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Wizard101 introduces Fishing
Fishing is the eternal side activity of MMOs, the reason for players to sit about and cast their line over and over in the hopes of receiving something worthwhile. Wizard101 joins the lineup of fantasy games offering a fishing option today with a new patch, although you will be fishing in an appropriately magical fashion. Rather than a mundane line and sinker, players summon magical orbs to help snare fish; the ones they catch can be sold, used for crafts, or displayed as trophies around your house. If this is the one thing you've been waiting for before you get into the game, you can also take advantage of the new promotional bundle on sale at Target. The Spiral Cup Gauntlet Bundle includes a new housing item, a new pet, new clothes, and a new mount for players, along with either a month's subscription or 5000 crowns. You can pick it up for $39 and then jump right back into casting orbs and looking for fish. Or doing other things, presumably. [Source: Kingsisle Entertainment press release]
[Updated] On the twelfth day of giveaways, KingsIsle gave to me...
[UPDATE: All winners have been selected and contacted. Thanks to everyone who entered!] On the twelfth day of giveaways, KingsIsle gave to me... twelve super bundles! On the eleventh day of giveaways, Funcom gave to me... eleven prize packages! On the tenth day of giveaways, PerfectWorld gave to me... ten grab bag items! On the ninth day of giveaways, GamersFirst gave to me... nine SWG mementos! On the eighth day of giveaways, Enjin gave to me... eight guild-wide gifts! On the seventh day of giveaways, NCsoft gave to me... seven years of memories! On the sixth day of giveaways, GamersFirst gave to me... six retail packs! On the fifth day of giveaways, Trion gave to me... five subscription codes! On the fourth day of giveaways, Nexon gave to me... four pet items! On the third day of giveaways, Wargaming.net gave to me... three premium years! On the second day of giveaways, BioWare gave to me... two warring factions! On the first day of giveaways, Turbine gave to me... a lifetime VIP! KingsIsle Entertainment is finishing off Massively's 12 Days of Giveaways with a bang by giving away 12 Super Bundles for Wizard101. What is a Super Bundle, you ask? It's a huge package of Wizard101 goodies, including everything listed in the image above plus 5,000 crowns to spend on whatever your heart desires. Ready to enter to win one of these? Just leave a comment here telling us why you love Wizard101 and what you'd do with your Super Bundle. Enter by the deadline of tomorrow, December 25th, at 8:00 p.m. EST, and don't forget to check the contest rules below for eligibility. Best of luck! Finally, please join us here at Massively in giving a warm thank-you to every developer and publisher who pitched in to make the 12 Days of Giveaways a huge success. Happy holidays!
Massively's 2011 winter holiday event roundup
The winter holiday season is well underway, both in and out of game. Many schools, businesses, and communities are preparing to take a little time off to enjoy the holidays, and here at Massively, we want to make sure you don't miss a single in-game party. We've been rounding up all the details on celebrations happening in our favorite MMOs, combining them into a handy guide. Follow along after the jump for your map to all of the can't-miss MMO winter holiday events for 2011!
Wizard101 brings forth the newest update to the test realm
The newest update for Wizard101 is just around the corner, as evidenced by the update heading to the test realm as of tonight. There's a lot of content to unpack within the official patch notes, including a brand-new area and a variety of additional content for players to explore. Wintertusk, the newest area, is of course the centerpiece of the update, allowing players to continue the story of Grizzleheim. As with most new areas, players may enter with a membership or purchase the new area individually when the update goes live. Players who are at least level 35 or 55 can obtain a pair of new spells, one for utility and one as an upgrade of a prior spell, by undertaking a new quest from Baldur Goldpaws. Lower-level players can also continue the story of Crab Alley, while higher-level characters can delve into a new dungeon in the same area. Wizard101 players can glance at the full patch notes and take a look at the gallery below for some previews of what's en route with this latest patch. %Gallery-23433%
Wizard101 releases producer's letter for April
Wizard101 is staying cool -- frosty, even. At the very least, the game's storyline is staying icy, as the game's next new area will be the region of Wintertusk. The newest producer's letter from Leah Ruben explains that Wintertusk will continue the story started in Grizzleheim, giving players a chance to venture farther into snowbound regions of the world against various tundra-themed enemies. But there are a lot of other changes coming along with the game's next update, offering players of all levels new content and additions. Higher-level players will be able to enjoy the addition of high-level quest pets as well as a variety of additional spells and effects designed for the best of the best. Lower-level players will be heading back to Crab Alley to continue the mini-story associated with the Selena Gomez promotion a while back. There's also some new content slated to just be meant for those at the apex of power, as well as the opportunity for players to upgrade a given spell to help it match their newer abilities. In addition, the letter includes a continuation of last month's questions and answers for the producer. Wizard101 players can check out the full producer's letter for more information.
Wizard101 offers many mounts for the masses
Are you wanting a super-cool mount in Wizard101 but finding yourself a little strapped for crowns when it comes to picking up a ride of your own? If so, we've got good news for you. There's a special "mount-a-polooza" sale going on in the Spiral right now, a sale that reduces mount prices up to 50% off the normal cost! Along with that, players will find that not only are all the regular rides in the store right now, but some old favorites have returned from their retired status along with a handful of all-new mounts! According to our friends over at KingsIsle Entertainment, Wizard101 players can also look forward to a future update that will allow their mounts to wander around their houses, similar to how pets function now. Perhaps you could even pick up a sleek shark like the ones our friends from Ravenwood Radio are riding in the above screenshot! In the meantime, check out the roaming mount video (with a few surprises) behind the break, then head over to the Wizard101 site to snap up a stylish new ride of your very own.
PAX East 2011: One Massive roundup
PAX East has already begun fading into memory, but there was a lot to see and do over the three days of the convention. Even if we disregard the numerous fan gatherings and community events taking place, there were an awful lot of games on the floor, with showings from MMOs that dwarfed last year's offerings. If you were lucky enough to be there, we can only hope that you had fun and got to see all of the impressive displays. Of course, you may very well have missed one or two things, what with all of the sound and lines and people walking around with a pixel costume. Even if you were sitting at home, you might have missed some of our coverage of this event. Just jump on past the break for a full recap of Massively's coverage of the con, covering everything from the venerable City of Heroes to the highly anticipated Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Wizard101 has a banner year amidst chat issues
Wizard101 isn't at the top of everyone's list for free-to-play games, but that seems to be an odd oversight. Sure, the game isn't going to appeal to everyone with its highly stylized and kid-friendly atmosphere, but 2010 has apparently turned out to be a high-water mark for the title. According to an official release from KingsIsle Entertainment, the site's visitors were high enough to rank it at number eight out of the top 250 sites gaining in visitors over December, and the US registrations alone soared to over 15 million players (not counting European registrations). And let's not forget that the game was voted as the best family game of the decade by our readers. The success isn't without the occasional misstep, however, with the game's recent 18+ chat troubles as a prime example. Several players mature enough to take part in unfiltered chat found themselves locked out of the chat by an unannounced change to the way chat systems work, one that filtered out players who had stopped paying a monthly subscription. A full rundown of the situation has been posted by company representatives, with the announcement that accounts verified as being eligible for chat will be allowed to chat once again. Wizard101 players who've moved to a free-to-play account should be happy -- as should anyone cheering for the game's success moving into 2011.
Wizard101 reveals the truth behind the green blob in space
If you follow astronomy or just like stories about big green things, you probably were aware of last week's photo from the Hubble telescope showcasing an enormous green blob. It's a known spot in space, an enormous region in which new stars are being formed -- although why stars would be forming out in the middle of nowhere has researchers baffled. But researchers from Wizard101 have helpfully taken the opportunity to dispel the mystery, making it clear exactly what the region of space actually is. Does it look sort of like a giant green frog? Well, that's exactly right. The discovery was made possible by use of facilities in the ancient undersea world of Celestia, but it still raises a number of new questions. Some of the wizard researchers speculate that the enormous frog might be a powerful minion of Morganthe, while others are certain the frog's appearance is simply a prank by a wizard with more time than common sense. Whatever the case, Wizard101 has helped provide us with the answer to a great scientific mystery, and for that we can all rest a little easier.
One Shots: Everybody smile for the camera!
When it comes to stylish rides, there's something to be said for having one of the new swift shark mounts in Wizard101! Not only can the sharks cross from land to water, but they also have an excellent smile, perfect for fun screenshots like today's One Shots. This image comes to us from Leesha Darkheart and was taken at a recent in-game party. We'll let her explain this smiling group: "[This] is a pic of some friends and me hanging out at the Ravenwood Radio podcast in-game after-party this week. We decided to have a swimming party in the new underwater zone, Crab Alley, on our new swift shark mounts. The shark mounts are really awesome-looking and have great animations. They chomp at the bit every once in a while and bounce up really far when you jump. Makes the sparkle pony look like chopped liver." Have you snapped a fun picture from an in-game event that you'd like to share? We'd love to see it. Just email it in to us here at oneshots@massively.com. Include your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing in the picture. Please make sure your image is at least 1024 pixels wide and has as few visible UI elements as possible. We'll post it out here for everyone to enjoy and give you the credit! %Gallery-85937%
Wizard101 celebrates its second anniversary
It's easy to dismiss Wizard101 as nothing more than a cute MMO for kids, but the game has proven that it has quite a bit of depth and staying power. And September is the milestone to mark it by, since the game launched in September of 2008. With the arrival of the two-year anniversary for the game, the production staff for KingsIsle Entertainment has posted a short letter to commemorate the achievement and discuss the game's future in brief. Obviously, one of the big points of the future is the release of Celestia, which is currently slated for early fall. The new area and concurrent free expansion will raise the level cap and offer players a variety of new abilities, in addition to the eponymous underwater zone. To help kick off the pending launch, the development team is promising a quest later this month featuring "one of the hottest teen icons on the planet." It's been a busy two years for Wizard101, and it looks like the team is looking forward to many more.
Wizard101 offers sharks - and a letter from the producer, too
If you've somehow missed the flurry of shark-love that's been taking place on Massively over the past few weeks, let's reiterate: sharks. Even Wizard101 seems to be knee-deep in sharks, judging by the picture accompanying the newest producer's letter, which hints at a possible shark mount in the upcoming Celestia. Oh, wait, that's right -- there was a producer's letter. Leah Ruben, who has recently taken the title of full producer for the game, penned a letter to let fans know how the game is progressing, what to expect in Celestia, and of course, to include art of sharks. Although Ruben doesn't explicitly state that the shark mounts will be available, the prominent artwork certainly suggests that the underwater area will be well-served via aquatic mounts, as well as a wide variety of new tricks and spells for players in Celestia's added ten levels. She does discuss some of the new features, promising that the areas in Celestia will be larger than prior doses of content for the game, as well as talking about some of her roles within the game's development structure. Wizard101 fans will want to take a look at the letter, as it bodes well for the game's future. Also, we must reiterate: sharks. (We'll make sure to ask about sharks during our upcoming interview with the team at GenCon.)
Wizard101 introduces iPhone minigame
We've gotten quite an infusion of side applications for mobile devices of late, but Wizard101 has released one that might set a somewhat dangerous new precedent. It's one thing to be able to surf your auctions or your character builds, but it's another to be able to earn gold and potions in-game through diligent play of the mobile app. But just such a thing is possible in the new WizardBlox app, for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. High scores give you access to in-game rewards, thereby making your goofing around between classes or during breaks at work all the more productive. In terms of gameplay, it's a fairly standard puzzle game format -- slide blocks around on the bottom, match three or more to destroy them, avoid crossing the top of the screen. It's based off the in-game minigame Sorcery Stones, so gameplay will be familiar for any Wizard101 fan. The official page doesn't give any information on how large the rewards that you can earn for the main game will be, so it's safe to bet they're not going to be enormous. Still, this means players on the go can do more than usual in the game... even when they're not in the game.
Wizard101 hosting holiday Twitter contest
One of the more family-oriented MMOs currently on the market, Wizard101, celebrates Valentine's Day via its annual Friendship Festival, a concept that some of us can enthusiastically get behind. Its approach has been heralded by the return of the vendor NPC Valentia Heartsong, selling special holiday items in exchange for the game's microtransaction currency, Crowns. But in an effort to get players feeling just a little bit more friendly, the game's staff is running a special contest to give away some of the holiday items for free. Every day until February 12th, the team will select one of their followers on Twitter at random, contact them via Twitter, and ask for their Wizard101 account name. That means that entering the contest is as simple as following the game @Wizard101. The prize is handed out at noon each day, which means there's still plenty of time for the game's players to get in on the fun and get a little something extra. And besides, following a game you enjoy on Twitter is good practice anyway. Fan of the holiday or not, it's hard not to like a friendly gesture such as this.
Wizard101 raises over $100,000 for charity
The holidays are over -- everyone can breathe a collective sigh of relief now -- but there are some gifts that keep on giving. Charitable donations always go up during the holidays, and with the rise of microtransaction stores, games are better able to get in on the generosity. Wizard101 was one of the many offering an in-game carrot for donating to charity, the tiger-striped Meowmodon mount. Aside from having an adorable name, it inspired enough players to purchase it that raised $126,000 for charity. The total amount received will be split evenly between Child's Play and the Austin Children's Shelter, to suppport both the worldwide community and the area surrounding the KingsIsle headquarters. The company seems quite pleased with the results, and it's a testament to both the community and the game that a free-to-play game could raise such a substantial sum for two excellent causes. The offiicial announcement can be found on the official Wizard101 site, to no great surprise. Congratulations to the players who took part, and we can only hope this effort will be repeated in the coming months -- free-to-play item malls donating to charity have certainly made an impact this holiday season, certain hiccups notwithstanding.
KingsIsle's Todd Coleman on Wizard101: Finding the middle ground
How do you go from the hardcore hacking and slashing impact-PvP of Shadowbane to a turn-based card combat MMO featuring cow samurais named Sam-moorai? How does one create an experience that is more grown up than Club Penguin but more kid-friendly than Barrens chat? What do you get when you take Harry Potter, Yu-Gi-Oh, and early Final Fantasy and then mix them in a blender?The MMO Gamer asks these questions and more in an interview with Wizard101 Director, J. Todd Coleman; the man who conceptualized the original idea for the game on a note pad. The interview sheds light on how Wizard101 came to be, the free-to-play model, and potential directions the game may take in the future (e.g., player housing).Todd also tells us that reports of the game surpassing 1,000,000 players are outdated and that KingsIsle will be making an announcement soon to highlight their exponential growth since releasing six months ago. He claims that Wizard101 wouldn't have had nearly this much success if it was a $50 retail purchase and $15 per month subscription. About subscription-based MMOs he says, "...you're fighting a war of attrition the entire time. FTP is not like that, at least it hasn't been for us."
Taiwan Mobile set to offer its own branded netbook
While most carriers seem content to simply offer netbooks from all the usual suspects, Taiwan Mobile is going one pretty big step further and offering its own branded netbook. The carrier doesn't look to be making any attempts to break the mold, however, with its 10-inch W101 netbook packing the standard issue Atom N270 processor, an 8GB SSD drive, and Windows XP for an OS, although it is on the lighter end of the scale at just two pounds even. As you might expect, while the netbook will run upwards of $400 on its own, Taiwan Mobile is apparently offering a number of bundles that should bring the price down considerably if you're willing to sign off on the next few years of your mobile life.[Via GadgetMix, thanks Kamal DS]
