamiliar races. Back in the mix are all the things that players enjoyed about the original Ragnarok Online: pets, cards, familiar classes, and more. This new version will launch into closed beta in Asia on August 31, 2010, with no specific date for the Western crossover at this time. Still, it warms our hearts when a gaming company is willing to make the hard choice and change direction -- making a game enjoyable, rather than sticking to the original plan and sacrificing fun. [Via iRo Wiki forums] [Thanks Coldbrand!]
Ragnarok merges and renews
When worlds collide, continents shift and several unsuspecting people get smooshed between it all. When servers collide, the results can be both good and bad. Ragnarok Online has just announced that they are merging a few of their premium servers into a brand-new one, bringing with them all the current residents of Chaos, Loki and Iris. While there is no definite date for this event, the official merger FAQ pinpoints it down to this week. Because of the merger, all guilds on the three previous servers will be dissolved and need to be recreated, although the Ragnarok team has created a "pre-list" for the purpose of staving off name sniping. "God items" will be broken back down into their component parts, which will require work to reconstruct them. Finally, all character names following the merge will be somewhat temporary until the GM team can figure out if there are any naming conflicts or not. While server mergers can be unsettling, Ragnarok has a bit of upbeat news for players with their "Renewal" revamp, designed to eliminate a few glaring flaws and smooth over the entire gaming experience. Finally, players are encouraged to participate in Ragnarok's Dragon Hunting event during the entire month of May.
Ragnarok Online cares and wants to give you free play time for being laid off
Now that's some title, isn't it? Yet, the title doesn't lie -- Gravity Interactive does care and they do want to give their subscribers who have been laid off some free play time.If you were a subscriber on Ragnarok Online International as of June 1st and you've lost your job on or after June 1st, then you're eligible for the new "Gravity Cares" program. All you need to do is simply fill out a short form to prove that you've lost your job and then send it over to Gravity via regular mail. Once they approve the form, you'll get a free three month subscription to Ragnarok Online so you can keep playing without having to worry so much about paying while you get back on your feet.The program is certainly a nice gesture to those who have been hit by the troubled economy, and a unique offering in the MMO world. If you're eligible, go take advantage of it so you can keep playing with your friends.
XSEED reveals preorder bonuses for Ragnarok DS
click for a Massively Multi-Image Online GalleryRemember Ragnarok DS? If you do, you're likely an avid fan of the Ragnarok Online MMO, and thus exactly the kind of person XSEED hopes to entice with the pre-order bonuses for the DS game. Pre-orders for the DS RPG will include exclusive in-game items for the PC game, which increase experience, attack speed, damage and other stats when used. In addition, every retail package will have more items thrown in, which increase even more stats. While at first blush it seems obvious to target people who like Ragnarok with this Ragnarok spinoff, it actually strikes us as kind of odd. People obsessed with Ragnarok have a lot of online gaming in their lives as it is! Are they going to want to jump into some random dungeons with just a few people? %Gallery-63545%
Ragnarok Online II dated for 2010... finally
Gravity Interactive's first major title in the Western market, Ragnarok Online, is well known for its sugary-sweetness and unforgiving experience curve. While the title proved to be a hit for the developer in the Western and Eastern markets, it's newest brother, Ragnarok Online II, doesn't share the same story. RO II was released in 2007 to a mass-panning by the Asian market, and the game has undergone some significant revisions in that time, including a change of the engine from Unreal 2.5 to Gamebryo and an update to all of the in-game systems. However, with those systems in place, Gravity has announced that the title will be seeing a 2010 release in the Western market. Meanwhile, the Ragnarok franchise will be expanded with a social networking game as well, marking Gravity's new focus on the growing social network division of games.
Ragnarok Online creator to make new MMO in the vein of Ragnarok
At this year's G* Game Expo, in addition to the earlier sexy Blade & Soul gameplay video, it seems that the original creator of Ragnarok Online is working on a new MMO project that he describes as "in the same vein" as Ragnarok. Gamasutra is reporting that Hakkyu Kim, RO's creator, is working on two new MMOs. One a more basic MMO that features the control of a single character, and another MMO that is done in the 2D sprites/3D backgrounds style of RO, except with a focus on action. While neither of these games will be a new Ragnarok, as Gravity Interactive holds the license to the Ragnarok series, it's good to see Kim returning to his roots after his work on Granado Espada, more commonly known as Sword of the New World in the US.
Ragnarok Online DS coming to U.S. store shelves
XSEED's adorable (and highly successful) MMO Ragnarok Online has been wooing players since its Korean launch in 2001. It went on to expand its dominion with the release of Ragnarok Online DS last December in Japan, selling like solid-gold hotcakes. However, XSEED has no plans of ceasing the expansion of the game's enormous empire -- it recently announced in a press release that Ragnarok Online DS will be coming Stateside this winter.The game will be an action-RPG in the style of its PC predecessor, placing you in the shoes of a young adventurer in search of treasure. The mechanics of the core game are all there -- level progression, job and class selection, et cetera. Though the DS port will doff the massivelyness of its PC iteration, it will allow three other players to join you wirelessly or via Wi-Fi. We expect the game's adorability factor to also be appropriately off the charts.%Gallery-63545%
The first blurry minutes of Ragnarok Online DS
The first moments of a new game can be awkward. Unless you're just tossed right in, which has its own problems, there's usually a bit of interfacing going on. Now imagine peering over someone else's shoulder as they fiddle around with that just-opened game. That's this video of Ragnarok Online DS, except it's longer than that sentence was.So it's not the best quality, but if you want an actual view of what you'll be seeing (sort of; your view would be better) if this game ever makes it over, or if you import, this is your chance. Gallery: Ragnarok Online DS [Via GoNintendo]
Look at these Ragnarok Online screens with a friend (or two)
Call it Ragnarok Sort-of-Online if you want, but the lessened online play doesn't change the fact that the screens for the slimmed-down portable (and single-player-focused) version of the MMO game look pretty good. So good, in fact, that held up next to similarly-sized screens from the original game, they look eerily familiar. Ragnarok Online DS does feature three-player parties over Wi-Fi in addition to a single player mode, and in our minds, that only extends the game's appeal. It's set for a debut in Japan in mid-December.%Gallery-29124%
Ragnarok Online DS screens revealed before the end of the world
After the announcement of a DS Ragnarok Online game over a year ago, we weren't sure if Gungho would get around to showing the game before the actual Ragnarok occurred. We haven't been plunged into an extreme winter yet, and the world has yet to be submerged with water, so we're pretty sure Gungho and developer Gravity have come out ahead.Ragnarok Online may not be an MMO like the original game, but even as a single-player RPG (with unspecified online features) it's worth keeping an eye on, mostly due to the absolutely gigantic character sprites. It also appears to have gestural attack inputs controlled by the stylus. Ragnarok Online DS comes out December 18, and we're sure more info will show up soon.
Subscription price lowered for Ragnarok Online in Europe
Good news for any Europeans still enjoying Gravity's point-and-click MMORPG Ragnarok Online. Effective immediately, all subscriptions have undergone a price drop, and those with current subscriptions will be entitled to a number of free days play-time. The changes are as follows: 1 Month at €7 instead of €10.90, 10 days free for current subscribers 3 months at €18 instead of €29.70, 30 days free for current subscribers 6 months at €30 instead of €53.40, 70 days free for current subscribers 1 year at €60 instead of €72, and a starter pack offered. Current subscribers get 50 free days. [Via IGN]
Ice Age: the MMO?
Right off the top of my head, I can think of at least 5 other CGI-based kids' movies that would make better foundations for an MMO. But that isn't stopping Gravity, the makers of Ragnarok Online, from being excited about landing a 7-year contract to develop a game based on 20th Century Fox's Ice Age franchise. I'll leave it to you guys to think of ways in which this might be a good idea, but let me offer up my 5 alternates, in no particular order:Robots -- whether or not you liked the movie, just imagine a world where your entire body is replaceable and upgradeable. Not to mention getting around the resurrection issue; just rebuild yourself!A Bug's Life -- Think of the faction possibilities! Endless warfare between your mound and other ants who just don't smell right! Also, boss battles are easy to create: any insects bigger than you make formidable enemies.Finding Nemo -- of course, the obvious disadvantage right up front: there will be at least one mission where you have to protect a baby fish as it makes its way somewhere. The amazing color palette, the limitless variation in undersea fauna, and the depth (no pun intended) of the environments would do nicely to offset that.The Incredibles -- It's like City of Heroes, but with that elusive, family-friendly Disney touch!Shrek -- Choose from a huge pool of character types, from Gingerbread Man, to ogre, to Wolf-in-Sheep's-Clothing. Complete each fairy-tale-based quest the way YOU would have done it. Build up your power by enticing characters from all over to live in your kingdom.See? Easy! Good luck, Gravity. I'm actually eager to see how this will work.[Via WarCry]
Gory MMO coming to the states in early '08
Do your MMOs lack the blood splattered carnage you've come to love in console action games? Do you enjoy your late night World of Warcraft raids, but wish that you could gib the Amani trolls your party defeats? Good news, gorophiles (that is, people who enjoy gore, not those who harbor erotic fantasies about Goro), Korea-based Gravity Corp, creators of the fairly popular Ragnarok Online, have made an MMORPG to slake your disturbing bloodlust -- the unfortunately titled Requiem: Bloodymare.The game will feature "intense sequences of bloody and gory graphics," and an intriguing system where giant monsters roam the world when the sun goes down. Though the game's promise to conjure up our "deepest nightmares and fears" fills us with trepidation, we look forward to finding out if MMOs are capable of scoring scares, and also, discovering what the hell a Bloodymare is when the game hits American store shelves early this year.
Ragnarok developer waking up to a Bloodymare
Gravity Interactive is the developer for the game Ragnarok Online, an extremely popular South Korean title. Gravity has announced that they've been working hard on another title for almost four years now, and it's nothing like the stylized cuteness of Ragnarok. Requiem: Bloodymare is the name of the new game, and it sounds about as different from Ragnarok as night is from day. The game will make use of the high-tech Havok engine to portray a violent dystopian future. PCs will take the part of creatures forged via magic and technology to kill demons and undead creatures loosed by years of experimentation. The article at Worlds in Motion includes commentary from Gravity's CEO Peter Kang about the company's goals, and their deliberate decision to move away from their past work. At the moment there's no expected release date, but one would expect to hear something soon; four years is a pretty good amount of game development time.
L5 Games looking a lot like Blizzard
Forming a new game studio and want to build some instant cred in the industry? Following in the example of other companies who believe anything associated with the Blizzard name turns to gold, Gravity Interactive has announced the formation of a new subsidiary game studio called L5 Games, which is to be staffed by a sizable number of former Blizzard North employees. According to the story over at Gama, as many as half of the new staff has ten or more years of experience in the industry, with credits in such mega-hits as World of Warcraft, Starcraft, Warcraft, and Diablo.It's not exactly standard practice to flaunt the resumes of new hires in the press, but well... it's Blizzard, alright? Giant Interactive, which plays both publisher and developer roles for Ragnarok Online over in South Korea, is looking to beef up its U.S. operations, which have largely floundered to date, despite their game's unmitigated success overseas. "We intend to develop online games targeting the North American market, one of the fastest growing online gaming markets, with the outstanding developers of L5 Games who have a successful track record and thorough understanding of the culture of the North American market," says Gravity CEO Il-Young Ryu.While there's a temptation to be snarky about this, the fact of the matter is that they've successfully captured our intention. Now just don't disappoint us.
Megapublisher Shandra sees 66% profit increase
Shandra Interactive Entertainment, the Chinese operator of MapleStory, Dungeons & Dragons Online, The Legend of Mir, and the positively ginormous Ragnarok Online let the world know that its profits for Q3 2007 are up 66% vs. last year and that it is expecting further growth in coming months.Shandra is the biggest publisher of online games in the Chinese market, and recently reached an agreement with NCsoft by which NCsoft will distribute its new title AION in China through Shandra instead of its old partner in the region, Sina (in which Shandra ironically holds a 20% stake).
Ragnarok 'Online' not as online as you may have thought
Well, we had one day to freak out over a DS MMO. We can all relax now. It turns out that Gungho's planned DS Ragnarok game is not going to be massively multiplayer. It's an action-RPG with some unspecified Wi-Fi use. Maybe, if we're lucky, it'll be online multiplayer on a smaller scale.Okay, here's a thought experiment for you: what's more of a cash-in: an MMO, or a handheld spinoff of an MMO? Oh, well, we like action-RPG's better than MMO's anyway.
