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Nickelodeon evolves a new monkey MMO
If you've ever felt like picking through your friends' hair for bugs to eat, or if you've ever found yourself throwing questionable things at strangers, then you might be excited to hear that Nickelodeon is developing an MMO just for you! That's right, in the up-and-coming Monkey Quest, you and your friends can team up to find adventure in a world that is ruled by monkeys and filled with danger! Nickelodeon is no stranger to fun and games, so it will be interesting to see its take on an MMO. Although the game seems made for kids -- as you'd expect -- its cooperative gameplay looks like it will be fun for monkeys at all stages of evolution. The game boasts a free-to-play hybrid payment model for players who might like an "enhanced" player experience. Does that mean cash shop? Does that mean monkey hats and monkey pants? We hope so! If it sounds interesting, click past the jump and check out the trailer. Just watch out for any... flinging.
Free for All: Your guide to a freemium Ryzom
While some details are still a little foggy, we recently learned that the unusual sci-fantasy MMO Ryzom will be going freemium on March 9th, pretty much the time that this article will go live. To say that this was exciting news is quite the understatement, especially since I have been a fan of the game for several years. I even hosted a podcast dedicated to the game and have always tried to play it when I get the chance. Of course, a $10.95-a-month subscription kept me from dedicating too much time to it, as did the fact that I keep myself busy with every other game under the sun, so getting the chance to take as much time as I want in the game is thrilling. Also, this means that new players can try the game out without fear of running into the end of a 21-day trial, although since free players are capped at a level limit of 125 out of 250, they'll eventually be asked to pony up for the rest of the game. Let me tell you why this is exciting and give you some basic information to get you started on the wonderful world of Atys. Later in this article, I've even embedded a two-year-old video I made about live events in Ryzom. It's funny, I have my work clothes on, and I talk really fast. I felt it was still relevant because live events still happen in Ryzom, and I wanted to show off some of the games graphics while I was at it. Click past the cut and let's discuss!
Ryzom to go freemium on March 9th
If you've played Ryzom before, it probably left a very unique taste in your mouth. Even after several years you would be hard-pressed to find an MMO that has such unique features as a weather system that actually affects gameplay, migrating mobs with predator/prey relationships, a skill-based system that allows players to explore many different activities, mounts and pack creatures that can actually be killed in the line of duty, and such a rich landscape, primed for roleplay! Ryzom is easily one of the favorite games of some of the staff at Massively. For a while, the game featured a trial island on which players could achieve a fraction of the 250 max levels in the game, but that option was put to a time limit. After March 9th, however, it looks like new players will be able to not only leave the trial island but reach a max level of 125 -- after which all experience stops. Also, a player can continue to enjoy the game like this forever -- for free. It's essentially a unlimited free trial option, and it firmly places Ryzom in the freemium category. Don't forget, though, that the game continues to depend on subscriptions to make money, so feel free to use that option to unlock the entire game. While there are still many questions, keep an eye on Massively or head to the official site to check it out. The discussion has already started on the official forums!
Choose My Adventure: Fizzles aren't fair edition
The votes have all been tallied, and my fellow Wizard101 players have spoken! When I asked which secondary school I should go for, you all told me, "Life!" Some thought this was a silly idea -- a Death wizard with a life secondary school? -- but I like it. After all, what better way to rub my enemy's face in it than by stealing his life, adding it to mine, and healing myself every time he hits me? I think I'll learn an evil laugh just for moments like that. It was also decided that I ought to keep my current zombie pet at my side. This was great news, since I've already grown pretty attached to the little rotten guy. What does all of this mean? Well, I will save the explanations for secondary schools and pets for next week's installment. In the meanwhile, I need to tell you all about the busy week I just had in game. It was pretty epic, filled with steam golems, awesome new weapons, and discovering the secrets of deck building. (Well, some of the secrets.) If you want, you can give me all sorts of advice in the comments section. Follow me past the cut to read up on my adventures!
Choose My Adventure: Wings rule, horses drool edition
For those who might not know, it was decided last week that my Wizard101 character was to be a boy from the school of Death. On top of that, he was ordered to get around town by using a pair of beautiful white wings. I heard a few comments in different places about how the wings would not look cool with a Death student or about how a horse mount or broom was better. I held fast and nabbed a pair of the white, fluttering back pieces. I had to obey orders! Once I made my character and put the wings on, though, I looked completely metal. For those younger players who might not understand what that means, Google "Dio" and watch a few videos. Avoid Slayer -- your parents would not like that. (Note: If you come across a band called Queensryche, that's not metal.) Anyway, my white wings only accentuated my dark intentions. It was a fantastic choice. But what else did I do over this last week besides wait for the vote to end? Well, click past the cut and I'll let you know. %Gallery-114601%
Choose My Adventure: Beginning my Wizard101 adventure
Well, it was an epic battle. Little did I know that, in an effort to promote a random assortment of high-quality free-to-play and indie games, I would come up with the formula for the destruction of the entire universe. Over the last few days, readers cast their votes (and their nasty comments) in the hopes that I would take a look at their favorite game for well over a month. After all, it would expose everything that is good (and bad!) about their game and might draw in many more new players. Not to brag, but a lot of eyes are drawn to our lovely little site here. Each game I chose was nestled alongside a mortal enemy. Wizard101 had MapleStory to tackle. Puzzle Pirates had Zentia. My planning only lead to mass chaos as the giant of the bunch, MapleStory, barely opened an eyelid. Then, out of nowhere, Anarchy Online swooped in and punched everyone in the eye. It looked like the 10-year-old masterpiece of sandboxy goodness would win for the oldies in the bunch! (The AO community's passion for the game inspired me to cover it in my other column, Rise and Shiny, for the week of January 16th.) Where was Shadowtale? At the time of this writing, the game boasted literally thousands of players on at one time. Yet they barely pulled in a handful of votes. Pirates of the Burning Sea seemed to give up early, as evidenced by forum posts. (I was following all the games' forums.) In the end, Wizard101 pulled it off. While I knew the game had the numbers, I wasn't sure that it could herd all of the cats together in time. It did teach me one thing, though: Don't mess with the tweens. Join me past the cut for the next vote and for some information about Wizard101.
The top indie and free-to-play stories of 2010
I have to admit to feeling slightly amazed when I read that someone thought of 2010 as a bad year for MMORPG fans. Then, when I think about it, I realize that he was talking about the year in "AAA" subscription gaming -- something almost alien to me. I just don't get turned on by huge-budget subscription games like I did seven or eight years ago. Well, it might be better to say that I am always suspicious of big-budget gaming. Gaming is a lot like movies, and look at how bad most blockbusters are. They are often silly, over-the-top, special-effects-laden bores. If those movies were the only ones I watched, I might be a little depressed about Hollywood as well. If you pay attention only to what the major publishers are pushing out, you are simply going to have a narrow view of MMO gaming. You will miss too much. The year 2010 offered more than any year before it, and 2011 will top that. Thanks to mobile technologies and the always-dropping price of computers, you will find that smaller or unknown games have much more of a chance of grabbing a gamer's eye than ever before. So, what were some of the high and low points in free-to-play and indie gaming this year? Click past the cut and let's take a look!
Rise and Shiny recap: Pocket Legends
Over the last two weeks, I have been taking a look at Pocket Legends, a fully functioning MMO made for the mobile player. I did not publish a Rise and Shiny last week (I was busy writing up my GDCO coverage) but that is a good thing -- I had no real time to play the game anyway. I've jumped in and out, played through a few dungeons and scoured the cash shop. After hearing Cinco Barnes from Spacetime Studios -- the developer of Pocket Legends -- I really saw how well the company's design choices were working in practice. What I found is a game that works and is stable. While that isn't the most glamorous description, you would be hard-pressed to find a game that has succeeded without either of those traits. The key here is that it runs while in the palm of your hand (or lap, in the case of the iPad). But let me take you through a bit more of the game before I pass judgment.
