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Hyperspace Beacon: Curbing expectations for SWTOR Galactic Starfighter
After the announcement last week about the Star Wars: The Old Republic super-secret space project, I wanted to jump up and down, shouting from the roof tops about how BioWare has done something right. BioWare has given small indications of how it was listening to fans, starting with the size of lightsaber hilts up to dyeable lore-based gear. However, in this column, I want to give a balanced report of what's happening in SWTOR. Although the next expansion, Galactic Starfighter, tops nearly everything SWTOR has ever implemented to date, I think we should have realistic expectations for the upcoming expansion.
Earn free tanks during World of Tanks: Xbox 360 beta event weekend
World of Tanks is sounding the siren's call for the Xbox 360 edition, tossing out special rewards for those who participate in the beta this weekend. There are three events occurring simultaneously on the beta server from Saturday, October 12th, through Sunday, October 13th, and all of them dangle goodies for participants. Players can earn an M22 Locust Tier III premium tank by completing 50 matches in this time span, and a Ram II Tier V premium tank will be given to everyone who engages this weekend as long as 10,000 players log in simultaneously. Wargaming is also handing out XP bonuses for the first win on ever tank a player owns and 2,500 gold for use during the beta process. An Xbox Live Gold account is needed to join in with this beta. [Source: Wargaming press release]
World of Tanks Assistant app adds achievements and more
The fact that World of Tanks has an app is nothing new; World of Tanks Assistant came on the scene last February. What is new, however, is what the app can now do. Wargaming has released version 1.5.1, an update that includes a completely overhauled interface, new in-game achievements, and an increased amount of game-related information. Players can also use it to compare personal statistics with those of other players and clans. World of Tanks Assistant is available for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone mobile devices and can be acquired for free from at Google Play and Appstore. For a look at these updates, check out the video after the cut. [Source: Wargaming press release]
A glimpse of World of Tanks on the Xbox 360
Last week, Wargaming showcased its latest beta of World of Warplanes alongside its flagship World of Tanks for the Xbox 360 at a Promenade event in San Francisco. Promenade events are aimed at generating a high degree of buzz and consumer interest for emerging innovative products. One aspect worth watching will be Wargaming's dedication to e-sports, which the studio outlined during the Wargaming.net League competitions on Twitch.
Japanese tank line coming to World of Tanks
Now that Update 8.8 is in the books, Wargaming has announced that its wildly popular World of Tanks will be adding Japanese tanks to the mix. "The introduction of Japanese tanks allows us to explore the design and innovation of a number of legendary armored vehicles and give players the chance to experience their technological evolution throughout the mid-20th century," said World of Tanks Producer Mikhail Zhivets. "Tank models based on original designs of Japanese engineers will offer players a wide selection of authentic upgrade schemes, each tailored for particular combat objectives." The Japanese tank tree, which will initially consist of nine medium and five light machines, will be the seventh national line added to the game. Be sure to check out the new trailer for this upcoming content just after the jump. [Source: Wargaming press release]
World of Tanks unleashes update 8.8 with new tanks and new tech trees [Updated]
Do you think that World of Tanks doesn't offer you a high enough volume of tanks? Have you found yourself driving around in a tank shooting at other tanks whilst thinking, "I guess there are tanks here, but not really a whole world of them?" Then maybe what you were really waiting for was the newest update to the game, update 8.8, which adds a branch of Soviet medium tanks for tiers 6 through 8. There are also significant changes to the German tech tree to enhance and reclassify several tanks. Wait, did you want an update to World of Tanks that was not quite so tank-focused? Well, the new update will also include a new battlefield arena, Tundra, so you can see tanks shoot one another somewhere new. The update is due for release on September 11th in Europe and September 12th in the US, but you can get a small preview from the video just past the cut. (Here's a hint: tanks shoot each other.) [Update: Update 8.8 has been pushed to North American release on September 18.] [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
PAX Prime 2013 and FFXIV relaunch event in pictures
This year's PAX Prime has come and gone, but during my trip I snapped a bundle of pictures we're pretty sure you're going to love. Enjoy some booths, crowds, games, and quite a bit of the Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn launch event. Even Jesus showed up for my photo shoot!
PAX Prime 2013: World of Tanks blitzes onto the 360
While there was definitely some buzz at the PAX Prime Wargaming booth about World of Warplanes, which will get its commercial launch on September 26th, World of Tanks was the main source. Not only is Wargaming planning to integrate accounts for both Tanks and Warplanes, but it also has the XBox 360 version of World of Tanks in closed beta. I sat down with some of the Wargaming guys and attempted to play the new 360 version. I struggled a bit with the console controls, but that had more to do with a lack of familiarity than anything else. As I played, we discussed how Wargaming has rebuilt WoT from the ground up for the console market.
Wargaming partners with Nexon for prepaid card options
Wargaming has announced a new partnership with Nexon America for the use of Karma Koins as a prepaid card solution for all in-game purchases across Wargaming titles, including World of Tanks, World of Warplanes, and the upcoming World of Warships. Not only is Karma Koin available at 75,000 stores in North America and Oceania, but one percent of all sales go directly to charity. "We're committed to providing our players with as many flexible and safe payment options as possible," said Mike Turner, Vice President of Business Development at Wargaming. "Our new partnership with Nexon America and Karma Koin will address that desire, and we're excited to give our players a new and philanthropic payment option to enhance their in-game experience."
The not-so-friendly skies: Hands-on with World of Warplanes' open beta
Wargaming.net is the reigning king of free-to-play, with its flagship title World of Tanks sitting pretty at 60 million registered users and holding the world record for player concurrency. One wouldn't necessarily expect MMO gamers to be drawn to a game where the only physical manifestation of the player is a massive tank, but World of Tanks has surged into popularity and left more than a few industry assumptions crumpled under its treads. Fueled by this success, Wargaming.net now seeks to expand its legacy by releasing two new games based on the World of Tanks formula. One is the mysterious World of Warships, which has yet to make any sort of official appearance, and the other is World of Warplanes, which is winding down its extended beta phase and soaring ever-closer to its September 26th release date. Together, the three games will theoretically form a perfect union of land, sea, and air combat steeped in historical accuracy and intense action. We hopped into the World of Warplanes beta to see how the aerial portion of Wargaming.net's vision is shaping up, and to find out once and for all if we were truly ace material.
Wargaming's Unified Premium Account goes live
Wargaming has announced today the official launch of its Unified Premium Account, connecting players across all current and future Wargaming titles. The service, currently live in World of Tanks and World of Warplanes, allows players to pay for all premium services at once, with the added benefit of an increased experience and credit accrual rate in-game. You can look for more information on the Unified Premium Account on Wargaming's main page. [Source: Wargaming press release]
The Soapbox: Actually, that really isn't an MMO
In last week's edition of The Soapbox, Mike Foster argued that online gaming has evolved over the past few years and that the term MMO should be expanded to cover other online games like MOBAs. He examined the blurred dividing line between new online games and the classic MMOs of yesteryear, and he made the controversial argument that Call of Duty and League of Legends should now fall under the MMO umbrella. I found myself disagreeing with many of Mike's arguments and wanting to make additional points of my own, so this week I'd like to offer a few counter-points on the same topic for debate. The MMO market has certainly evolved since Massively was founded, with some pretty big innovations in gameplay and new ideas like the free-to-play business model taking hold. As much as people like to complain about a lack of innovation in the games industry, the same level of experimentation and evolution has hit industry-wide. Call of Duty has borrowed unlock and XP systems from the world of orcs and dragons, and League of Legends came from nowhere to be at the forefront of a global MOBA revolution, but neither of them is an MMO by any stretch of the imagination. In this in-depth opinion piece, I break down the definition arguments surrounding the term MMO, offer a reasoned view of where the line can and should be drawn, and look at why Massively covers games other than MMOs.
PAX Prime 2013: Wargaming plans presence and presents
If you are heading out to PAX Prime in Seattle this weekend, you'll have the opportunity to drop by the Wargaming booth and get your hands on World of Tanks on the Xbox 360 and World of Warplanes. Located at exhibit space 132 and 232, Wargaming's booth will have 30 playable gaming stations set up for attendees to play the games on. If playing the games isn't enough of an incentive to drop by, how about this one: The studio also plans hourly giveaways for the chance to win a variety of gaming hardware. [Source: Wargaming press release]
World of Tanks opens up European beta for Xbox 360 edition
Fans of tank-based combat who live in Europe have some good news today. World of Tanks has opened its beta servers for European players to test out the Xbox 360 version of the game, thus allowing another continent's worth of players access to all of the console-based tank mayhem. Eager participants in both North America and Europe are encouraged to sign up for the beta on the official site. This particular update doesn't just allow more people into the beta; it also adds new tanks to the game. United States and German tanks of tiers VII and VIII have been added to the game, increasing the firepower on all sides of the playerbase. No word yet on an official release, but the easiest way to speed it along is by logging in and testing to provide plenty of data on the console version's performance. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition beta rolls out
World of Tanks for Xbox 360, which is officially called World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition, is ready for beta testers. United States, Canada and European commanders can head on over to worldoftanks.com/xbox to sign up for access. Developer Wargaming will send out access tokens on a weekly basis. The three regions will have access to the "new US and German tier VII and VIII heavy tanks" during testing. The company also plans to announce beta release dates for other regions "soon."
The Soapbox: That's not an MMO
You may not be aware of this, but Massively is a website focused primarily on massively multiplayer online games. It's kind of what we do. However, the world of MMOs in 2013 is far different from the world of MMOs in 2007, when the site was founded. The niche has changed and the games industry has evolved. There was a time when "online" told you everything you needed to know about a game because there was really only one type of online game. You knew in picking up an online game that you and some friends would be leveling, looting gear, and slaying dragons. It took a while for developers to notice that online play was actually a thing that could work in more than one particular format. Nowadays, online games range from traditional MMORPGs like Guild Wars 2 and RIFT to MOBAs like SMITE and League of Legends. There's no clear definition for what an MMO is or isn't because so many games are massive, multiplayer, and online. Maybe it's time to embrace MMO as a broader term than previously thought.
New Soviet, German, and Chinese armor slated for World of Tanks 8.8 [Updated]
Need more Soviet armor in your World of Tanks? Wargaming's 8.8 patch is for you, then, as it's going to add several new German, Chinese, and Soviet machines to the instanced battler. There's a whole new branch of Soviet armor starting at tier six and including the A-43, A-44, the Object 416, and the Object 140. German players will get a tier four DW heavy chariot and a tier six VK3002 (M) medium tank. Chinese tank fans can look forward to a new medium tier eight T-34-3 and a tier eight 112 heavy tank. Wargaming is also prepping the new wintry Tundra battle arena for the 8.8 patch. No release date has been announced just yet. [Source: Wargaming.net press release] [Update: Wargaming has let us know about more goodies incoming for German player, including "the transformation of the VK3001H heavy tank to Tier 5, where it will undergo rebalancing and become a heavy tank, just as the VK3601H. Tank fans will also find that the new battle arena, Tundra, falls under the Autumn season marking the transition to the cold and wintery season approaching."]
Wargaming.net celebrates 15 years with World of Tanks XP boosts and sales
Wargaming.net has been around for 15 years, and the World of Tanks creator is marking this milestone anniversary by throwing a slew of offers at tank captains across the globe. From August 2nd to August 5th, players will receive a 15% credit discount on Tier X vehicles, triple crew experience for every fight, and discounts on premium ammo, crew training, garage slots, barracks, and camo skins. Special anniversary tank and gold bundles will also be available over the three-day period. August also brings an anniversary garage theme to all players, one free tank in the form of the Soviet LTP tier II light tank, and new repeatable missions.
PAX Australia 2013: Massively interviews Wargaming's Victor Kislyi
Sometimes Australia does get the big names! Massively's David "Psykopig" Desi met up with the Wargaming crew at this year's PAX Australia, and fortunately for you he filmed the whole thing! Wargaming was on hand to talk up its Australian World of Tanks servers as well as elaborate on its plans for a substantial push into the Asia/Pacific region. Join us after the break as the infamous Pig interviews Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi on the current state of World Tanks, World of Warplanes, and World of Warships, as well as what fans can expect in the future.
Coming soon to a console near you: MMOs
Remember E3 2013? That huge video games conference thing from earlier in the summer? Weeks have passed since Microsoft and Sony squared off in the Los Angeles convention center (while Nintendo posted up at Best Buy and Ouya sulked in the parking lot), but the news made there continues to reverberate through the games industry. One curious trend seems to have been missed amid the clashing of proverbial titans: There sure are a lot of MMOs and online-focused games due on consoles this generation. And since MMOs are the business of Massively, we thought it might be fun to compile a quick list of all the ones we can find that are either already available on our current consoles or set for launch on the next batch. The list, as it turns out, is pretty extensive.
