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TERA Online zone screenshots revealed
TERA, the upcoming MMO from Bluehole Studio, kind of snuck up on us out of nowhere last month but quickly turned into one to watch. Our own Sera and Shawn got a look at the game last week at GDC and liked what they saw, and fans of the game are looking forward to it as well. As with any MMO in the works, any images and information are welcome to waiting fans, so screenshots of thirteen different zones were met with quite a bit of excitement. The screenshots were separated by location and showed quite a variety of design, offering gorgeous views of TERA and certainly not making the wait any easier. Looking through the screenshots, you'll see grasslands, desert, caves, forests...the zones give such variety that just exploring the game will take up quite a bit of time. Interested in seeing for yourself? We've gathered them all in a handy little gallery, so follow along and take a look! [via jkwengert] %Gallery-88481%
GDC10: Massively's picks for the best of GDC
GDC 2010 has come and gone and as we recover from the insanity a bit, we thought it would be the perfect time to reflect on our favorites from last week. Although the Game Developer's Conference isn't usually made to be as flashy as E3 or PAX, it is mostly catered towards students looking to break into the industry, panels and summits interesting to only other developers and a few demos. This in mind, we compiled a short list of what made the biggest impact on us, pertaining to MMOs. Although there were plenty of other exciting demos, booths and panels, we're keeping these awards strictly to MMO-related topics. Follow along after the jump for our complete list.
GDC10: Hands-on with TERA Online
New MMOs are becoming a dime a dozen. We here at Massively are constantly flooded with press releases claiming that Company A's new game is not only an MMO, but it's the best darn MMO you've ever seen. Despite this, we try to hold back the cynicism and keep a sharp eye open for the true diamonds in the rough. At GDC 2010, we saw what could be considered at least an emerald in the rough. TERA had a huge presence at the conference, with fliers everywhere you looked and an impressive demo booth with four playable stations. Since Seraphina and I both spent some quality time with the game, including a developer demo, we decided to pool our thoughts for one big article on what we saw. Follow along for our impressions of TERA.
New TERA screens revealed
Publisher En Masse today revealed three new high resolution screen shots of Blue Hole Studio's forthcoming action MMORPG TERA: The Exiled Realm of Arboria. "TERA is a new class of MMO that combines the depth and flexibility of online PC games with the lush graphics and immediacy of console action games," said Dr. Jae-Heon Yang, CEO of En Masse Entertainment. "Players can go beyond factions and static story lines to write the history of TERA in real time as six races learn to work together." Stay tuned to Massively this week as we'll be sitting down with En Masse at GDC 2010 and bringing you full coverage of TERA's debut. %Gallery-87895%
The Daily Grind: When have graphics surprised you?
Graphics aren't the only part of games that matter -- witness World of Warcraft's continued market presence with a five-year-old highly stylized engine -- but they're certainly a major draw for some. And as has been said before, these days it's hard to find a game for current consoles or the PC that isn't graphically stunning. We're a long way from the large polygons that made up EverQuest models back in the genre's infancy. But polygons aren't everything. Sometimes there are visual treats, little flairs of animation, just the right amount of detail and lighting. Sometimes a game that you weren't expecting to impress you with graphics manages to do so -- even if you're generally not someone who focuses on graphics. Whether you're running around in Age of Conan or Final Fantasy XI, there are vistas and pictures that impress above and beyond technological constraints. So, when have graphics struck you and made you take notice of something? Was it a game that looked astonishingly well-rendered for its time, or one that was fairly basic even when it got released? Were they stylized in a way you found appealing or just surprisingly realistic?
TERA enters third closed beta test
Although the official press release for TERA only came out yesterday, the game has been in the works for a while, and is preparing for its third closed beta test. This round of closed beta testing is expected to have 20,000 users, and begin work on quite a bit of new content. Six tribes are currently available, eight different classes, and 88 character models. The new content introduced with CBT3 includes new maps and 68 new techniques. Some new instanced dungeons and a party invite bulletin feature will be added as well, along with generally expected features such as in-game voice chat (provided by Hangame) and the ability to swim, jump, and climb. Look for the addition of Quick Menu and equipment items as well. You can take a closer look at TERA at the official site, and check out the gallery of screenshots and concept art just below for a visual overview of the game. %Gallery-86517%
Blizzard, NCsoft talent form developer En Masse Entertainment
The MMO industry, despite some setbacks over the past year or so, has been growing at a steady rate for some time and doesn't show much sign of slowing. It's hard to argue that two of the most influential companies in that success have been Blizzard Entertainment and NCsoft, with the former keeping a stable of several successful games and the latter running a game well-known enough to not need a mention. So when staffers from both companies join up to form a new development studio, it's worth paying some attention to what the company is doing. En Masse Entertainment, as reported by our sister site Joystiq, has just announced their formation as a company. Their staff includes talent from the aforementioned studios as well as Microsoft, ArenaNet, and Electronic Arts. According to the official press release, their first project is bringing the Korean MMORPG TERA to western audiences -- which might sound like another free-to-play game coming over until you note both the stunning visuals and the fact that it's slated to be a subscription model "like other triple-A titles." We'll be keeping a close eye on the new studio -- it could be a combination that produces some interesting results.
Blizzard, NCSoft talent set up MMO developer En Masse Entertainment
A piping-hot press release from Korean MMO developer Bluehole Studio has announced a new subsidiary for the company named En Masse Entertainment. Based in Seattle, En Masse will focus on "selecting high quality online games and adapting, refining, and positioning them so they are perfectly suited for audiences in Western markets." In other words, slightly reducing the size of everyone's swords. You know, just to the point where it looks reasonable that they could lift them off the ground. According to the presser, the En Masse team features talent from other big players in the MMOverse, including Blizzard, EA, ArenaNet and NCsoft. It sounds like the studio's got a pretty experienced roster; whether or not they'll be able to get us excited about their first project -- a Westernized version of a Korean MMORPG called TERA -- remains to be seen.
HTC's 2010 roadmap goes on display?
Those among us with minds like steel traps might recall that HTC's 2009 was leaked with shocking accuracy way back in January of this year, which lends some credibility to this already-believable series of slides we have seemingly showing off most of the good stuff we can expect out of the company in the coming months. The stuff we're privy to here was allegedly presented at a meeting in Vienna back in October, with both Windows Mobile and Android designs broken up into four target demo categories: Design / Lifestyle, Social, Performance (we like the sound of that), and Productivity -- but don't take our word for it. Follow the break for everything you need to know about this very real-sounding downpour of specs and renders. %Gallery-79710%
