| Issue #7 of The Secret World lets you be a secret agent Posted: 09 Jul 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Trailers, Video, Patches, Previews, News Items, The Secret World, Miscellaneous, Buy-to-Play The Secret World has given players plenty of conspiracies to uncover, villains to put down, and dangerous traps to escape. The latest update, Issue #7, takes that one step further and lets you go full-on into secret agent territory. A Dream to Kill features a hunt through corporate secrets, a dangerous alliance against the Orochi Group, and a high-speed snowmobile chase while evading goons. No Daniel Craig, but you can't have everything. You can, however, enjoy a new auxiliary weapon in the form of the flamethrower, which deals damage over time and provides several additional flame-related abilities. And as you could guess from the game, your fight against goons and corporate machinations includes plenty of disturbing imagery, strange symbolism, and all of the groundwork you need before players can finally begin exploring Tokyo. If you're still not convinced, jump on past the break to see the full trailer for the game, complete with narration by director Joel Bylos. [Source: Funcom press release] Continue reading Issue #7 of The Secret World lets you be a secret agent  Issue #7 of The Secret World lets you be a secret agent originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Jul 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| World of Warcraft is definitely getting an in-game store Posted: 09 Jul 2013 09:35 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Business Models, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, Subscription It's not that big of a change, if you think about it. World of Warcraft has been playing around with microtransactions for quite some time, starting with the infamous sparkle pony, so it seemed like a matter of time until Blizzard moved past the rather archaic web interface. Community manager Bashiok confirmed that there is an in-game store coming, although the company is still determining exactly what will be introduced in the store. Bashiok went on to state that several of the items being introduced at the outset will be introduced in Asian regions and that it will take some time to retrofit the existing web store items to in-game system. He also clarified that the additions to the store will be taking player feedback into account and focused upon selling convenience items rather than actual power. Either way, the day is quickly approaching when World of Warcraft will have a cash shop like so many other games. World of Warcraft is definitely getting an in-game store originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Jul 2013 11:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Champions Online's FATAL ERR0R takes the fight to cyberspace Posted: 09 Jul 2013 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Galleries, Screenshots, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Champions Online  Just when the superheroes and heroines of Champions Online thought they had enough problems to deal with in the real world, it looks like there's some serious trouble brewing in cyberspace. Tomorrow, Cryptic Studios will be introducing the first part of Champions Online's latest story arc, FATAL ERR0R. You see, the Champions' semi-sentient supercomputer Socrates is under siege by some sinister hackers, and it's up to players to act as a living firewall. In addition to the usual globetrotting, players are going to have to go all TRON and head into the treacherous territory of virtual reality to fend off the viruses that plague SOCRATES. The cyberspace excursion will take place in a group instance ideal for two to three players, and players of any level can get in on the action thanks to enemy level scaling. Players who successfully stand in defense of SOCRATES will be rewarded in meatspace with snazzy new virtual-reality-themed costume pieces. Part one of the FATAL ERR0R arc goes live tomorrow morning, but in the meantime, check out the gallery below for a sneak peek at the copious amounts of '80s neon that awaits. Champions Online's FATAL ERR0R takes the fight to cyberspace originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Jul 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Will GTA 5 have an MMO side? Posted: 09 Jul 2013 09:15 AM PDT |
| Flameseeker Chronicles: GW2 patch primer for Bazaar of the Four Winds Posted: 09 Jul 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles, Buy-to-Play In continuing with its two-week content release cadence, ArenaNet is set to launch the Bazaar of the Four Winds patch today in Guild Wars 2. Yesterday, we teased the new features, but today I wanted to talk more in-depth about my experiences during the preview event this past weekend. The Bazaar of the Four Winds features a ridiculously beautiful zone called the Labyrinthine Cliffs where players can trade wares with some unusual and shady vendors. The Zephyrites have docked their floating airship, the Zephyr Sanctum, and seek terrestrial supplies from the land-dwelling inhabitants. Sun, moon, and lightning adepts are scattered around the new area and are eager to teach players special movement powers, which are locked inside sky crystals. These movement skills will allow players to reach special areas in a vertical scavenger hunt and compete with each other in a race called the Sanctum Sprint. There's also a new permanent minigame called Belcher's Bluff where players can challenge each other or NPC masters to see who can stomach more omnomberry juice before succumbing to the venomous concoction. You'll need to bluff your opponent at the right time and catch their feints by belching in their face! I think my Norn is going to be awesome at this game. The new PvP map, Skyhammer, is Asura-themed and features the jump pads that were first introduced during the Super Adventure Box patch. Players will vie for control over three points and a gigantic laser canon that can melt opponents like a tub of butter left out on the counter on a hot day. On second thought, probably faster than that! The Bazaar of the Four Winds could prove to be one of the more popular game updates for Guild Wars 2 to date and I haven't even mentioned the new achievement point rewards yet. Jump past the cut to hear what lies waiting in the Bazaar of the Four Winds game update. Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: GW2 patch primer for Bazaar of the Four Winds Flameseeker Chronicles: GW2 patch primer for Bazaar of the Four Winds originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Jul 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Massively Speaking Episode 254: More than meets the eye Posted: 09 Jul 2013 08:00 AM PDT |
| WildStar team hosting panel and gathering at SDCC Posted: 09 Jul 2013 07:30 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Culture, Events (Real-World), Previews, News Items, WildStar Heading out to California for San Diego Comic Con? As long as you're out there, would you like a nice dose of WildStar entertainment? The team at Carbine Studios is hosting a panel on Friday discussing how story and narrative are developed in the game, featuring lead narrative designer Chad Moore, content director Mike Donatelli, creative director Matt Mocarski, and design producer Stephen Frost. Anyone attending the convention will want to be at the panel if you've got even the vaguest interest in the game. But what if you're in San Diego and aren't attending the con? You can still get some special face time with WildStar at the fan gathering on Friday in the Hotel Palomar. More to the point, this gathering promises to allow players a look at two new races -- in all likelihood the last two playable races that have been teased for some time. So Friday should be a good time for fans of the game in San Diego, and anyone else watching from afar. [Source: Carbine Studios press release] WildStar team hosting panel and gathering at SDCC originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Jul 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| World of Tanks update introduces post-war prototypes Posted: 09 Jul 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Historical, Patches, Free-to-Play, World of Tanks, MOBA Will World of Tanks ever run out of new hardware and locations to add? It doesn't seem likely at the pace that Wargaming.net keeps introducing them to the game. The Russian studio is preparing yet another update that will contain a new map, new vehicles, and even a few post-war prototypes. Update 8.7 is bringing out the artillery -- the British artillery, to be exact. Several new self-propelled guns will be shipped from England with love, including the Sexton, Bishop, and Crusader. The team also put in a few SPGs that never made it to actual production following the war, such as the top-tier Conqueror gun carriage. Players will have a new map to explore and ravage: Russia's Belogorsk-19. Just rolls off the tongue, does it not? [Source: Wargaming.net] World of Tanks update introduces post-war prototypes originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Jul 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| FFXIV final beta phase 3 test begins tomorrow Posted: 09 Jul 2013 06:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Final Fantasy XIV One million beta testers strong, the Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is poised to possibly deliver a comeback story unlike anything we've seen in the MMO genre to date. The rebranded makeover of the flopped 2010 fantasy title is currently preparing for the conclusion of beta phase 3, which has been announced as starting tomorrow. Square-Enix tweeted that the final test for phase 3 of the beta will begin on July 10th and conclude on the 15th. This test will take place for both North America and Europe. Following phase 3, FFXIV will move into phase 4, also known as "open beta." Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn's launch is scheduled for August 27th. We covered the heck out of this title at E3, including its PlayStation 4 plans, a hands-on with its demo, a look at its PlayStation 3 user interface, a video overview of the FATEs system, and our thoughts on its convention appearance. [Thanks to Space Cobraaa! for the tip] FFXIV final beta phase 3 test begins tomorrow originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Jul 2013 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: How many times can a game launch? Posted: 09 Jul 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Culture, Launches, MMO Industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous We've given Neverwinter a lot of guff for its soft launch followed by an actual launch, but the fact is it's not the only culprit. MechWarrior Online has theoretically been in open beta for some time, but now it has a launch date. Firefall's closed beta at times felt like it was just an open beta in waiting. Some free-to-play games don't even bother officially launching; they just slowly stop calling the game a title in beta while the cash shop quietly opens. And then you have relaunches like Final Fantasy XIV... You'd think that the criteria for a launch would be pretty straightforward, but increasingly we've seen titles that can rack up multiple launch dates with the same amount of fanfare, and that's without considering staggered early access. So today we ask you, dear readers: How many times can a game launch? Do soft launches and full launches count? Relaunches? Business model launches? Major patch launches? What should and shouldn't count?  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!The Daily Grind: How many times can a game launch? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Jul 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Gloria Victis releases its first pre-alpha trailer Posted: 08 Jul 2013 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Game Mechanics, Previews, News Items Gloria Victis has been slowly unveiling new bits of information to fans, mostly focusing on screenshots. But screenshots don't show the world in motion, which is kind of a big deal -- a game can look wonderful in stills but move stiffly, or it can look nice in motion and be boring in static pictures. So fans should be quite happy to see the first trailer from the game showing off four minutes of gameplay, UI, and animations. If you haven't been interested in Gloria Victis before now, you still might want to take a look at the trailer, since it's narrated with an explanation of the game's design principles and overall goals. It's definitely meant to be more on the low fantasy end of the scale, focusing on freeform attacks and player skill over gear progression and the like. If that sounds like your thing, take a look past the break and check out the full trailer. [Thanks to Liting for the tip!] Continue reading Gloria Victis releases its first pre-alpha trailer Gloria Victis releases its first pre-alpha trailer originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Jul 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Not So Massively: Star Citizen hits $14 million, Valve partners with Twitch, and Path of Exile goes back in time Posted: 08 Jul 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Screenshots, Trailers, Video, EVE Online, Business Models, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, New Titles, Patches, PvP, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Consoles, Dev Diaries, Not So Massively, Sandbox, MOBA, Crowdfunding Star Citizen smashed its $14 million US funding target this week, unlocking a new frigate ship type and a hibernation save feature for deep-space explorers. Developers also revealed details of the game's complex economy simulation and how it spawns missions for players and NPCs to tackle. The latest Elite: Dangerous newsletter delved into the details of how the game will generate a full galaxy of 400 billion stars and showed a gorgeous prototype UI mockup for the solar system view. Valve announced a new partnership with Twitch that will allow Dota 2 players to win prizes for watching tournament livestreams rather than be forced to use the spectator client. Heroes of Newerth revealed details of its $360,000 US HonTour league, which opens for signups on Friday and may provide prizes for even mid-tier players. Path of Exile took a trip back in time this week, showing screenshots and a video of what the game looked like five years ago and how far it's come. New information confirmed that the console version of Diablo III was in development before the PC version launched and that gear on consoles will be tailored to the characters in the game. And Firefall announced plans to celebrate the start of open beta with a two-day livestream event set to begin tomorrow. Continue reading Not So Massively: Star Citizen hits $14 million, Valve partners with Twitch, and Path of Exile goes back in time Not So Massively: Star Citizen hits $14 million, Valve partners with Twitch, and Path of Exile goes back in time originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Jul 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Chaos Theory: The Secret World's Transylvania transition Posted: 08 Jul 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Horror, Sci-Fi, Opinion, The Secret World, Chaos Theory, Buy-to-Play A couple of weeks ago, I finished my first "playthrough" of The Secret World, having wrapped up the last quest and main storyline in Transylvania. Oh, sure, Funcom's going to push the finish line further away in the coming issues, but until that happens, this is the end of the road for the solo experience. I was so darn eager to get into Transylvania after Egypt. For me, Egypt is the weakest part of the solo game, with dull desert zones, statues you're supposed to empathize with, and a truncated main story that didn't really pay off in the end. It wasn't all bad, of course; Last Train to Cairo is six kinds of awesome, and Said and Nassir are two of the most memorable characters this game has produced. But Transylvania seemed like this juicy fruit that hovered just out of reach the entire time I was in Egypt -- and I couldn't wait to be there. I wasn't let down when I finally arrived, either. Transylvania's "old Europe" charm felt like a refreshingly distinct experience than what I'd encountered before, and I thoroughly enjoyed my journey through its three zones. Before my new Dragon alt dims my memories of my time among the bats and wolves of Romania, I wanted to jot down what I felt made this a special place to visit. Continue reading Chaos Theory: The Secret World's Transylvania transition Chaos Theory: The Secret World's Transylvania transition originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Jul 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Captain's Log: Interview with Star Trek Online's Al Rivera, part one Posted: 08 Jul 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Events (In-Game), Expansions, Interviews, Endgame, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Captain's Log, Neverwinter Late last month, I had the opportunity to drop into the offices of Cryptic Studios to talk with the Star Trek Online team members. While they were still recovering from the intense work required to bring the Legacy of Romulus expansion to bear, they were all still very busy working on new material being produced for the game. New ships, UI changes, fleet holdings, and events were all being worked on. I even got the opportunity to play a bit of the summer event before it went live in the game. However, I was really there to talk to the developers themselves, and I interviewed several different people. This week I begin my series of interviews with the team of Star Trek Online with a synopsis of my discussion with Lead Designer Al "CaptainGeko" Rivera. Continue reading Captain's Log: Interview with Star Trek Online's Al Rivera, part one Captain's Log: Interview with Star Trek Online's Al Rivera, part one originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Jul 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Star Wars teases Update 2.3 with Czerka Corporation lore Posted: 08 Jul 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Lore, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic Just in time for Star Wars: The Old Republic's upcoming Titans of Industry patch, BioWare has updated the game's website with... another website! Well, sort of. As of today, players can browse the "official website" of Czerka Corporation, self-proclaimed galactic leaders of industry. The website is a bit sparse at the moment, but players who want to steep themselves in the lore of the upcoming game update have a couple of things to munch on. Right now, there's a letter from the Special Executive of Czerka Corp., Rasmus Blys, who is definitely not evil or crazy, and a virtual tour of the lovely Czerka facilities to which players will almost certainly be causing substantial damage in the upcoming flashpoints. For all the tasty Czerka Corp. propaganda -- err, lore -- click on through to the SWTOR official site. Star Wars teases Update 2.3 with Czerka Corporation lore originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Jul 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Garriott and crew show off early Shroud of the Avatar gameplay Posted: 08 Jul 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Events (Real-World), Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Crowdfunding, Buy-to-Play Richard Garriott and two of his Shroud of the Avatar lieutenants took the stage at RTX 2013 in Austin, Texas, last weekend to preview Portalarium's upcoming crowdfunded fantasy opus. Joining Garriott were former Ultima Online producer Starr Long and SotA technical director Chris Spears. Garriott's presentation started with a historical look at roleplaying games and the game industry as well as insight into his plans to leverage crowdfunding and community involvement to reinvent the genre. Aside from the early gameplay footage, Garriott also had plenty of interesting anecdotes to share about the gamemaking process, including the differences between traditional development -- where you can "smoke and mirror" the unfinished bits until you're ready to launch -- and crowdfunded work, which is done largely in full view of potential customers. The full presentation video can be found after the break. The gameplay demo starts around the 22-minute mark. Continue reading Garriott and crew show off early Shroud of the Avatar gameplay Garriott and crew show off early Shroud of the Avatar gameplay originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Jul 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Play your way to an appearance in Defiance's second season Posted: 08 Jul 2013 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Contests, Events (In-Game), Lore, MMO Industry, News Items, Defiance, Buy-to-Play Is your Defiance character so cool that he's practically canon? Take note of the new contest starting today, then, because it's a unique opportunity for your avatar to actually become part of Defiance's lore via an appearance on the Syfy television show's second season. First you'll need to register on the game's website. Then you'll need to finish in the top 10 of the ultimate Ark Hunter contest that starts today and runs through July 30th. The 10 semifinalists will have their backstories fleshed out by Defiance writers, and five finalists will then be chosen by fans via Facebook. The Defiance team will then select the winner from the final five. Neither Trion nor Syfy has specified the context in which the winning character will appear, but it's safe to say that this is one reward that you won't be sharing with millions of your fellow players. You can read the official rules on the contest page, and the requisite major arkfall events are happening now! [Source: Trion press release] Play your way to an appearance in Defiance's second season originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Jul 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Star Citizen crowdfunding tops $14 million Posted: 08 Jul 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play Another day, another million crowdfunding dollars under Star Citizen's belt. The all-time fundraising champ added to its total over the weekend and broke the $14 million barrier. If you're keeping score, there's approximately $7 million to go until the game becomes fully funded by its community. Among the $14 million unlocks are a hibernation/save game mode for explorers and a fourth landing spot on Earth, though Cloud Imperium remains coy on the particular city. As per usual with these milestone announcements, the firm also previewed the possible unlockables for the next two crowdfunding tiers. If the total reaches $15 million, an additional flyable ship class -- the escort carrier -- will be developed. If $16 million is reached, players will get an arena mode testing feature that hearkens back to Wing Commander's TrainSim, as well as an avatar-based laser pistol to help ward off those pesky pirate boarders. Star Citizen crowdfunding tops $14 million originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Jul 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Dungeons & Dragons Online shows off A Lesson in Deception Posted: 08 Jul 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, Dungeons If you can't trust the mastermind behind a gathering of criminals, whom can you trust? Dungeons & Dragons Online seems to imply you can't trust the mysterious benefactor uniting the criminals of Wheloon in the upcoming Shadowfell Conspiracy expansion. Calling the dungeon A Lesson in Deception doesn't imply that you'll reach the end and find out that everything is perfectly awesome... even if you'll be doing most of the deceiving early on by posing as a new recruit and infiltrating this den of thieves. If you're reading this and immediately want to get down and dirty with the infiltration of said thief-den, you're still going to have to wait. But you can examine several new screenshots showing off the dungeon, which looks to be ranging across quite a bit of territory in the city. So get ready to play cutpurse on August 19th and enjoy the preview until then. [Source: Turbine Entertainment press release] Dungeons & Dragons Online shows off A Lesson in Deception originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Jul 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Ship destroyed in EVE Online worth approximately $8,000 Posted: 08 Jul 2013 11:30 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, EVE Online, Culture, News Items, Subscription It's really hard to get your hands on a Revenant Supercarrier in EVE Online. Darn near impossible, in fact. The ship is worth around 300 billion ISK, coming out to about $8,000 in real currency. The ship is so potent that up until last night, there were thought to be no more than three in the entire game. As of last night, there were two. One of the Revenants was destroyed in a battle between Habitual Euthanasia and Black Legion. Habitual Euthanasia apparently responded to a call for help, fielding the carrier against Black Legion, leading to its destruction. Speculation about whether this was a trap to destroy something valuable or simply a lucky break for the opposing side is being flung around with no conclusive answers. The video recording the destruction is embedded after the cut, although it's zoomed out enough that you cannot enjoy a slow-motion replay of one of the rarest ships in EVE Online going up in flames like a cheap firecracker. Continue reading Ship destroyed in EVE Online worth approximately $8,000 Ship destroyed in EVE Online worth approximately $8,000 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Jul 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Nexus Telegraph: Getting the message across in WildStar (before it kills you) Posted: 08 Jul 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, Opinion, WildStar, The Nexus Telegraph There are no two ways about it: A a lot of WildStar's combat involves getting out of the way of something. Combat telegraphs have been reinforced as a major element of gameplay, and we've seen countless videos explaining how the telegraph system works in varying degrees of depth. And much like pretty much every other element of the game, this is a major issue for some people. I can understand why this provokes a knee-jerk reaction. I mean, now you can see exactly what's going to happen next and where you need to not stand, right? How is that still a challenge? The answer is that there's still a lot of challenge involved, and allowing people to know what's going on around them ahead of time not only preserves the challenge but actually heightens it. And to talk about that, we're going to need to step back and talk about lots of other games and the different sorts of challenge you can face in games. Continue reading The Nexus Telegraph: Getting the message across in WildStar (before it kills you) The Nexus Telegraph: Getting the message across in WildStar (before it kills you) originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Jul 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Record TV and get your game on, too!
Big things come in small packages
A 41MP sensor? Yes, please!
Windows 8.1 inches closer to release
Nintendo, we have a problem
