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Smedley talks DCUO launch and Planetside Next beta
Those of you pining away for a new Planetside MMO might want to perk up your ears and mark those calendars. SOE president John Smedley dropped a hint on his personal blog that 2011 will bring the announcement that MMO shooter fans the world over have been craving: Planetside Next beta. Smedley stays coy in terms of details but does put in a plug for re-upping your Planetside sub if you haven't already. "I can say this -- it's coming along awesome. I can also say that the first beta testers are going to be current Planetside subscribers," he writes. The blog also mentions SOE's forthcoming DC Universe Online, and Smedley says that a launch date is coming "in the very near future."
Rumor: PlanetSide Next launching in March
A PlanetSide sequel is sort of like the long-in-development third Ghostbusters movie. We've been hearing it's on the way for so long that we're starting to suspect the whole thing's a long con, a grift, if you will, designed to bilk us out of ... something. First Sony hinted it was in development in September of '09, then SOE's John Smedley called it "PlanetSide Next" a month later. Now, Smedley's back on it, telling the Escapist "We have a very big launch coming in the month of March," Smedley said. "It's a big first person shooter franchise that we're really happy with." With little prodding, Smedley basically confirmed it to be the long-rumored rebirth of the MMOFPS. Though it obviously hasn't been formally announced yet, we wouldn't be at all surprised to see it formally debut at this Saturday's VGAs. Fair warning: If it has Slimer in it, we're gonna know something's up.
PlanetSide reveals tantalizing countdown timer, sends fans into speculation mode
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/PlanetSide_reveals_a_mysterious_countdown_on_their_site'; Last we checked, PlanetSide was up and running. The game's not still in beta, no announcements of anything imminent on the way, right? Well, maybe not. Sony Online Entertainment added something to the PlanetSide site this evening with no fanfare or announcements of any sort: a countdown clock and a comic. The countdown clock currently sits at 18 days, 6 hours, and a whole bunch of minutes, seconds, and milliseconds. The comic is set "in a secret laboratory high above the mountains of Searhus" and features the familiar Big Red Button in the last panel. So what happens when that big red button gets pushed? Well, let's get the obvious guess out of the way first. The game is approaching its seventh birthday, so it's the right time of year for a big announcement of some sort or another. We'll keep our eyes peeled for more information, and in the meantime feel free to join in the forum discussion thread about what this could all mean.
Why You Should Be Playing PlanetSide: It's online war!
War seems to be a hot topic in MMOs today. From MAG to Global Agenda, online war is the place to be. But a few years ago, having an online war with 300 people at once was unheard of until one game pushed the boundaries and made it so -- PlanetSide. Sony Online Entertainment started the concept of having the MMO and the FPS merge together into one being that was above and beyond a persistent online shooter. It had the armor system of Starsiege Tribes, the inventory management of an MMO, the level progression and ability modification of an RPG, and the combat and vehicle control of a FPS, all played to the tune of a persistent war. So why should you choose this game when there are so many newer alternatives available? Follow after the break, and let me outline a few features for ya.
"Planetside Next" not official game title, despite rumors
A few weeks ago we brought you rumors of Planetside's sequelosity (really, the word is just too good to only use once). Since then SOE has been giving hints at the game here and there, including a blog post from President John Smedley who sounds as excited about this next Planetside game as we are.Smedley says "To me, Planetside Next means we get a chance to take the essence of everything that was fun in Planetside and make it a lot better. Massive battles on a scale no other FPS will touch. None of this 64 player stuff. REALLY MASSIVE."An interesting note is that readers immediately picked up on his use of "Planetside Next", and it's quickly become termed the official name. We spoke to SOE and confirmed that this is an internal working title, not the official one, so we may be hearing about a new title in the future.Smed's Blog summed it up nicely: "Damn I love Planetside. I really do." We do too, and we'll keep an eye out for more news on this in the near future.
SOE's John Smedley calls PlanetSide sequel 'PlanetSide Next'
Sony Online Entertainment could go all the way crazy and officially announce that it's working on the sequel to the popular MMOFPS PlanetSide, but why bother? No, SOE would much rather release a survey mentioning the sequel, only to be called "PlanetSide Next" by company prez John Smedley a few weeks later on his LiveJournal (has it really come to this, folks?).Though few details are given, Smedley takes the time to thoroughly declare his love for the series, and in doing so speaks of SOE's intentions with PlanetSide Next. "To me, PlanetSide Next means we get a chance to take the essence of everything that was fun in PlanetSide and make it a lot better ... massive battles on a scale no other FPS will touch ... none of this 64-player stuff ... REALLY MASSIVE." We're just hoping our measly laptops will be able to handle the game's sheer massiveness.[Thanks, Hamma!]
The Daily Grind: What's Planetside 2 to you?
Like any newly announced game, Planetside 2 is still quite the enigma to all of us, but that doesn't mean we don't have our presumptions of what the game should be like. Even those of you who've never played the original more than likely have it in your head how an MMOFPS should play. So today we ask you: What kind of game is Planetside 2, to you?Should the combat be fast, plodding or somewhere in-between? And what about progression, world design and visual style for that matter? There's no doubt that SOE has a lot to figure out, but something tells us many of you know exactly what you want to see from the game.
Wishes do come true, Planetside 2
"X game sounds a lot like Planetside. I wish they'd make a sequel to that game." is something we've heard over the years as similar-yet-different titles have been announced and released. Well who says wishes don't come true? As it turns out, SOE is planning to "expand the Planetside universe with another game" and is asking players of the original for their input via survey. Rock Paper Shotgun picked up the scent of impending sequelosity, which is a word we've just made up that describes a sequel revelation of such ferocity that it slaps your jaw to the ground.There are a lot of games, such as MAG, that are attempting a Planetside-ish experience. However, nothing new has really attempted the scope of the game, so hearing that another is on the way infuses us with a intoxicating blend of hope and curiosity.
Rumor: Sony survey hints at PlanetSide 2 development
Sony Online Entertainment's PlanetSide was one of the more ambitious MMO titles of its time -- largely due to its focus on twitchy shooting action (instead of infinitely repetitive Dire Rabbit slaying). It seems Sony wants to re-energize the waning franchise with a new installment in the series -- a number of PlanetSide subscribers recently received an SOE email survey asking for inspiration as the developer begins to "plan to expand the PlanetSide universe with another game." The language in the survey (posted after the jump) doesn't make it sound like SOE is working on a half-baked expansion or a genre-defying spinoff, as it tells participants, "the information you provide will play a critical role into helping guide the development and direction of the next hit Massively Multiplayer Online First Person Shooter." The only thing we remember from our time with PlanetSide was getting killed a whole whole lot. We're not sure what Sony can do about that, besides entirely removing death from the sequel. [Thanks, Alex!]
