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A look at Aeria Games and their social network
When I was asked to do a write up about Aeria games, I smiled. Not only do some of my favorite FTP games come from the developer, but I have always liked how they present their products. While social networks are anything but brand new and uncommon, Aeria does theirs in a way that makes you want to play their games and to dive into their world. I decided to take a broad look at the two major areas: First, I wanted to try out the social network area of their site. It's standard stuff, really, but works well and is fun to fill out. I also wanted to try out some of their mini-games that are hosted on the site itself. Next I wanted to look at one of their games, Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online. There are a total of 16 titles to choose from, so I decided to go with one that I had enjoyed the most. It's been fun so far, and I'm glad I am going to be able to shine a little light on one of my favorite publishers!
Kingdom Heroes releases first developer blog
The Kingdom Heroes team has released their first developer blog. The Aeria Games title, slated to enter closed beta in late Spring of 2010, is shaping up to be an interesting entry in the increasingly crowded free-to-play market. Gameplay includes a number of different siege mechanics, including the ability to recruit and customize NPC soldiers to form a personal army, conquer enemy strongholds using troops, siege engines, mounts, and ships, as well as the ability to establish and defend player-controlled cities. Additionally, Kingdom Heroes will feature fully crewed player ships, something the initial blog goes to great lengths to explain. "There are a variety of ships with different crew sizes, gun types, and features for players to choose from. The smallest of these vessels can hold a crew of seven, while the largest offers stations for up to eleven players. Although you aren't required to have a complete crew on board to use a ship, if you aim to put up a good fight against other player vessels, you'll probably want an experienced navigator at the helm with a full complement of seasoned gunners, repairmen, and raiders," the blog states. You can check out the full text on Aeria's official Kingdom Heroes forums. Also be sure and browse the screen shots in the gallery below. %Gallery-88486%
Kingdom Heroes offers transforming trebuchets and more
Have you ever thought how cool it could be if you had your very own armies to control? Do you dig the idea of getting together with a group of friends to control your own city, or perhaps having large ship battles? Are you all about the sieges? If you answered "yes" to any of those, Aeria Games may have a game you'll want to keep your eyes on. Titled Kingdom Heroes, this new MMO offers players the chance to create and customize their very own NPC armies, pilot and fight guild battleships, use transforming siege weapons to tear down your enemies, and use strategy to engage in full-scale kingdom warfare. Add in the Han Dynasty as the setting, and this makes for an interesting idea, we think. Beta signups are open now for those curious. We've snagged a handful of screenshots tucked into the gallery below, and embedded the trailer behind the break. (Be sure to keep an eye out for the transforming catapult in the trailer!) Kingdom Heroes certainly looks to be an interesting new title. We'll let you know when we hear more about it. %Gallery-87395%
Hello Kitty Online Food for Friends 2 event a success
With the recent devastation in Haiti, we've seen a host of different gaming initiatives to help out. The folks at Sanrio Digital in connection with Aeria Games ran their own event, called Food for Friends 2. The idea was that players could donate any type of in-game items to Aeria, and Aeria would donate to the Haiti relief efforts on behalf of the Hello Kitty Online community. Well, the results are in, and the Hello Kitty Online players on Aeria servers donated 534,358 items to the cause. While Aeria has not currently released their total donations as yet, the numbers are in from the Sanrio Digital side of things. Apparently the Sanrio Digital crowd managed to get 1,248,257 donated crafted items, and in turn Sanrio donated US $18,038.30 to Doctors Without Borders for the Haiti relief efforts. Now that's a friendship gift we can get behind.
Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine celebrates their first anniversary
Has it really been a year of demon negotiations and devil summoning already? Why yes, it apparently has been. Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine, the online sequel to the acclaimed Digital Devil Saga series has just turned one year old! To celebrate, Aeria Games is offering Imagine players a brand new demon, Joyful Alice, as well as a new dungeon to explore, Celu Tower Gold. Celu Tower is a brand new high level dungeon for players to explore, patched into the game as of yesterday. The tower has a few new demons to contract with, but, more importantly, players can also get the chance to find a special demon plug-in and fuse Thor himself! Otherwise, look forward to being able to wield Mjolnir, Thor's Hammer, as a brand new weapon. To grab yourself a Joyful Alice, either check your e-mail for a special code and instructions (if you're signed up to receive them) or check out the Imagine website for more information on the promotion.
Hello Kitty Online releases new trailer and theme song
Hello Kitty Online, the excruciatingly cute free-to-play MMO from Aeria Games, has a catchy new theme song and trailer video sure to get stuck in the heads of little girls worldwide (and probably their mothers, who were around when Hello Kitty was cool the first time.) "The World Is Saying Hello" trailer gives a tour of the game, visiting some of the different areas such as the Sunbright Express train station. So what about that earworm of a song? Well, it's Hello Kitty Online's new theme song, and what you hear in the trailer is only part of it. To get the full version, you have to go play the game. The full song can be heard at one of the places featured in the trailer, so head over to Sanriotown and good luck tracking the full song down! For now, enjoy the video trailer after the jump.
Hello Kitty Online joins the Toys for Tots charity drive
Hello Kitty and Toys for Tots, two names that are pretty recognizable at first glance. Well, the two are teaming up for the holiday season, as Aeria Games is using Hello Kitty Online as a platform to drive charitable contributions in a pretty unique way. Instead of offering a buyable pet and giving the proceeds to Toys for Tots, HKO players will get to search the grand virtual lands of Sanrio for Short Sticks, Webley Webs, Shells, and Bramble's Comfort. Each set of items collected will go to creating a special in-game Crab Plush Toy for you and will add one more donation to Aeria's real life toy drive. That's right: An in-game quest with a real life reward of helping get toys to children for the holidays. That's one quest that you can't drop from your log. GMs will be picking up item sets on December 14th, 15th, and 16th. For the full information on what needs to be collected to make a set, check out the event page on HKO's main website. Don't miss out on this great chance to help children in need!
Motorbikes, alchemy, and demon friend quests now in Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine
Demon Busters in Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online are now enjoying a fresh content update, which includes motorbikes courtesy of the Shinjuku Babel mechanics. This new mode of transportation in the game allows players to travel between zones quickly and in first person perspective. Atlus has also introduced alchemy, a crafting system where players can create new objects with unusual properties. Runes that boost abilities for your demons or potions that augment your own abilities are a few possibilities with the new item mixing system. They've also released more PvE content in the form of demon friend quests, provided your friendships with the infernal powers-that-be are at the appropriate levels. Perhaps the biggest content addition to Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online is the Team Battle system. The title's publisher Aeria Games writes: "Gather your allies and friends to crush your enemies in fast-paced, high intenseity group versus group combat for glory and god-like gear. Choose to fight solo in sided matches against other solo players, or combine your strength with others to demolish the competition in team versus team battle."
Hello Kitty officially middle-aged, celebrates in Hello Kitty Online
She may have thrown out her back last week raking up hearts and stars in her back yard, but that's not going to stop Hello Kitty from celebrating her 35th birthday in Hello Kitty Online. Masters of all things cute and cuddly Sanrio Digital announced details of the virtual birthday party commemorating Hello Kitty's middle age milestone. Although Hello Kitty was born on the first of November, the festivities are already underway in Hello Kitty Online and will continue through the cultural icon's actual birthday. HKO players can earn tokens by completing birthday quests and playing mini-games. Those tokens can be exchanged for limited edition birthday items in-game. Any players who unlock at least four of the limited edition items gain access to a November 1st birthday bash held in (HKO virtual) London. Those festivities aren't just for the players who rack up the most virtual swag, as birthday celebrations will also be held in game locales like Florapolis and Paris.
Aeria Games licenses Grand Fantasia
Aeria Games has recently announced their acquisition of a new game license to publish for our territories -- Grand Fantasia. Grand Fantasia's twist on the traditional MMORPG model is a focus on a virtual pet model of pet management in addition to the standard combat fare of MMOs. All players are given access to "sprite" companions that serve a variety of functions in the game, from things like crafting to accessing areas.The game is done in a strong cartoon/anime style, with magical fantasy being the driving theme. The closed beta for the game hasn't been announced yet, but the teaser website is up and showing initial trailers and screenshots for the game. But, why travel so far away when you can just watch our embedded version of the trailer in this very post! Just hit the continue reading button, and watch Aeria's latest game in motion.
A look into the world of Hello Kitty Online
The citizens of Sanriotown are missing, and it's up to you to save the day! Ok, that's the most cheeriness you're getting out of this article from us. We're not sugar-coating the rest of this, because the game has enough sugar in and of itself. We don't need to sprinkle any more atop the candy coated world of Hello Kitty Online.Our good friend Tipa over at West Karana has taken the brave plunge into HKO, and she's resurfaced with a long post of first impressions from the game. While she goes in-depth with the combat, crafting, harvesting, and minigame aspects of HKO, she doesn't have much praise to heap on the game. Most of her complaints with the white cat stem from a severe lack of documentation that gives the player direction. For the most part, players of HKO are dropped into the world with no clear objective of what to do when they get there -- not that good for a game that's directed at children.While Tipa's first impressions are lengthy, be sure to check out our first impressions of Hello Kitty Online, coming soon to the blog near you!
Hello Kitty Online heading into closed beta
Are you ready to grab your pink scepter and do battle with marshmallowy beasts in the Flower Kingdom? If you're one of the people who have been waiting for Hello Kitty Online to hit the western market, then you'll be glad of this news. We heard a few days ago that Aeria Games is finally taking Hello Kitty Online into closed beta, ending the months of wondering after their initial announcement and then nothing. For those of you who haven't had the chance to try out HKO in other localizations, this incredibly pink MMO offers mini-games, an open-ended world with guilds, player housing, player gardens and even typical MMO quests. Essentially, imagine if Sanrio were given free reign to decorate the world; there's kawaii vivid colors everywhere and very cheery adventures to be had. So, if you're a casual Sanrio fan who wants to have some cave-the-back-of-your-head-in sweet F2P MMO fun, head over to the (admittedly very basic) Hello Kitty Online Aeria site and get signed up for the closed beta!
Witch Doctor on the way to DOMO
GameTribe, the free to play MMO portal, have announced that Aeria Games' Dream of Mirror Online will be receiving an update that adds a new class to the game on May 27th. This will be a Witch Doctor, a mysterious class that usually does not show up in public and is only known through rumors a guesswork.Also being added are several new in-game shop items, including several storage boxes for the various types of items, as well as a new Leather Goodie Bag which when opened contains leather clothing and sunglasses which last 15 days, 30 days or are permanent. Until May 27th there is also a Crimson Mecha constume, helmet and jetpack available. These are all permanent items.
A Lapse of Loyalty
As they say, you never forget your first time, and to the brand new MMO player, it isn't immediately apparent that there is a substantial genre behind the acronym, spanning into the hundreds of titles. Indeed, the acronyms themselves are probably things that make little sense. For the true newbie, there is only The One Game, an unexpectedly deep and broad game, which swiftly becomes as much a place to be as a way to pass a few hours of an evening. Mine happened to be EverQuest, but it could be any of the increasingly broad list of MMOs available today.Content with their choice, they might continue to be a steadfast participant to the exclusion of all other gaming, for many months or even years. Their depth of involvement brings the game to life for them, and in turn, that life becomes a significant part of their own. Such a player may not even be aware that there are other games out there; other worlds and other communities; what could any of that offer that they don't already have?Others might have a different view. Driven by months and years of similar repeated experiences, the grass does indeed seem greener in these other games. Perhaps an urge for similar kind of gameplay but in a new and unexpected setting, or a craving for something entirely different, some game with completely different rules, skills and objectives. For these gamers, variety is the spice of life, and the more the merrier!What makes one player a loyal mono-gamer happy with the game of choice, and another a flighty poly-gamer, playing many titles in quick succession or all at the same time?
Shadowbane closure date extended to July, possible new lease on life
We thought we'd seen the end of Shadowbane in April, but we're happy to report that we were wrong. The game's servers were scheduled to go dark yesterday, May 1st. Ubisoft said this was the case and the developers said their goodbyes. However, overwhelming response from the playerbase is now keeping the game alive a bit longer for a proper farewell, and this stay of execution could possibly allow the devs to seek other options. Shadowbane developer Xanther writes, "Following our recent news, the support and enthusiasm the community has shown for Shadowbane has led to an extension of the closure date to July 1, 2009. This should allow the community enough time to play out its final days appropriately. We are looking into various options to make these final days as fun as possible!" It seems they're also looking into options beyond closure events for the players. Thanks to a tip from Massively reader NT_we see that Aeria Games has mentioned on Twitter that they're interested in picking up the game and are in discussion with Ubisoft. Also, Aeria Games is seeking input from Shadowbane players to help determine how viable running this title would be. You can let them know via Twitter at @aeriagames. While the situation still remains grim, that Shadowbane has roughly two months of time left, we're happy to see there's potential for a new lease on life for the game if publishers are willing to keep it running. If Massively learns that Shadowbane gets picked up by a new publisher, we'll be sure to let you know.[Thanks, NT_]
Anti-Aliased: Five free to play MMOs that are ahead of the class
Times are tough, the wallet is tight, and you still need a game to play. But what free games can you wrap your hands around that just don't suck, right? That seems to be the trouble with free to play games -- many selections all with very low quality.But the market is not as bad as you might think. There are certainly some gems out there in the free to play market, just waiting for you to wrap your hands around them and play. Finding them however, hasn't always been easy, until now.With the recommendations of my colleagues here at Massively, and my own personal experience, I've complied a list of 5 free to play games that are worthy of your play time. In advance, however, I wish to apologize to Chronicles of Spellborn, Wizard 101, and FusionFall. All three of these games made our favorites list, but I'm skipping them as their focus is more of a "freemium" experience, where massive areas of the games are locked out until a subscription is purchased. This column is only going to concentrate on the free to play, item mall driven games, just to clarify for all of you readers out there.So which games made the best of the free to play list? Continue reading and you'll find out.
Dream of Mirror Online welcomes a brand new city
It's not that often that a brand new region gets added into a game's patch, but Dream of Mirror Online has brought a whole new area to their game. Enter BigBeam City and the greater BigBeam region, where players can engage in a variety of new quests all for the low, low price of free. The region is targeted for players of level 30 and above, with quests starting as early as level 25 and going up to level 60.However, players of the Aeria Games American version of Dream of Mirror Online will not be enjoying these new areas, as they have not yet been implemented. European players playing with GameTribe do have access to the new areas, as well a slew of new items added to the item shop, like the item de-leveling items that lower the level limit on equipment when successful.It's currently unclear as to when Aeria Games will be adding BigBeam to their version, but time will certainly tell. Until then, we can all go invade the European servers.
Aeria Games: "If you don't have fun playing, we'll give you a refund"
There aren't many MMO publishers out there who would actually offer refunds for gamers who don't have fun in their titles, but this is exactly what Aeria Games is doing. We did a double take when hearing about this but it's legit. Superman0X is a USA Gamemaster for Aeria Games, and has declared "April is Fun Month at Aeria... GUARANTEED". That's a bold statement. But what does it mean for players of the various Aeria Games MMOs? Superman0X writes, "We are so sure you will have fun we are going to put our AP [Aeria Points] where our mouth is. If any player does not have fun we will refund all their AP purchases for the entire month up to 5000AP." Players who didn't enjoy themselves in April will have a window of opportunity to request a refund from May 1st to May 10th . You can check out the full details in the announcement but we're guessing Aeria has a lot of faith in their titles if they'd even consider making such an offer.
GDC09: MMMeowRPG: Hello Kitty Online coming to US
Do you like MMOs, but hate all the wizardy fantasy half-orc junk? Do you wish for something a bit more ... astoundingly, face-meltingly cute in which to meet virtual friends? Sanrio Digital and Aeria Games have just announced that they're launching Hello Kitty Online in North America. Aeria will operate the game, and Sanrio will run the SanrioTown online portal.The game, which was so great it caused WoW Insider to temporarily change its focus, is a free-to-play MMO that emphasizes crafting and resource gathering over combat -- but does include combat! Players don't directly control Sanrio characters, but rather make human avatars that can interact with Hello Kitty, Badtz-Maru, Keroppi and other Sanrio favorites.
DOMO embraces same-sex marriage in game
While they're certainly not the first game to offer same-sex marriage, Aeria's Dream of Mirror Online announced today that they're embracing the once controversial topic with their new and improved dynamic in-game marriage system. The same-sex aspect of this marriage system is simply one of the many features, but it hasn't been added as just an afterthought. It's been a popular topic of discussion among DOMO players since the game's launch in Fall of 2007.This marriage system allows couples to embark on a series of challenging quests where they can plan their in-game wedding, complete with dream locale, wedding outfit and even a perfect set of rings. Once married, the couple will be granted unique features which include the ability to summon their significant other to their location, as well as special healing abilities during battle.
