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The Game Archaeologist: Kingdom of Drakkar
You'd think that by now I would be running out of older MMOs and their kin to cover, but I just keep discovering more. Some of those discoveries are helped by Massively readers, who have urged me from time to time to investigate certain games. One such commenter, Space Cobra, has been after me for quite a while (as in years) to do a write-up about Kingdom of Drakkar, and I finally caved. Here you go, good buddy! Kingdom of Drakkar, also known as Drakkar or Kingdom of Drakkar II, is a really odd duck in the MMO history books. While being very small potatoes for the industry as a whole throughout its entire lifespan, it's notable for an extraordinary long run (it began in the 1980s, people!) that's traversed through several format changes and handlers. I've seen it described, somewhat unkindly, as a "shoddier Ultima Online," but I think that is a surface judgment that doesn't take the effort to get to know the game or its legacy. There must be something to this game if it's been around for three decades, yes? Let's find out!
New racing MMO looks to Kickstart its engines
A new racing MMO has taken to Kickstarter this week. Inspired by Motor City Online and anime film Akira meets Street Rod, Hot Rod Hustle is part racing sim and part RPG set in a blended 2-D/3-D persistent world that will be accessible across multiple platforms. In HRH, players will build and race their vehicles on combined single-player and multiplayer experiences. Features include the ability to race for cash or BitCoins (iOS/Android/PC/Mac), retro mini-games, and leaderboards with worldwide rankings. Gangs (clans) and an open market are two of the project's stretch goals. For a better look under the hood, watch the introduction below. If this game sounds like a sweet ride to you, check out the official Kickstarter to help get the the project off the blocks and onto the road.
E3 2012: Dragon Eternity's cross-platform warfare and weddings
Harken back, o reader, to ye olden days of E3 2012, if thou canst recall, as a great and powerful force of dragons has arrived among us. OK, so E3 wasn't that long ago (although it often feels like it), but something dragon-like has certainly surfaced: During the expo, I saw an impressive demo of Dragon Eternity, a cross-platform fantasy MMO from Game Insight, and as of this morning, the embargo on all the details of that demo has finally lifted. Hit the break and I'll tell you all about it!
Massively Exclusive: WindSlayer 2 dev diary talks in-game events
Hello 2-D sidescrolling fans, and welcome to another exclusive Windslayer 2 developer diary. We've partnered with Ignited Games to bring you a series of first looks at the title as it moves through beta and toward its official release. So far we've covered a basic introduction, ranged class mechanics, and PvP. Today we're shifting gears a bit to focus on in-game events. Ignited is currently focusing on both scripted events and GM-driven events, and both are designed to add a bit of flavor and give players an interesting diversion from everyday gameplay. See what's in store after the break.
The Daily Grind: Are you obsessed with jumping?
I suspect that if you polled players about their biggest Guild Wars pet peeves, the lack of a jump ability would be toward the top. The game world just isn't built with a Z-axis. Even if you could jump, there'd be nowhere to go. ArenaNet has been quick to assure fans that the sequel will in fact have jumping. Jumping! You'd think there were no other important mechanics, like crafting or travel or guilds! Besides, if you build your world for jumping, you also build your world for falling... like off of City of Heroes' tall buildings or those obnoxious Kelethin tree platforms in EverQuest (seriously, learn2railings, Wood Elves!). Still we crave our spacebar jumping, so much that we demand it even in 2-D sidescrolling crafting sandboxes like Glitch (where jumping neither decreases aggro nor makes you harder to target in PvP, sadly). Are you one of those obsessed with jumping in MMOs, and if so, why? Is it a nervous twitch? A way to immerse yourself in the gameworld? Do you jump for attention? Or is jumping merely shorthand for an interactive three-axis world? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Rise and Shiny recap: Glitch
Ah, so we meet at last, Glitch. I have been looking forward to playing this game for a long, long time. Possibly decades. All right, not decades... but there is something familiar about the game, something that feels homey and warm and nice. What is it? Perhaps I will find out soon. Before I get all gushy about the wonderful world of giants, I need to explain why I think it is important for the genre, not just for me. Glitch is like Minecraft, not in its dynamic or design but in the obvious impact it is having and will more than likely continue having on its particular genre. Actually, it has already had this type of effect on gaming in general, but not quite at the level of Minecraft. Yet. Click past the cut and I'll gush some more.
Massively exclusive: Introducing WindSlayer 2
One of the things we Massively writers love to do is to be the conduit between you and hidden gems in the MMO world. While high-profile games may get all the hubbub, it's just as important to bring to you the scrappy upstarts that are looking to make a name for themselves. With that in mind, we'd like to introduce you to WindSlayer 2, a 2-D side-scrolling title that keeps the action fast and furious. Ignited Games is understandably excited to show off WindSlayer 2 as it enters closed beta and is prepared to woo you with a series of developer diaries showing off this fun little sequel to WindSlayer. So gird your loins, hold on to your butts, and hit that jump to see what WindSlayer 2 is all about!
Exclusive: Trickster Online's Songs of Love and Fate
Heads up, Anime fans: SG Interactive's Trickster Online is on the verge of releasing what it's calling "the largest episode in the history of Caballa Island." The cutesy, free-to-play, 2-D isometric MMO out of South Korea aims to launch Episode VI, the grand finale of its second season of content, on October 6th. The episode, titled The Songs of Love and Fate, includes a new escort system, 18 new characters, 23 new maps, 17 new monsters, 15 new normal quests, and 41 new scenario quests. And as you might guess from the title, the update will tell a love story rather than focus on the mysteries of the island itself. Who says a game has to be 3-D to tell a good story? Past the cut, we've got an exclusive teaser video with the highlights from this upcoming content patch. Enjoy!
The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: Middle-earth Online
I had so much fun walking down the halls of "What if?" last week that I thought I'd keep the streak going for the rest of the month (if you'll allow for some summertime indulgence). It's not that I necessarily wanted MMO history to turn out differently than it did, but it's always tantalizing to wonder what the field would look like with different games out there. Would they have proven more popular than our current crops? Would they have pushed the envelope of innovation? Of course, it's easy to project greatness onto never-released titles, bemoaning that "if only MMO X had launched, we would've had the perfect game!" What ifs are interesting but should never be taken as absolute fact. This week I wanted to look at a project that's related to an MMO near and dear to my heart. As most of you know, I'm somewhat of a Lord of the Rings Online nut here at Massively. Sure, the rest of the staff is upset that I smoke pipeweed inside and never wear shoes, but that's just how far I go to understand the game. But even my LotRO isn't immune to a massive what if. Known to some but not to all, Turbine wasn't the first MMO studio to take a crack at Tolkien's license -- no, for that we have to travel back to 1998 and revisit Sierra On-Line. It was this company that had a brief but memorable run designing Middle-earth Online, aka "What if LotRO had permadeath?" It's a fascinating glimpse into an entirely different approach to the IP, and even though it died a fairly early death, it's important to be remembered. Frodo lives!
Rise and Shiny recap: Shadowtale
Shadowtale is pretty close to genius in a lot of ways. It can be played in pretty much any browser, it can run on almost any machine, and it still offers pretty in-depth gameplay, especially considering its limitations. While the controls are not necessarily the easiest to remember at first, they become very simple to manage after a short while. It would seem that the developers have a good grasp on how to make a solid, fun game for many different age groups. I spent most of my time running around, exploring and killing monsters along the way. Attacking enemies is one of the most fun parts of the game. You simply hit a keyboard or mouse button and your character will swing his sword. You have another button for block, and the number keys can fire off special abilities. I was so surprised when the combat responded as it did, allowing me to actually block and dodge incoming enemies. It was fluid and almost like a "2-D Vindictus-lite." But I'm not just going to go on about the controls all day. Click past the cut to see what I thought about the rest of the game.
Rise and Shiny recap: Linkrealms
Over the last week I was privileged enough to participate in Mythyn Interactive's Linkrealms beta, a game that I had watched for a while now. The trailer is just neat (to use a truly nerdy word) and strikes you immediately with its awesome animations and spell effects. In fact, the animations are very cool and probably one of my favorite parts of the game. That says a lot, especially since the combat and community are such charmers. There's something about the animations that brings the game out of indie territory -- and out of Ultima Online territory -- and plants it more in the area of original and immersive. Of course, the game is still testing. I will bet that, like many indie games, it will stay in beta for a long, long time. We players need to be forgiving when developers do this and understand that true release -- even just calling it that -- is just not that simple. I can almost sense the fear in my discussions with some of the developers: they have worked their butts off on the game, they have spent way too much time working on this digital world, and they don't want their work to be misrepresented. This fear is completely rational, especially if we think just for a second about how quickly players not only eat up content, but mercilessly blame developers for every single thing they feel is wrong with the game. So, follow me after the jump and let's talk about why this game is so good, even if it does still need a little more time in the oven.
Second anniversary brings fun to Wonderland Online
IGG's Wonderland Online is a colorful MMORPG based on South American and Pacific Island cultures, and it's 2D world is now called home by 2 million registered users! The popular MMORPG features manufacturing and crafting systems to help players make what they need to get by in the world, and monsters that can even be tamed as pets. To celebrate the game's second anniversary, the team at Wonderland Online has pulled out all the stops, including a double experience weekend that will run from March 27th to March 29th. So clear your calendar, grab a 12 pack of pop, and make sure your cell phone is on silent because you have some playing to do! You can also find more information about other events on the forums. Take a look below to see some screenshots from the game. %Gallery-89101%
Massively's WonderKing Online launch day roundup
It's launch day for WonderKing Online and Massively, as usual, has you covered. But wait! What is WonderKing, you ask? WonderKing is NDOORS Interactive's newest free-to-play title, joining the ranks of Atlantica Online and Luminary: Rise of the GoonZu. WonderKing plays very much in the vein of MapleStory, offering a two-dimensional, action and platforming based experience rather than the traditional 3-D MMO targeting combat. However, unlike MapleStory, WonderKing goes a bit further with its MMO aspects in the form of crafting and cooking systems, an upcoming player housing system, and the upcoming ability to become a king by taking over a castle and defeating other players. We've been keeping up with WonderKing for you guys, so here's a roundup of our coverage on this new free-to-play title. Read, learn, and find out if WonderKing is right for you!
La Tale offers up a new Time Traveler patch
The colorful world of La Tale is expanding yet again, with three new areas to adventure in. This newest update called Time Traveler will offer players not only these three distinct new areas -- and a time machine to travel to them in -- but also adds in the new Guild Crops system. What's a Guild Crop? Well, the idea is this: La Tale players will be able to grow plants with their guild mates in special guild rooms. If they take good care of them, the plants will grow into monsters that players will then battle to gain access to a special dungeon with guild weapons, armor, and a fun new boss.
Korea's Dungeon Fighter Online sets sights on the West
As graphics in massively multiplayer online games push ahead year after year, a few developers are taking a different approach to these games, some with a stylized 2-D look. "Different" is an understatement when it comes to Nexon's Dungeon Fighter Online -- a blending of an MMO with an old-school arcade game which Massively previewed at E3 2009. Although the side-scrolling action is reminiscent of games like Street Fighter, Dungeon Fighter Online will have classes and subclasses, skills, and a level-based system of advancement as with the majority of MMO titles. The game has done very well for itself in Korea (where it's known as Dungeon & Fighter) and is coming to North America, with a closed beta on the way.
Wonderland Online patches up to version 4.0 with The Cursed Palace
Free to play 2-D fantasy MMO Wonderland Online has recently update with a brand new version, adding in new quests, a drastic change to the current storyline, and the ability to hold instances in their game. With all of these additions comes their new 13 dungeons, the wings of the Cursed Palace.The former Hell Generals of the evil King Howert (now deceased as of this patch) have captured Apollo, the Sun God, forcing the world into eternal darkness. Players will have to pass the tests of the Cursed Palace, a place that only Hercules had survived before, to reclaim Apollo and bring light back to the world. If you haven't noticed, this entire patch has a very Greek theme to it, introducing the Greek Polis area, which is a combination of all of the old Greek city-states, and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in addition to the Cursed Palace.For the full look at the 2-D MMO's large patch, check out their dedicated site to the update on the main Wonderland Online home page.
