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Choose My Adventure: The weather outside is frightful
December is here, which means it's about time to throw some logs on the fire, grab every blanket in the house, and collapse under the mantle in a freezing, sobbing heap. This week's arctic blast has left the United States feeling a lot like Northrend, but for those of us in certain parts of the country it's just the beginning of what's sure to be a long, hellish winter. However cold it may be outside, there's always a warm, toasty inn waiting in our favorite games. MMOs also provide sunny vistas, hot deserts, and steamy swamps, all of which make great places to escape nasty real-life weather. Even when it's cold in an MMO, it's still warm at our desks. In this edition of Choose My Adventure, I'm depending on you to help me hide from the snow that's piling up outside of my window. You don't have to send me somewhere warm, but I'd appreciate it if you send me somewhere fun.
Dungeon Tours: Wish you were here!
Synergy? We've got synergy! Welcome to the unveiling of Dungeon Tours, a new multimedia miniseries playing out on both the Massively blog and Massively TV. What is Dungeon Tours, you ask? It's a tour. Of a dungeon. Many tours, in fact, of many dungeons. We're sneaky like that. But there's a method behind this particular madness. Have you ever wanted to see and experience every dungeon and instance in a game? Maybe you're interested in getting a sneak peek at what content is in store for you as you advance in a title you already enjoy, or maybe you want to see what you have missed. It could be that you'd like to get a feel for a game before jumping in yourself. And whether or not you ever have any intention of ever playing a game yourself, you're probably curious about what goes on behind those closed doors! This miniseries is your key to those doors.
Alter Ego: Issue #4 - Kid Critical in the Scarecrow's Lair
Last time in Massively's DC Universe Online comic, Kid Critical helped Batman foil the Scarecrow's plan to turn Gotham's East End into a living nightmare. The mad scientist subsequently retreated to his lair beneath the city streets, where he managed to capture Batwoman and unleash his hellish fear gas on the pursuing Kid Critical. Now, Batwoman and the Kid must join forces to survive Scarecrow's hallucinogenic traps -- not to mention his cheesy banter. Will they make it out of the Scarecrow's Lair with their sanity intact? Turn the page to find out!
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Superhero games across November
After a couple of very active months, November was a bit calmer for superheroic games as a whole. It makes sense, of course, since pretty much every game is calmer during November and December aside from sales and holiday events. But there were few big Kickstarter campaigns, a lot of updates that everyone knew were coming, and of course a very poignant anniversary for pretty much everyone reading this column today. That having been said, the entire month was not a slow funeral dirge for the loss of City of Heroes. In fact, one game apparently decided that the otherwise quiet month was a great time to make some big changes right off the bat, so that's pretty cool. Venture on past the cut with me and we'll take a look at the superhero news from November in review... and possibly bow our heads briefly in respect for the departed.
Infinite Crisis brings out Mecha Wonder Woman
She may be metal and gears, but underneath that she's all woman too. She's Mecha Wonder Woman, the newest champion to come to Infinite Crisis. Mecha Wonder Woman originated as a diplomatic robot for Queen Hippolyta, but decided to get into the superhero vengeance game when the queen was assassinated. The Justice Consortium upgraded her, giving Mecha Wonder Woman the ability to dispense justice with an iron fist. We've got your first look at Mecha Wonder Woman in a video after the break, so check it out and see if this MOBA champion might be calling to your own sense of justice. [Source: Turbine press release]
Alter Ego: Issue #3 - DCUO's Streets of Fear
Previously in Massively's DC Universe Online webcomic, Kid Critical suited up with a little help from Oracle and learned to harness his new exobyte powers after escaping from Brainiac's deadly harvester ship. Now, he must assist the Gotham vigilante known as Batman as he tracks the nefarious Scarecrow through the city's East End. Can Kid Critical and the Bat family stop Scarecrow's deadly fear gas before it blankets the entire city? Find out in Alter Ego #3: Streets of Fear.
SOE president 'can't wait' to see EverQuest Next on PS4
In an interview with GamerHubTV, Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley hinted at a PlayStation 4 release for the studio's next big MMO, EverQuest Next. Smedley was coy on the details, explaining, "We haven't announced technically that we're putting it on the PlayStation 4, but it's fair to say that we're a Sony company, so I say that with a smile on my face. Can't wait to see it on PS4." Smedley cited the PS4's eight gigs of ram and connection to the PlayStation Network as major strengths for the SOE development team, claiming that developing for PS4 is like "developing on a really super high-end PC." SOE is no stranger to console MMOs; the studio brought both DC Universe Online and Free Realms to PlayStation 3 and is porting both DCUO and PlanetSide 2 to PS4 with the former already live.
Play DC Universe Online on your new PlayStation 4 now
If you've already gotten your mitts on a just-released PlayStation 4, you can wriggle into your virtual tights and dive right into DC Universe Online's crime-fighting action. (Or if you prefer, you can cause the crimes as a villain instead, we won't judge!) And you don't have to worry about leaving those friends who don't yet have a PS4 behind, as DCUO features cross-platform play between the newest console and the PlayStation 3. Owners of both consoles can play the game on either one, but the PS4 also features remote play on the Vita. Perhaps you're the proud owner of a PS4 but have never played DCUO before -- no problem! You can hop in and join the caped crusades for free. Check out the enhanced graphics in both the six new screenshots in the gallery and the launch trailer below. [Source: SOE press release]
The Daily Grind: What MMO systems or content revamps would you like to see?
MMO revamps are a thing this week, what with RIFT retooling its Deepstrike Mines dungeon and DC Universe Online augmenting its pre-30 leveling curve with additional quests and various NPC/AI tweaks. That got me to thinking about what other pieces of MMO content or systems I'd like to see reworked. There's Age of Conan's long-in-development crafting revamp, of course, and I'm also keen to see Lord of the Rings Online's housing after Turbine's done blowing it up and putting it back together. What about you, Massively readers? What MMO revamps would you like to see? 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!
Surprise! DCUO Game Update 31 is going live today
DC Universe Online players got a bit of a surprise this afternoon when SOE decided to go ahead with the superhero title's GU31 update. "We apologize for the mid-day downtime, but we simply cannot wait to share this game update with all of our players," SOE explained in its patch note prelude. The update contains extensive art tweaks in preparation for the upcoming PlayStation 4 launch, as well as a smoother pre-30 leveling curve. SOE reduced the amount of experience required between levels eight and 29, and it says that "players within this range may log in and find their level increased." [Thanks William!]
DCUO offers a glimpse of Game Update 31
As DC Universe Online prepares to make its way to the PlayStation 4, SOE is hard at work on Game Update 31 as the foundation for the console launch. Today we've got several screenshots that give us a glimpse into the update, including pictures of Earth from orbit and lava spewing out of a city zone. SOE devs are calling GU31 "the biggest technical update [they] have ever done." The update will include significantly improved graphics, many design improvements, and a smoother leveling path. It should be releasing any day now, but you can get an advance look in the gallery below.
Alter Ego: Issue #2 - Learning to fly in DC Universe Online
Last time in Massively's DC Universe Online webcomic, Kid Critical escaped from Brainiac's dastardly clutches and -- aided by the Man of Steel -- brought down one of the evil overlord's deadly harvester ships. But Brainiac still has designs on digitizing Earth and all its inhabitants. And both supervillains and petty criminals alike are leveraging the chaos to cause big trouble for the Justice League and its new exobyte-powered allies. Now, Kid Critical returns home to Gotham City, struggling with his super powers and at the mercy of a mysterious hacker called Oracle. Will he master his exobytes in time to help save the city? Or will he end up as another grease spot on Gotham's mean streets? Find out in Alter Ego #2: Learning to Fly.
Infinite Crisis shows off Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn has gone from being a simple sidekick for the Joker to being a respected villain in her own right, albeit one that's generally seen as something of an airhead. It's easy to forget that she was a psychiatrist assigned to take care of the Joker in the first place. So it kind of makes sense that she'd be more than just another pretty smash-happy character in Infinite Crisis, instead taking a more subtle role as a healer and support. Harley's passive ability buffs movement and attack speed for all nearby allies, while her activated abilities consist of a direct heal, a ranged attack, a knockback, and a knockup. The net result is that Harley works as support for teammates, knocking away certain enemies while keeping her immediate team healed and buffed. Check out the video preview past the break for more details on how to make the most of Harley's specific arsenal.
Cross-platform play comes to DC Universe Online... on consoles
It's always been just a little frustrating for players of DC Universe Online that you can't always play with your friends. If you play on your computer and your best friend is on her PlayStation 3, well, the two of you just aren't going to be able to team up. But starting with the launch of the game on PlayStation 4, players will be able to experience cross-platform play, assuming the two platforms are the PS3 and the PS4. Creative director Jens Andersen confirmed that all console players will be able to work together on the same servers, thus ensuring that old-school players and new console players will coexist. Andersen also confirmed that while the launch version will not make use of the system's new controller, it's possible that more controller support will be introduced further down the line. This is good news if your friends are on the same platform, although PC users will still have to simply look on with longing.
PlanetSide 2's release on PS4 delayed to 2014, DCUO still set for launch
Although PlanetSide 2 is still coming to the PlayStation 4, the release has been delayed until early 2014. PS2 was noticeably absent from a list of launch games on the PS4's newly released FAQ, and SOE CEO John Smedley confirmed the delay in an interview on Bloomberg TV. According to the FAQ, DC Universe Online is still slated to release as a launch title in North America and also the UK (where the PS4 will launch nearly two weeks later than in NA). As free-to-play titles, neither PS2 nor DCUO will require a PlayStation Plus membership when it does launch on the PS4.
One Shots: Certifiably Insane
One of the things that I love the very most about superhero MMOs is that they give players a great platform to show off their creative designs. Yeah, they can be eyesores too, but I find that that's also a blessing in disguise because it's an easy visual indicator of lazy players whom I probably want to avoid. I wouldn't want to avoid reader Carla, however, because she's bringing her crazy-A game to DC Universe Online today. "Here is a photo of my supervillain, Certifiably Insane, posing before the city she's conquered," she wrote. So my question is, what do you do with a city once you conquer it? Get mired in administrative red tape? Does Certifiably Insane have to preside over council meetings and sewage labor union debates now? How does a supervillain deal with zoning issues, anyway? The answers to that and so very much more are all after the break in this week's One Shots.
Alter Ego: Issue #1 - Kid Critical in DC Universe Online
Some intergalactic psychopath called Brainiac covets the Earth. He's trying to digitize the lot of us, see, only his exobyte technology has some... unforeseen side effects. At the risk of going all science whiz on you, I'll just say that these nanite exobyte gizmos transformed hundreds of humans into uber-powerful ubermensch. Mutants or even metahumans, if you'd prefer. We're superheroes, really, when you get right down to it. It's a good thing, too, because Earth's real superheroes couldn't stop Brainiac. Superman, Batman, the Justice League, all of them failed. Even supervillains attempted to save mankind, for a time at least. Before long, though, they did what villains do: They leveraged chaos and exploited disorder for their own selfish ends. So, yep, it's pretty much business as usual but for the meglomaniacal space invader bent on destroying both sides. Me, I'm just a soldier in this new war, one of a fortunate few gifted with the power of Brainiac's buggy exobytes. Before all this I was a nobody. A minor game critic or some such silliness. Now, my friends just call me the kid. You can call me Kid Critical. Every two weeks, Kid Critical and his Alter Ego, mal-mannered game journo Jef Reahard, take you for a whirlwind tour of DC Universe Online. Join the dynamic duo as they explore PvE, PvP, story content, and more!
DC Universe Online shows off major graphical upgrades
Sometimes all it takes is a graphical improvement to make a game feel new. DC Universe Online has to keep its graphics at a level the PlayStation 3 can use, but with the pending release of the PlayStation 4, the game is going to be able to offer better textures and lighting all around. You can check out a preview video past the break to see what the game will look like with the visual upgrades. But that's not the only thing coming along with the new patch; in order to ease new players on the PS4 into the game, the game's early leveling has been revamped and improved and several areas have had environmental details and quest flow updated as well. So experienced players can enjoy looking at a world in greater detail and new players will find it easier than ever to get into the game. That seems like a pretty solid update.
Producer's letter details DCUO 'remastered'
DC Universe Online's Update 31 is on its way, and with it come some of the biggest changes ever implemented to the game's core design and appearance. Executive producer Larry Liberty today outlined the key points in a letter to the community, explaining to players what they can expect from Update 31 and beyond. According to Liberty, the bulk of Update 31 focuses on preparing DCUO for its impending PS4 launch. Changes include graphics upgrades like higher resolution textures and area redesigns, along with a "remastering" of the core leveling experience. Leveling from 1-30 has seen special attention; Liberty noted that new players should see a smoother progression of content with less chance of being stuck without a mission. Update 31 is tentatively scheduled for a November launch on PC and PS3. The game's PS4 release is still on track to match up with the console's release window.
Choose My Adventure: Indecision 2013
My goodness, it's been a long time since I've done Choose My Adventure. I cannot wait to dive into it again. But first, I should probably break down the rules and let you know how my Choose My Adventure will likely differ from those who have come before me. Besides the weekly column that comes out on Wednesday, I will also run a livestream whenever I play the game. Of course, Massively's livestream sessions are abbreviated, so I cannot stream on that channel for the number of hours that it will take me to accurately get a taste of what the game is like. So I will run the regular livestream on my channel, then take over Massively's stream when I can. That also means that some of the choices made during the course of this adventure will be made on the livestream and not in this column. However, I will attempt to let the readers of this column make the major choices. So let's decide what game I'll be playing for you. After the break, I've listed five games that I am interested in revisiting or visiting for the first time. Read the descriptions, then at the end, vote on the game you'd like to see me play. I will have to close the voting on Fridays, so that I will have the weekend to actually implement the choices you make. Happy adventuring!
