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SWTOR's Assassin, Shadow discipline changes detailed
Star Wars: The Old Republic fans, I'm sure you know the drill by now. The Shadow of Revan expansion is introducing major class changes and basically revamping talent trees in favor of a new discipline system. BioWare has been putting out a dev diary every couple of days to outline the tweaks to each of the game's classes. Today's installment focuses on the Jedi Shadow and the Sith Assassin.
Metareview: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Yeah, we know. "Nobody expects the Dragon Age: Inquisition" and all that. News Content Director Alexander Sliwinski gave the game five stars, explaining that Dragon Age: Inquisition is "BioWare's reaffirmation of what it's capable of delivering," and that players in it "aren't just exploring a new world, but helping shape it at various levels of society. Inquisition sets the bar for what a blockbuster RPG should be." Other critics around the web were largely impressed by Dragon Age: Inquisition as well. Head past the break for a glimpse at other reviews. BioWare's latest will arrive on Xbox One, PS4, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC next Tuesday, November 18. A six-hour trial of the game will reach Xbox One's EA Access service on Thursday.
Dragon Age: Inquisition review: Tipping the scales
PC, Xbox One, PS4 Dragon Age: Inquisition is an immense fantasy epic, a sprawling adventure across the many landscapes of Thedas, unapologetically mature in its exploration of politics and brazen in its combat. Inquisition is also developer BioWare's redemption song. It's everything that a sequel to Dragon Age: Origins should have been, and time will slip by as players enjoy the hundred hours of escapades it delivers. The end of Inquisition's spectacular first act gave me chills. The last time I can recall that feeling is when the Normandy was reintroduced in Mass Effect 2. It's the chill of being at the beginning of a grand story and anticipation for what's to come. Inquisition is the thoughtfully conceived world of Dragon Age living up to its potential. Origins looked dated when it first launched. Dragon Age 2 lacked scope. By comparison, Inquisition's arresting Hinterlands, the first massive open area players can explore, is full of things to do and collect. There are several of these lands in the game, along with mission-based set pieces and the player's hub fortress. This is the sequel fans were hoping for all along, and new adventurers will be eased into this next generation of Dragon Age.
The Daily Grind: Do you ride your mount inside?
Today on First World MMO Problems, we're talking about people who ride their mounts inside. These people are annoying. They're not quite as annoying as devs who allow mounts to be ridden inside, or devs who, in the case of Star Wars: The Old Republic, design interior spaces so cavernous that Star Destroyers can be flown down hallways and players feel compelled to ride their mounts inside just to save time. I understand the need for travel efficiency, and mounts are generally faster than walking running. But, really? Do you have to park your 1970s repulsorlift station wagon right on top of the mailbox, clipping every player in a 20 parsec radius and generally ruining what's otherwise a visually pleasing interior environment? What about it, Massively readers? Do you ride your mounts inside? Am I the only one who is bothered by this? 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! Does riding your mount inside and blocking vendors/mail make you a dick? Yes, yes it does!
EA's quarterly net revenue is up, apparently in spite of SWTOR
Electronics Arts had a bit to say about Star Wars: The Old Republic in its November 4th quarterly report -- and none of it good. The publisher named the sci-fi MMO as one of the properties that had decreased in revenue over the period. While EA's net revenue is up $295 million across the board, "this increase was partially offset by a $181 million decrease in revenue primarily from the SimCity, Crysis and Dead Space franchises, and Star Wars: The Old Republic." It remains to be seen whether next month's Shadow of Revan expansion will give the MMO a healthy bump in revenue when it is released.
PSA: Dragon Age story bridge The Last Court now in session
The Last Court, a text adventure bridging the narrative gap between Dragon Age 2 and the upcoming Dragon Age: Inquisition, is now available to experience for free via your web browser. If you're ready to play the role of marquis, ruling over the small state of Serault, simply head over to the Dragon Age Keep and log in with your EA Origin account. In case you missed our previous post regarding The Last Court, the game charges you with overseeing a small fiefdom located in the country of Orlais. Major characters from the Dragon Age games will appear, and it's up to you to decide how to handle your populace and its problems. The BioWare Blog post announcing The Last Court's release states that each playthrough of the game takes an average of seven days to complete. Better hurry then, as Dragon Age: Inquisition is due for arrival just 10 days from now, on November 18. [Image: EA]
SWTOR's Vanguard, Powertech discipline changes detailed
Did you catch yesterday's Star Wars: The Old Republic dev blog about update 3.0's changes to Mercenaries/Commandos? Good, because now we're on to Vanguards and Powertechs. If you're just joining us, SWTOR's talent trees are going bye-bye in favor of disciplines when Shadow of Revan launches early next month. Click through the links below to learn what's becoming of your favorite class!
Next Mass Effect snags Halo 4's lead writer, gets concept art
The next Mass Effect game from BioWare is being written by Chris Schlerf, the lead writer of 343 Industries' Halo 4. BioWare revealed Schlerf's role for the game today in a blog that introduced a few members of the its development team. The lead writer for Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3, Mac Walters, is staying on for the next installment as the game's creative director. Schlerf joins the team as lead writer following the departure of the series' creator and executive producer back in August, Casey Hudson. In celebration of "N7 Day" today, BioWare hosted a developer roundtable via its Twitch channel to reveal pieces of concept art for the upcoming game and discuss the developer's visions and ambitions. Shying away from calling it "Mass Effect 4," the next game will emphasize space exploration and features the return of the series' much-maligned vehicle, the Mako. The team also noted that the game's protagonist will not start the adventure with "legendary status" like the previous hero, Commander Shepard. Check out our slideshow of the concept art shown during the livestream below, which certainly beats the teasers shown by BioWare last year. [Image: BioWare]
SWTOR's Commando, Mercenary 3.0 discipline changes detailed
Do you play a Commando or a Mercenary in Star Wars: The Old Republic? If so, you'll want to read BioWare's latest dev diary because it explains the discipline changes scheduled to hit your advanced class with the game's 3.0 update. There's a lot to digest, including the fact that the game's new discipline system will allow players to select utility skills that were previously tied to a particular skill tree under the old system. SWTOR's Shadow of Revan expansion launches on December 9th.
Dawngate shutting down in 90 days
We hope you haven't pinned your future MOBA hopes on Dawngate, as EA has decided to take this title out of the running completely. Dawngate, which has been in beta most of this year, said today that it will be shutting down service in 90 days and is refunding testers any money they have spent thus far. "Today, I have the unenviable task of announcing that we've decided to stop development of Dawngate," Group General Manager Matt Bromberg posted. "Dawngate has been in beta for almost 18 months, including a full open beta for the past six months. Through that time, we've taken a lot of feedback from players and delivered lots of new features and innovations. And although the game has grown, we're not seeing the progress we'd hoped for." You can read Massively's hands-on experience with Dawngate as well as our interview with Composer Jeff Broadbent.
Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR Shadow of Revan FAQ
With every expansion, there are questions -- a lot of questions. Star Wars: The Old Republic is no exception. Shadow of Revan changes a lot of game mechanics and expands the story of SWTOR. With all the interviews and Cantina Tour chatter, it's difficult to tell what is true and what isn't. So I thought it'd be best to make an FAQ to answer some of those ponderings. When does Shadow of Revan release? The official release date for Shadow of Revan is December 9th. However, if you preordered before November 3rd 2:59 a.m., then you will gain early access, which starts on December 2nd. Do I have to subscribe to play Shadow of Revan? No, Shadow of Revan is a paid expansion and can be accessed by a free-to-play player. However, to be eligible for the 12x XP bonus, you do have to be subscribed to the game.
Text adventure The Last Court ties Dragon Age 2, Inquisition
Failbetter Games, the studio behind Sunless Sea and a virtual cornucopia of text adventure games, has partnered with BioWare to create The Last Court: a text-based game that promotes you to ruler of Serault, a small township located within the nation of Orlais. As the marquis, you'll need to manage threats both physical and fiscal, forging alliances and interacting with major characters from Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2. Players will be able to choose the Huntress or Scholar archetype for their character, giving themselves a boost to physical or mental stats, respectively. If you're not too keen on playing the medieval fantasy version of Parks and Recreation, here's some added incentive: The Last Court will connect the events of Dragon Age 2 to the forming of The Inquisition, the driving force behind Dragon Age: Inquisition. Failbetter did not announce precisely when The Last Court would go live, but when it does, you'll be able to access it via the Dragon Age Keep - a website where you can sync and customize your personal saga through BioWare's universe. A first-look video is available after the break.
Dragon Age: Inquisition pre-loading now available on Xbox One
The Xbox One version of BioWare's action-RPG Dragon Age: Inquisition is available for pre-ordering and pre-downloading on the Xbox One starting this week, EA and Microsoft announced. Players who pre-purchase Inquisition on the Xbox One can download the game in full and have it primed to unlock immediately at launch. PlayStation 4 pre-order customers will automatically download the game in the days leading up to its release while the console is in standby mode, and PC pre-loading via Origin will likely be available soon. Digital versions of Dragon Age: Inquisition will unlock when the retail edition launches on November 18. [Image: EA]
EA reports 18% drop in revenue, increased projections
Electronic Arts reported $990 million in net revenue for the three-month period ending September 30, the publisher revealed in its second quarter of fiscal 2015 financial results. That represents an 18.5 percent decline from the $1.21 billion in revenue reported in the last quarter, though it's also a 42.4 percent increase year-over-year. EA also posted a net income of $3 million, a massive improvement compared to its $273 million loss reported at the same time last year. While EA's digital revenue slipped 5.2 percent from $536 million to $508 million in the past quarter, it still represents a 12.9 percent increase year-over-year. EA stated back in August that it hopes to earn $1 billion from add-on content this year, and its Ultimate Team sales in the NHL, FIFA and Madden series may continue to help with that. EA reported a 96 percent increase in revenue on a non-GAAP basis (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) from those three series' Ultimate Team modes over the past year. The publisher also adjusted its expectations for the fiscal year (ending March 31, 2015), adding $75 million to its projections to total $4.375 billion. As for the next quarter, EA expects an increase in net revenue during the holiday season to $1.1 billion. EA also revealed the release date for its popular military shooter in the financial report: Battlefield Hardline will launch on March 17, 2015. [Image: EA]
SWTOR brings back the Rakghoul event
What's both the most terrifying and exhilerating thing that could happen this Halloween? For Star Wars: The Old Republic players, it might just be the return of the Rakghoul Resurgence. The event is currently live and will run for a week or so. There are a few tweaks to the popular event, such as two new housing decorations to purchase (because everyone wants a plague bulb in hers or his living room, right?) and a brand-new world boss to fight. Toxxun, the world boss, is located in Axial Park and drops a cute little plague pet.
Meet the followers backing you up in Dragon Age: Inquisition
There's no Twitter in Thedas, so it's no surprise players of Dragon Age: Inquisition will have a handful of followers rather than thousands. Still, if each of the nine potential allies are as helpful and have as much personality as the three shown here, we doubt the Inquisitor will mind. [Image: EA]
Star Wars: The Old Republic team 'investigating' character cap
With accelerated class story leveling, it's pretty easy at this point to start and play a new character in Star Wars: The Old Republic. So easy, in fact, that players are starting to really run up against the game's hard cap of 22 characters per server. Community manager Eric Musco took to the forums to explain that the cap was implemented originally simply because that was the upper limit before it would impact performance. Does that mean there's no hope for the future? Not necessarily. Musco states that the team has heard the demand and is currently looking into what it would take to raise the global cap beyond 22; it all comes down to whether or not the cap can be increased while keeping performance stable. So while there's unlikely to be an increase within the next few days, there's possible good news on the horizon.
BioWare on SWTOR's Revan expansion, upcoming species, and class stories
Star Wars fans are super excited about the next digital expansion for Star Wars: The Old Republic releasing on December 9th. First off, it's Star Wars, and second, it deals with one of the most iconic Star Wars figures outside the movies: Revan. I recently talked to some key figures at BioWare to ask them about Shadow of Revan. On the phone call and livestream, Charles Boyd, the lead writer for the expansion, not only gave an overview of the story but played a bit live. Producer Bruce Maclean discusssed the production side of the game. And even Game Director James Ohlen popped onto the call to let us know how much this expansion means to him.
NBA Live 15 six-hour trial now available via EA Access
Sports fans can check out the Xbox One version of EA's NBA Live 15 a week before it hits retail via the EA Access subscription service, which serves up a time-limited version of the upcoming basketball sim starting today. EA Access subscribers can spend up to six hours with NBA Live 15, and are granted access to all of its included gameplay modes. All player progress made during the trial will carry over to the full version of NBA Live 15, and members can unlock the upcoming digital release at a 10 percent discount. EA Access is currently exclusive to the Xbox One console. NBA Live 15 premieres digitally and at retail on October 28 in North America, October 31 in Europe. [Image: Electronic Arts]
Star Wars: The Old Republic gears up for Revan and new collections
Revan is kind of a big deal in Star Wars: The Old Republic. As in the past, the team behind the game has already started posting lore pieces about the upcoming expansion, Shadow of Revan, and those pieces are equally clear about what a big deal he is. The latest official entry is a look at the Revanites, a group that low-level Sith players likely remember dealing with extensively. There's more going on, and intelligence operations are taking note of far more ornate and subtle activity than the group had previously displayed. If the brief lore tease isn't enough, the game's latest patch has also teased out some new items that should soon be available in the game's store: decorative lightsaber hilts, rotating-barrel blasters, and a new vanity outfit. Check out the full preview to see just how you can prepare to take on Revan's machinations in style.
