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Studios join forces to form Gamer Safety Alliance
This week is Gamer Safety Week, and before you laugh at the thought of getting injured while playing your favorite MMO, we should point out that the safety has more to do with your accounts than your person. Nine major game companies have joined forces to form the Gamer Safety Alliance, an organization that seeks "to break down traditional competitive barriers and share information and best practices within the computer and video game industry." Participating firms include Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Turbine, NCsoft, Nexon, Square Enix, Sony Online Entertainment, MindCandy, and En Masse Entertainment. SOE leads things off with a lengthy article on how to protect yourself from account fraud.
Play three Nexon MMOs, get this car
Did that grab your attention? Nexon is sure hoping it did, as the company is in the throes of its "Get a Hat Trick!" promotion. For the next month and a half, players who dive into Vindictus, Dragon Nest, and Dungeon Fighter Online and get to level 20 in all three games will have a shot at several nice prizes -- including the above 2012 BMW M3. So, in effect, just by playing MMOs, you could be netting yourself one of the sweetest rides in town. While Nexon has already handed out awards for the third and fourth place winners, there are still prizes left for aspiring gamers. First of all, everyone who gets a hat trick (as defined by achieving level 20 in the above three titles) will be treated to $20 worth of in-game items. Additionally, three players will get an Alienware Aurora desktop computer, and 30 people will win $50 "Karma Koins." As for the Beemer, the prize will only be unlocked if 30,000 players achieve hat tricks by March 15th -- and even then, only one car will be given away after that. So good luck and may the game be with you!
Free for All: The still-satisfying world of action MMOs
Look, I'm a red-blooded American gamer. I even call it 'Merica. So it should be no surprise when I feel like getting down with a melee-based chop-'em-up or have the desire to leap, jump and bounce my way through countless levels. In other words, action. We 'Mericans love our action games. I have my particular favorites, for sure, and within that list are my favorites of favorites that get the nod for different reasons. Honestly I'm not into action-based games just for the challenge. I don't need to make repeated attempts at downing a boss to have fun. I enjoy the immediate response that an action game gives me. I love to click the mouse button and see my character's sword swing or gun fire. It's satisfying. Of course, action games can have their drawbacks. Not only do they tend to produce a euphoric haze that can only be described as "stoner glare" and an open-mouthed state of hypnosis, but they can take a toll on delicate, drum-beaten wrists like mine as well. I take the good with the bad, I guess. Click past the cut and I'll let you know my favorite F2P action MMOs.
Rise and Shiny recap: Dungeon Fighter Online
I'm glad that over the last week I found the time to finally get me some Dungeon Fighter Online by Nexon. I knew that it has quite the following, and I knew that it's supposed to be a blast, sort of like an 8bit Vindictus, but I was still surprised at a few things while I played. The game isn't what I thought it would be in several ways. NPCs have voices and hand out actual quests, the world is more open than I thought it would be, and the graphics feel snappy and fluid despite their primitive nature. Don't get me wrong -- there is plenty that needs to be tweaked or fixed before the game smells of anything near perfection. Much of it is beyond the ability of the developers, but many of the problems with the game could be fixed relatively easy. Click past the cut and I'll tell you what I thought during my time fighting in dungeons... online!
Dragon Nest celebrates the holidays with Scarlet Snow
The weather is cooling down, and it's the season for fresh, white, beautiful snow. Dragon Nest, however, wants to turn that snow red with its upcoming update, Scarlet Snow. The new patch, coming sometime in December, will raise the game's level cap to 40. And of course, a raised level cap means new challenges for players to conquer. Saint's Haven will play host to two new nests and dungeons, and there will be plenty of seasonal events for players to see. For more information, check out the post on the game's official website.
Rise and Shiny recap: Revisiting Mabinogi
If you've kept up with my columns for a while, it should be no secret that I think Mabinogi is still one of the best games out there. While it does have its issues, the game simply presents more sandboxy goodness to players (while keeping those systems coming) than almost any game I can think of. In fact, the game has added so much since I started this column that a returning player can get confused. A new player might even become lost. I like to officially dip my toes into old, familiar games once in a while. Checking back on these games from my past is a great way for me to get my gamer's bearings and see how my opinions might have changed. Mabinogi has been calling to me for a while because I haven't really jumped into it for that long over the past few months. I figured now is the time. Click past the cut!
Nexon's Min Kim on the 'Free2pocalypse'
Nexon bigwig Min Kim recently checked in with Gamasutra for a brief interview regarding the state of the company's global free-to-play initiative. In short, business is booming, and while MapleStory was viewed as an oddity when it launched with a F2P model eight years ago, it's now much closer to the norm. "A lot of people laughed at the business model, and now a lot of companies are starting to try to understand it or experiment with it. We've been calling it 'the free2pocalypse.' Every company is looking at it; the market is just way larger," Kim explains. He also talks a bit about Nexon's new Live Games division, which consolidates the company's operations, marketing, and communications groups into a single entity under his direction. Finally, Kim explains the logic behind the decision to remove Nexon's name from its uber-successful retail store game cards. In a nutshell, the benefits of unifying the virtual item currencies across a diverse selection of games outweighed the name recognition afforded by the Nexon banner.
MMObility: Ten terrific titles for this nifty new netbook
I mentioned this new gaming toy of mine last week, and it finally arrived. I immediately loved how it felt and weighed. Sure, there are lighter netbooks, but many of them feel more fragile. This Inspiron Duo has a rubberized edging to it, and the flip-screen feels snappy but firm. I was happy right away. It's a higher-quality netbook with a decent-quality tablet included. After I tweaked it and purged it of bloatware, I had to get some games going on it, and not just casual Facebook games but real MMOs. I spent a few days going through my list of titles to see which ones would work on the netbook and how many will work well with the touchscreen. I wanted games that would give a normal netbook fits but not lag excessively. Note that my netbook's screen is 1366x768, while the cheapest ones out there are normally 1024x600. Adjustments might need to be made there. I came up only with 10 games for now, but expect more in the future. Click past the cut to see the list!
Atlantica Online celebrates three years with in-game events
Atlantica Online, Nexon's quirky tactical MMORPG, has been running for three whole years now. You know what that means, right? Anniversary celebration time! From now until November 16th, players can celebrate Atlantica's third anniversary by participating in a variety of in-game events. For starters, there's the Hunt for the Warlord's Poem. Players have to hunt down monsters that have stolen fragments of Khun Phaen's poetry. Completing this task will net players "Khun Phaen's Carrier Pigeon, a Title: People's Champion, Khun Phaen Skill Books, and other essentials." If you'd rather put your combative skills to the test, you can take part in the third anniversary Grand Championship Battle Royale, which will take place on October 31st at 6:00 a.m. EDT and again at 6:00 p.m. EDT. The top four players will receive a prize of precious NX Credit. Lastly, Nexon is asking players to take a picture of either themselves or their avatars with a sign reading "Happy Anniversary Atlantica!" Players who submit such a picture will be entered into a drawing for 20,000 NX. For the full details, head on over to Atlantica Online's official site.celebrates three years with in-game events
New Dragon Nest videos show off Saint's Haven, new abilities
Nexon's dungeon-crawling beat-'em-up MMO Dragon Nest is gearing up for its launch in just a couple of days, and the company has released a pair of videos to help pump up some excitement for the official release. The first trailer welcomes players to Saint's Haven, the new city to which players will be able to venture once the game officially goes live. The city provides players with a whopping 10 new dungeons as well as over 500 new quests. But what good are all those dungeons if you don't have the mad skills to clear 'em out? Don't worry, Nexon has you covered. Video number two focuses on all the fancy new abilities players will be granted when the game launches on the 28th. So whether you're a nimble Acrobat, a brutal Mercenary, or a zealous Paladin, you'll have plenty of new tricks up your sleeve to help turn the tide of battle. But less babble, more bashing, am I right? Head on past the cut for the full videos.
Take to the skies with MapleStory Ascension
Rise up, MapleStory players! The new Ascension update is coming on September 28th, and it's bringing players a wealth of new features to enjoy. Warriors, Magicians, and Bowmen are all receiving class revamps that update the classes with "new strength and new looks." Players can also band together to take on the challenges of Spiegelmann's Monster Park, which grants an extra 50% experience for parties as well as higher drop rates. For the lovebirds in the crowd, the team is implementing new wedding quests. Meanwhile, team players are being given three new party quests as well as six updated ones, and the rewards from party quests are "more lucrative than ever." To top it all off, a new event calendar has been added to the game, so players will always be up to date on current events. To get in on all the Ascension action, head on over to the official site and register for an account.
MapleStory Adventures scores 3 million players -- before it even launches
The Facebook spin-off of MapleStory has hit a big milestone today -- a very big one indeed. Nexon announced that MapleStory Adventures crossed the three million registered player threshold. This feat is more incredible when you consider that the game is still in open beta. MapleStory Adventures is Nexon's first Facebook game, and it is soon to be joined by the company's second: Wonder Cruise. Nexon's been making strategic moves into the social gaming market this year, including a recent partnership with developer 6waves Lolapps. The company saw an impressive 59% increase in revenue last quarter. MapleStory was an obvious choice for a Facebook conversion, considering that the title was already in 2-D and has a mass-market appeal. While MapleStory Adventures is similar in many ways to its predecessor, some elements have been simplified for the platform, such as the number of classes and skill trees.
Nexon concludes MapleStory's Chaos series with loads of new content
MapleStory's Chaos series of updates is ending with a bang with the Age of Triumph, which according to Nexon, is "a huge update that brings unique content exclusively to those players who traverse Maple World on Global MapleStory servers." So what does the final update have in store for Maple World? Well, for starters it brings an all-new storyline titled The Silent Crusade. The storyline quests are available for players in the incredibly broad level range of 37-110, and they introduce players to a force that specializes in the elimination of Master Monsters (a new faction of enemies). Alongside the new storyline, the update will also introduce PvPers to the new Capture the Flag mode. And lastly, players will find in their inventory a Crusader Codex, which is essentially an encyclopedia of the monsters of Maple World. Each page can be filled with Monster Cards, which drop from various enemies. Once a page is completed, the page will display the monster's information such as levels, locations, and item drops, and players will receive unique prizes such as medals. For some new screenshots of the upcoming update, check out the gallery below. %Gallery-16709%
Massively Exclusive: Elsword Online community Q&A, part deux
KOG Studios, developer of free-to-play hack'n'slash MMO Elsword, has unleashed the second round of an ongoing series of Massively-exclusive community Q&A segments for your enjoyment. A bit of backstory for the uninitiated: Elsword is a popular Korean side-scrolling MMO that saw its North American launch in May. The game puts players in the role of one of three characters as they face off against legions of manga-styled enemies, or against one another. This second Q&A session covers questions from the Elsword community regarding the hilarious mishaps of localizing the game for North American launch, the team's preferred style of play, and what games the team plays when they're not working (or playing) on Elsword. For the full Q&A, jump on past the cut!
Dragon Nest open beta date announced
Action RPG fans, rejoice! Nexon has announced that the newest member of its MMO stable, Dragon Nest, will be entering open beta on July 26th. You may remember that we had some hands-on impressions with the game at this year's E3, but what exactly should players expect from Dragon Nest? From the looks of things, players should expect equal parts adrenaline-pumping action and good old-fashioned dungeon crawling. Players get to take on the role of one of four (gender-locked) classes -- Cleric, Sorceress, Archer, or Warrior -- and dive headlong into some combo-based hack-and-slash combat in search of phat loot and all that jazz. If this sounds like your proverbial cup of tea, head on over to the official site to register.
Dragon Nest closed beta launches this week
If you've been anxiously awaiting the closed beta test for Nexon's new Dragon Nest MMO, you're in the home stretch. A new posting on the game's official website spills the beans on the closed beta date and promises a look at "the fastest moving MMO you've ever seen." Nexon has high hopes for Dragon Nest, and the company expects the free-to-play title to be its third major American market success (after Vindictus and Dungeon Fighter Online) when it finally launches later this year. The closed beta was delayed last month (ostensibly to polish the overall experience), and you can view the fruits of Nexon's labor beginning on June 15th. That's assuming you've signed up for the beta, of course. You can also get a preview of the game courtesy of our hands-on at last week's E3 event.
E3 2011: Dragon Nest is not a cartoony Vindictus
If you've played Nexon's action- and physics-based MMO Vindictus, you have experienced Dragon Nest. Well, somewhat. Both of the games feature over-the-top graphics and combat, but Dragon Nest is definitely a separate product. You know it when you hit your first mob, and it just feels different. At this year's E3, we were invited to try the game out while tethered to another player in an instanced group. Unfortunately for us, our partner didn't seem to have ever played a video game in her life, but luckily we were able to press random buttons and try out different menus while we waited for her to catch up. We fought our way through an instanced dungeon, one that felt similar to Vindictus' dungeons in its mechanics. We killed some monsters, avoided some kind of gassy traps, and waited for our partner at the familiar red portals that would bring us to the next stage in the dungeon. The experience was much too short, but it did provide a good look into this newest Nexon title. Click past the cut for more details! %Gallery-125882%
Dungeon Fighter Online's Thief class steps from the shadows with new trailer
Stealth, subtlety, and sabotage: These are the three tenets that govern the modus operandi of Dungeon Fighter Online's new Thief class. Beginning this summer, players of Nexon's DFO will be able to take up the daggers of the deadly Thief and stalk the shadows of Arad. Descended from the Dark Elves of Noire Ferra, the Thief wields the arts of subterfuge and dark magic and melds them together with lethal efficiency. As the Thief grows in experience, he can choose to specialize further into the one of two paths: the Rogue, who specializes in the use of stealth and assassination, or the Necromancer, a powerful summoner endowed with the powers of of the ominously named Spider Prince. For some lovely new artwork of this deadly class and a brand-spanking-new trailer to boot, jump on past the cut. %Gallery-84242%
Vindictus version 1.28 introduces new raid boss
Tired of putting those fine, heroic weapons and spells to use just to kill some rats? With the Vindictus 1.28 patch, you're in luck! Now you can kill human-sized rats that just so happen to be wielding tridents! Nexon's most recent update to its action MMORPG sends players down into the sewers (how lovely) to quell an uprising of anthropomorphized rats and lizard-men. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, it would be if you didn't have a lizardman "god" to contend with. The new raid boss Thor seems to be some kind of multi-mawed lightning lizard and will certainly challenge even the most stalwart of heroes. Also included in the update are a smattering of new skills for all three characters. On top of this, three new sets of armor are being introduced to further enhance players' chances against their new enemies. The last new feature of the patch is the introduction of campfire buffs, allowing players to receive a variety of different buffs by resting their tired heads beside a campfire for just a bit before they head off into the dungeons of Vindictus. For more information on all of this plus new cash shop items and a few bug fixes, check out the official post, and head on past the cut for a trailer of the aforementioned Thor.
Free for All: Gaming with Game of Thrones
I have really been enjoying the new series Game of Thrones over on the HBO network. In fact, when I recently changed to a faster internet provider, I deliberately added on the exclusive channel just for the series. Even though I have never read the books, a 15-minute preview of the show was enough to convince me to watch it. While I am truly enjoying the break from fantasy that is chock-full of smart-alec modern-day references (all delivered by smirking hipsters with swords), I admit to still being a little afraid that the series will take a turn for the goofy or overly dramatic. If a single vampire shows up in this one, I am going to turn it all off and go on a long vacation. So far, though, it's been a delightful romp into a cold, realistic world. After I watch a new episode, I avoid the internet for fear of random spoilers or the temptation to look at character bios. I simply do not want to know what's going to happen, so please do not tell me. Since the series has started, I have begun to notice how I enjoy the same basic entertainment in my gaming. I want political intrigue, amazing landscapes, and the occasional epic, bloody fight. Join me past the cut and let's look at some games that provide those three things.
