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EverQuest II dev tour video details Beastlord, new Freeport, Mercs and more
Sony Online Entertainment is getting the EverQuest II: Age of Discovery hype train up to full speed today with a new dev tour of the upcoming content. Emily Taylor, the game's Executive Producer, takes viewers through the new features that players can expect from the upcoming expansion. To start things off, she gives players a look at the new Beastlord class, which can tame creatures to utilize as Warders in order to alter its playstyle. We then get a look at the new and improved city of Freeport, which has been completely revamped. The city's four zones have been consolidated into one single zone, the visuals have been updated, and new questlines and content has been added. Finally, the tour stops off at the Seafarer's Roost Inn, where the new mercenaries can be hired -- for the right price, of course. So for the full video, click on past the cut and take a look. [Source: Sony Online Entertainment press release]
EverQuest II Age of Discovery launch date, new features revealed
For months, EverQuest II fans have been patiently waiting for the launch date of the latest expansion, Age of Discovery. Fortunately, the wait is over: SOE has announced that Tuesday, December 6th is the official live date for EQII's free-to-play transition, the Age of Discovery, and the Freeport Reborn game update (GU62). Executive Producer Dave "SmokeJumper" Georgeson and EQII Associate Producer Emily "Domino" Taylor both took time to give Massively a tour of some of the new features, so read on for an up-close look at Beastlords, the new Freeport, mercenaries, and the dungeon maker, and check out some new screenshots in our gallery below!%Gallery-140534%
New Secret World dev walkthrough delves into the Savage Coast
All right now, all you occultists, paranormal investigators, and conspiracy theorists, it's your turn to squeal with delight. Funcom has treated the world to a spankin'-new dev walkthrough of The Secret World's Savage Coast instance. You may remember we got our first look at the Savage Coast at the beginning of the month. Now, we get to go in for a first-hand look at just what makes this coast so savage. The walkthrough -- which is so expansive it has to be presented in three parts -- begins with our dev tour-guides Martin Bruusgaard (Lead Designer) and Joel Bylos (Lead Content Designer) jumping into the dungeon linked to the Solomon Island zone, which they note is the first that players will encounter as they play through The Secret World. After a short preview of the quest-receiving experience (which includes voice acting that's rather good, especially for a game still in development), it descends into a rollercoaster ride into the mouth of madness. The developers take on the Draugh (undead Norse warriors out for vengeance) and their masters throughout the course of the dungeon, which culminates in a scene straight out of Lovecraft's best. We'd hate to spoil the whole thing for you (and it's so long we really don't have the space!), but believe us, it's well worth the watch for any TSW fan. So head on past the cut for the full walkthrough videos!
Captain's Log: Into the Cryptic hive
Captain's Log, Stardate 64692.8... Hello, computer (and players). The following information has been marked classified and restricted by Starfleet Intelligence; any leaks will not be tolerated -- eh, forget it! Welcome to MassivelyLeaks! As you may or may not know, I had an exclusive opportunity to visit Cryptic Studios in Los Gatos, California last month. Since I'm arguably one of Star Trek Online's biggest fanboys, this was a dream come true (/e squeal), and I am still in shock that I was in the very cubicles where the game is made. Tucked away in the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains, Los Gatos is a small town in Santa Clara County (better known as Silicon Valley), just southwest of San Jose. It is hard to believe that the entire Star Trek universe is currently one of its residents. But it is -- I've seen it with my own eyes, and I am excited to share my experience with you. Ensign, warp 10! Let's get down to some cryptic business and invade the hive... %Gallery-118647%
Exclusive Interview: Terrorizing the Green Lantern with DCUO's RadarX
It isn't often that I get the opportunity to play a game with someone who is actively working on it. Even more rarely do I get to play a game before it is released. So when Sony Online Entertainment asked whether someone at Massively would like a virtual tour of its newest innovation, DC Universe Online, how could I say no? Community Manager Tony Jones -- or as most players on the DCUO forums may know him, RadarX -- met me on the sprawling streets of Metropolis (home of Superman), where the Sinestro Corps was absolutely convinced the Green Lantern Corps was draining the power of its rings. Sinestro and his gang began feeding off the fear of Metropolis citizens to empower the rings again. Now, when the Green Lanterns heard about this, of course, they attempted stop the terror, and RadarX, in all his villainy, couldn't let the Lanterns get away with that. I was invited to join in the fun. My tour of the game gave me the chance to ask some questions about what's in store for the community in this exciting game, as well as the chance to beat up some good guys. Follow me after the break to ride along on my adventure!
Massively tours EverQuest's House of Thule expansion
The House of Thule. Not to be confused with the Summer Cottage of Thule, or the Awkwardly-Small-Yet-Expensive Inner City Apartment of Thule. Thule's house is a scary place, and it's a place that all denizens of Norrath shall soon be intimately familiar with. Sony Online Entertainment recently gave us a deep tour of its 17th EverQuest expansion, and it's the first time I've set foot in pre-EQII Norrath in years. Luckily I can report that Sony isn't letting EverQuest lie on its laurels. While this next expansion may not sound like much (it's just a house... or is it?), it's packed with enough content to send me through a two-and-a-half hour long developer tour. Plus, I should mention that I only got to see about half of the new zones, and none of the new raids. But why should we stand outside of this lovely home when there's so much madness hidden within? Come, journey with me, and lose all sense of what is reality.
Massively's tour of Dungeons and Dragons Online Update 6
Turbine is bringing Update 6 to Dungeons and Dragons Online in less than a week, and the star of the show is the new Red Fens Adventure Pack. It brings a new wilderness area, four new quests, and the much-hyped addition of underwater combat. With the update just days away, Design Director Ian Currie and Producer Eric Boyer offered a guided tour of some of the new content, and I was more than happy to accept. Follow along after the jump for a look at the Red Fens, and check out the gallery at the end for a better view!
Massively's developer tour of DDO update 5: airships, evil carnivals, and bacon
Dungeons and Dragons Online's update 5 is just two weeks away, and we fans have been waiting impatiently with visions of airships dancing in our heads. We've been hearing quite a bit about the big additions, guild renown and the new adventure pack, gaining small details along the way. What about a firsthand look, though, you may ask? Screenshots and patch notes are nice, but is the execution just as good? We at Massively wanted to know too, so we sat down with the Turbine team for tour of update 5: Rise of the Guilds. Executive Producer Fernando Paiz, Producer Eric Boyer, Senior Content Designer Ricardo Liu spent some time showing off all the latest and greatest in this update. Follow along after the jump for Massively's developer tour of airships, evil carnivals, and bacon.
Massively's tour of Dofus 2.0
Dofus is a game that's been around for a while now, first in its 1.0 form, and now as Dofus 2.0. It's a tactics-based game (many players have pointed out that it has a Final Fantasy feel about it), and while it's not as flashy as many of the graphics-heavy games on the market today, it's got a fair amount of substance to it. Dofus 2.0 offers a nice variety of combat areas, diverse and specialized classes, even crafting if that's your thing. Recently we were lucky enough to take a tour of Dofus 2.0 with Ankama's own Elissa Dukes. Follow along after the jump to see what we found.
Massively's developer tour of Sentinel's Fate
With the EverQuest II team hard at work on their newest expansion, Sentinel's Fate, we were invited by community manager Kiara to drop by the Shattered Lands and take a closer look at the new zones in the expansion. While we were expecting to see some nice content, it's amazing to see just how beautiful these zones are when you walk through them in person. I'm not one to open an article with such a bold statement, but the zones we got to tour in Sentinel's Fate were impressive. Hopefully today we can impart some of the beauty of these zones to you as we talk about three major areas in the new expansion: The Hole & The Seal of the Underfoot, the Erudin Library, and the Vasty Deep Conservatory. %Gallery-84287%
Exclusive Allods Online dev tour: Astral Ships and the end game explained
Earlier this week, the team at Allods Online were kind enough to sit down and walk me through some of the highest-level areas in the game. Knowing that I'm already an avid fan of the game, it was exciting for us both to "talk shop" for a bit. It was especially exciting to see some features of the end game that not too many North American players have seen up to this point. Of course, I'm talking about Astral Ships and the end game. With Closed Beta Test 4 arriving this coming Tuesday, January 19th, high-level players will finally be able to see real Astral Ship combat and how it all works. This article is meant to prepare you for the awesomeness and hopefully answer some questions you may have next week and into launch. Follow along after the jump for our complete write-up, a gallery of screenshots we took during the tour and a video to fully capture the epic win.%Gallery-83082%
Final Fantasy XI Developer's Tour: The November version update
There's a new version update out on the Vana'dielian streets, and that means we've journeyed to Jeuno to meet up with our super-seekret contacts at Square-Enix and talk shop on what's new in Final Fantasy XI. This latest expansion pack, A Shantotto Ascension, comes bundled with the November version update, as is customary for the past few updates to the title. So, in addition to being able to pay 10 bucks to attempt to foil Professor Shantotto's aspirations of having her own empire, the game has been updated with a brand new crafting system called synergy, the new ability to add "slots" onto your items and upgrade them with evolith modifications, more job updates, and an improvement to the existing wedding system! As you can see, it's a busy time in Vana'diel, and we got to jaunt around the world and find out more. So come along, follow in our adventurous footsteps, and find out what all the fuss is about!
EVE Dominion dev tour streaming in live video at Xfire, December 17
CCP Games and Xfire have teamed up for a live video broadcast this week, a guided developer walkthrough of the Dominion expansion for EVE Online. You can tune in on December 17th at 12:00pm PDT to view the video stream on Xfire's site. The video broadcast coincides with a contest Xfire is running, details of which can also be found on the Xfire site. The prizes look good -- up to a year of EVE game time, an iPod Nano, and a Razer Naga mouse. Entering Xfire's "EVE 'til EVE" contest, which runs December 15-31, entails signing up to join their game community. UPDATE: The video broadcast is cancelled due to technical difficulties. Instead there will be a live text chat at 12:00pm PDT (20:00 GMT/UTC) with CCP Soundwave and CCP Guard. You'll need Xfire installed to follow along, with "Chatteox" added to your friends list to check it out.
Massively's LotRO: Siege of Mirkwood launch day roundup
Lord of the Rings Online's newest expansion, Siege of Mirkwood, will release today for North America -- while later this week it will release for the European servers -- and we have a comprehensive wrapup available for you to find the biggest news for the new content. We have a dev tour, a video of the new maps, an interview with Jeffrey Steefel and more! A visual tour of LotRO: Siege of Mirkwood If you haven't had a chance to see Turbine's latest creation, check out our video tour of the expansion just after the jump below. Also, be sure to watch Massively for more coverage on Siege of Mirkwood from now to December 1st and beyond! LotRO: Siege of Mirkwood developer tour If you've been faithfully following along with the Lord of the Rings Online: Siege of Mirkwood beta, you may be excited by what you've heard -- or even seen yourself -- so far. The new expansion, which is set to launch on December 1st of this year (December 3rd for EU), centers around the forest of Mirkwood, just to the east of Lothlorien. It introduces us to a large new map of Mirkwood, the skirmish system, five new instances and much more. Massively Speaking Episode 78: An interview with Jeffrey Steefel Massively Speaking Episode 78 is back with Rubi, Shawn and special guest Jeffrey Steefel, executive producer for Lord of the Rings Online. They talk about Siege of Mirkwood, LotRO's future, Jeffrey's past and much more! Lord of the Rings Online to make drastic combat changes with Siege of Mirkwood It's very rare that you hear about a game changing how combat works at a fundamental level, but that's exactly what Turbine is doing in Siege of Mirkwood. We hope you guys weren't in love with weapon speeds and slow animations, because those are two of the things that are getting major overhauls.
LotRO: Siege of Mirkwood developer tour
If you've been faithfully following along with the Lord of the Rings Online: Siege of Mirkwood beta, you may be excited by what you've heard -- or even seen yourself -- so far. The new expansion, which is set to launch on December 1st of this year (December 3rd for EU), centers around the forest of Mirkwood, just to the east of Lothlorien. It introduces us to a large new map of Mirkwood, the skirmish system, five new instances and much more. On top of this officially-released news of these features, we were able to get together with Turbine's Aaron "Rowan" Campbell for a sample tour of the new content. Follow along after the jump for what we saw. %Gallery-76474%
Massively tours Final Fantasy XI's latest version update
Not too long ago, we were taken on a tour of moogles and mayhem by the developers over at Square-Enix as we got an inside look into Final Fantasy XI's July version update. There's a lot of meat to this update as it includes everything from Ninja job changes, new blue mage spells, more item augmentations, campaign quests, expansions to Moblin Maze Mongers, and their newest mini-expansion pack, "A Moogle Kupo d'Etat!"Our hands-on is set to cover all of these new additions, so let's waste no more time here on the front page. On to moogles and more!
Massively's hands-on with WonderKing
Last week, the folks at NDOORS were kind enough to give us a bit of an introductory tour through their newest 2D side-scrolling MMO entitled WonderKing, currently in the closed beta stage. You may remember a recent interview we had with the WonderKing devs, as well as a closed beta key giveaway last month. Our coverage now continues through a series of screenshots we took during the tour, complete with captions that explain major features of the game.So if you're not in the beta, or are just curious about this game, follow along through our visual tour of WonderKing to find out more.%Gallery-68025%
Massively's DDO Unlimited developer tour, part 2
Far off in the distance stood The Devil's Tower, an ominous black edifice slathered with a blood red glow. The Devil's Tower is where the new Amrath content culminates. At this point, we opened up the DDO Store and purchased some hirelings before venturing any further.
Massively's DDO Unlimited developer tour
Love can sometimes be a fickle thing, but I'm pretty sure that I love what Turbine has done with the DDO Store in Dungeons and Dragons Online Unlimited. I'll admit that initially I was a little concerned with the concept of an in-game store, but after playing with it at bit and asking some questions my fears have pretty much melted away.I was lucky enough to be given a developer tour of the Dungeons and Dragons Online Unlimited beta last Friday, and had a thoroughly good time. The DDO Store is a streamlined and snappy experience. The store doesn't simply attempt to shove its wares onto the unsuspecting player. Instead, it attempts -- and largely succeeds -- in being a helpful, generally friendly addition to the game.%Gallery-66994%
LotRO dev tour: Massively's look at Book 8
Once again, Turbine has been kind enough to offer us a sneak peek look at the newest Book update to Lord of the Rings Online. This newest one, Volume 2, Book 8, introduces two new 3-man instances, a 6-man space and their largest instance to date: an enormous 12-man instance with six bosses! In addition, there's a revamp of quests in the 15-25 level range, many crafting system improvements and the Summer Festival, complete with new events and a different way to win the festival horse.This dev tour was given by Aaron "Rowan" Campbell, Live Producer for LotRO and Adam Mersky, Turbine's Director of Communications. It focused mainly on the new instances, as we were shown the highlights of each space, including the incredibly difficult bosses at the end. Follow along in our 26-image gallery below for more on what we saw in Book 8.%Gallery-64417%
