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SWTOR's EU launch moved up to December 20th
For all of you European Star Wars: The Old Republic fans out there who were planning to be sick from work on December 22nd for the game's launch, you'll now be doing it two days earlier. That's right -- if you plan to play the game at retail launch, you'll be doing it on the same day as the Yanks in North America: December 20th. The announcement was made today during BioWare's New York Comic-Con panel, where our sister site Joystiq grabbed the news. Stay tuned to Massively for more from SWTOR and NYCC as it becomes available.
More big app sales for the iPhone 4S release
The iPhone 4S is now out and in customers' hands, and that means a flurry of App Store action as those customers fill up their new iPhones with apps to match. Developers are, of course, looking to take advantage of all of those apps sales, so here are some of the many price drops (in addition to what we saw yesterday) going on this weekend. The old Spider: Bryce Manor game is down again, only 99 cents on the iPhone and $1.99 on the iPad. Crescent Moon's big RPG Aralon: Sword and Shadow is down to $2.99. As promised, Quarrel Deluxe is down to just 99 cents. You should grab this one for sure if you like word games at all. The beautiful Marble Madness-inspired Gears is also a buck. 8-bit retro RPG Dragon Fantasy is a dollar. Daily iPhone App and puzzle game Continuity 2: The Continuation is on sale for $.99. Words with Friends HD has also been dropped to a dollar. Telltale's put all of the Hector: Badge of Carnage episodes on sale for $2.99. Capcom just recently released a Dead Rising Mobile game, and it's half off, to 99 cents. Drawing app ArtRage is down to $1.99 during the New York Comic Con. EA's got Risk on sale for just 99 cents. Flickr HD is also only 99 cents, in advance of a new release. Comic book creator Comic Life is on sale for $4.99, or if you want something still cheaper, ComicBook! is only a buck. Tweet Speaker is on sale for $1.99. And finally, since there's only a few games left in the baseball season, MLB's At Bat app for this year is finally down to just 99 cents. Keep in mind that it's for this year only, so the app is pretty much useless unless your team is still in the running, and even then only for a few more days. Have at 'em! Lots of great games and apps in there, so for just a few bucks you can pick up plenty of app goodness to play with and use on your new iPhone.
The Old Republic playable at New York Comic Con
Mark October 13th through the 16th on your calendars, Star Wars: The Old Republic faithful, especially if you'll be anywhere in the vicinity of New York City. BioWare's Hutt-sized Star Wars MMO will be hogging the spotlight at this year's New York Comic Con, and you'll have a couple of opportunities to get some hands-on time with the highly anticipated sci-fi title. The Alderaan and Huttball warzones will be playable at SWTOR's booth, while a few of the developers will be featured on three separate panels over the course of the event. If you like a little alcohol with your Star Wars, you'll also want to make note of a dev-hosted meet-and-greet at District 36 on Wednesday, October 12th. All the details are available at the official site, so what are you waiting for?
The panel is true: The Secret World preps a NYCC appearance
MMO fans traveling out to the Big Apple for the New York Comic Con next weekend have another potential "must see" on their event list: an exclusive panel of The Secret World with the devs. The panel will take place on Friday, October 14th at 4:00 p.m. EDT in room 1A24. It's here that Funcom devs Ragnar Tørnquist and Dag Scheve will not only present an all-new live demo of the upcoming conspiracy MMO but field questions from the audience in as candid a manner as possible. Of course, considering the game in question, we note that this could be a trap by the Old Gods to swallow the souls of all those attending and turn them into husks to do the Old Gods' bidding, but that's just the chance you'll have to take.
Trion Worlds treks to NYCC with a trio of games
Trion Worlds has three gaming worlds up its sleeve right now, and it aims to talk about all of them at this year's New York Comic Con. In fact, the company has announced that several of its developers will participate in a panel "to discuss the future of [its] online gaming portfolio." RIFT junkies can look forward to a chat with Design Producer Hal Hanlin and Lore Lead Morgan Lockhart about the studio's upcoming plans for the fantasy MMO, while MMORTS fans will get their PvE and PvP on with Senior Producer Chris Lena from End of Nations. And attendees looking for their shooter fix won't be left out: Rob Hill, Senior Producer for Defiance, will be on hand to cover the MMOFPS and its integration with the Syfy show. The panel takes places on Friday, October 14th, from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. EDT in room 1A24. Tickets for the con are still available on the official NYCC website. [Source: Trion Worlds press release]
Star Wars: The Old Republic lists 2011 event appearances
Are you ready for the Star Wars: The Old Republic Hyperdrive or Bust World Tour 2011? OK, that might not be an official thing (and seriously, wouldn't you love a t-shirt with that on it?), but BioWare has announced the community events that TOR will be attending this year. So if you're willing to make the journey and eager to get some face-time with both the game and the developers, here's where you can make it happen: E3 in Los Angeles, CA (June 7-9) San Diego Comic-Con, CA (July 21-24) Gamescom in Cologne, Germany (August 17-21) PAX Prime in Seattle, WA (August 26-28) Eurogamer Expo in London, UK (September 22-25) New York Comic Con (October 13-16) Paris Games Week (October 21-25) DreamHack in Jönköping, Sweden (November 24-27) You can read all of the details of The Old Republic's worldwide journey on the Star Wars: The Old Republic Community Events page.
ArenaNet releases new Guild Wars 2 concept art slideshow
If you were one of the lucky fans who attended the Guild Wars 2 panel at New York Comic Con, you were treated to a slideshow of typically beautiful concept art. Those of us who did not attend get to share that privilege now, thanks to ArenaNet. The developers have set the slideshow to music and released it as an HD video. The slideshow encompasses art from all five playable races, and the variety of images shown may well make an extra viewing or two worthwhile. The video includes everything from sweeping landscapes and huge vehicles to armor details and small household items. In between are creatures, armor sets, interiors, and much more. Follow along after the jump to see for yourself!
NYCC 2010: Interview with DCUO's Jim Lee and Mark Anderson
DC Universe Online was all over New York Comic Con. The folks at Sony Online Entertainment presented a playable demo on the show floor, an info-laden panel highlighting character creation and a super-exclusive fan event with 500 of DCUO's biggest fans. Before the fan event got popping, Massively enjoyed the opportunity to sit down with comics legend Jim Lee and DCUO Art Director Mark Anderson. Lee, co-publisher of DC Comics and executive creative director of DCUO, and Anderson shared some special insights into the game's development. Conversation ranged from DCUO's similarity to Grand Theft Auto to Lee's introduction to the MMO genre.
NYCC 2010: DCUO's Q&A panel and fan event
The gods of New York Comic Con smiled upon Detective Comics fans and MMO junkies alike this weekend, as DC Universe Online kicked butt and took questions at not one, but a senses-shattering two Q&A sessions on Saturday. Conventioneers enjoyed a glimpse into the character-creation process at the "Creating the Next Legend Panel," and then Sony Online Entertainment invited fans to a special Q&A event afterward. And I would not be exaggerating if I said the audience reaction was riotously positive. Executive Creative Director Jim Lee, Creative Director Chris Cao and Art Director Mark Anderson shared details and fielded dozens of questions about the DC-based MMO at both events. Discussion ranged from costume creation to endgame content to the game's recent delay to early 2011.
Tron: Evolution soundtrack features Daft Punk, original music
Ever since we first heard that Daft Punk would be creating the soundtrack for Tron: Legacy (the upcoming film from Disney), we've been hoping that music from our favorite French space aliens would make its way to Tron: Evolution, the game tie-in from Propaganda Games. In a panel at New York Comic Con this weekend, Disney Interactive senior PR manager Eric Wein confirmed as much, answering a fan's question on the subject by saying, "We haven't announced details for the soundtrack, we will soon. We can tell you it'll be a combination of the film's soundtrack and some unique, original music." We'll be holding our breath in anticipation for that forthcoming full soundtrack announcement and, of course, playing lots of DJ Hero.
NYCC 2010: Our interview with FFXIV's Sage Sundi and Yasu Kurosawa
If there were an award for the most controversial game on Massively, that award would probably have to go to Final Fantasy XIV. It's a game with a very different approach to many of the elements that are considered de rigueur for MMOs, which has produced a great deal of affection from some players, a great deal of enmity from others, and a flamewar that burgeons in nearly any thread about even the most innocuous news. I had a chance to sit down at New York Comic Con with Sage Sundi, FFXIV's global online producer, and Yasu Kurosawa, FFXIV's North American online producer. It was certainly an interesting experience to chat with two of the people responsible in no small part for one of my personal favorite games, but both gentlemen were very polite to discuss the game, its worldwide community, and what lessons had been learned already from launch.
NYCC 2010: The City of Heroes Issue 19 panel
It's the end of the convention season, and City of Heroes fans on the East Coast managed to get one last treat -- another chance with the development team that had long been anchored firmly on the other side of the country. The team's panel in March at PAX East saw the revelation of several new facts about the game, including the first announcement of Kinetic Melee and Electric Control, and the panel that closes out the year at New York Comic Con contained several interesting new facts as well. Melissa Bianco, David Nakayama, and Jesse Caceres were all in attendance, with the panel overseen by community representative Tia Parurahi. With Going Rogue having been out for nearly two months, this panel focused on the upcoming Issue 19 and what the changes mean for the game, as well as how much the development team is ramping up production to improve the game all around.
The Daily Grind: Got cons?
So the New York Comic Con is in full swing, and the fact that it's here already reminds us of just how many game-related cons there are scattered throughout the calendar year. Whether it's NYCC, Dragon Con, E3, GDC, or the various flavors of PAX, there always seems to be something just around the corner that calls for hotel reservations and airline tickets. More often than not, the next convention on the circuit sneaks right up on us before we manage to shake the jet lag from the last one. While we'd like nothing better than to shirk responsibilities and tour the world of gaming and pop culture conventions for a year, work must occasionally intrude, and most of us have to pick and choose our events. What about you Massively readers? Did you attend NYCC this weekend, and are you a regular on the gaming convention circuit? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of our 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 The Daily Grind!
Halo franchise roadmap includes new trilogies and film, transmedia campaign reveals
During a panel last night at the New York Comic Con, transmedia company Starlight Runner -- a business that helps plan cross-media campaigns for various properties, including Microsoft's Halo franchise -- gave a presentation on its work. Among the slides shown, company president and CEO Jeff Gomez previewed one that gave the audience a look at the future of Halo: two new trilogies starting in 2012/2013 with a major motion picture set for release by 2014. Update: Microsoft representative Ryan James contacted Joystiq to say, "We worked with Starlight in the past, but the info isn't an accurate representation of our plans for the Halo franchise." Starlight Runner have yet to issue any official comment on the news. [Thanks Steven!]
DC Direct's NY Comic Con offerings full of gaming all-stars
Wondering what those announced, but mostly unseen DC Direct gaming figures look like? We spotted them this morning at the NY Comic Con, casually posing in a glass case. Most of the items aren't for sale until later this year -- we might find that more troubling if it weren't bank account depletion season (read: Q4).%Gallery-104665%
Konami's classic X-Men arcade game coming to PSN and XBLA
Konami's classic, six-player X-Men arcade beat-em-up will make its way to the XBLA and PSN platforms, as revealed during Marvel's New York Comic Con 2010 presentation. Marvel Games' T.Q. Jefferson revealed that the title will be ported by its original developer to the two platforms "soon," and will retain its six-player cap, achieveable through an online co-op mode. Jefferson didn't reveal a price for the title -- we'll try and ascertain more information while on the floor at NYCC. Also, we call Dazzler. Don't even try to get in here and play as Dazzler. We called her.
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions 'Cosmic' costumes coming this month
During the still-in-progress Marvel Games panel at New York Comic Con 2010, Beenox creative director Thomas Wilson revealed that the previously GameStop-exclusive (with pre-orders) "Cosmic" costumes for Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions will be made available as paid DLC sometime before the end of the month. Wilson didn't make any announcements regarding price, but we can't imagine the costume pack costing too many Spider-Cents.
Guild Wars 2 making an appearance at New York Comic Con
If Germany and Seattle were just too far away, you may be disappointed that you haven't gotten to experience the Guild Wars 2 demo yet. You can cheer up, because ArenaNet announced last night that it's taking its show on the road and heading for the east coast. ArenaNet will be at New York Comic Con, hosting a Guild Wars 2 panel titled Building a Better MMO. Even better, the developers will be hosting a meet-and-greet that includes a few GW2 demo stations. Massively will be there to bring you all the latest MMO news, and we're sure you are just as excited as we are for the next demo of Guild Wars 2. More details are still to come regarding the time and location of Friday night's meet-and-greet, so keep your eye on the ArenaNet blog for the next announcement.
Star Trek Online not getting that quirky Captain Kirk smirk
Alas, in case any dear readers were holding out hope for some kind of time traveling Captain Kirk appearance in Star Trek Online, we're here to inform you that it probably isn't going to happen. MTV Multiplayer's Tracey John sat down with STO's executive producer Craig Zinkievich last weekend at NYCC and got the goods on both Shatner's absence from the game, as well as some intriguing cross-platform information.So yes, no Kirk. However, it seems like Cryptic is not against the idea of dropping console and PC players into the same server. While no revelations were given about which (both?) console would see the game, apparently both Sony and Microsoft are excited at the prospect. ZInkievich stressed that ultimately their choice will have a lot to do with how certification for patches is handled.It's certainly a touchy subject, but Final Fantasy XI seems to have handled itself well on the Xbox 360. If we had to throw down a guess, it would be that we're likely to see the game his Microsoft's console at the very least. But until Cryptic makes an announcement, everyone will just have to assume they'll be boldly clicking, etc, etc.
Vehicles, 200 weapons and hospitalized writers in Champions Online
All right, so maybe the 200 mundane weapons available in Champions Online won't fit into a vehicle -- but it makes for some startling imagery. Unfortunately, according to the panel which took place last weekend at the New York Comic-con, Champions Online is unlikely to launch with drivable wheels of steel or any other form of bodacious transportation. But don't feel like all is lost, because Cryptic was quick mention that situation would be remedied soon after CO-day.(Everyone calls launch day CO-day, right?)
