region-lock
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Chinese MMO Revelation Online entering open beta January 15th
Want to combine the free flight of Aion with action combat and an open skill progression system? That's a quick gloss of how testers report Revelation Online plays. But you don't have to take anyone else's word for it, as the game will be entering open beta on January 15th... in China. So you will have to muddle through not speaking the language of the game to test it. Alternately, you can start studying now and hope you have a natural gift for learning it in two months. Steparu reports that setting up an account will work even for international players, although there is the possibility that the game will require a cell phone or some other region-lock method. Players who don't want to fuss with that can rest somewhat easier knowing that the development team is looking into US publishing deals as well, but if all goes well, you can still try the game out early next year.
Phantasy Star Online 2's beta ends in Southeast Asia
While Phantasy Star Online 2 is unreleased here in North America, the residents of Southeast Asia will soon get to experience the game in English. The servers for this version of the game are region-locked, but it's still as close as the game has gotten to a local release thus far. Curious about how it went? The team working for local publisher Asiasoft shared thoughts regarding the beta experience in a recent interview. The team states that while the game already has new race/class options available in Japan (as it has been out for some time), releasing these options in the localized version will depend partly on player progress. Tie-in events such as those found in the Japanese version are also nixed, as most of those cross-promotional events are strictly for Japanese marketing and wouldn't make much sense to the audience. For more details, take a look at the full interview.
Ask Massively: Vanguard's CE, Pandaria, and region-locked servers
It can be easy to forget how awesome MMO players are when we're knee-deep in troll-infested comment threads, but a note from a reader named Joshua this week served as the perfect perspective-reorientation: I was helping my brother demo and clean his father-in-law's home today and stumbled upon what appears to be a mint-condition Vanguard limited edition (collectors edition?). It looks to have all the goods, so I was wondering whether anyone at Massively would like to have it. Knowing how easy it is to get attached to these games, I figured someone would want it for sentimental reasons (I still have my DAOC boxes and books!). I don't know whether our staff will take you up on it, but just the fact that you thought of offering it to our bereaved fans instead of making a beeline for eBay warmed my heart.
Archaic firmware allows hackers to crack 3DS region lock
A new trick allows 3DS owners to negate the region lock Nintendo has installed in the handheld - assuming they haven't updated their 3DS' system software in months. The crux of this hack relies on old 3DS firmware, specifically firmware revisions 4.1 to 4.5. Those firmware numbers are at least nine months out of date, but if your 3DS does have the older software, breaking its region lock is as simple as installing a special, patched launcher on a flash cartridge compatible with your 3DS' firmware revision. Once you open the launcher, the 3DS will be modified to accept games from other regions, though as Tiny Cartridge notes, there are issues when attempting to play certain games online due to their reliance on "game patches from region-specific eShops." Keep in mind, this hack will not allow a user to play pirated games on his or her 3DS. Altering the firmware in this way only removes the handheld's region lock. You'll still need to import a legitimate 3DS cartridge from another territory to enjoy the system. Further, if you install this exploit, then attempt to update your 3DS using the standard firmware update method, the exploit will be deleted. There is a workaround offered for this issue in the hack's instructions, though it's slightly more complex than installing the hack by itself. If you opt to break your 3DS' region lock, we recommend paying very careful attention to the procedures outlined on the GBATemp forums. (Image: Fristle)
Black Gold could possibly start beta in early 2014
Dying to get your hands on the scrumptious-looking Black Gold? If you've already registered for a beta key and need a little hope, here it is: Snail Games said the game could possibly start its closed beta in the first quarter of 2014. "The first closed beta is planned to launch at the earliest Q1 2014," the studio posted in a recent Ask the Devs segment. "We are ensuring quality when it's ready to meet the public eye. All players who have registered prior will have a high chance of receiving first round of beta codes via their email." Black Gold's beta and release is initially aimed at North America, although Snail Games said it is "not ruling out" the possibility of future releases elsewhere. There will also be no region block for the title. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
Perfect World reassures players regarding the future of RaiderZ
There are certain things that trigger instinctive fears from MMO players. Things like having your game of choice shut down in its country of origin, which rarely bodes well for the future of the game as a whole. RaiderZ has shut down in both South Korea and Europe, but Perfect World Entertainment's senior product manager Mark Hill insists in a recent interview that this does not mean the title is in any risk of shutting down in North America. Hill states that the game is still developing a new expansion for release in the near future and that the development team is in close contact with the North American staff. He also points out that the game is not region-locked, allowing players to still register and play for the American version regardless of their countries of origin. While this doesn't mean the game is invincible in this market, it should help make current players a little more comfortable while playing.
SOE president John Smedley announces that all players will be able to play on any server
It's no secret that Sony Online Entertainment has been in more than a little hot water in the wake of the recently announced region locks that were to be put in place following the studio's deal with ProSiebenSat.1, but there may still be a silver lining on the horizon. SOE president John Smedley tweeted earlier today that the studio has "come up with a plan to allow ALL players to play on any servers they want." While details are still to come, this should be incredibly welcome news for players of SOE titles who weren't looking forward to playing without their international friends. Smedley promises us that there are "more details to follow," so stay tuned and hopefully we'll have some idea of what's in the works before too long.
Nintendo 3DS may have region-locked software, continue an unfortunate trend
Once upon a time, when handheld game systems were thicker and Nintendo was entirely without peer, the company deigned to allow us to import games without fear. On Game Boy of all shapes and sizes, as well as the Nintendo DS, a Japanese cartridge would let you experience portable wonders years before they hit Europe and the US. Starting in 2008, however, Nintendo made DSi-specific titles region-locked -- and that's the same fate that will likely befall games on Nintendo's new 3D handheld as well. "There is the possibility that Nintendo 3DS software sold in one region will not function properly when running on Nintendo 3DS hardware sold in another," a company statement reads, though it's important to note that region locks are typically a two-party affair -- if game publishers choose to make their stereoscopic software region-free, it might work on your handheld anyhow. So yes, you might still have a chance to get your date sim on.
TERA Community Manager: No IP blocks
Last month, the TERA developers made an announcement that caused a huge stir among potential players: Frogster had taken over publishing responsibilities for the EU version of the game. One of the main concerns was that European players would be "stuck" on Frogster's European servers thanks to IP blocks. Late last week, En Masse finally eliminated that concern with the announcement that IP blocks will not be a factor: "The answer is that En Masse and Frogster will not implement IP blocking or other territorial restrictions to prevent connections from outside of their respective service regions. This means that in Europe or North America, you will be able to freely select which territory you wish to play TERA." Players will still need to purchase the NA or EU version of the game, depending on which server they wish to play on, but the announcement of a choice is a relief to a large part of the TERA community.
Aika service restricted with some unintended consequences
When Aika opened its item shop, a comparison or two to Allods Online was inevitable. After all, with gPotato managing both games, there were a few people that wondered if the same pricing issues might show up. Turns out that the cash shop has still caused problems... but it's not the prices, it's the fact that the game is only supposed to be operating in North America at the moment. A statement was posted earlier today that the game would be blocking IPs from outside of North America, as gPotato only had the rights to operate the game for that region. The problem is the number of international players who had been playing the game and had purchased items from the cash shop. As a result of the block, these players are obviously left out in the cold with no way to access Aika... and no real recourse for the items that they had already purchased from the item shop.
DS Daily: Still going to import one?
Click to enter our DSi gallery. With the news that the DSi is region locked, as well as the handheld not officially arriving on North American shores until after April 2009, we're wondering if many of you still plan on importing the handheld? We already know you're going to pick a DSi up eventually (who can resist its awesome features?), but we would like to know if you still plan on snatching one up super early. So, will you?%Gallery-33263%
