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Perfect Ten: Terrible, terrible MMO names
A catchy, vivid title is essential to getting your game noticed and establishing a strong brand. Yes, we as gamers will get used to pretty much any dumb name (unless it's Daikatana), but a great one allows us to mention it in polite society without getting spat on or rejected for dates. The best MMO names in my opinion are single words that sound cool or conjure up a strong association. I'm less fond of ALL CAPS ACRONYMS and any game that can't be more inventive with its title than to put "Online" after it. For the most part, MMOs play it safe and boring with titles, with only a few outliers in the awesome or terrible fringes. Today, we're going to examine the latter. I want to make a couple of quick qualifiers here. I'm not judging these games by their names; an MMO can be good or bad independent of how silly its name is. And while I know that some of these names make more sense in context, I generally feel that if I have to have it explained to me, then it's a fail.
Prius Online closes down in South Korea
Whether you think of it as Prius Online or Arcane Saga, the game known to its Korean playerbase as Prius Online has had a hard time keeping the lights on in the West. It's been running for five years over in its native South Korea, though... but no longer. As of December 17th the game will shut down for good, with character creation and the cash shop already disabled for its remaining time. Developer Netmarble has apparently been focusing more upon the mobile market rather than the PC game market, and the game presumably hit the spot of no longer being profitable to keep running. There had been rumors of a sequel, but this could kill any hopes for that as well as any lingering aspirations toward another American revival. It may have died many times before its final death, but it seems like this is finally the end of the road for the game.
Netmarble announces the shutdown of Arcane Saga
It can only be hoped that during your brief time with Arcane Saga you have not gotten too attached to it. The game relaunched in the US just over a month ago, and now the game has announced an impending shutdown later this year. Somewhat unusually, the actual shutdown date is September 16th, meaning that the game will be waiting for the final shutdown longer than it was running normally. Netmarble has already closed up the cash shop; players are able to spend any remaining cash shop currency on the company's other titles. According to the announcement, the game simply wasn't taking in enough money to remain profitable. Arcane Saga was a relaunch of Prius Online, which had already been shut down once before. Our condolences go out to any gamers who had hoped for a long and fruitful future with the game.
Rise and Shiny: Arcane Saga Online
I sat down on Monday with NetMarble Producer Jon-Enee Merriex to discuss Arcane Saga Online, a remake/re-release/re-launch of the defunct Prius Online. I was actually very excited for Prius Online at one point, but the game fell flat once I got my hands on it. With this re-launch, would the publisher NetMarble be able to capture an audience -- and keep it -- this time? I jumped into the first hour of the game with a bit of an unfair advantage, having Jon-Enee with me to explain many of the ideas and thought processes behind the re-launch. It all makes sense when you hear it from a developer's mouth, but how does the game translate when you just log in and start playing? It turns out that it has many issues but is quite fun a lot of the time.
Rise and Shiny: Ragnarok Online 2
I remember playing Ragnarok Online, the first one, quite a while ago and semi-enjoying it. I liked the isometric views and even enjoyed some of the gameplay, but it was a bit of a mess much of the time. I walked away more confused than entertained. At the same time, I met reader after reader after reader who seemed to have grown up on the game. This "grind generation" was made of steely reserve and tougher stuff than I was because the game was notoriously grindy. How did they play it? Even now as I was looking for a few different views on Ragnarok Online 2, I came across a video that was hosted by a player who acknowledged the "boring grind" that left players with literally "nothing to do but level alts," yet he played the game to the max level, several times. If only we could get these guys to put that much energy into world peace, I might be having dinner in the middle of a former warzone right now! I found number two to be a bit like its older version but surprisingly modern and more fun than I thought. But only a bit more fun.
Arcane Saga triggers its beta test
The MMO formerly known as Prince, er, Prius Online has gone into beta in preparation for its relaunch. The newly titled Arcane Saga represents a reworking of Prius' old content to include new features and content. Netmarble Head Project Manager Joe Kim invites you to check out the changes: "With the start of the beta phase today, players will finally get to experience for themselves all of the improvements we've made to the world of Prius over the past year." Assuming all goes well in the beta, Arcane Saga is scheduled to launch in the next couple of months. In the meantime, check out our interview about the re-launching of this title. [Source: Netmarble press release]
Massively Interview: Re-launching Prius Online as Arcane Saga
Prius Online, a free-to-play, fantasy MMO published by gPotato, launched in North America in 2011. Roughly a year later, the MMO was shut down. Now, another year later, the game's original developer is re-branding, re-visiting and re-launching Prius Online under a new moniker: Arcane Saga. Curious about how, when, and why a company would choose to re-open a shuttered game, we sat down with Netmarble's Jon-Enée Merriex to ask. Merriex walked us through what it takes to restart a game, why good MMOs sometimes go by the wayside, and how his company plans to iterate and improve on the Prius Online experience that the title's original players enjoyed.
E3 2012: CJ Games Global's arsenal of games
At this year's E3, we got a bit of time to sit down with CJ Games Global, part of CJ E&M, to talk about everything from its origins in Korea to its transition to the states and some of its MMOs, including work with Uncharted Waters Online, the re-release of Prius Online, and upcoming games Sin Streets, Bloody Hunter Online, Monarch, and Hounds. CJ E&M's main focus has actually been in the movies, owning theaters and distributing films. It's also gotten some KPop stars for its music division, but... well, you're at Massively to hear about games, right? That's where Netmarble comes in. CJ E&M bought Netmarble and opened eight studios, six of which focus on PC gaming. Oh, and of course, the company publishes just a few hundred games. This also led to the opening of CJ Games Global in April to help bring over Korean games and publish others, such as Uncharted Waters, with 64 more games to be published in the next three years. One of the main goals of CJ Games, though, is releasing games that aren't as well represented in the current market, such as Uncharted Waters.
gPotato closing Prius Online, compensating players through April 10th
We regret to inform you of the impending death of Prius Online, a free-to-play fantasy title that featured a unique pet system comprised of anima and giga companions. We first got wind of the title at last year's Game Developer Conference, and we covered its launch in the summer of 2011. In the interim, gPotato has decided to terminate the project and has posted a terse announcement on the game's official website with all the details. March 27th will be the final day of service, and all cash shop items have been reduced to 1% of their original price for the last two weeks. gPotato is also compensating players via credit in its other games; you'll want to head to the compensation page to take full advantage of that offer by April 10th. [Thanks to Dweeblok for the tip!]
Prius Online releases Stronghold of the North expansion
A couple of weeks ago we told you about Prius Online's new Stronghold of the North expansion. The content was slated to release sometime in October, and today we're finally able to report that it is in fact live and available for you to download. Stronghold adds 500 quests, three new dungeons, two exotic mounts, and a new item upgrade system that "allows players to design their own gear with powerful stats and a unique appearance that suits their character," according to the latest gPotato press release. That's not all, either, as the expansion brings new looted gear and a new city-based venue for guild siege warfare. Finally, gPotato is offering up a double XP weekend to celebrate all the new content. From October 28th through October 30th, players can look forward to XP bonuses, double drop rates, and welcome back bundles for returning players that include combat enhancers and premium item upgrades. Check out some of the new gear (and the two mounts) in our gallery below. [Source: gPotato press release] %Gallery-122493%
Prius Online's Stronghold of the North expansion coming October 26th
Remember Prius Online? No, it's not the game where you're a corporate lawyer helping Toyota dodge a bunch of brake-related lawsuits. It's the one where you're the hero of a fantasy world, possessed of a Giga pet and a strange companion called an Anima (the latter of which has a dark and mysterious past that you must unravel as you battle your way through the game world). Yeah, it's that Prius, and gPotato has just issued a new press release for the game's Stronghold of the North expansion content. New dungeons, new quests (500 of them), and a new level cap (70) are on tap, and the company promises more details to follow before the patch's October 26th launch date. Head to the official Prius Online website to learn more. [Source: gPotato press release]
Prius Online changes up servers, entices players with contests
Big changes are in store for Prius Online this month, particularly in regard to the fledgling game's servers. The dev team announced that the two existing PvP servers -- Requiem and Aurora -- will be merged into a single PvP server called Raven and that players will have their Karma reset. In addition, gPotato is launching a PvE-only server for the game: Primus. The team hopes that this move will accommodate both types of players in what they're seeking. To celebrate the server restructuring, gPotato is throwing a few fun events for Prius players. On the Raven server, players who hit level 50 by October 4th will be entered into a special raffle for spiffy prizes. Other prize packages are avilable for those who amass the most Karma points and teams that succeed in the Coliseum Tournament. Over on Primus, gPotato is rewarding the first player who tames 11 specific Pero with a Special Event Pero. More rewards are in store for adventurers who complete specific dungeon quests and take screenshots to prove it (remember kids: screenshots or it didn't happen!), players who cultivate certain items, and outfitters who complete the Yellow Tulip set for their Anima. All players can benefit from a bonus event in the in-game store, where spending $10 or $50 will net the purchaser additional items. This promotion will continue until October 4th.
Prius Online launches with a spiffy Alienware giveaway
It's a really good day for fans of Prius Online. First up, gPotato has officially launched the title worldwide with no regional restrictions whatsoever. On top of that, Prius has beefed up with a major day one patch that includes an increased level cap to 60, new skills, a pair of additional zones, five virgin dungeons, and castle siege warfare, where guilds can engage in PvP skirmishes to take over one of three castles that will bestow special benefits for the victors. The last reason why this is such a stellar day is that to celebrate the launch, gPotato got together with Alienware to host an awesome giveaway for the game. Starting today, players can loot special Alienware tokens from mobs, and after two weeks, the person who's accumulated the biggest collection will win a souped up Alienware MX11 laptop! All players will enjoy double XP and drop rates during "peak gaming hours" and other random giveaways, such as the chance to win an HD video camera, during this period. We've also added five new screenshots to our Prius Online gallery, so check 'em out! %Gallery-122493%
Prius Online goes worldwide
IP restrictions are about as much fun as any sort of restriction -- but they're also a sometimes necessary reality in the world of free-to-play games, where licensing companies frequently only accept players from a limited range of national IPs. But as Prius Online continues its open beta, the development team has decided to go the opposite route and fling the doors wide open, allowing players worldwide to access the game with no restrictions on regions. While that alone would be cause for celebration in some circles, the game has also added five new dungeons worth of content for beta testers to enjoy. There's no word on an official launch date just yet, so Prius Online's open beta testers will have to console themselves with the fact that the game is still in the testing stage even though the item shop is open. But you can log in from anywhere, and isn't that worth something? %Gallery-122493%
Do the shopping cart: Prius Online opens item shop
Prius Online has taken another step toward full-fledged release, as gPotato opened the doors to an in-game item shop today. As with many free-to-play titles, Prius Online will chug along under the power of microtransactions from shop purchases. The item shop will hold an attractive array of fun and useful goods, ranging from costumes to mounts to all manner of helpful trinkets. To celebrate the shop's opening, Prius Online is handing out a free Leaf of Oblivion to players who log in between June 15th and 19th. The Leaf is capable of resetting your skill points, including your initial job choice, so that you can respec into a better build. Prius Online went into open beta earlier this month, and any interested parties can check the game out by visiting the website and signing up!
Prius Online open beta starts today
Set your alarm clocks for 5:00 p.m. EDT, Prius fans, as today marks the start of the title's open beta. gPotato has issued a press release detailing what players can expect during the final testing phase. First up is a level cap increase from 25 to 50, followed by the introduction of second classes for all races and finally the new female Ayin race. New dungeons are coming, too, as are the bounty system and the ability to summon Gigas at level 30. Explorer types will be happy to note the lifting of various regional access restrictions, and PvP fiends can check out the two new unions in the Coliseum Battle System as well as take part in week-long guild battles. You can learn more about Prius, and download the client, via the official website. Be sure to check out our in-depth coverage from this year's GDC as well.
Prius Online hits closed beta testing
If you're feeling a little beside yourself these days, Prius Online is right there with you. The vibrant anime MMO that features the ability to play three characters at once has finally entered the closed beta stage today. It's a big day for publisher gPotato, which transported Prius Online over from Korea for the North American audiences as a premier free-to-play title. Closed beta testing will take place from April 28th through May 8th and includes six classes that can be played up to level 25. Prius Online promises a special experience as your character travels with two steadfast companions, forging a permanent party of sorts. Both FilePlanet and Big Download have the beta client available to snag right away. To celebrate this special period of the game's development cycle, Prius Online is holding several in-game contests, such as a race to the level cap, and is handing out rewards to all beta testers. Catch up on this title with our overview from GDC! %Gallery-122493%
Check out Prius Online with our closed beta key giveaway!
Good things come to those who wait: Gala-Net has been working on the NA version of Prius Online since last August, and we are finally in the home stretch for closed beta testing. The first round of closed beta will begin later this month, but we've got plenty of beta keys to share now so you can be ready! You can visit our giveaway page now to get your key, then register for a gPotato account if you haven't already. Closed beta starts on April 28th, but you can download the client beginning on the 22nd, so keep an eye on the Prius Online site for the download and beta key redemption links. In the meantime, check out the game's forum and our complete rundown of some of the most exciting features of Prius Online!
GDC 2011: Prius Online and the evolution of MMORPG pets
The closed beta countdown for Prius Online is in full swing, and the new MMORPG from gPotato is targeting a spring 2011 North American launch window. Prius is a new free-to-play fantasy game (new to the American market, at any rate), and no, it doesn't have anything to do with Toyota automobiles. We recently sat down with the guys from gPotato to talk about how they've spent the last little while working hard to localize Prius and how it differs from your average F2P MMO. The game has been out in Korea for a couple of years now and was one of the more unique titles we saw at this year's GDC on account of its three-character control system and an unusually elaborate narrative focus and pet mechanic. Join us after the cut for the full scoop on Gigas, Animas, and all things Prius.
Prius Online teaser website, beta signup countdown go live
There's a new free-to-play game from gPotato on the horizon, and the company is leading into the Prius Online closed beta with a spiffy new teaser website. In a press release earlier this morning, gPotato touted the upcoming title as the "first free-to-play cinematic MMORPG," and said it "pushes the boundaries of free-to-play gaming" by virtue of its storyline, gameplay, and a three-playable-character system that enables gamers to control Adventurers, Anima companions, and a mysterious third party called a Giga. The full (and forthcoming) Prius website will play host to lore features, artwork, and videos, while the current countdown timer heralds the coming of closed beta signups which will be available between Friday, March 4th and Sunday, March 13th.
