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New World of Speed trailer invites you to race the world
World of Speed's latest trailer is out, and aside from a few briefing passing shots, there aren't many cars to be found in the clip's two-minute-and-20-second running time. What gives? Slightly Mad and My.com are showing off the game's globe-spanning locales. You'll be racing in the UK, the USA, Russia, France, Monaco, Australia, Belgium, and Germany. See for yourself after the cut.
The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV's big fanfest reveals
Christmas came early for the forward-looking Final Fantasy XIV player this year. I know some people are upset at the fact that there were more revelations in the Japanese fan festival than in the ones in Vegas or London, but the timing is different. (I'd also point out that the expansion was announced in Las Vegas.) We've gone from having only a dim view of what's coming to having a pretty clear picture of what awaits through the next few month. One of the things that awaits is, of course, endless yelling about Machinist. Because boy. So let's start unpacking the stuff we learned from Tokyo. I say "start" because there is no way to get everything in one column, certainly not with deadlines and other considerations to take center stage. It's going to be a few months, but there's a lot to chew on just about 2.5, even if we ignore all of the expansion stuff, which I have no intention of doing.
Final Fantasy XIV introduces two new jobs and new races for Heavensward
The last Final Fantasy XIV fan festival of the year is going on now in Japan, and the event's keynote speech has already contained big revelations for the game's first expansion, Heavensward. Players can look forward to the first new race for the game, the Au Ra, a race of dragon-esque people from Othard. It's been established that heretofore masked NPC Yugiri belongs to this race, and she will be revealing her face in patch 2.5. Fans were also treated to preview footage of the Dark Knight in-game as well as two new jobs, the Machinist and the Astrologian. Astrologians are a new style of healer, drawing cards from decks to aid party members while debilitating enemies. Machinists are ranged DPS with a single large handgun and a style of play based on laying down turrets and paying attention to positioning. The keynote also contained information on the next multi-part raid and the Collector's Edition for the game, currently scheduled for release in spring of 2015.
Archlord 2 adds a new server and two races
Next week's Eternal Strife update for Archlord 2 will offer a fresh start for many players, as the semi-launched title will open a new European server and toss in a couple of additional races. So which races will be immigrating to the fantasy MMO? First up are the Moonelves, who will team upwith the Crunn and bring their exclusive magical orbs to bear (insert skimpy armor joke here). Over on the Azuni side, the Dragonscion and their deadly pistols will join the struggle. Each race will also get its own new starting region as well. Eternal Strife is scheduled for Tuesday, December 16th. We've the update trailer for you to watch after the break!
The Crew accidentally erases player stats
Whoops: It seems as though The Crew's launch wasn't without a few speed bumps after all. Ubisoft admitted that the game's servers had been erasing or showing incomplete player statistics due to a minor issue. Before you get frightened that the game has erased your identity and progress entirely, know that the good news is that "major data" weren't affected at all and that a patch is coming to fix the problem. The Crew launched on Tuesday, December 2nd. Ubisoft refused to provide the media with review copies of the game.
Players power direction of Oort Online's development
Oort Online's dev team is not content to make this voxel sandbox in the isolation of its ivory tower (or the corner of a deserted warehouse, whatever may be), but it has been asking for constant input from backers for the direction of the game's development. "As the game currently stands, the playable features are quite contained as we've been focusing on establishing the core MMO services and game engine," the devs posted. In a recent backer survey, 43% of those surveyed asked for the devs to prioritize the creation of character races out of the four options presented. In addition, the team said that some of the biggest priorities for a 1.0 release include resource gathering, crafting, and PvE combat. At the bottom of the list? "Real money purchases -- I want short cuts!" Oort Online is a "universe-sized" sandbox that's currently in alpha testing and has raised over $123,000 in crowdfunding. [Thanks to Jose for the tip!]
New World of Speed vid pits Camaro vs. Mustang
World of Speed's recent video releases have been heavy on Asian and European automotive flavor. Today's reveal, though, is all about modern American muscle courtesy of two iconic ponycars. The Ford Mustang GT and the Chevy Camaro SS take you on a two-minute ride via the trailer that we've embedded just past the break.
Ubisoft's The Crew: Not pre-screened for critics
I used to love reading movie reviews in the local paper when I was a kid, though sometimes it puzzled me when a film was listed as "not pre-screened for critics." Generally these were B-movies that critics were prone to savaging, so the distribution companies figured they'd make more money if prospective customers didn't see Siskel and Ebert ripping a film up one side and down the other. Fast-forward 20 years and Ubisoft is doing something similar with The Crew. According to the latest company blog post, the open world MMO racer won't be given to media outlets in advance of its December 2nd release, ostensibly so that reviewers can experience the game in "optimal conditions" that include lots of other players. "The Crew was built from the beginning to be a living playground full of driving fans, so it's only possible to assess our game in its entirety with other real players in the world," the company says. "And by other, we mean thousands and thousands and thousands of players – something that can't be simulated with a handful of devs playing alongside the press." Ubisoft goes on to say that any reviews that do appear on release day will be built around media preview sessions from the title's beta phases and thus will not "reflect the finished game."
Take a look at World of Warcraft's updated Blood Elf models
Blood Elves kind of got the short end of the World of Warcraft stick when Warlords of Draenor launched. All the classic races got an updated model, the Draenei got an updated model, and the Blood Elves didn't. The result is that the race is notably older than its contemporaries. That's going to change soon; the updated models for the race are swiftly moving through development, bringing the Horde's magical addicts up to par with the rest of the faction. As with the other updated models, the differences are subtle but notable. Blood Elf women have slightly wider torsos and a more defined neck, while the men have better anatomy and a more natural stance. There's no precise ETA, but the team is hoping to have these updated models into the game soon, as rigging and animating are currently underway. You can get some idea of what the finished product will look like by checking the preview.
The Crew gets an everything-you-need-to-know trailer
Ready for another trailer featuring Ubisoft's The Crew? This one is a bit meatier than previous clips, as it runs for nearly eight minutes and serves as a sort of everything-you-need-to-know visual guide to the upcoming open world racer. You'll learn about the world and its 12 major cities as well as everything from skills to missions to factions to customization and the game's "CarPG" progression mechanics. Hop in and go for a spin just past the cut. Don't forget about the game's console open beta which starts on November 25th!
Here's a supra new World of Speed trailer
Supra fans, here's a World of Speed trailer that'll tickle your fancy. Slightly Mad's upcoming MMO racer has a new teaser focused on Toyota's Supra Mk 4. Unfortunately the video is over and done with in under a minute, but that's still enough time to see one of Japan's most iconic sports cars burning through various environments at 155 MPH. Click past the cut to have a look!
The Crew's season pass hyped in new trailer
If you're undecided about purchasing a season pass for The Crew's DLC, a quick look at Ubisoft's latest trailer may help you out. Perks include one week of early access to new content, a Ferrari 458 Speciale, a McLaren 12C, and four themed car packs (speed, vintage, extreme, and raid). The Crew launches on December 2nd.
New World of Speed vid features nearly four minutes of gameplay
We've seen a lot of teaser videos from World of Speed thus far, but gameplay footage has been rather scarce. Happily, that's no longer an issue thanks to a new video that puts you in the driver's seat of a race through Moscow. The contest gives us a good look at the game's UI, various camera angles including genre staples like a hood view and a third-person behind-the-car view, and plenty of tire-screeching back-and-forth between a RUF RK Coupe and a Mercedes SLS. See for yourself after the break!
Camelot Unchained explores the designs of the Tuatha De Danann
Armor is not a fashion statement. Well, all right, it usually is, but it's not just a fashion statement. How a race looks in a given game often says a lot about what that race represents and what matters to the members as a whole. Camelot Unchained's latest update talks about the Tuatha De Danann, both a concept that the team may use for the realm's armor and the updated visual design of the Baen Sidhe. Unlike the design for the Baen Sidhe's previous more macabre appearance, the updated design is still ethereal whilst being less overtly malformed. The scars and wounds that led to the death of an individual Baen Sidhe's line still play into the designs via shadowed tattoos. Meanwhile, the Tuatha De Danann as a whole are so in tune with the seasons and the flow of the natural world that several concept designs for season-themed armors are shown. If you want to see how you can protect your character while still making a fashion statement, check out the full update.
The Daily Grind: Are you looking forward to The Crew?
I can't wait for Ubisoft's upcoming open world racer called The Crew. I'm not convinced that it's an MMO, but it looks like a nifty combination of online action RPG mechanics and arcade-style driving. And hey, I liked Test Drive Unlimited as well as its sequel, so it's not like I'm hard to please when it comes to car games! What about you, Massively readers? Are you interested in The Crew, or is it outside your gaming wheelhouse? 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!
The Crew's latest vid talks mobile mechanics, customization
Ubisoft has released a new video for The Crew, this time focusing on the racing title's customization elements. Much of the video's four-and-a-half-minute running time is devoted to car specs, and you'll recognize the Street, Performance, Raid, Dirt and Circuit nomenclature if you've been following the game. Interestingly, the video mentions that you can swap specs without returning to a garage. You can also make use of a handy mobile mechanic in case you're better at trading paint than you are at clean racing. Click past the cut to watch the new vid.
You can probably afford this McLaren F1 in World of Speed
Want to drive a McLaren F1? Me too, except I'm several million short of the asking price. Fortunately there's World of Speed, which today announced that it will feature the legendary V12 sports car that was produced between 1992 and 1998. If you're into car porn, it's worth noting that the World of Speed devs released a brief F1 teaser video. You'll find it just past the break.
EverQuest Next video talks about Ogres and Dwarves
When you talk about basic fantasy races, Dwarves and Ogres are up there as the classics. But which do you find more interesting to learn about in EverQuest Next? The latest episode of the game's Workshop Show is available now; art director Rosie Rappaport and creative director Jeff Butler are joined by lead content designer Steve Danuser to show off the style and lore of both races while players vote over which one should be the next workshop focus. Dwarves, for their part, are fairly familiar to anyone who has played EverQuest or EverQuest II (or pretty much any fantasy game from 1967 to the present): short, stocky, bearded, ancestral, and traditional. Ogres, meanwhile, have changed a lot, with a renewed developer emphasis on making the race more appealing to players in general whilst offering a wider range of available style options for players. You can watch the full show past the break, but be forewarned: It's a long one.
WildStar reveals big lore drops on the Aurin and the Mechari
It's time to learn everything about the WildStar races that you were afraid to ask. Or, more likely, that you did ask. There's a lot of lore in the game, but it's possible to miss some pieces of important information, and players always have lore questions no matter what happens. So the team at Carbine Studios asked for player questions, and creative director Chad Moore has posted the first set of answers in the form of pages for the Aurin and the Mechari. Both pages contain an overview of the racial histories, culture, social structures, relations with other races, lifespans... everything you could want to know at a glance regarding the operations of these species. Veteran players will find some elements of this unsurprising, but there's more to learn and some longstanding theories confirmed (like the functional immortality of the Mechari or the Aurin preference for analogies). Take a look at both pages for more information.
World of Speed's new BMW is stupid fast
World of Speed's latest trailer introduces the BMW M3 E92, a sleek bit of German engineering that tops out at 286 kilometers per hour (that's 178 miles per hour for you Yanks). The coupe's acceleration isn't bad either, as it takes a tick under four seconds to reach 100 kilometers per hour. Click past the cut to see World of Speed's Bimmer in action.
