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Flameseeker Chronicles: A look back at 2010
Welcome to the last Flameseeker Chronicles of 2010, in which I wax sentimental over this year and salivate over what the next one promises. It's been a huge year for both Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 -- probably one of the biggest since Guild Wars 1 launched. There was civil war in Tyria, with consequences more far-reaching than any of us as players could imagine at the outset. Profession reveals came fast and furious for a while, and when the dust settled, we had extensive information on half of the Guild Wars 2 professions. Gamescom and PAX brought us actual Guild Wars 2 gameplay, the War in Kryta seemed to go on and on, and there were even some shakeups behind the scenes, with ArenaNet swinging a banhammer of massive proportions and dismantling the Xunlai tournament house. Follow along and let's take a look at what 2010 brought to Tyria.
Aion: Assault on Balaurea podcast
Compared to the rest of us, only a lucky few get the pleasure of attending Gamescom or PAX, so NCsoft has released a video podcast to let the rest of us in on what's been talked about. Featuring several members of the Aion dev team, this podcast highlights some new features of the free expansion, Assault on Balaurea. Touched on in the video are pets, the increased level cap, the new zones, new flight mechanics, and the new instances (including solo ones!), along with the new Twitter integration -- Right from the UI, players can now tweet, include up to ten of their favorite screenshots, and brag about their in-game exploits without ever tabbing out! Whet your appetite for tomorrow's launch and glide past the cut to watch the podcast.
Rift gets new website, videos detail nightblade and shaman soul trees
Rift: Planes of Telara made its presence felt at Gamescom 2010, and the folks over at RiftNexus.com have captured a couple of the noteworthy reveals on video. Both the shaman and nightblade soul trees were detailed at the event, and, for those new to the world of Telara, souls represent the game's answer to traditional MMORPG classes, albeit with several unique twists. Trion showed off the shaman's skill tree, and the melee cleric is stocked with abilities including the requisite heals and attacks. The shaman soul also appears to have some debuffing capability, as evidenced by the Vengeance of the Frozen ability that reduces both the strength and the dexterity of a given target. RiftNexus also brings us a brief video of the nightblade's skill tree, and it's clear this particular soul owes much to the classic rogue archetype. You can view both videos after the cut or on RiftNexus.com The Rift: Planes of Telara team has also been busy outside of the convention circuit, as a revamped website made its debut this week. Check it out for more information on the classes, world lore, and more. [Thanks to Brennan for the website tip!]
Video: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood gameplay walkthrough
Here we were, thinking -- foolishly, might we add -- that this holiday season might not be packed to the gills with games we're way excited for. And then Ubisoft dropped this walkthrough of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood from Gamescom, reminding us that there's one more game to be crazy excited about. Did someone say "war horse?" Yep, the narrator of the walkthrough certainly did. In addition to all the other new stuff Ezio can do in Brotherhood, he's able to hop from his horse to others -- including the war horse, one of several new horse types. If that doesn't get your pulse going, you may have already been assassinated. Head past the break for the entire video.
A look at Gamescom 2010: Part two
As promised earlier this week, we present part two of our video series documenting Gamescom 2010 from the good people at Maverick Media. In this one, we have a look at Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium Online, TERA, End of Nations, The Secret World's amazing booth and Ben before his morning coffee and makeup. If you enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek humor of the first video, you'll certainly love this second video found just after the jump. So check it out and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Guild Wars 2 necromancer revealed
This is not your ancestor's necromancer. Much like the ranger, the necromancer in Guild Wars 2 is bigger, badder, and deadlier than her Guild Wars counterpart. The Guild Wars 2 necro was officially revealed today, and though we've pretty much known it was coming since Killeen made fallen soldiers dance in the sewers of Ebonhawke, it's still nice to see descriptions, videos, and screenshots straight from ArenaNet. Follow along after the jump as we take a look at the necro and all of her glowy green skills and abilities.
Black Prophecy wins "Best of Free-to-Play" at Gamescom
Gaming publications Gamestar and GamePro were keeping an interested watch on the happenings at Gamescom last week, and earlier this week they handed out their own round of awards. Gamigo and Reakktor Media received top honors in the free-to-play category for Black Prophecy, beating out several other nominees including Battlestar Galactica Online and Mytheon, another Gamigo game. "We feel quite honored. This award is recognition for all the hard work our team has put in over the past few years," said Kirk Lenke, CEO of Reakktor Media. The full story can be read on Gamestar's site in the original German or an English translation.
Rift character creation detailed, with HD videos
We here at Massively are becoming ever more excited for Rift: Planes of Telara. The more information that Trion Worlds reveals about the upcoming fantasy MMORPG, the more we crave. Ciovala, webmaster of Riftnexus.com, sends word of a new hands-on review of the title from the recent Gamescom 2010 in Cologne, Germany. The initial segment of the multi-part article touches on aspects of character creation and the title's user interface, with more to follow on the game world and gameplay in future installments. Much like we did with our own recent Rift hands-on, the reviewer came away impressed. The piece also features two high-definition video segments, both dealing with character customization and both viewable after the cut or on YouTube.
A look at Gamescom 2010: Part one
Tweet var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/A_look_at_the_MMOs_of_Gamescom_2010_Part_one'; This year's Gamescom has come and gone, but its legacy lives on in video -- namely, in some excellent footage shot by Maverick Media. Given our notable absence from the largest international game expo of the year, we decided to partner with our friends at Maverick for their impressions of the event and make use of their professional video resources. Those cameras aren't cheap! So what is Maverick Media? It's a creative agency that conceives and produces trailers, television commercials and in-game cinematics for video game publishers and developers. The team consists of the guys behind the Crysis 2 "The Wall" trailer, the Bayonetta "In for the Kill" commercials, and all of the Little Big Planet in-game tutorials and intro sequence. In the MMO world, they recently worked with Jagex on the "Brace for Impact" teaser trailer for Stellar Dawn. Our combined aim at this year's Gamescom was to gather opinions and insights from informed game execs working in the emerging games space, focusing on their ideas and plans for attracting new gamers into their communities. You'll find part one just after the jump below -- look for part two to drop later this week!
The weirdest booth attractions of Gamescom 2010
While most booths at Gamescom relied on the games themselves to attract visitor attention, there were plenty of booths that went to some ridiculous lengths to stand out from the crowd. Take the above picture, which was set up to promote some sort of tractor simulation that's apparently popular in Germany. And that was actually one of the more game-related booths we captured for the odd gallery below. And you thought Gamescom was all about the games. You're so silly.%Gallery-100139%
Peer into these new Portal 2 screens
As if some sort of portal through the internet has opened, a series of new screenshots from Portal 2 just materialized from the game's creator, Valve Software. They're from Gamescom, which obviously means they came all the way from Germany -- but thanks to Aperture technology, arrived instantaneously. Pretty neat, huh? These latest shots showcase more of the game's new fluid dynamics, drastically improved lighting and, of course, Weighted Companion Cubes. All things that we'll be experiencing in playable form on February 9, 2011.%Gallery-100181%
The Cosplayers of Gamescom 2010
Given the hundreds of thousands of people who turned out for Gamescom 2010, the number of cosplayers in attendance was surprisingly small. Or maybe it wasn't surprising, given that this year's show didn't even encourage the costumed patrons with a feeble world record attempt or anything. As you browse this collection of photos, see if you can spot: The two guys who I suspect may have been gang members and not actually cosplayers A character that is usually not seen eating popcorn eating some popcorn Link pulling a reverse-Michael-Jackson (you'll know it when you see it) The best use of a pacifier for Day of the Tentacle cosplay you will ever see %Gallery-100135%
Gran Turismo 5 wins 'best of' Gamescom awards 2010
The Gamescom awards have been handed out by an "expert jury" from the publishing and media sector, with Gran Turismo 5 taking the "Best of Gamescom" award. Unlike the E3 Game Critics Awards, which is a collaborative effort by outlets you've heard of, the Gamescom accolades appear to come from six folks whose names we don't quite (be polite, be polite!) ... recognize. The short list of winners selected by the brotzeit club were: Best of Gamescom: Gran Turismo 5 (Sony Computer Entertainment Deutschland GmbH) Hardware accessories: PlayStation Move (Sony Computer Entertainment Deutschland GmbH) Console games: Gran Turismo 5 (Sony Computer Entertainment Deutschland GmbH) Mobile games: Super Scribblenauts (Warner Bros. Games) Online games: Guild Wars 2 (NCsoft West) PC games: Crysis 2 (Crytek GmbH) Best of Family Entertainment: Kirby's Epic Yarn (Nintendo of Europe GmbH) Those are certainly some adequate choices, but considering the international presence and size of the show, it would seem prudent that the Gamescom awards seek out a better mix and quantity of judges for future shows. %Gallery-99887%
Flameseeker Chronicles: The view from the cheap seats is pretty darn great
I did not go to Gamescom. I was kind of not anticipating last week at all, because I envisioned it as a week of me looking at all the wonderful things I couldn't have, much like a starving orphan outside a bakery (or maybe a homeless orphan in some player's home instance). I figured it would be very un-fun. In fact, the opposite was true. Sure, I couldn't play hands-on, but I enjoyed all the Guild Wars 2 news flooding out of Gamescom just the same. I imagine being there would have made it impossible to take in all of these details from every direction -- it just would have been too overwhelming. Don't get me wrong, it's not sour grapes. I would have loved to be there! But since I couldn't, I'm really enjoying my bird's-eye view, so to speak. Even from this point of view, the amount of new information we have is nearly impossible to keep track of, so for Flameseeker Chronicles this week, I thought I'd take all that we've heard this week and try to distill it into a guide on where you can find information. It's felt a bit like trying to take an octopus and 15 of his closest friends and convince them all to fit comfortably in one small sandwich baggie, but I've done my best. Follow along after the jump to see where you can find the latest and greatest from Guild Wars 2 at Gamescom.
Gamescom 2010 grew to 254,000 attendees
It's pretty safe to say that in its second year Gamescom has not only established itself as the premier European gaming event, with 254,000 visitors (up 9,000), but as a global one as well. Event organizers were obviously pleased with the show's size and the growing presence of international companies. Gamescom 2011 is already set for Cologne from August 17 - 21. Like our roundup of figures from last year, you'll find some "official" and "unofficial statisticals" from our 2010 show experience after the break.
So say we all: Battlestar Galactica Online's blueprints revealed
Whether you're a human, a Cylon, a human working for the Cylons, a Cylon working for the humans, or a slightly off-kilter Massively editor, Battlestar Galactica Online promises to appeal across a wide spectrum. Ten Ton Hammer got in the good graces of Bigpoint at Gamescom this year and smuggled out information vital to the war effort. While it's not even in the alpha stage as of yet, BSGO is reportedly looking solid, especially for a browser-based title. The primary focus of this space-shooter MMO is the PvP conflict between human and Cylon forces. Players should expect to handle ships from the series (such as the Viper), but Bigpoint is planning on creating new spacecraft unique to the game. Each ship will handle differently, forcing users to adapt on the fly or die. Although the main stage of the game is the struggle to control systems (and their precious, precious resources), you'll be able to explore areas on foot, such as the titular Galactica, although this is mostly for atmosphere and storytelling. For players worried about the game's microtransactions model, Bigpoint promises that everyone will be able to experience the game from beginning to end without being forced to spend a penny.
Seen @ Gamescom: Napoleon, Caesar debate Civ 5 tactics
Watching two of the world's greatest leaders debating politics and strategy for Civilization 5 was a highlight of Gamescom. 2K Games went all out and created clones of Napoleon Bonaparte and Augustus Caesar to check out the game and QA test some strategy. We're sure the duo's feedback to the dev team will be invaluable leading up to the game's September 21 launch -- we just hope they're not listening to Napoleon's "100 days" plan. We already know how that ends, folks.%Gallery-98863%
What Killzone looked like before it was Killzone
The E3 2005 trailer for Killzone 2 quickly became well-known (infamous, even) for its supposedly unatainable levels of in-game graphical prowess. But the initial trailer for the game that would become the original Killzone has been much less well known ... until this past week at GDC Europe. Guerilla Games Managing Director Hermen Hulst showed off the circa-1999 concept video in a keynote speech in Cologne earlier this week, calling it a "showcase of technical competence" prepared for their first meeting with Sony. Even though Hulst admits there's "nothing really 'Killzone' about it" at this early stage (for instance, the Helghast and their glowing eyes don't even make a cameo appearance) we thought it was an interesting look at the pre-history of one of Sony's biggest exclusive franchises. To see the video in full, follow us past the break.
Preview: Fighters Uncaged
First, the good news: Fighters Uncaged Prodcuer Luc Verdier recognizes that there have been too many casual, family-oriented games announced for the Kinect thus far, and says the game is his attempt to fix this. Now the bad news: based on a recent demo of the game at Gamescom, Fighters Uncaged utterly fails in this attempt. As you can see in this live demonstration video, the movement recognition for Fighters Uncaged is far from perfect at this point. Punches can be completely finished and retracted in the real world before they even start in the game, making it hard to string together quick combinations of moves. In fact, Verdier said combos in the final game would actually be activated using a quick-time event system, asking players to string together preset poses for an unblockable chain of attacks. A similar match-the-on-screen-pose system is already in place to dodge or block incoming attacks, and feels incredibly unwieldy.%Gallery-99720%
Nintendo support was crucial to uDraw's creation
THQ may be the company publicly pushing the recently announced uDraw tablet controller for the Wii, but a presentation of the new technology at Gamescom this week emphasized just how important Nintendo's support was to the device's creation. "When we came to [Nintendo] in the beginning with the idea for uDraw, they said 'that's brilliant, let's figure out how to do this,'" THQ director Luis Gigliotti said during a presentation. "It's been an incredible partnership. ... I've been working in game development for 17-plus years and I can honestly say this is one of the smoothest collaborations with a first party I've ever had, just because everybody got it on day one." Gigliotti specifically pointed out that Nintendo's hardware design expertise was key to transforming the monstrous uDraw prototype (nicknamed "Frankenstein" by the THQ team), into the light, sleek unit shown off at the show. "[The prototype] was a like bunch of lasers and mirrors and loose parts, it was wood and it had brass on it," he recalled. "I said, 'There's no way we can get this to something like this [the current hardware] without it costing a fortune.' Nintendo said, 'Don't worry about it. You guys are software developers, we are the kings of hardware. We will figure this out.' And they did, for one reason -- the idea was solid. Everybody knew it was a good idea, so we figured out the rest."
