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E3 2014: The Crew launches November 11th, is totally an MMO
While a lot of attention has been focused on The Division, not as much discussion has gone on surrounding Ubisoft's other MMO-ish title, The Crew. According to a recent development blog, though, the game is totally an MMO, even if you're not necessarily taking all of it on as a group. The game is based around an asymmetric multiplayer model in a persistent world, and there are even different classes of cars for players to specialize in depending on preference. Of course, you won't have to rely upon the word of the developers about that for much longer. The game has been given an official release date of November 11th, with beta starting on July 23rd. There's also a trailer past the break that shows in-game time-lapse footage of driving from Miami to LA, covering the entire United States during the trip. Check out the development blog regarding customization, game mechanics, and the game's MMO nature as well.
Playwith Interactive announces Eclipse War Online
Playwith Interactive's upcoming new title, Eclipse War Online, is all about change. Specifically, about your character changing. Even more specifically, about your character changing into a monster. Yes, that's the big gimmick of the game. When you kill a monster, it can drop a transformation card, which your character can subsequently use to take the form of a monster with according stat boosts, abilities, and similar improvements. Don't just kill ten rats, become the rat! Or something like that. Transformations also play into the game's environmental systems, with climate and time of day both changing the overall efficiency of your transformed abilities. You can also take part in several different forms of PvP, including open world PvP as well as special instanced maps. The game is planning on hitting beta early this year, so keep your eyes peeled for more information if you just can't wait to turn into a spider after killing one. [Source: Playwith Interactive press release]
Guild Wars 2 will add the Edge of the Mists to World vs. World
If you're a fan of Guild Wars 2's large-scale PvP gameplay mode, World vs. World, there's some good news coming your way: ArenaNet is developing a new map called Edge of the Mists, and it's designed to add spice to WvW gameplay and help alleviate some of the ongoing difficulties with queue times. We were invited to a conference call with Game Design Lead Jon Peters, where he let us in on some of the details and philosophy behind this new content. Guilds can apply to be part of an upcoming beta test and help shape the development of this new addition as well. Following on the heels of recent WvW additions such as Borderlands Bloodlust and World Experience Points, ArenaNet plans for Edge of the Mists to be the gateway to even more improvements.
World of Warcraft movie to premiere in 2015
What's the plot of the World of Warcraft movie? We don't know. Who's starring in the film? We don't know that, either. When will we get to see the movie? That we do know. The official Twitter feed for the game announced last night that the World of Warcraft film will premiere on December 18th, 2015. So you've got a couple of years left before sitting in for opening night, or as is more likely the case before sitting at home and waiting until the film comes out on Blu-ray. It may seem a little early for a release date when so much about the film remains unknown, but considering the film has languished in development hell for seven years at this point most people involved are happy to kick things up a bit. Since 2015 is also the year that the new Star Wars movie is scheduled to hit theaters, you can at least enjoy the promise of some films to pique your interest in a couple of years.
The Mog Log: On the eve of seeking Adoulin in Final Fantasy XI
A while back, I was upset that we hadn't gotten nearly enough information about Seekers of Adoulin. That's certainly not the case any more; we've gotten a fair bit of new information about the expansion, which is good considering that Final Fantasy XI players will be seeking the heck out of Adoulin on Tuesday. Of course, there's still some air of mystery about the expansion, which is appropriate. Final Fantasy XI's expansions always contain a few new wrinkles that aren't really previewed, and I think players prefer it that way. But there's a lot to talk about, starting with something that I find very interesting insofar as it's launching in the wake of a new philosophy for the game as a whole. Back in December I talked about how the game's future might be brighter than it has been for a long time. How Seekers of Adoulin works in practice will tell us a lot about whether or not that hopeful future will come to pass or not.
AdventureQuest Worlds releases its first two action figures
Action figures are a great accessory for any video game. Sure, most of us have passed the point when we would use them to stage elaborate battles in the backyard, but it's nice to have something on hand to play with during load times. That's part of the reason that AdventureQuest Worlds is getting into the market with its first two figures, representing Artix and Sepulchure, available in Toys'R'Us stores nationwide starting on May 23rd. Even if you're not normally the sort to buy action figures, Artix Entertainment has sweetened the deal by making sure that each figure comes with a special in-game house, special armor and weapons, and five playing cards for the game's tie-in card game. If you don't want to wait for them in stores, you can also purchase them directly from the company's online store starting May 18th. The team put together a small stop-motion animation piece as well to celebrate the upcoming figures because honestly, if you've spent this much time thinking about buying an action figure, don't you deserve a toy commercial to cap it off? [Source: Artix Entertainment press release]
City of Heroes announces Going Rogue release date and hands-on at SDCC
While dates have been thrown left and right for the upcoming expansion, City of Heroes players will be happy to know that the much-awaited expansion, Going Rogue, will officially release on August 17th, 2010. That leaves a little under two months until all of the promised features, including two more powersets, a new starting experience, the ability to switch sides, and the start of the new Incarnate system. Although it's a bit later than the previously-rumored date of July, players can still look forward to the fact that it's not so very far in the future. Can't wait that long? If you're going to the inimitable San Diego Comic Con this year, you're in luck, as the City of Heroes team will be granting lucky players a hands-on experience for the expansion. Not only that, but they'll be hosting a panel and the equally inimitable David Nakayama will be sketching select heroes and villains. Keep your eyes peeled for more news regarding Going Rogue as we approach release, and take a look at the official itinerary for the Paragon Studios team at SDCC.
City of Heroes launches first video diary for Going Rogue
The time of Going Rogue draws very close for City of Heroes players, and we've still only scratched the surface of what there is to know. It's always a tense time when you're getting close to a new expansion, especially one that's rewriting some of the most fundamental rules about the game. While the first in a series of new video developer diaries from Paragon Studios won't necessarily make the time before release pass any faster, it will help give us a clearer picture of what's coming around the bend. For players who have never played the game before, the diary helps give an overview of where the game is and where it can go from here -- including the realm of the Super Lumberjack. (We can only assume that making one allows you to also be super okay.) Veterans can enjoy a solid look at Praetoria, as well as what can only be described as glowing costume pieces. Once the veteran players finish squealing in delight, they can take a look on past the break for the first City of Heroes video diary for Going Rogue, which is targeted for release in July.
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?
DS Daily: Big news ... and little news
Yesterday's massive list of Nintendo's upcoming releases was stuffed with all sorts of news, news of big releases and their dates (or at least, release windows), and many smaller titles that hadn't yet been announced for localization, or even at all. There were a few mystery titles that we'll be waiting for information on, and a few, like Bangai-O Spirits and the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon titles, got a little excitement stirring around the DS Fanboy offices. But enough about us! We want to know what excites you. In fact, given an unlimited budget and all the free time to play, how many titles would you pick up?
Updated Wii release list dispels 'no games' rumblings
No games? The latest word from Nintendo on upcoming releases hopes to change your mind on that. Like sports? Action? Quirky fun? Mini-games? Well, on the last one, you were already covered, but now, you've got extra cheese. Nintendo's let fly with their current Wii and DS release schedules, and while the dates on some titles are a little vague (or have already passed, as with the first few), the full list includes a bevy of new and previously-undated games. There are even a few amusing observations to be made, such as Nitro Bike's March release, which actually came, uh, this week, and the dreadful fate of Worms: A Space Oddity, which is certain to disappear in the wake of Super Smash Bros. Brawl chaos. What's not there is also a little disappointing: Samba de Amigo is missing from the list, but that doesn't mean we won't see it before the fall. We can still hope, but with everything we've got to look forward to, we can wait a little longer for quality time with the maracas-monkey. But we could be wrong -- Sega releases are not showing up at all, just as last time, Capcom was missing from Nintendo's updated lists. It seems likely that we're still looking at fall for Civilization Revolution, as well, since it's not on the list. So there's even more upcoming goodness after we're done with Okami, Brawl, No More Heroes, Opoona, and more.
DS Daily: Negative Nancy!
There are a lot of great games headed our way over the next few months, like Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, Apollo Justice, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword ... we could really go on. But out of all the highly-publicized (at least, around here) titles, which upcoming release that you hear about interests you the least? C'mon, get your hate on. We'll forgive you, and you'll feel better after you just let it out.
Wii Warm Up: Your fears
In honor of Halloween later this month, we thought we would take some time to ask about your fears. Oh, not in general (though if you're also planning for the eventual zombie apocalypse, we'll talk strategy and escape routes later), but rather, your fears and worries about upcoming Wii games. There's always some little worry about possible disappointments, even with dependable franchises and developers, and more when the concepts are untried or untested. So tell us what worries you this morning, and let's try to assuage each others' fears.And hey, it's okay if it's just little things, like maybe you're worried about Super Mario Galaxy because you didn't think Super Mario Sunshine was all that, or you're afraid everyone will suddenly start using the Zapper, but you hate it. You're among friends here (mostly). We'll try not to judge.
