origin-systems
Latest
Wing Commander 3 free to fly on Origin
Wing Commander 3 is currently free to download through Origin as the latest "On the House" freebie for the platform. The game is free until September 2, at which point it will reapply its usual $4.99 price tag. The third game in the Wing Commander series, which dates back to 1990, first launched for PC and Mac in 1994. The space combat series was devised by Chris Roberts, who returned to the games industry in September 2012. Roberts crowdfunded his next initiative, Star Citizen, reaching $6.2 million in November 2012. Not that Star Citizen stopped earning big bucks; as of July the game has racked up $48 million in pledges from fans. [Image: EA]
The Game Archaeologist: Wing Commander Online
Like many gamers who grew up playing the popular titles in the 1990s, Massively's Jef is understandably excited that Chris Roberts, creator of Wing Commander, is working on an original space sim MMO called Star Citizen. Jef is so thrilled, in fact, that he started a column anticipating the title. Jef's not alone; it seemed as though half of the internet went bananas when Roberts came out of the woodwork to announce his title and ask for a few coppers for funding. He got more than just a few, as gaming nostalgia is one of the most powerful forces known to mankind. Even if it can't be Wing Commander in name, gamers reasoned as they plunked down their money, it could be the Wing Commander MMO in spirit. Interestingly enough, there was an actual effort made to bring the well-known franchise to the MMO table back in the late '90s. A pair of projects, Wing Commander Online and Privateer Online, promised the thrills of the hit space saga with the expanse of the online gaming world. What happened and why aren't we playing one of these games today? Find out on this exciting episode of The Game Archaeologist!
Populous and Ultima IV hit GOG -- and Ultima's free
Interested in being the master of a whole world -- or being a total slave to the rules of one? Two games newly added to GOG's DRM-free lineup will let you experience both. Populous lets you build a world and a civilization, and then ... you know, unleash natural disasters upon it. Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar puts you in the role of a hero who must save the land of Britannia while adhering strictly to eight virtues. Thrift isn't one of those virtues, but it's still something you can practice with this game, as GOG is giving it away for free! If you want to pay for some Ultimas, the first three are also up.
The Game Archaeologist and the Ultima Prize: The History
Welcome to the first madcap adventure of The Game Archaeologist! In this column, we'll be looking back at some of the MMORPGs that may not get the spotlight these days, but deserve our respect and attention due to their place in MMO history. Together, we'll don our explorer gear, jump back in time, dust off forgotten treasures and look at the titles that helped build an online empire. Each month, we'll embark on a voyage through a particular MMO of yesteryear in a three-part series. The first part will examine the history of the game and its place in the genre, the second part will feature interviews with current and past players of the game, and the third part will witness The Game Archaeologist himself checking out the title as it stands today (if the MMO is still up and running, that is). For our first column, we'll salute one of the greatest grandfathers of the modern MMO: Ultima Online. Crack your whip and dive into the Stygian Abyss with us!
How NCsoft should have done their layoffs
Adam Martin is no stranger to NCsoft or the game industry. We've already covered both his look into the failure of Tabula Rasa from his position at NCsoft, as well as his advice on how to approach customer service. His current topic, however, is a bit more edgy than usual.Adam takes a crack at the NCsoft layoffs, not only saying they were expected but also going further by giving advice on how to properly lay off employees and departments. He makes the point that the company is simultaneously doing two things: both cleaning up the mess of a partial layoff in the development department in the European offices and transitioning the company into the hands of Arena.net veterans rather than Destination Games/Origin Systems veterans.It may be a harsh situation, but Adam's post brings up many good points on how the whole thing could have been handled more effectively from a business stand-point. Check out his entire article over at his blog, T=Machine.
Massively's Visual History of MMORPGs, Part I
The MMORPG genre has come so far in these past few decades, it's almost difficult to believe. The journey from text MUDs to America Online-based dungeon crawlers, and all the way up to Age of Conan and Warhammer Online has been a truly impressive one. We here at Massively would like to invite you to step into the time machine with us and take a visual tour of that journey. We're taking a close look at the most important titles in online role-playing game history!What was the first MUD? Howabout the first 3D MMO? When did these games transition from niche curiosities to global, cultural phenomenons, and who's responsible? In this series, we'll tackle all those questions and more. Plus, we'll see just how far these fancy graphics have come over the years! Sound like fun? Jump into the gallery!%Gallery-19479%
