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It's a battle of the titans in this new Black Gold Online trailer
Snail Games has just unveiled a brand-new trailer for Black Gold Online, teasing a fight between an enormous goliath and equally large behemoth and showing off behind-the-scenes clips of how the goliath was designed. According to the video description, the goliath is a creation of the engineers of Steam, built specifically to counter the Erlandir-summoned behemoth. And by "counter" we mean "punch." Check out the teaser after the break. Snail describes Black Gold's universe as a "world where innovative Victorian steampunk clashes with traditional high fantasy." The game is set for launch sometime in 2014 with a closed alpha aimed at February.
Aura Kingdom launches into open beta
Closed beta is now a thing of the past as Aura Kingdom moves into its open beta phase. As of today, anyone can hop into the free-to-play game and experience this new anime-styled world. Players can also take part in various GM events going on daily throughout open beta. Events include a screenshot contest (Can you capture a pic of a GM running by at superhuman speeds?), boss spawns, GM hide and seek, item matching, and more. A schedule of events can be found on the official site. Additionally, on Fridays at 7:00 p.m. EST, GMs will host welcome sessions to answer questions, and Saturdays will have live tutorials broadcast on Twitch at 5:00 p.m. EST to help new players get started. To learn even more about Aura Kingdom, check out Massively's Ride and Shiny. [Source: Aeria Games press release]
The Stream Team: Stacking friends in Dota 2
When it comes to MOBAs, teamwork is everything. Adventuring into the solo queue in a game like Dota 2 is an invitation for pain and suffering; stacking a couple of friends in a party results in a much more successful (and fun) experience. Tune in tonight as Massively's Mike Foster recruits a few of his Dota 2 friends and takes a more team-based approach to Valve's immensely popular title. The action starts at 7:00 p.m. EST. Game: Dota 2 Host: Mike Foster Date: Friday, January 3rd, 2014 Time: 7:00 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below.
Trion sheds some light on RIFT's PvP dimension development
PvP dimensions have been a much-requested feature for RIFT ever since the dimensions feature debuted with the game's Storm Legion expansion in November of 2012. Yesterday brought some good, if vague, news for players waiting on PvP dimensions: They're still in development, but no ETA is available. Trion Worlds's Pithos (of the RIFT development team) explained via the game's official forums that the release date depends on "how many features [the team] want[s] to launch with, and how often other tasks take priority." He also explained that the team has a very basic version working that includes start points, graveyards, and respawning. Make of that what you will.
New F2P sandbox Fantasy Realm Online invites everyone in to play
Fans hunkering for a free-to-play sandbox game that's reminiscent of Ultima Online have a new place to hang their hats and crafting tools: Fantasy Realm Online. The new game just opened its doors to the public, and players can adventure through the world and collect treasures while dispatching mighty foes or explore as a merchant and apprentice under a shopkeeper, harvest, and craft. Fantasy Realm Online is a blend of single-player RPGs and MMO and is designed to be played either solo or with others. Want to get a glimpse of the action? Check out the trailer below. Then if the game is your cup of tea, head on over to the official site to download and jump in. [Source: Fantasy Realm Online press release]
Choose My Adventure: Allods Online's compelling crafting
While it may seem longer due to holidays with family and other time-crunching stresses, it has been just one short week since our last jaunt into the community-chosen Allods Online. In that first glance, we created a brand-new Arisen character, gave him a few magical abilities, and set off on a course for action and adventure. Quests were completed, loot was packed up, and enemies were destroyed. This week, based on the results of last week's Choose My Adventure polls, we slowed things down. The community elected to stop and smell the roses and to pick up a crafting profession along the way. Taking a moment to observe details in Allods Online's character and environment design helps emphasize the title's unique and attractive aesthetic, which isn't much of a surprise. But our baby steps into the title's leatherworking profession unveiled an engaging and nuanced crafting system that's sure to deliver big payoffs down the line.
The Soapbox: My MMO resolutions
Today is the last day of 2013, a long year of extended betas, early access pre-purchases, and soft launch nonsense. The release slate for 2014, however, brings slightly more excitement. 2014 is the year we'll (hopefully) first set foot into Elder Scrolls Online, EverQuest Next Landmark, Destiny, Star Citizen, WildStar, and more. It's the year in which a record number of MMOs will go live on consoles. And most importantly, it's likely the year in which consumers will decide whether the traditional MMO is dead or just in need of a good kick in the pants. Ordinarily I'm not the type to make New Year's resolutions. It seems arbitrary to hang important life changes on a date on the calendar. But the end of the year does bring a nice opportunity to look back on my gaming habits over the last 12 months and provides me with an opportunity to draft a list of things I'd like to do better moving forward. 2014 will be an MMO year like no other, so perhaps it warrants a few adjustments in behavior. With that in mind, these are my 2014 MMO resolutions.
Bridging the gap between casual and pro at the Chicago Dota 2 Winter Open
At Ignite Gaming Lounge in Chicago, Illinois, the crowd is losing its mind. It's grand finals of the Chicago Dota 2 Winter Open, a two-day, double-elimination, 16-team throwdown, and for some reason someone has just picked Meepo. For those of you who aren't in the Dota 2 loop, suffice to say that Meepo isn't a standard hero pick for a tournament. Picking Meepo in a match with $1,000 on the line is a lot like jumping out of a plane and wishing for a parachute -- an incredible, amazing story if it works and an embarrassing, painful death if it doesn't, with the odds heavily on the latter. The announcers, broadcasting the match simultaneously on Dota TV (Dota 2's in-game spectating client) and Twitch, are dumbfounded. The chat channels are exploding. And as everyone witnesses the Meepo gamble pay off in the most incredible way, the excitement only expands and intensifies. But perhaps what's most special about this Meepo pick, about this final game between two local teams that have bested challenger after challenger, is not the risky strategy or the money on the line. What's special is that anyone is watching it at all.
Lunia goes offline on January 1st
It's been a rough year for MMOs, with several high profile titles going dark over the last 12 months. Unfortunately, it looks as though 2013 has a last-minute casualty to add to the pile in the form of Lunia, the free-to-play action-arcade RPG from All-M. According to an update on the game's official Facebook page, Lunia will be taken down permanently on January 1st, 2014. The game's website is also set to be disabled on the same date. Fans of Lunia can still share memories via the Lunia Facebook page, which will remain open even after the game's servers power down. [Thanks to Mehighlow for the tip!]
The Stream Team: Questing through TERA's dead zone
Massively's Mike Foster prefers to level by running dungeons. Unfortunately for him, TERA has several dead zones in which characters are too high to queue for one dungeon but too low to queue for the next. This means that Mike must step into that thing he dreads so much: lore. Tune in tonight at 8:30 p.m. EST as Mike begrudgingly quests through TERA's storyline, gathering XP and items all the while. Game: TERA Host: Mike Foster Date: Friday, December 27, 2013 Time: 8:30 p.m. EST Enjoy our Steam Team video below.
Choose My Adventure: Life as an Arisen in Allods Online
The Massively community answered loud and clear when I asked who, what, and how I should play in Allods Online. Voters in last week's Choose My Adventure poll sent me along the path of the Empire in the shoes of an Arisen and equipped me with a Psionicist's dagger along the way. The community also favored the subscription server over the free-to-play server, with some voters claiming Allods is too "pay-to-win" on the free-to-play server and others simply expressing curiosity about whether they'd see a difference between the paid and free versions of the game. With those voted handled and counted, my adventure had officially begun.
World of Tanks update brings Japanese armor
Wargaming.net today announced the launch of World of Tanks update 8.10. North American and European World of Tanks players can now access the brand-new Japanese tech tree, which includes 14 tanks spread across the game's several tank-types and tiers. The Soviet tech tree has also seen two additions in the form of the Object 430 and Object 430 Variant II medium tanks. A Japanese-themed map has been added as well, complete with cherry blossoms. Check out the 8.10 launch trailer after the break. [Source: Wargaming press release]
Neverwinter state of the game talks player feedback and future expansions
Neverwinter fans may want to pop over to the game's official site and read lead producer Andy Velasquez's state of the game post, which outlines challenges faced by the dev team, successes it has seen this year, and hopes it has for the future of the game. Velasquez noted the Shadowmantle expansion as a high point for the game, praising his team for being able to "get it done so quickly while maintaining a high-quality product." Velasquez also explained that it is Cryptic's goal to get future expansions live on the test server earlier in the development process, thus allowing for deeper testing and the collection of more player feedback. According to Velasquez, player feedback is invaluable in helping the Neverwinter team understand which changes to implement. Other small successes were celebrated; Neverwinter has launched a Russian shard and the team is hard at work on the next content update.
Perfect World putting new resources toward console development
Perfect World Entertainment, the mega-publisher behind games like Neverwinter, Torchlight II, RaiderZ, and Star Trek Online, has just announced that it is launching a new in-house division dedicated to console development. According to general manager of publishing Andrew Brown, investing in console development offers Perfect World a way to "better connect with players." The console division will be dedicated to bringing new and existing PWE titles to consoles. Brown seemed optimistic about expanding into the console world, explaining, "You can expect Perfect World to be a major player in the console marketplace." No specific games were named for release. [Thanks to Paul for the tip!]
Hearthstone open beta pushed into 2014
Despite Blizzard's hope of launching Hearthstone into open beta sometime this month, it appears as though bug-catching, card-tweaking, and fine-tuning have gotten the better of the team. The studio today announced that Hearthstone's open beta has been delayed to ensure the game is "ready for wider testing." According to Blizzard, Hearthstone's open beta is still "very close." Blizzard tempered the bad news with an announcement that it is expanding the closed beta substantially; everyone who opted in before December 16th, 2013, should have received an invite. If you haven't yet opted in, you have until January 7th, 2014, to sign up. No further card data wipes are planned as Hearthstone edges its way to launch.
Strife has entered closed beta
S2 Games has announced that its "second generation free-to-play MOBA," Strife, has officially shifted into closed beta. Fans of the genre will recognize S2 as the studio behind Heroes of Newerth, which itself is among the litany of games cast from the original Defense of the Ancients mold. According to the announcement, Strife is "focused on giving players an environment where they're competing with enemies, not their own teammates." S2 claims that existing MOBA issues like in-team toxicity, fighting over shared resources, and drama over designating roles have all been alleviated through the game's design. Strife's closed beta is not region-specific; invites are going out to players across the globe. The game is set for launch some time in 2014, and beta sign-ups are currently live on its official website. For a closer look, check out our hands-on with the game from August. [Source: S2 Games press release]
Choose My Adventure: Against Allods
Last week's Choose My Adventure poll turned out to be something of a landslide. A couple of tweets and forum posts were all it took for gPotato's Allods Online to emerge the very clear winner of a race that included titles like Guild Wars, Champions Online, DC Universe Online, and Defiance. And now, with the winner chosen, it's time to leap into the fray and start smashing things in the face with fireballs or mallets or whatever it is one smashes with in Allods Online. But of course, this is a community activity. I can't simply create a character and start questing. No, dear readers, I need your help in deciding where and how this adventure begins. So let's get it started.
Blade Hunter transitioning to beta tomorrow
Blade Hunter is preparing to transition from its alpha test to beta tomorrow, December 19th, and is inviting players to check out the beat-em-up MMO. The game had an extremely short alpha period that started just a week ago. The new beta test begins at 9:00 am EST and could be considered a soft launch for Blade Hunter as characters will be permanent from here on out. Blade Hunter features three classes that engage in side-scrolling action and the option to play solo or with parties. There are also time-limited events that players can engage in to strive for top rankings and special rewards. [Source: R2 Games press release]
Fight for evil in Inferno Legend's open beta today
If the idea of jumping in and playing through a game as a traditional villain in Inferno Legend piques your interest, you'll be happy to know that the multi-platform game opens up its beta doors today to let everyone in. Built on the Unity 3-D engine, this game allows players to select from five races of devils and fight against the so-called "just" authority on PC, Android, and iOS. Other features include hundreds of pets (each with different skills and attributes), a player arena, random battles, an exploration system (that unlocks at level 30), and a "Miracle" system. If you need another incentive to check out Inferno Legend, Gamebox is giving players free gift codes for rewards such as rare skills, gold, and gems. Get a taste of the action in the open beta launch trailer below. [Source: Changyou press release]
MechWarrior Online's clan warfare bundles now available for pre-order
MechWarrior Online's implementation of clan warfare is scheduled for Soon TM, and Piranha Games is celebrating by making clan mechs available for pre-order in the form of special bundles. Each bundle includes one or more clan mechs with variants, XP boosts, and other exclusive items. Piranha also unveiled the Gold Khan collection of mechs, which have gold skin and are priced to match at $500 each. Non-gold variants of the mechs will be available for in-game currency at a later date. According to the official collection website, pre-ordering ensures you receive the collection by June 17th. [Source: Piranha Games press release]
