General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article


This Week's Hottest Reviews on TechRadar

Posted: 10 May 2013 03:24 PM PDT

We've got a ton of new reviews this week on TechRadar. We've reviewed new cameras, new phones, and the new Nook HD. Come take a look for the latest from the latest reviews and hands-on coverage.

 Nook HD 

Nook HD review 

The lightest, highest resolution 7-inch tablet, but is it any good? Just barely would be our answer.

Huawei Mate 

Huawei Ascend Mate review 

The Ascend Mate is a phone of compromises. It has a great screen and outstanding battery life, but is the uncomfortable size and weight a sensible trade-off?

HTC One 

Updated: HTC One review 

And lastly, we've reevaluated the HTC One in light of a new update that improves its battery life. Was the additional juice enough to goose the rating? Spoiler alert: yes. 


Other reviews on TechRadar this week:

Cameras

Olympus XZ-10 review

Hands on: Olympus PEN E-P5 review

Olympus TG-2 review

Aztech WIPC402 Wireless-N Pan/Tilt IP Camera review

Laptops

Samsung Series 9 NP900X3D review

Samsung Series 5 Ultratouch review

Hands on: Acer Aspire R7 review

Hands on: Acer Aspire P3 review

Phones

Huawei Ascend Mate review

Portable speakers

Pure Jongo S3 review

LightwaveRF review

Software

CyberLink PowerDVD 13 review

Storage

Corsair Voyager Air review

Tablets

Hands on: Acer Iconia A1 review

Televisions

Sony KDL-55W905A review

Samsung UE46F7000 review

Build a PC: Recommended Builds (May 2013)

Posted: 10 May 2013 02:35 PM PDT

Baseline, performance, and ultra PC builds!

What time is it? It's time to build a PC with our Blueprints! This month, we've built three rigs at three approximate price points: Baseline, Performance, and Ultra. Baseline gets you a powerful, no-compromises rig, suitable for gaming and content creation at 1080p. Performance gets you more, and the Ultra is for those who want a killer PC.

These rigs are lab-tested and editor-approved. Feedback is, of course, welcome. Tell us what you think!

May 2013 Baseline

Our baseline build represents the minimum level of performance we'd accept on a semi-strict budget (by our gearhead measurement, at least). This month, we wanted to upgrade to an AMD Radeon HD 7870 XT for a graphics boost, but we haven't gotten hands-on yet. The Samsung 840 Pro is our favorite SSD, hands down, and the 128GB version is surprisingly affordable at just over $1/GB, so we're sticking with it for the time being. RAM prices continue to creep up, so we switched our PSU to the Seasonic M12II 650-watt to help bring the system price back down. That's less wattage than we were getting from the Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 720W we used previously, but 650W is plenty, even if we eventually add a second video card for CrossFire.

Performance

NZXT Phantom 630 case

Performance hardware

For the Performance build, we upgraded from Intel's Ivy Bridge to its Sandy Bridge-E platform, where we have more PCIe lanes for multiple video cards, and a socket that should see Ivy Bridge-E CPUs through 2014. The Core i7-3820 can overclock using gear or strap ratios, despite not having the "K" that indicates an unlocked clock multiplier. We thought about upgrading the CPU cooler to something with a 240mm radiator, but we wanted to keep the budget under control. The Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 850W is a good buy at $120. It's a 100W boost over the Corsair HX750 we used previously, and it costs about the same. It's a lot of power, but we'll need the extra juice if we decide to add another AMD Radeon HD 7970 down the line.

 

Ultra

Corsair 900D case

 

Ultra hardware parts list

At the Ultra tier, money is of no concern, so we upgraded our case to the Corsair 900D. We love the Cooler Master Cosmos II that has been part of this build since we started this column, but it can't mount a 420mm radiator, and we want that option for the future. The Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 1,200W is a 150-watt upgrade from the Thermaltake ToughPower Grand we were using, and it's about the same price while offering comparable quality and features. We also updated the CPU cooler from the Corsair H100 to the H100i since it produces less noise and lower temperatures, and offers software control over pump and fans speeds. On the GPU front, we considered swapping the GTX 690 with the slightly faster Radeon HD 7990, AMD's new fl agship dual-GPU card. But at press time, the card was still experiencing frame latency issues, and the company only had a "prototype" fix for it that wasn't final. We're confident AMD'll lick the problem eventually, but it's hard to say when, so for now we'll stick with the GeForce GTX 690.

MOBAs Dominate Raptr’s List of Most Played Games of April 2013

Posted: 10 May 2013 01:51 PM PDT

Dota 2 trails League of Legends

Gaming social network Raptr, which has over the past few years published yearly lists of the most popular games based on its users' gaming habits, last month began doing so on a monthly basis. Earlier this week, it published the second such monthly list of "most played games."

With a total share of 8.73 percent, the top spot on Raptr's list of most played Xbox 360 and PC games of April, 2013 belongs to Call of Duty Black Ops II , which had also topped the list last month. It is just one of six Xbox 360 games in the top 10.

Just like last month, League of Legends occupies the second spot with a 6.31 percent share, slightly up from the 5.97 percent it managed during the previous month. The next two are both PC titles as well.

Dota 2 climbed two places to snag the third spot from World of Warcraft, which is number four on the list. The fourth and final PC title in the top ten is Defiance, having debuted at number nine in April. Another PC title that merits a mention is SimCity, albeit for all the wrong reasons. The title, which somehow clung onto the twentieth and final spot last month, has now dropped out altogether.

It is clear from the site's latest monthly data — for which it relies entirely on the willingness of its users to share their gamer ids — that multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games are very popular among the PC-doting section of the five-year-old site's constituency, and SimCity isn't (for obvious reasons, of course).

But, as far as we are concerned, the biggest highlight of Raptr's first two monthly lists is the fact that Dota 2, which was recently said to have become the most played game, finds itself behind — and by quite a sizable margin at that — the game it had supposedly overtaken: League of Legends (LoL). This lends credence to Riot Games' contention that Dota 2 is not even close to LoL when it comes to popularity, with the latter attracting as many as "500,000 peak concurrent players every day on just the EU West shard" compared to Dota 2's peak of 325,897 concurrent users worldwide.
Raptr's List of Most Played Games of April 2013

Image Credit: Raptr

Follow Pulkit on Google+

Nvidia's Revenue Slips 14 Percent, GPU Maker Eyes Return to Growth in Second Half

Posted: 10 May 2013 10:56 AM PDT

Nvidia HeadquartersCompared to last year, Nvidia is moving in the right direction.

Nvidia reported revenue of $954.7 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2014 ended April 28, 2013. That's down 13.7 percent from $1.11 billion in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, though up a little more than 3 percent compared to last year. A similar story played out with regards to Nvidia's net income (profit), which totaled $77.9 million for the quarter, down 55.2 percent sequentially but up 29 percent year-on-year.

"The success of Kepler-based GPUs within and beyond the PC helped drive another quarter of record margins," said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and chief executive officer of Nvidia. "Kepler is capturing share among gamers, strengthening our workstation and supercomputing segments, and will fuel new growth opportunities for our GRID server graphics solutions. With Tegra 4 devices and Tegra 4i certification on the way, we're gearing up to return to growth in the second half."

Nvidia had a few notable product launches last quarter, including its Tegra 4i SoC (System-on-Chip), it's first fully integrated 4G LTE mobile processor that it claims is three times faster and half the size of its nearest competitor. The GPU maker also launched the GeForce GTX Titan graphics card for desktops.

Like Apple, Nvidia is planning to line its shareholders pockets. Nvidia said it will return in excess of $1 billion this fiscal year to shareholders in the form of share repurchases and quarterly dividend payments.

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Intel Haswell Chip Cranked to 5GHz at Just 0.9V

Posted: 10 May 2013 09:40 AM PDT

Intel Haswell Overclocked to 5GHzHow high can Intel's Core i7 4770K go?

When's the last time you saw a tablet or smartphone overclocked to 5GHz and beyond? The answer is "never" and it probably won't happen for a long, long time yet. On the desktop, well, that's an entirely different story. Not only are high overclocks common, but early looks at overclocking results on Intel's Haswell parts would indicate that the fun is just beginning, and you don't even need exotic cooling to participate.

An overclocker on Ocaholic.ch's forum posted screenshots that show his Intel Core i7 4770K processor running at 5005.83MHz (5GHz) on an ASRock Z87 Extreme4 motherboard. Ready for the best part? It only required 0.904V to achieve 5GHz!

It looks like he had to disable Hyper Threading to reach 5GHz, and it's not clear if it's a stable overclock or one that lasted just long enough to get a screen grab. Either way, it's pretty remarkable that he was able to get his Haswell chip to run at such a high speed with so little voltage.

Haswell is currently scheduled to launch on June 3rd at Computex.

Image Credit: ocaholic.ch (Validator)

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Global Smart Mobile Device Shipments Topped 300 Million Last Quarter

Posted: 10 May 2013 09:14 AM PDT

Lenovo Windows 8Smart device shipments are booming.

Convenience is the name of the game, and today more than ever, mobility is playing a huge factor in consumers' buying decisions for electronic devices. Gadget makers are answering the call, and in the first quarter of 2013, they shipped more than 300 million mobile devices around the world, according to the latest data published by Canalys, a market research and analysis firm.

The number of mobile shipments in Q1 2013 is 37.4 percent higher than it was in the same quarter a year ago, Canalys says. No platform benefited more than Android, which is the OS of choice on nearly 60 percent of all smart mobile devices shipped, followed by iOS at 19.3 percent. Microsoft wasn't far behind Apple, grabbing 18.1 percent of the market.

It should be noted that Canalys isn't just counting tablets and smartphones, but also notebooks and presumably hybrid laptops, too. The tablet market grew the fastest, however, with tablet shipments more than doubling from last year to 41.9 million units.

There were 216.3 million smartphones shipped in Q1, up 47.9 percent year-over-year. Android handsets accounted for more than 75 percent of them, with Samsung leading the way by growing its volume by 64.3 percent, Canalys says.

As for notebook PC shipments, they totaled 50.5 million units, down 13.1 percent compared to Q1 2013. Western Europe saw the biggest decline, where shipments fell by 25.2 percent year-over-year.

"While there are macroeconomic factors that contribute to this ongoing trend, the impact of tablets must not be understated," said Canalys Research Analyst, Pin-Chen Tang. "The combination of ARM-based chipsets and Android has taken computing devices to new, lower price points. If Microsoft and Intel are serious about capitalizing on this exploding market, both will need to ensure that their OEMs can remain competitive on price."

Canalys is likely right, and the good news for Microsoft is that Windows 8 devices are starting to come down in price.

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

 

Newegg Daily Deals: Rosewill Power Supply Bonanza

Posted: 10 May 2013 07:07 AM PDT

Rosewill SilentNight Power SupplyNewegg

Top Deal:

Little Billy's in the kitchen banging pans together, Mary-Jo and Erica are in the basement arguing over who's turn it is to watch Netflix, and the dog's chasing the cat all over the house. Soon evening will come and they'll all fall fast asleep, giving you the sweet, sweet silence you've been longing for all day. If only your PC would do the same. It's possible, starting with today's top deal for a Rosewill SilentNIght Series 500W Fan-less Modular Design Power Supply for $112 with shipping for $6 (normally $160 - use coupon code:[EMCXRXL27]). Not only is it dead silent, it's also modular and 80 Plus Platinum certified!

Other Deals:

Rosewill Stallion Series 400W Power Supply for $32 with free shipping (normally $40 - use coupon code:[EMCXRXL27]) 

Rosewill Green Series 530W Power Supply for $48 with free shipping (normally $80 - use coupon code:[EMCXRXL27])

Rosewill Hive Series 650W Power Supply for $64 with free shipping (normally $100 - use coupon code:[EMCXRXL27])

Rosewill Xtreme Series 750W Power Supply for $72 with free shipping (normally $130 - use coupon code:[EMCXRXL27])

Latest Gaming and MMORPG Updates

Latest Gaming and MMORPG Updates


World of Warcraft Waved Goodbye to 1.3 Million Subscribers Last Quarter

Posted: 10 May 2013 01:45 AM PDT

WoW, where have all the subscribers gone? World of Warcraft’s subscriber-base is on the decline. That’s hardly shocking for a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that was launched over 9 years ago. But this isn’t just any online game, it’s the world’s largest subscription-based MMORPG and it lost 1.3 … Continue reading

Rockstar Games New Grand Theft Auto V Screens

Posted: 10 May 2013 12:57 AM PDT

Rockstar has unveiled 12 new screens for Grand Theft Auto V, giving us a peek at some motorcycles, an airplane, an airborne car, and some binoculars. You can see one of the screens above this text, get ready for the game’s release on September 17. [Source: Rockstar]

Samsung Galaxy S4 [GT-I9500ZWA] Specifications and Price

Posted: 09 May 2013 11:38 PM PDT

Samsung Galaxy S4 [GT-I9500ZWA] Specifications and Price   Samsung Galaxy S4 Specifications Platform Band GSM & EDGE Band 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz 3G Band 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz Browser Android + Samsung / Android Browser / Chrome Browser (GMS) Size Weight 130g … Continue reading

MMO Updates

MMO Updates


MMObility: Exploring a tiny universe in Pocket Galaxy

Posted: 10 May 2013 10:00 AM PDT

Filed under: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pocket Galaxy screenshot
Pocket Galaxy, a new sci-fi mobile MMO, is relatively impressive at first. It's a nice looking game that feels like a cross between Dark Orbit, Asteroids, and EVE Online and seems to be pretty casual and cheap to play. These things make me happy. I've adopted a casual playstyle because of my need to be the guy who plays every single game he sees, and that has had the side effect of making casual gaming perfect for me.

For example, a Pocket Galaxy player who wants to craft more ammo for one of her guns needs to create the items by waiting a certain amount of real time that can be shortened by using cash. Many players might see this as some sort of money-grab. I see it as a casual game with the option to speed up build times, but then again... I'm patient.

Continue reading MMObility: Exploring a tiny universe in Pocket Galaxy

MassivelyMMObility: Exploring a tiny universe in Pocket Galaxy originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 10 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

    City of Steam opens beta doors at 10 pm tonight

    Posted: 10 May 2013 09:00 AM PDT

    Filed under: , , , , , , ,

    City of Steam opens beta doors at 10 pm tonight
    If you've been eagerly awaiting your chance to get into the browser-based steampunk goodness of City of Steam, your wait is nearly over. Clear your Friday night plans because in just a few hours at 10:00 p.m. EDT, the city of Nexus will be welcoming its new residents. And you won't be needing any early access key, as Mechanist Games is throwing the beta doors open wide for any and all!

    Returning testers will notice many new features have been added since the closed beta runs, like events, a plethora of new cosmetic items, and more streamlined skill, talent, and crafting systems. And jetpacks -- who can forget the jetpacks! Players will also find over 80 dungeons, over 100 quests, new PvP maps, open Wilderness levels, customizable gear, and more... and that's only to start! The devs have an aggressive release schedule plan of adding new features and content on an almost bi-weekly basis throughout the beta.

    For more details on what you can expect, check out Massively's hands-on experience as well as the official open beta features list.

    [Source: Mechanist Games press release]

    MassivelyCity of Steam opens beta doors at 10 pm tonight originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 10 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink | Email this | Comments

      Massively Exclusive: How WildStar has the power to move you

      Posted: 10 May 2013 08:30 AM PDT

      Filed under: , , , ,

      I fly through the air with the greatest of ease, then land with a cracking sound from both my knees.
      Movement does not normally seem like a complicated topic in MMOs. You press forward; your character goes forward. Backward? Same deal. You can turn, and you can strafe, and you can turn and strafe and run forward if you're some kind of rebel or you want to give yourself motion sickness. But WildStar makes movement a bigger deal than normal because with a greater emphasis on action comes a greater emphasis on moving out of the path of danger.

      The latest official video covers all the basics of movement, from dashing to sprinting to pining for the presumably nonexistent quadruple jump. But we had a chance to sit down with lead combat systems designer Chris Lynch and lead class designer Hugh Shelton to talk about more of the specifics, starting with the obvious question: What beast must we slay to unlock the all-powerful quadruple jump?

      Wait, that wasn't it. It was about chaining movement tricks together in an endless cycle of airborne dashes.

      Continue reading Massively Exclusive: How WildStar has the power to move you

      MassivelyMassively Exclusive: How WildStar has the power to move you originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 10 May 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

      Permalink | Email this | Comments

        Age of Wushu hosts a Royal Celebration

        Posted: 10 May 2013 08:00 AM PDT

        Filed under: , , , , ,

        Age of Wushu hosts a Royal Celebration
        Party like it's 2013! Snail Games invites players in the world of Jianghu to join in a special Age of Wushu Royal Celebration starting today. This celebration will have various events sprinkled throughout the month, from earning rewards just for just logging in to chances to face and fight world bosses for their loot. And the rewards themselves range from gift packs to buff items to VIP bonuses.

        Want to earn a special gift pack? Log in for one hour a day and you'll get one for each day. Players who manage to spend at least two hours online every day for the entire week will earn a much larger reward that includes a 30-day mount and a number of buffs and bonuses. Gain even more rewards for leveling school inner skills and for being a VIP. The event is open to all players regardless of school or skills. For a full listing of the events and their accompanying rewards, check out the official event schedule.

        [Source: Snail Games press release]

        MassivelyAge of Wushu hosts a Royal Celebration originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 10 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

        Permalink | Email this | Comments

          Second Wind: Age of Conan

          Posted: 10 May 2013 07:00 AM PDT

          Filed under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

          Age of Conan screenshot
          I remember playing Age of Conan when it first came out; it seems like an eternity ago. So many titles have been released and failed since then that it's easy to get it all mixed up, and it doesn't help when many of those titles are sub-par or just plain boring and forgettable. Age of Conan sort of messed with my head with its insistent instancing and odd combat mechanics. I just couldn't wrap my head around what the game was trying to do.

          Is it a hardcore PvP-centric MMO? Many would say so. Is it a grand, single-player adventure? In some ways. Is it an immersive romp through the long-lived lore of Conan the Barbarian? I guess so. It's a bit of all of these but does none of them perfectly. I decided to jump back into the game because the last time I played it was when it switched over to its odd freemium model that is all-too-common in Western MMOs these days.

          Continue reading Second Wind: Age of Conan

          MassivelySecond Wind: Age of Conan originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 10 May 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

          Permalink | Email this | Comments

            The Daily Grind: Should World of Warcraft go free-to-play?

            Posted: 10 May 2013 06:00 AM PDT

            Filed under: , , , , , ,

            World of Warcraft
            There's only one Western subscription MMO that can stand to lose 1.3 million subs in three months and shrug it off: World of Warcraft. But shrug it off doesn't appear to what Activision-Blizzard is doing. During the investor call that revealed the heavy sub losses, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick acknowledged the changing market and his plans to adapt with speedier content. "It's important to note that the nature of online games has changed," he said, "and [that] the environment [is] becoming far more competitive, especially with free-to-play games." And Blizzard president Mike Morhaime suggested the company is "studying" the comings and goings of players and how to entice former players to return.

            Well, we don't have to look much further than Star Wars: The Old Republic's recent rejuvenation to figure out that free-to-play is one of the better ways to entice gamers to return (and open their wallets). Surely, Blizzard has to be wondering whether F2P might be a huge boost to the game as it's approaching its ninth birthday later this year. What do you think -- will World of Warcraft eventually go free-to-play, and more importantly, should it?

            Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

            MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Should World of Warcraft go free-to-play? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 10 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

            Permalink | Email this | Comments

              Get some Defiance DLC with a side of free updates

              Posted: 09 May 2013 06:00 PM PDT

              Filed under: , , , , , ,

              DLC purchasers will unlock new abilities, including Shoot More, Shoot Even More, and Shoot The Most.
              Now that Defiance is live and has gone through the usual slew of launch-day messes, it's time for the developers to start thinking about the future. That means DLC. The latest development blog explains both what the team is doing to address the game's issues and how DLC will be released in a tiered system, with every major DLC update containing upgrades to the cash shop, a paid DLC component, and a free update for everyone.

              The first DLC is already en route, and its $10 paid component allows players to make a Castithan character, access a unique storyline, and gain some special vehicles and outfits. Even if you don't pay for the DLC, you'll have access to new Castithan Blades, and a new open world game mode called Siege, and can earn new Charge Weapons. The game's store, meanwhile, will allow you to tint your Castithan Blades, buy new lockboxes or vehicles, and re-customize your character. There's a little something for everyone playing the game, and that's the ultimate goal.

              MassivelyGet some Defiance DLC with a side of free updates originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

              Permalink | Email this | Comments

              Star Trek Online announces Tribble Test Weekend

              Posted: 09 May 2013 05:00 PM PDT

              Filed under: , , , , , ,

              Screenshot -- Star Trek Online
              Star Trek Online's first expansion, Legacy of Romulus, is going to be launching in less than two weeks, and to build up some hype for the new addition, the folks at Cryptic have deemed this weekend a Tribble Test Weekend. Beginning tomorrow, players can log on to the Tribble test server and get their first look at the new content coming when Legacy of Romulus goes live on the 21st.

              But if that's not enough to enthuse you to play on the test server, Cryptic is sweetening the deal. Any players who log in and play on the Tribble server for at least one hour over the course of the weekend will receive a special to-be-announced reward after Legacy of Romulus is released. For the full details on this Tribble Test Weekend, just head on over to the game's official site.

              MassivelyStar Trek Online announces Tribble Test Weekend originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

              Permalink | Email this | Comments

              The Summoner's Guidebook: How do assassins work in League of Legends?

              Posted: 09 May 2013 04:00 PM PDT

              Filed under: , , , , ,

              The Summoner's Guidebook How do assassins work in League of Legends
              In case you didn't notice, the title of this week's column is a question. It's not because I know the answer; it's because I've been thinking a lot about it lately and don't have a really good answer.

              Assassins are in a strange state when it comes to teamfights. In League of Legends, there's a period when teams tend to group up to fight over objectives. This marks the midgame in Summoner's Rift, it happens after altars unlock in Twisted Treeline, and it occurs anytime both teams know where the other team is on the Crystal Scar. We've discussed teamfights a lot already, but what is troubling is the presence of assassins in these fights. Assassins are best when they're able to jump in and kill an unprepared target, ideally before a teamfight starts. Once that's done, their team can jump in with a numbers advantage and take the objective or wipe out the enemy.

              When both teams are grouped up ahead of time, assassins lose a lot of their might. Assassins can't kill without exposing themselves to heavy risk, which makes them a liability to their team until they jump in. After they jump in, they're still likely to be the first ones to get focused down.

              What do we do about this? What's the solution? I don't have a clear answer -- but I can still share my observations.

              Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: How do assassins work in League of Legends?

              MassivelyThe Summoner's Guidebook: How do assassins work in League of Legends? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

              Permalink | Email this | Comments

                Diablo III auction house down for 'at least another 24 hours'

                Posted: 09 May 2013 03:00 PM PDT

                Filed under: , , ,

                Screenshot -- Diablo III
                Diablo III's auction house continues to be the stuff of legends.

                You may remember that a couple of days ago, the Diablo III auction house went down for a time due to a gold duplication bug that was being rampantly exploited by players. Thankfully, a patch was deployed in a nice, timely manner, and everything ended up all right.

                Or did it? Rather than performing a server rollback, which would set all Diablo III players back, Blizzard has decided to perform a complete audit of the transactions made on the auction house in order to find players guilty of utilizing the gold duplication exploit. Unfortunately, Blizz was a bit conservative in its estimate of how long the auction house would be down. While there's currently no new ETA for the auction house's return, a post by Blizzard CM Lylirra states that the studio anticipates the AH being down for "at least another 24 hours" while the audits are in progress.

                MassivelyDiablo III auction house down for 'at least another 24 hours' originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

                Permalink | Email this | Comments

                Atlantica Online goes to West Atlantis

                Posted: 09 May 2013 02:00 PM PDT

                Filed under: , , , ,

                Atlantica Online goes to West Atlantis
                Atlantica Online is in the middle of a three-patches-in-three-months cycle right now, starting with Awakening, moving on to Ascension, and finishing up with Judgment. The Ascension patch has gone live with a host of additional content for the game including the journey to West Atlantis.

                The new zone of West Atlantis is a former technological haven turned centaur refuge and offers plenty of mysteries and adventures for the daring player. It's there that teams can tackle the Centaur Hero raid dungeon and hire a new merc named Chironia.

                Other changes that have come with the Ascension patch include an increased level cap to 160, the Transcendent Temple dungeon, and an array of new talents. You can watch the update trailer after the jump!

                Continue reading Atlantica Online goes to West Atlantis

                MassivelyAtlantica Online goes to West Atlantis originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

                Permalink | Email this | Comments

                Neverwinter teases module 1 update

                Posted: 09 May 2013 01:00 PM PDT

                Filed under: , , , ,

                Neverwinter teases module 1 update
                Cryptic's got a tiny surprise for Neverwinter players today: a teaser page for its module 1 update. The studio posted a splash page featuring a mystical forest with the phrase "They would seize from the moon the way to ruin and riches" floating above it.

                In an interview with Massively a few weeks ago, Lead Producer Andy Velasquez acknowledged that the team was hard at work on this update even before Neverwinter went into open beta: "For the rest of the team, they've spent the last couple of weeks working on the first update which will come out a couple of months after the launch."

                Cryptic says that more details on module 1 are coming soon, but in the meanwhile, why don't we engage in a fun round of speculation as to what this update could be?

                [Thanks to Mark for the tip!]

                MassivelyNeverwinter teases module 1 update originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

                Permalink | Email this | Comments

                Ask Massively: Trailers, emulators, and 'skill caps'

                Posted: 09 May 2013 12:00 PM PDT

                Filed under: , , , , , , , , , ,

                Dragon Sword
                It's time for a grab bag edition of Ask Massively! A reader named Nicholas is up first:
                I was wondering if you could help me remember a game studio that was developing a new Korean action- MMORPG game engine (and it wasn't Bless, Blade and Soul, or ArcheAge). In the tech demo, no environment was being shown; it focused on the combat aspect of the engine. All the combat took place against a white background, and it was combo-based and reactive to hits. I remember a slow motion scene with an NPC being punched in the face and the face distorting. At the time, there were no announced games using the engine; the video was just showing what tech the game studio had developed. If it helps any, I remember the comments saying that the engine was just going to be vaporware.
                I think we might! Massively's Lis pegged it as NetEase's Dragon Sword trailer. +1 to Lis.

                Continue reading Ask Massively: Trailers, emulators, and 'skill caps'

                MassivelyAsk Massively: Trailers, emulators, and 'skill caps' originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

                Permalink | Email this | Comments

                  RuneScape coming to tablets this year

                  Posted: 09 May 2013 11:00 AM PDT

                  Filed under: , , , , , ,

                  RuneScape coming to tablets this year
                  RuneScape 3 is an ambitious project, especially for an MMO series as old as RuneScape's, but Jagex CEO Mark Gerhard told IGN in a recent interview that they're ready to take the wildly popular MMO to the next level. This not only means the previously announced change from a Java-based platform to HTML5, but it also means that the game will be coming to tablets by Q4 of this year.

                  Gerhard also added that the possibility of a smartphone connection is there as well, but only as an addition to the overall game experience. Where else can Jagex go from here? Smart TVs? Consoles? Both are possibilities, according to Gerhard.

                  MassivelyRuneScape coming to tablets this year originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

                  Permalink | Email this | Comments

                  Total Pageviews

                  statcounter

                  View My Stats