MMO Updates |
- Ask Massively: The best and worst of E3
- Aion 4.0 slated for August launch in Europe
- Vindictus shows off new character Hurk the Berzerker
- The Perfect Ten: Why game holidays rock
- Darkfall introduces new Broadherne dungeon with recent patch
- Guild Wars 2 novel Sea of Sorrows releases on June 25
- Guild Wars 2 brings out big changes with the Sky Pirates of Tyria
- The Daily Grind: What's motivating your return to RIFT?
- Free for All: How free-to-play affected how I feel about RIFT
- The Art of Wushu: The truth about mind games and timing
- Final Fantasy XIV launches beta version of the Lodestone
- Blade & Soul Korea getting major update next week
- The War Z now known as Infestation: Survivor Stories
- Vindictus spreads the joy of Season 2 Episode 2
- DDO: Shadowfell Conspiracy shows the beauty of Stormhorn mountains
- The Secret World is 50% off today on Steam
- Call your buddies: Defiance launches recruit-a-friend
- Rhode Island set to pay 38 Studios bonds. Probably.
- Leaderboard: Is an MMO's title important to you?
- RIFT grants compensation for Icewatch and Akala shard transfers
- Choose My Adventure: Earning my Firefall rocket boots
| Ask Massively: The best and worst of E3 Posted: 20 Jun 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, Ask Massively, Events (Massively's Coverage), Miscellaneous  The ground rules for our discussion?
Continue reading Ask Massively: The best and worst of E3
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| Aion 4.0 slated for August launch in Europe Posted: 20 Jun 2013 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Expansions, PvP, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play  Eager to storm the lands of Katalam or try your hand at the new Engineer or Artist classes (called Gunner and Songweaver in NA, respectively)? if so, your time will soon be at hand. [Source: Gameforge press release]
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| Vindictus shows off new character Hurk the Berzerker Posted: 20 Jun 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Classes, Patches, Previews, Free-to-Play, Vindictus  The short video shows Hurk wielding a giant greatsword against an equally giant boss, and is labeled as the first teaser of hopefully several more. You can check out the full video after the jump. Continue reading Vindictus shows off new character Hurk the Berzerker
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| The Perfect Ten: Why game holidays rock Posted: 20 Jun 2013 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Events (In-Game), Humor, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous  What my poetic license is trying to say is that some folks are displeased and they make themselves well-heard because of it. I like to think that after posting angry comments, they then go around the rest of the day slamming doors, flipping chairs, and sulking noisily so that someone will ask them why they're in such a foul mood. The answer, if truthful, would be endlessly entertaining. Then again, I used to throw snit fits when I got sent to jail in Monopoly. If you haven't figured it out yet, I love in-game holidays. Love. Them. Beyond the novelty of what they do, there are plenty of reasons that even the most jaded holiday-hater should simmer down around this topic. I think I'll list 10 of them. Continue reading The Perfect Ten: Why game holidays rock
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| Darkfall introduces new Broadherne dungeon with recent patch Posted: 20 Jun 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Patches  In addition to the regular bug fixes, this patch also brings with it the new Broadherne dungeon, new monsters, cooking mastery, party harvesting, and much more. A new utility ship -- called the Fishing Trawler -- has also been added. This boat opens up new cooking mastery fish and new harvesting loot tables that give more substantial rewards when fishing in dangerous areas. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
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| Guild Wars 2 novel Sea of Sorrows releases on June 25 Posted: 20 Jun 2013 07:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Events (Real-World), Events (In-Game), Lore, Previews, Guild Wars 2, MMORPG, Buy-to-Play  Tyrian lore fanatics have reasons to be excited as the third Guild Wars 2 novel is set to release on June 25th. Sea of Sorrows is written by none other than ArenaNet's Narrative Designer, Ree Soesbee, and takes place roughly 150 years before the events in the game. This time period lines up with the rising of Orr from the murky depths along with the elder dragon, Zhaitan, and his hordes of undead risen. Readers will get to experience how this cataclysmic event shaped the lives of many Tyrians and led to the destruction and rebuilding of Lion's Arch. The novel follows the life of a young sailor named Cobiah Marriner, who heads for the sea when his life in Lion's Arch takes a tragic turn. Cobiah's grandson is the current commodore of Lion's Arch, but other Easter eggs have been recently added to the game as well. A new statue of Cobiah has been added to Lion's Arch with an engraved book on it. Marriner's plaques have been scattered around the city for an unannounced upcoming activity, and ArenaNet has told us to expect more references and living story updates that will directly tie into the events in the book. Are you going to be picking up Sea of Sorrows next Tuesday? Let us know if you've got the sea legs for it in the comments below!
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| Guild Wars 2 brings out big changes with the Sky Pirates of Tyria Posted: 20 Jun 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Patches, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Buy-to-Play  This update sees the addition of a new dungeon, the Aetherblade Retreat, which pits players against pirates of a decidedly aerial nature. It also features a wide-scale revamp of traits and skills for every profession to promote a wider range of playable builds, a variety of new rewards including miniatures and monocles, and an all-new event tying into the upcoming novel Sea of Sorrows. Custom Arenas and Spectator Mode for PvP are also leaving beta, giving players more ways to enjoy a spirited battle with friends and enemies. Our own Richie Procopio will be taking part in a press preview this weekend, so tune in before launch for a closer look at the details. [Source: ArenaNet press release]
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| The Daily Grind: What's motivating your return to RIFT? Posted: 20 Jun 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, MMO Industry, Opinion, Free-to-Play, The Daily Grind, RIFT  As an outsider, I can't really wrap my brain around the phenomenon. If the game was good before, my inner cynic says, surely it was worth paying for, no? I can understand the excitement if you've never played RIFT (and if financials were the reason why), but I've seen a few commenters and even a blogger or two who seem to be coming back because they're afraid of missing a deal rather than because they really dig the game. I could be wrong, though, so that's why I'm throwing today's Daily Grind out there. Assuming you're returning to RIFT, are you doing so because you love the game or is it because you don't want to miss out on a perceived good deal? In short, what's motivating your return to RIFT?  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!
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| Free for All: How free-to-play affected how I feel about RIFT Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Business Models, Culture, Game Mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Casual, RIFT, Free for All  Did the recent switch to free-to-play change how I felt about the game? Why would a payment model affect how I felt while playing the game? After all, I champion the idea that a payment model does not define a game, but I still have to recognize how a payment model affects people. Including me. Continue reading Free for All: How free-to-play affected how I feel about RIFT
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| The Art of Wushu: The truth about mind games and timing Posted: 19 Jun 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Historical, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Guides, Age of Wushu, The Art of Wushu, MMORPG  At the same time, I had been fighting Zyden, one of the most skilled duelists in English-speaking Age of Wushu. He actually does have near-superhuman reflexes. Earlier that day, though, I had hit him with a very slow-animating feint that he normally interrupts with a stun. Normally, his reactions are superhuman, but there are some times when they aren't. It's not a matter of "off day," either. He just wasn't prepared for me to do what I did right at that moment. I told my friend, "Outside of a moment, you can only react." Immediately afterwards, I realized just how important those words were. Continue reading The Art of Wushu: The truth about mind games and timing
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| Final Fantasy XIV launches beta version of the Lodestone Posted: 19 Jun 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Culture, News Items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV  The new site features all of the functionality of the original incarnation, including character blogs and a surfeit of information about your character even when logged off. It also allows players to search for characters, linkshells, and free companies freely. And it features a mobile version for times that you want to check your character data while you're on the road. Anyone in the game's test (which includes all former players of the first incarnation) are invited to test out the improvements for themselves.
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| Blade & Soul Korea getting major update next week Posted: 19 Jun 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Blade & Soul  Whew! Yes, that's a lot of new, and Steparu has also posted a handful of gorgeous new Blade & Soul posters for your viewing enjoyment. Have a look via the link below.
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| The War Z now known as Infestation: Survivor Stories Posted: 19 Jun 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Horror, MMO Industry, News Items, Sandbox, Buy-to-Play  At any rate, the firm is looking for a fresh start and has changed the zombie MMO's name to Infestation: Survivor Stories. The War Z's original URL now automatically redirects users to a rebranded website. [Thanks Paul!]
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| Vindictus spreads the joy of Season 2 Episode 2 Posted: 19 Jun 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Free-to-Play, Vindictus  Nine new battles are now available in the Twilight Desert, and players might have to cut their way through the addition of Grim Reapers and Guardians to get to them. The update implements a time progression feature, which is important since it determines which of the patch's 14 dungeons are open or closed for business. There's also a new expertise to level up in called Gathering, although it's accessible only in the Season 2 zones. [Source: Nexon press release]
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| DDO: Shadowfell Conspiracy shows the beauty of Stormhorn mountains Posted: 19 Jun 2013 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Expansions, Free-to-Play 
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| The Secret World is 50% off today on Steam Posted: 19 Jun 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, News Items, The Secret World, Promotions, Buy-to-Play  For 24 hours, TSW is a cool $14.99 (or 14.99 euros) on Steam. Got that? Only 24 hours... and already counting down. So if you want to take advantage of this deal and get full access to everything up through Issue #4, there's no time for hemming or hawing about this deal; it goes the way of the dodo at 1:00 p.m. EDT tomorrow, June 20th. [Thanks to Balsbigbrother1 for the tip!]
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| Call your buddies: Defiance launches recruit-a-friend Posted: 19 Jun 2013 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, News Items, MMOFPS, Post-Apocalyptic, Defiance, Buy-to-Play  The studio has just announced a recruit-a-friend system for its video game/television experiment, Defiance. If you have a copy of the game on any platform and a valid Trion Worlds account, you can hop over to the Defiance Ark Hunter recruitment site and shoot your besties some email invitations. Also available: a recruitment link for social media. As is customary, bringing friends to Defiance comes with special rewards. Your first friend lands you a Tier I lock box, your first five get you a unique title, and your first ten give you two additional inventory slots. If one of those friends actually buys the game, you'll get a new outfit. Five purchases gets you a flame-emblazoned truck, and every purchase after that results in a Tier III lock box.
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| Rhode Island set to pay 38 Studios bonds. Probably. Posted: 19 Jun 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: MMO Industry, News Items, Legal, Miscellaneous  Some state lawmakers in Rhode Island flirted with the idea of "walking away" from the debt, which is apparently a privilege afforded to a government and not its citizens. However, the state's House Finance Committee has approved a budget that includes, at the very least, making an interest payment of $2.5 million on the debt in May 2014. If Rhode Island is running off the plan it talked about last month, this first payment will be followed by yearly payments of $12.5 million until the debt is repaid. The budget hasn't passed; it still needs to get through the state's House and Senate. Future interest payments will also have to be approved by the state legislature.
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| Leaderboard: Is an MMO's title important to you? Posted: 19 Jun 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, New Titles, Opinion, EverQuest Next, Sandbox, Leaderboard  Titles can be important, too, particularly in terms of first impressions and roping in those yummy casuals. So, how about it Massively readers? Is an MMO's title important to you? Vote after the cut!  Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!Continue reading Leaderboard: Is an MMO's title important to you?
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| RIFT grants compensation for Icewatch and Akala shard transfers Posted: 19 Jun 2013 10:30 AM PDT Filed under: MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, RIFT, Family  Within the next few weeks, all former players from these two communities will receive special gifts on all of their characters. These gifts are a title ("of Icewatch" or "of Akala"), a shard-specific Icewatch or Akala regalia wardrobe set, and +1000 bonus loyalty.
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| Choose My Adventure: Earning my Firefall rocket boots Posted: 19 Jun 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Polls, Video, PvP, PvE, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, Choose My Adventure, Post-Apocalyptic, Firefall, MMORPG  Voters also chose from among Firefall's five battleframes, with the jack-of-all-trades Assault frame beating out the smash-it-in-the-face Dreadnaught frame by just 26 votes. So, to recap: We have created a character who's an ex-con with no reason to live, handed him an assault rifle, and dropped him into a violent world where pretty much anything goes. This is getting good. Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Earning my Firefall rocket boots
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