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The Game Archaeologist: When dead MMOs come back to life
Maybe I'm alone in this, but my jaw just dropped when I came home this past week to see that Massively posted the news that Shadowbane is coming back to life. Granted, it's only going to happen in China, but still, that's pretty incredible. Shadowbane's been in the ground for three years now, and if I had to pick an MMO that deserved resurrection, this particular one would be farthest from my mind (no offense if you liked the game; it's just that there are so many others that are even more worthy). But how can this not give you hope? Many of us have lost an MMO we loved or at least had a decked-out character populating the character select screen, and the thought of that game coming back against all odds is a goosebump-rising one. It may also smack of justice served, as some MMOs fail not because of faulty gameplay but because of mismanagement by the studio, complex legal wrangling, or bad marketing. Today let's look at a few examples of dead MMOs that were brought back to life and what this may mean for the future of the industry. Zombie MMOs! Not, you know, MMOs with zombies.
Mythos Global open beta starts February 2nd
The on-again-off-again saga of Mythos is apparently on again. HanbitSoft and T3Fun have issued a press blurb trumpeting the open beta for the rechristened Mythos Global. The preview period kicks off on February 2nd, and the devs say that the test will "be available to most of Europe." There's no word on an American server as of yet, but the release does promise a full month of lead-in activities to the Euro beta including "new stories, exclusive interviews, mini-games, quizzes, and more." Mythos originally launched in April 2011 before shutting down in October and announcing its impending return in late November.
Mythos Europe shutting down October 27th
European Mythos fans should say their farewells, as Frogster has announced that the game's European servers will be shutting down on October 27th. According to the official forum post, while "MYTHOS enjoyed great popularity with the launch in April and the numerous registered users ensured a good start [...] The desired long-term success unfortunately did not follow," and for that reason, the game's service is being discontinued. In order to make the game's twilight hours enjoyable for players, the dev team is sending missing quest items to all players so that they can go into the great beyond with a clean quest log. Purchases from the cash shop are no longer possible, and all servers have the maximum experience and luck buffs. Players whose accounts have been registered and active in the past three months will also be given vouchers redeemable for diamonds and/or mounts in Runes of Magic, in hopes that players will find a new home in Frogster's other popular title. For the full server shutdown details, check out the forum post over on the Mythos official site.
Mythos content update includes 23 new dungeons, skill tweaks
The last time we profiled Mythos on Massively, it was in service of some new content. It's no surprise, then, that Frogster is once again expanding the free-to-play hack-and-slash MMO. This time the new bells and whistles can be found on the Fog Island of Horror, and in case the name didn't drive the point home, it's a pretty scary place. The isle is home to a horde of ravenous zombies and is the base of operations for two opposing queens. Their majesties Vyle and Neperta make their home on the fog-shrouded island, as do the denizens of 23 new dungeons ripe for the plucking by adventurers from across the realm. Oh yeah, that level cap, previously stuck on a piddling 51? It's been bumped to 55, the better for you to get a handle on some changes to cooldowns and the skill system whilst you're grinding your way through packs of monsters. Today's Mythos press release also alludes to a massive crafting system overhaul, but since it's a little light on the details where tradeskilling is concerned, you'll just have to log in and see for yourself. Alternatively, you could hit up the official website for more details.
Mythos Europe adds PvP features and new levels
"Lamentation" is a word that isn't associated with PvP as often as it ought to be, with the lyric "QQ" generally taking its place. But the latest update for Mythos is bringing back lamentation in style with the new Lamento PvP system in place. Players at level 50 or up can fight in 1v1 or 2v2 matches against other players, with the winner obtaining Lamento points that can be used to purchase new level 51 armor and weapons. What's that? You're stuck at level 50? Well, not any longer -- level 51 has been added, allowing players access to new pieces of equipment and another notch of power. The full list of patch changes is quite extensive, including new rewards for clearing dungeons quickly, improvements to movement speed, and new stats that can be generated when items drop. Amidst all of the new doses of power, it's for the best that PvP is coming out in force. After all, why settle for crushing computer-controlled enemies when you could be hearing the lamentations of your opponents?
Mythos guilds get buffed the heck up
Mythos is already going through a few growth spurts in its first few months of life. Aww, look at it -- isn't it adorable? It's trying to talk... it's taking its first steps... it's buffing guilds and adding in a ranking system! Guild buffs are exactly what they sound like: buffs that go out to every member of the guild. These passive buffs to experience, health, defense and more can be earned by simply leveling the guild up. The higher the guild levels, the better the buffs become. In Mythos, guilds purchase these levels with gold. And for guilds who are out to truly excel, Mythos now gives each group a rank depending on its guild level and how much time its members spend in the game. The best of the best will get an even better guild-wide buff to experience gain and luck. The game will hand out rankings once a week during maintenance. You can get into the nitty-gritty details of these systems on the Mythos forums!
Mythos readying daily quests for June release
What's better than a smorgasbord of quests in your favorite MMORPG? A smorgasbord of daily quests, of course, and Frogster is gearing up to give Mythos players a smattering of dailies designed to further their enjoyment of the free-to-play hack-and-slash title. The quests will be available to players at level 15 or higher, and the devs are shooting for a June release window. Gamers can claim their dailies via a quest blackboard located in all of Uld's quest hubs, and the tasks will scale to both a player's level and his group size. Completing all of the quests on a particular day will unlock bonuses like 60 minutes worth of double experience and significantly increased currency payouts. Follow the glowing trail to the official Mythos website for more info.
Mythos Europe attracts 250,000 players in two weeks, throws double XP weekend
It's only been 15 days since Mythos Europe launched, but the resurrected action MMO is already seeing impressive results. According to Frogster, over 250,000 players have jumped into the game for some hectic hack-n-slash fun. The company also provided some revealing statistics as it monitored its quarter-million playerbase. Apparently, the most popular class is the Bloodletter (40% of players), followed by the Pyromancer (32%) and Gadgeteer (28%). A full third of the playerbase chose the human race, with 28% going over to the Gremlins, 27% to the Satyrs, and 15% to the Cyclops. Finally, 66% of the characters created are male. So if you want to be a rarity, rolling a female Cyclops Gadgeteer is the way to go! To celebrate this auspicious milestone, Frogster is rewarding its enthusiastic players with double XP for quests and monster kills this weekend. You can catch all of Mythos' double XP action from now until Monday at 12:00 p.m. EDT.
Mythos Europe launches!
Like a digital phoenix rising from the ashes of a failed company, Mythos has come back from the dead to finally launch. Under the care of HanbitSoft and Frogster, Flagship's former Diablo-style MMO has been retooled and finally pushed out of the doors in Europe. Mythos Europe's Arne Freund is understandably excited: "We are very pleased with our rapidly growing community, whose support shows us that they, like us, have become really invested in the world of Mythos. We will continue to put all of our effort into supporting the game after release and to provide players with enough monsters to hack and slash their way through in the years to come. Talking of which, I've got a grudge to settle..." Mythos is free-to-play with optional item shop purchases and is available in five languages: English, German, French, Polish and Turkish. In addition to the digital download, there's a retail box version that includes an item voucher for a variety of exclusive goodies. Get into the action by downloading it from the official site, but before you do that, make sure to hit the jump and watch the launch trailer -- it'll get you pumped up for sure!
Exclusive: Mythos Europe reveals details on new content and early beta access
Last month we told you all about the upcoming open beta, level cap raise, and new content for Mythos Europe. Umbral Peaks, the third region to come to the game, sounded great, but there was a small disclaimer: You have to wait until April 12th for open beta. Well, it turns out that's not technically true. You have to wait until April 12th if you aren't a Massively reader. Yes, you're being rewarded for your excellent taste with 24 hours of exclusive early access, beginning today. If you didn't get a closed beta key in one of our previous giveaways, this is your chance to participate anyway! All you have to do is use this link for access. The event begins today at 1:00 p.m. EDT (sorry, the link won't get you in until then) and lasts for 24 hours. When the event ends tomorrow at 1:00, you won't be kicked from the servers; you simply won't be able to log back in once you log out. This setup will allow you to finish whatever you're in the middle of without racing the clock. You've got a few hours before the event begins, but don't worry -- we've got a few things to help you pass the time. You'll of course want to create a Mythos Europe account if you haven't done so, and then follow along below, because we've got all the dirt on Umbral Peaks: screenshots and an overview of the new zone. Check them out, and have fun with your early look at Mythos Europe! %Gallery-10781%
Mythos announces European launch information
The hard part of anticipating a game early in the development process is the question of when you'll finally get a chance to see it released. Mythos has thankfully killed that part of the anticipation with the official announcement that the game will be going live as of April 28th, 2011. But if you can't wait that long to start in on a hack-and-slash bonanza and haven't been fortunate enough to get into the beta testing, how about a nice shiny box copy? Before you get your credit card information out, it should be noted that as this is still the European release; the box copy itself is being sold through Amazon.co.uk and will thus be rather limited for American players. For the European contingent, however, buying the box will allow access to the game on the 26th, two days before general release. Mythos players still have time to enjoy the closed beta for now, and as previously noted, open beta will begin on the 12th, if you're still up in the air.
First Impressions: Mythos
I've played plenty of Diablo-style games, games filled with endless hours of dungeon grinding and loot collecting. I'll be honest: They're not usually my thing. I like a little more variety in my adventure and not such a linear experience. When I was asked to take a look at Mythos, a "new" (read: older title that is receiving a re-do) game that is currently in closed beta, I was pretty skeptical. After all, I've played this style of game before and enjoyed it in Torchlight and others, and the developers are adding on an MMO element to it now. This could mean a few things. First, the game could be a horrible, buggy mess that would turn me off instantly. Or second, it could be something completely charming and different that could work really well as an MMO. Which did I find? Click past the cut and I promise to tell you.
Open beta en route for Mythos Europe
If there's been a single unifying thread for our last several beta giveaways for Mythos Europe, it's been a wail of anguish that the keys have vanished quickly. (Like cheap beer on a college campus, if you'd like an analogy.) But while we can't conjure new keys out of thin air, we can console those unable to get one with the news that the open beta is on its way. On April 12th, the servers open to everyone for testing and enjoyment. For the open testing phase, the level cap is being raised to 50, giving players the opportunity to explore new abilities and new zones. The game's third major area, Umbral Peaks, will be accessible in the last testing phase with the raised cap. Current beta players are also in luck, as servers have been added for several languages, including English, French, and Turkish. Mythos is getting closer and closer to launch, and starting April 12th, everyone gets to take part in putting on the final pre-launch testing polish. [Thanks to Blake Linton Wilfong for the tip!]
Still need a Mythos closed beta key? Get one now!
Welcome to round three of the Mythos Europe closed beta key giveaway! If you missed out on the last two giveaways, we've got another chance for you -- we've managed to get our hands on another 250 keys. The drill is the same as before: grab a key from our giveaway page, create a Mythos Europe account if you haven't done so, then enter your beta key! If the last two giveaways are any indication, these will go fast, so grab one quickly if you want in. Closed beta is going on now, so you can get started right away -- have fun!
More Mythos Europe beta keys for you
With the closed beta underway for Mythos Europe, many players who tried the beta back when Flagship was developing the game are champing at the bit to get in. Of course, those testers aren't the only ones who are excited, if our free closed beta key giveaway the other day was any indication! Our initial batch of keys flew off our code server incredibly quickly, and we received comments, tweets, and emails asking for more keys! Well, being the givers that we are here at Massively, we got in touch with our friends at Frogster and asked for another batch. The studio was only too happy to oblige, and as such, we have 250 more closed beta keys for you! All you have to do to pick one up is to head for our giveaway page and grab your very own Mythos Europe closed beta key. From there, point your browser at the Mythos page to set up your account. After that's all done, simply enter your username and key code and get your download on. A colorful, crazy adventure awaits -- so get moving if you want to grab a key before they're gone!
Exclusive: Mythos displays Lamento armor sets
Hanibitsoft and European publisher Frogster gave Massively the skinny on three armor sets revealed in the new fantasy MMO Mythos. Merchants on Heaven Island offer special armor sets to players with enough points from Lamento battles. Players form teams to face off against other groups in these contests of glory and special prizes. The Lamento sets of armor are specially designed to visually complement each other when worn as a complete suit. In addition to the stat increases given by individual pieces, the armor grants characters extra bonuses when the player equips more than one piece at a time. The bonus stats increase at 2, 5, 8, 11, and 13 collected pieces. The weapons and shields will vary, and each armor set contains two different sets of attributes for each of the three classes. Gadgeteers don the Pure White Soul armor set; Bloodletters strap on the Dark Plains or Snow Field armor; Pyromancers ignite the world in their Firestorm robes. In the gallery below, we've uploaded your first look at these enchanting suits. If you are interested in finding out more about the myth behind Mythos, march over to the official site and sign up for the closed beta going on right now. %Gallery-10781%
Take a first look at Mythos with our closed beta key giveaway!
A multi-race alliance, broken by betrayal, and an old wrong to be avenged. There's more to the story, but this is the foundation of what Mythos is all about. Mythos Europe is in closed beta, which means that a relatively small group will be participating, but don't worry -- we've got you covered. Here at Massively we've gotten our hands on 150 closed beta keys, and as always, we're in a sharing mood. Check out our giveaway page to grab your key, then visit the Mythos page to create your account. Once you've done that, enter your username and key code, then download the client. Got all that? Perfect -- enjoy the game, courtesy of Mythos Europe and Massively!
Frogster bringing Mythos Europe back online
"The premature dropping of Mythos before its release was a real loss for the genre." That's the opinion of Frogster's Andreas Weidenhaupt regarding Mythos Europe, and that loss is about to be remedied. We do have a few preliminary -- and exciting -- details for the time being. Mythos will re-enter the European market with an open beta in Q4 of this year, and launch is planned for Q1 2011 at the latest. The game will support five languages, including English, German, and Turkish, and will follow a free-to-play business model. A basic Mythos Europe site is up now, with the promise of a "full website coming soon." Impatient for more now? Sign up for the newsletter on the site's front page, and don't forget take a look at our Mythos gallery and teaser trailer below. %Gallery-10781%
