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Aion prepares for September update and birthday
Today's Aion community report is sprinkled with a lot of anticipation over this month's 4.6.2 update. The patch is schedule to arrive on September 24th, bringing with it many balance changes among other game improvements. Aion also will be celebrating its birthday around this time, and the team urges players to look forward to "lots of in-game events" during this momentous occasion. One of the best parts of the report is already in the game: Players should be seeing performance improvements following work done on Aion's network. The team also said that players will be getting an improved My Aion on the official website at an undetermined point in the future.
Get free gifts for Wizard101's birthday
The magical world of Wizard101 turns six years old today, the perfect age for reveling in gifts and fun! Along with the in-game festivities that include decorations and secret hidden gift-giving packages (even the chance to catch a rare mystery fish!), all players can get a free birthday gazebo for their homes as well as 6,000 gold in honor of the game's sixth birthday. But the presents don't stop there: A new candle on the Wizard101 cake will reveal yet another free item each week throughout the month of September! Additionally, there will be special offers available to in the Crown store, including two brand-new items: the six-year-wizened Grampa Piggle pet and an updated Birthday Snack Pack. To join in the revelry, jump in game and visit the official site to grab your special gifts.
Remembering BASIC on its 50th birthday
Nowadays, "basic" has a very different and derogatory Urban Dictionary-style meaning. Fifty years ago on this very day, however, it was the name given to a new computer-programming language born in a Dartmouth College basement. Devised initially by a group of the school's undergraduates and professors, BASIC's initial academic purpose was simple: to enable time-sharing on Dartmouth computers with an easy-to-learn, English-based language. Programming itself has greatly evolved since, but our early memories of coding in BASIC are no less fond.
City of Titans updates trailer for City of Heroes' 10th birthday
Today would have been City of Heroes' 10th anniversary, believe it or not. And while fond memories and colorful screenshots are all that remain of the former superhero MMO, the spiritual successor City of Titans is being built to fill in the void that was left behind. Missing Worlds Media, the team behind City of Titans, released a new version of the teaser trailer for the Kickstarter project on this solemn occasion. It mostly consists of concept art and unpainted models being plunked down to make a city, but if you're looking to the future for your superhero fix, it might be an early glimpse at your future home. Give it a watch after the break. [Update: Not to be outdone, Heroes and Villains also released new work-in-progress screenshots of its own spiritual successor to CoH in honor of the original's anniversary.]
Lineage II turns 10 years old in North America
NCsoft's Lineage franchise has a lot to celebrate this week as the North American version of Lineage II turns 10 years old. Says the company, During the past decade, millions of players have joined the fight to defend the realm of Aden from Shilen, the evil Goddess of Destruction, and her dark forces. During that time, players have experienced 21 free expansions, defeated more than 350 raid bosses, explored 450 unique zones, mastered 2,200 plus unique skills, and interacted with (meaning "killed") more than 10,000 unique NPCs and monsters, making Lineage II one of the largest MMOs in the world based on content alone. The in-game celebrations will boast veteran packs and the Carnival of Aden, which includes login events, collection quests, special weapons, and weekend bosses. Happy birthday, Lineage II, and welcome to the short list of MMOs older than a decade! [Source: NCsoft press release]
TERA's having a birthday party and you're invited
TERA celebrates its second birthday this weekend, and for reasons that make sense only to MMORPGs and hobbits, that means it's giving its players a bunch of presents. En Masse will be handing out 20 prizes per server per day from today to May 1st, with a special jackpot chance for those who play over the weekend. The prizes include party packs, special mounts, skins, and the all-important 2013 swimsuit bundle. Everyone who logs in will be showered in daily federation bills, and this Saturday the team plans to bring in "special guests" who come bearing -- you guessed it -- more loot. The studio produced a trailer to punch up the festivities and demonstrate just how far the game has come since launch; we've included it below. Happy birthday, TERA!
Classic Guild Wars' ninth anniversary celebration is underway
If you're not too busy checking out the new feature pack in Guild Wars 2's version of Tyria, you might be interested to know that the more classic edition of the game world is celebrating its ninth birthday this month. Also, it has Cantha. Just saying. Yes, Guild Wars 1 is having a party, and you're invited. Though the anniversary update was originally scheduled to begin on April 22nd, a note from Joe Kimmes on the official wiki mentions that a fortuitous typo led to the event's partial stealth-implementation on April 2nd instead, so while you'll have to wait until next week for the complete event, players are reporting that bonus items have been dropping all month and that some of the minigames are underway as of today. The official site is silent about the anniversary so far, but the login screen announces the festivities: The party is on for the anniversary of Guild Wars! Starting April 22nd at Noon Pacific (-7 GMT), we open Shing Jea Boardwalk, Dragon Arena, and the Rollerbeetle Races. In addition, Birthday Cupcakes and many other special items will drop all throughout this weeklong event.
Super Hero Squad Online commemorates its third birthday
Who says kids MMOs are dead? Not Super Hero Squad Online! The adorable chibi-superhero MMO turns three this week, boasting seven million registrations since launch, 144 different playable heroes, playable villains, and even a new crafting system. The celebratory game additions and perks include new characters (Spider-Ham, Captain America Stealth, Falcon EXO-7, and Winter Solider), new world event heroes, hero sales, Facebook giveaways, a 20%-off sub sale through April, and a birthday card contest. Enjoy the festivities in the brand-new trailer below. [Source: Gazillion press release]
Lord of the Rings Online turns seven
Happy birthday Lord of the Rings Online! Today marks the seventh anniversary for LotRO, and as such, Turbine is handing out presents. All players who log in today will get fireworks, with premium and VIP players receiving extra gifts. The new seven-year gifts include a new portrait frame, a shield-cloak, a loot box key, and a dancing emote for your monster play character. LotRO's in-game anniversary festival begins tomorrow, April 16th, and will continue through April 29th.
Which gadget changed your life?
When we ask readers like you to help us rank the top gadgets, we usually focus on the best (and sometimes the worst). Recently, you selected our Readers' Choice winners for the 2013 Engadget Awards, but in the spirit of our 10th birthday, we wanted to try something a little different. Do you have a gadget that's changed your life? Perhaps you made a leap from the LG enV VX9900 feature phone to the mystifying world of smartphones and scooped up an iPhone 3GS (like this author did in 2009). Or when you decided to move to the other side of the world and your Mom bought a Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 to keep in touch and see your darling face over Skype.
Apple says Happy Birthday Mac with a video shot solely on iPhones
Apple isn't done celebrating the Macintosh's 30th birthday just yet. To further mark the occasion, the folks in Cupertino dispatched 15 film crews to locales around the globe, armed with 100 iPhones to document just how far Apple has come in 30 years. The end result is 70 hours of footage culled into a minute and a half of gorgeous vistas and enough Apple gadgets to make you (or your wallet) groan.
Sharks, skulls, and ships: One year of Pirate101
Pirate101 is a strange beast. It is a family-friendly, free-to-play, colorful MMO with silly characters, simple design, and quirky environments. Adventuring in Pirate101 sometimes demands that you investigate the secrets of a city that literally sits on top of a flying whale or that you and your friends (a fencing crab, perhaps, or a sharpshooting fox) leap onto a flaming, flying pirate ship in order to punch sharks in the face and steal their treasure. Hidden underneath the silliness, however, is a relatively deep turn-based strategy game designed to engage younger gamers while ensuring their adult counterparts have a good time. KingsIsle Entertainment isn't in the business of making kids games; instead, the studio strives to create titles that kids and parents can play together. The success of Pirate101 in its first year demonstrates that KingsIsle might just be on to something. Let's take a little peek back on the last 12 months of Pirate101 to examine its major milestones.
Pirate101 celebrates a birthday with headwear
It's been a year on the high seas for Pirate101, and the development team is in a celebratory mood. it's understandable considering how many games don't make it to a year or even out of beta. So from now until October 31st it's time to revel in all the birthday celebrations you want, starting with an entire game decked out in birthday regalia. Which will look a little odd next to the usual pumpkins, but whatever. The game is also offering two bits of accoutrement for players, veterans and novices alike. All players are eligible to receive a free birthday hat, and the game will also sell a birthday cake eyepatch in the cash shop for a limited time. (The eyepatch looks exactly like you would expect something with that name to look, if it was unclear.) So kick back and enjoy some piratical birthday bliss with a new hat.
Fallen Earth celebrates its 4th birthday
Fallen Earth is turning four years old today, and you know what that means, right? No, it doesn't mean another CHOTA-in-a-cake gag; we're still cleaning the carpets from last time. But it does mean that we're here to show you what the game's been up to for the last year! While year three was bittersweet for the post-apocalyptic MMO with a move to free-to-play and a significant staff cut, year four was fairy uneventful. Whether this is a good or bad thing has yet to be seen, but the content keeps trickling in regardless. This year we saw an introduction to farming and the Dome arena, with game updates showing off new Deathtoll weapons, coresuit armor, and the Vandal vehicle. But what's in store for Fallen Earth's next year? Recent staff shuffling doesn't seem a concern for the game, according to a recent interview, and this month's birthday bash will introduce the AP augmented weapons, new cosmetic items, and more. Read on past the jump for a round-up of news and features from Fallen Earth's third year.
Happy 16th birthday, Ultima Online
I've taken my share of ribbing from the youngins on the Massively staff (as well as the readers!) about my continuing obsession with Ultima Online, but I can't help it: It's hard not to love the game that effectively started it all, especially in an age when MMORPGs have veered so dramatically from the standards set for them by the earliest titles. Next week, Ultima Online turns 16, and you'd better believe we'll be at the party. To honor the game, of course -- not just to gobble free cake. Earlier in the summer, we took a deep dive into the current state of the game (as well as its music!), but since that article ran, Mythic has been ratcheting up the update machine. It's bringing out new veteran rewards, an anniversary event complete with the usual round of anniversary festivities, and a new patch that includes tweaks to the Clean Up Britannia rewards and turn-in system, new Halloween content, and new character titles. Oh, and did I mention players will be embarking on the first part of a new dynamic story arc? With any luck, this one won't end with the brick-by-brick destruction of a beloved NPC town (but hey, at least actions in the game have permanence!). The big party is happening this Saturday, September 21st, on the test server so that everyone can attend no matter his home server. Expect a hedge-maze scavenger hunt, design contest, and storytelling event, complete with some pretty pricey prizes. See you there, and happy birthday, UO!
The Game Archaeologist: What I loved about Warhammer Online
As I got my start in blogging over Warhammer Online, I've become "the guy" everyone on staff goes to whenever WAR hits an anniversary. The problem is, there's precious little good to say about this title's development over the past year. Pretty much all of the news we've gotten has been negative, from the closure of Wrath of Heroes to the elimination of the six-month subscription to the departure of its most vocal developers. TL;DR version of my feelings on the topic: WAR needs F2P or it will die probably much sooner rather than later. But instead of going maudlin and piling on the obvious, I want to go down a different road today for the sake of those who loved and perhaps still love Warhammer Online. Obviously, people continue to play it even though its day in the spotlight is long gone, and I'd like to chime in with some positivity for a change. After all, WAR's celebrating its fifth anniversary, and that's pretty cool. So in honor of that, here's a list of seven things that I loved about WAR from my time playing it and why it wasn't quite the abysmal failure that revisionist history has made it out to be.
Wizard101 gives away presents for its birthday
Happy birthday Wizard101! Starting today, the magical kid-friendly title celebrates turning five years old by offering gifts to players. Besides a confetti cannon to put in their houses, players will also receive other mystery gifts based on how old their accounts are; the longer you've been a Wizard101 player, the more gifts you'll receive! But why have a birthday when you can have a birth month? The festivities will continue all through September. Until the 30th, there will be decorations throughout Wizard City and special sales in the Crown Shop. Additionally, five new hairstyles and a brand now mount, the Arcus Cloud, are also available.
ArenaNet's Mike Zadorojny reflects on one year of Guild Wars 2 and its 'absurd' content pace
Birthdays are great for a number of reasons. There's the cake, the gathering of friends, some jubilant cake-chomping, and even the ability to get violent with anyone who goes near your stack of gift-wrapped loot. If something doesn't go as planned, feel free to cry if you want to. Fun aside, these anniversaries also serve as a great time for reflection. Guild Wars 2 officially turns one today, so ArenaNet Lead Content Designer Mike Zadorojny spoke with us in San Francisco about the challenges the team faced in the first year and how it opened the doors for the living world and future content.
Guild Wars 2's first birthday by the numbers: 3.5M sold, 460K peak concurrent
Today Guild Wars 2 celebrates the first anniversary of its official launch day. On the one hand, it's hard to believe it's been a year already. On the other hand, the game has seen so many changes and content updates that my adventures in Tyria today don't resemble what they were like this time last year. According to the anniversary blog post just released by ArenaNet's president, Mike O'Brien, my experience is exactly what the team is aiming for: "I think the real mark of a success of an online world is how that world grows and evolves, and the extent to which players can take the world and make it their own," he writes. In addition to the blog post, ArenaNet has released a fancy infographic, announced a special anniversary bash, and answered a few of our questions via press conference. Read on!
Amazon Birthday Gift helps you buy your Facebook friends something nice, lets others pitch in
Look at the people with smiling faces in the above illustration. It's not too difficult to figure out what's going on: it's their birthday, and they're all happy because they're about to get presents. What if they knew that you had totally spaced on the fact that they were celebrating the anniversary of their birth? Fortunately, there are plenty of services that will remind you of friends' and family members' DOBs, and Amazon is now joining their ranks with a Facebook-integrated program called Birthday Gift. The idea is simple: you can order an Amazon gift card for a Facebook friend ahead of time, and the company will make sure it gets delivered on their momentous day. What's more, you can also send invites to mutual friends to see if they want to pitch in a few bucks. This way, nobody feels terribly cheap for plunking down a couple dollars, and you won't settle for the standard Wall post birthday wish. Check out the video below to see how it all works.
