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The Agency: New CG trailer builds excitement leading up to E3
We're at least six months away from release but it seems like hype for SOE's spy MMO, The Agency is starting to build up. Maybe it has something to do with E3 happening next week in L.A.. Do you think we'll see a polished and playable demo? Fingers crossed! Either way, you can be sure we'll bring you some juicy info after we've cornered a developer and prodded him or her with a blunt microphone.Hopefully, this news will tide you over. An exclusive CG trailer that originally premiered on X-Play just made it up to the G4TV website. There doesn't appear to be any game play footage, however, this does look as though it could be a mission introduction cinematic.Catch the video after the cut and stay tuned for exclusive Massively news about The Agency from E3 2009.
Impressions: The Agency (PS3/PC)
Last month, during Sony Gamers' Day, we ventured deep inside SOE Seattle's secret lair -- no joke, the building's not even marked with the company name -- to get an updated look at its spy MMO, The Agency, for PS3 and PC. Now that details of the event have finally been declassified, we're pleased to share our impressions of the eyes-on demo with you.The actual event began with a fairly lengthy presentation by key figures from the SOE Seattle team, featuring Matt Wilson, Hal Milton and Corey Dangel. All three had previously worked for Microsoft (which would explain why the studio is located just two blocks from Microsoft's main HQ), and, between them, they have assembled an impressive resume, including work on Asheron's Call, Dungeon Siege, Wing Commander, Ultima Online, Total Annihilation and critical darling Psychonauts. Of course, as Wilson highlighted, SOE Seattle's primary objective is to deliver console-based MMOs, a vastly underdeveloped market, in which very few developers have experience. Enter The Agency.%Gallery-63985%
MMO Roundup: Last week on Massively
Sometimes you'd like to know that there are other MMOs out there, right? Our sister site Massively can provide you with everything you need to know about all MMOs, including WoW! Check out this roundup of the latest news from the wider MMO world. Choose my Adventure: Massively styleToday, we're proud to introduce a brand new weekly column here at Massively called Choose my Adventure, lovingly stolen from our siblings at WoWInsider (now WoW.com). The concept is simple: we create a brand new character in an MMO and document its adventure in a special image gallery and a weekly journal post -- but with a catch. Next World of Warcraft patch announced: Call of the CrusadeBlizzard has announced that the next major content patch in the works for World of Warcraft is Patch 3.2: Call of the Crusade. Patch 3.2 will expand upon the features of Wrath of the Lich King, and Blizzard lists a few highlights: Latest LotRO test realm patch notes releasedThere's something really exciting about a new set of patch notes, especially when it's for a fantasy MMO like Lord of the Rings Online. Turbine have just released the latest patch notes for the Bullroarer test server for volume 2 of book eight. These notes will hit live servers -- barring the usual changes, updates and revisions -- in June. A few reasons to cage the nerdrageThere's so much anger in the consumer market these days. It seems like when a new product comes up, there has to be this bandwagon of people who roll in and start nerdraging over the product. Oh, APB isn't up your alley? Better nerdrage about that! You don't like Warhammer Online? Rev that nerdrage engine nice and loud so your neighbors can hear it.
Infiltrating SOE to get a sneak peek of The Agency
Eurogamer's Oli Welsh had a chance to visit SOE headquarters and chat with Hal Milton, Lead Designer of The Agency. We think it's fair to say this is the most we've heard about the spy-MMO in a long time and it has us excited about what we might find out at E3 2009.We have known for a while that SOE was aiming to release The Agency on both the PC and PS3, but we weren't sure if they could pull it off. Apparently, development for the console is going well because Oli got a chance to watch two developers play a mission together on both platforms and says it looked pretty good. When asked about whether or not the game would use the subscription or F2P/RMT model, Hal responded by saying that they are aiming for the lowest barrier of entry for PS3 players, which probably lends itself to the latter.The interview uncovers many details on planned methods of progression, including a mashup of reputation, influence, skill/item usage (à la Darkfall?), operatives, and XP unlocks. Operatives are one of the more difficult concepts to understand and the author explains them in an interesting way: "...operatives are loot, and hopelessly irresistible loot at at that. Pursuing and sorting an ideal roster will be akin to assembling a perfect gear set in an RPG - if your gear argued with itself, made more gear for you while you were offline, and you could equip 100 pieces at once at max level."To learn more about the game including their plans for missions, the environment, PvP, and even gambling mini-games, check out the monster three-page interview.
The Agency still has a pulse, fact sheet confirms
Sony Online Entertainment could have a PC and console hit on their hands if their spies and mercenaries MMO The Agency lives up to expectations. The Agency has fallen off of the media radar of late, but development is moving ahead on the title.The last word we've received on when we'll be able to get our hands on the game is that The Agency will be released in 2010. Massively has some previous coverage of The Agency but we're always looking out for more info, and that's what we found today. While we've touched upon some of this information in the past, SOE has released a brief fact sheet that explains the concepts behind The Agency and its "modern setting of bullets, bomb blasts, and betrayal." We're still hoping that there will be more info announced about the game at the E3 Expo in June, but until SOE declassifies their intel, you can check out The Agency fact sheet below the cut:
MTV Multiplayer speaks with MMO devs looking to attract shooter fans
Undoubtedly, the developers of games like All Points Bulletin, The Agency, CrimeCraft and Earthrise would like shooter fans to give their game a try. And with so many of these titles on the way, it can be a little difficult to know which one may be for you. So, MTV Multiplayer's Tracey John went out and got each developer's take on why they think shooter fans should look into their respective games.Not all of these games take the same shooter mentality approach, but that's a good thing. Variety is of course the spice of life, especially when those things involve itchy digital trigger fingers. You can be sure we'll be bringing you even more information in the future so you can decide which of these games is for you.
SOE Fan Faire 2009 now open for registration
With this year marking EverQuest's 10th anniversary, you can bet that SOE's Fan Faire 2009 is going to be a little grander than usual. As it turns out, then plan is for an expanded weekend event with all sorts of awesome stuff for fans to check out. Want to try DC Universe Online? You'll be able to play it all you like at Fan Faire via playable demos of upcoming SOE titles. Hey, maybe you'll be the first to see The Agency in quite some time!Beyond even that, there are plans for sneak peeks at new games in development, which should be pretty exciting. But that's just really a small glimpse of the goings on planned for this year's event. If you want to get a much bigger picture, head on over to the registration site. We're sure this year will be full of great news information and tons of events for the fans.
The Digital Continuum: Evolving past the Diku design
I never played any of the numerous MUDs -- let alone DikuMUD -- back in the early nineties, and it's probably for the best, as my then youthful mind wouldn't have spared more than a few minutes to learn how they worked, let alone spend the necessary time to play them. We're talking pre-teen here, just to be clear, and I was really interested in stuff like point and click adventure games. Oh, and also Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.Even though I wasn't around for the progenitors that would eventually lead to things like Ultima Online, EverQuest, Dark Age of Camelot and World of Warcraft, it's not hard for me to see in the wake of all those titles the line of ideas and creativity that connects all of them. Hell, you can trace it back to the original release of Dungeons and Dragons if you really wanted to, but let's focus on the future for today.
DC Universe Online and The Agency get a 2010 release date
John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment announced that both DC Universe Online and The Agency are slated for release in 2010 during his GDC keynote speech. This will come as disappointing news to anxious fans, but probably great news for Cryptic Studios who appear to be on target for a 2009 release of their own super hero MMO, Champions Online. NCsoft will breath a little easier too now that they will only have to deal with one threat to City of Heroes this year instead of two.The news of DCUO in 2010 is not surprising, but many fans were expecting (read: hoping) The Agency would come out some time this year. The team-based spy thriller will eventually be playable on both the PC and console platforms and delaying too much longer could give rise to issues if the PS4 is ever announced. That said, SOE should be more plugged in to their own company's console than other developers, so they would be best equipped to deal with that potential situation should it occur. Perhaps this is the very reason The Agency is being delayed? Without much official news on the title lately, fans can do little else but speculate.
GDC09: The Agency and DC Universe Online coming 2010
The public hasn't seen much of The Agency since it was first revealed in 2007. When questioned about the lack of updates on the ambitious PC/PS3 online espionage game, SOE's Hal Milton told us: "We don't want to keep having hype sessions just showing movies and crap. We need to make the game and not just keep promoting it."GDC continues that idea, with Sony Online Entertainment revealing nothing more than a distant release window for both The Agency and DC Universe Online. John Smedley, president of SOE, revealed that both titles will arrive in 2010 in his keynote, "An industry perspective on how new online games will reach the masses."We understand that it takes time to craft a solid game, especially a massive online one. However, we'd like to remind Smedley that the first step for a game to "reach the masses" involves, y'know, releasing it.%Gallery-3830%
The Digital Continuum: Five PvP MMOs with potential
PvP and PvE -- both are part and parcel to the MMO experience. Some games focus on one more than the other, to be sure. Others try to strike an even balance, but ultimately a game seems to become one aspect more than the other.With so many upcoming MMOs in the next couple of years, I thought it would be worthwhile to see which games may possess a substantial degree of PvP potential. As per usual, I'm choosing five to keep things from getting out of hand.
What happens at Fan Faire, stays at Fan Faire
Vegas, city of lights, nightlife, and SOE's Fan Faire! Sony has announced that they will once again be heading for Vegas to party down in high-rolling style. This year they'll be holding the event from June 25th to 28th at Bally's Hotel. The location they've picked is right in the middle of various Vegas attractions - although we're sure if you're there for the SOE party, you won't need to worry about that too much. Having attended last year's Fan Faire, we can definitely say that it's a great weekend of fun and interesting panels, nice people - and this year's lineup appears to be just as interesting. So far the scheduled events include: Special announcements and sneak peeks of upcoming SOE titles at the Third Annual Community Address from SOE President John Smedley Autograph signings with members of the original EQ development team and other key contributors Lots of in-game tournaments; and live, game-themed competitions and quests Developer forums and roundtables Cool giveaways and other fun items! Player of the Year To top it all off, prices for Vegas vacations are quite good, currently. So if you've been thinking about getting away, really dig SOE's games - or upcoming titles, and enjoy partying down with a great bunch of friendly, welcoming people, then definitely make some plans to attend this year's Fan Faire.
The Daily Grind: How important are console MMO titles to you?
With the news out yesterday that Champions Online will not be seeing a launch day release to consoles along with the PC client, we're kind of wondering what's coming for the future of consoles in terms of MMO releases. Sure, there are already a handful of MMOs out there in the space: Final Fantasy XI, Phantasy Star Universe, and EverQuest Online Adventures, but they seem to be more the exception than the rule. Age of Conan, promised to be released to consoles shortly after AoC's PC launch, has been beseiged by setbacks and is now only rarely mentioned - if at all. Champions Online has been set back. Free Realms (and likely the other upcoming SOE titles as well), perhaps the strongest potential crossover due to SOE being part of SCEA, will still see console release well after the initial PC launch. So with all the delays or largely-vaporware-status of several promised console MMOs, we thought we'd ask you this morning - just exactly how important is it to you, as an MMO gamer, that there are more options for MMOs on the console? Do you look forward to the day when you can get a USB keyboard and hook it into your console, to enjoy a round of MMO gaming from the comfort of your couch? Or does it not really make much of a difference for you, as you'll be at your computer anyway; after all, consoles don't tend to offer the option of alt-tabbing out and checking database sites for item drops, locations, tips and other hints. How important are console MMOs to you?
San Diego declares day in honor of SOE
This tidbit of news - while pretty cool - is something you really don't hear every day in terms of MMO companies. It seems that the City of San Diego is commemorating the 10th anniversary of the original EverQuest and the "continued support and dedication SOE shows to the city and community" by dedicating a whole day to Sony Online Entertainment. What's better is that you're all invited to join the celebration!The dedication will be taking place on March 10th at 10 AM, and anyone interested in attending is advised to arrive early to get through security and snag a nice parking spot. John Smedley will be on hand to accept this very nifty award from San Diego City Councilmember Carl DeMaio. 10 years of being online is a hell of an achievement for any MMO. Now the burning question we want to know is if Councilman DeMaio ever had to corpse run too?
New details emerge about The Agency
The Agency HQ fansite had a chance to interview a group of developers from SOE Seattle who are working on upcoming MMOFPS/RPG title, The Agency. If you don't know much about this cross-platform game, check out our past coverage and the excellent primer up on Wikipedia. That said, the game is still in development and things may change.Questions asked during the interview were thought up by fans from the HQ forums, so you know they're going to be insightful. SOE's answers alluded to signature "class" abilities and counters, planned progression motivators with the "you are what you wear" system, a more intensive resource management system (e.g., ammo) than you'll find in most FPS games, and the MacGyvering, er, crafting system based on schematics and resources (e.g., chemicals and minerals).Perhaps most interesting was their example of how role dynamics can play out in the various group-oriented missions. The tank/combat player will try drawing enemy fire while the stealth/special-ops type will try finding an advantageous position (e.g., sniper's nest) to lay support fire down. Meanwhile the tactical/support will try disabling the area defences (e.g., turrets) and the field medic will give support as needed.. The game will also support those of the soloing persuasion.
The Agency interview informs on character progression and skills
Information on The Agency has thinned out over the past few months. Still, nothing lasts forever, and like a cool breeze in the summer, a gust of sweet new information has wafted out via an interview with Hal Milton on The Agency HQ fansite.While no new media comes with said interview, there's plenty of information on special role (The Agency's term for classes) abilities, character progression and even some talk of bouncing bullets off walls. In fact, there's so much interview that The Agency HQ has decided to parse it out over the coming weeks. Hopefully we'll get some new screens or even a gameplay video by the end of it all.So until that time comes, we'll all just have to play spy around our house with BB guns and bond music in the background. Everyone does that, right?
John Smedley clarifies SOE's RMT policies
When Sony Online Entertainment announced their Real Money Transaction policies and StationCash involvement with EverQuest and EverQuest II, many SOE fans raised an eyebrow. Does this mean these games are losing their subscription fees in lieu of a microtransaction system? SOE's President, John Smedley, stands firmly against this in a recent interview with Virtual Goods News, where he explains the future of RMT with the company and why it has been implemented so far."We aren't going away from subs, this just gives us another avenue," Smedley states. When asked about the company's recent acquisition of PoxNora and their current revenue model, Smedley says that they're excited about it because it's so different from their own. Free Realms will also be a major determiner for the future MMOs in SOE's line-up like The Agency and DCUO. "We're trying to hold the line about not selling 'power', but what form that takes in DCUO remains to be seen. We might sell more costumes and different sorts of customization things. We're still learning what people like and don't like when it comes to virtual goods."
Console MMOs: Can they get up off the ground?
If you don't like chocobos, then you're a little out of luck when it comes to the console MMO market. With Final Fantasy XI and the only choice console users have, the market looks ripe for the addition of a few new games -- or does it?IGN has put together a nice article on the fail whale history of console MMOs, starting with True Fantasy Live Online and progressing all the way to shaky in-development titles like Age of Conan, and the solid upcoming titles like The Agency, DC Universe, and Champions Online.The article also covers the many problems of making a console MMO, from poor TV resolution, to UI issues, to just general production issues in making such a complex game.But who knows what the console MMO market may hold? Perhaps one of these days those chocobos will be chased off by men and women in spandex.Update: It appears that we forgot to mention EverQuest Online Adventures for the PlayStation 2 in our quick rundown of console MMOs. Our apologies! Thanks, Joshua!
The Digital Continuum: Will console MMOs succeed?
It's been a long time since I first wrote about console MMOs here, and in that time we've seen several promising titles enter development. Titles such as Free Realms, Champions Online, The Agency and DC Universe Online all have potential to be worth playing on a Playstation 3 or Xbox 360. But there are still questions as to whether MMOs can function on consoles and if there's enough interested players on any given platform to make the whole thing viable.
A look at the MMO coming attractions in 2009
Now that we're comfortably settling in to our new digs at casa de 2009, it seems like the best time to reflect on what we have to look forward to in the coming year. Eurogamer has done the dirty work for us, as they've compiled a handy article detailing the coming attractions.All Points Bulletin tops their list as the star attraction, citing enthusiasm for the GTA-style action and depth of customization. SOE's The Agency and Free Realms, along with Cryptic's Champions Online and NetDevil's Jumpgate Evolution round out the remaining top spots on this list, for varying reasons. Some honorable mentions include Aion, Darkfall, EVE's Walking in Stations expansion, Earthrise, Global Agenda and many more expected to see the light of day this year or next. Will all of these games actually make it to a 2009 release, or will 2010 truly be the year of epic MMO launches?
