MMORPG News

MMORPG News

Runes of Magic: Latest Patch Brings New Content & Features

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 07:41 AM PDT

The latest Runes of Magic patch notes (v4.0.2) have been posted on the official site. The patch brings new content, several in-game events and features to the game.

General: Sony Appoints Ex-Homeland Security Exec

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 07:24 AM PDT

Sony Online Entertainment has announced that Philip Reitinger has been hired as its "chief information security officer". Reitinger formerly worked in a subsidiary branch of Homeland Security called the U.S. National Cyber Security Center.

ACE Online: Summer's End Hails New Update

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 07:16 AM PDT

The end of summer brings good things to Ace Online players in the form of a new update including an 'ice cream jet' that is summoned randomly after killing monsters.

DC Universe Online: Fight for the Light DLC Out Today

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 07:07 AM PDT

Sony Online Entertainment has announced that the downloadable content for DC Universe Online will be available starting today, Tuesday, September 6th.

TERA: Pry It from My Cold Dead Hands

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 01:24 PM PDT

Welcome to the next installment of our continuing series, TERA Tuesdays. MMORPG.com has partnered with TERA devs and En Masse to bring you the best TERA screens on the Net. This week we feature some of those gigantic monsters that look as if they're saying, "You want this? You can pry it from my cold dead hands....ARGHHHHH...." *expires* Check them out in our TERA Tuesdays: Pry It From My Cold Dead Hands screenshot feature.

TERA: PAX - Server PVP and A Big Bad Boss

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 01:38 PM PDT

During PAX, En Masse Entertainment invited small groups of journalists to visit the Seattle-based studios to get a hands on look at TERA. One of the biggest revelations of the event was the first-look at server PvP. MMORPG.com Managing Editor Bill Murphy has a first-hand report on what he saw and offers a few thoughts as well. Read on!

General: The Return of Three Faction PvP

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 01:31 PM PDT

One of the inescapable facts of life is that "there ain't nothin' new under the sun". In today's column, MMORPG.com Industry Relations Manager Garrett Fuller takes a look at the return of a "new" old feature, three-faction PvP. Check out Garrett's thoughts and then weigh in with a few of your own in the comments.

General: Five MMOs Worth a Second Look

Posted: 04 Sep 2011 09:32 AM PDT

In The List this week, MMORPG.com Managing Editor takes a look at five games that really deserve more attention from MMO fans. The list is both nostalgic and perhaps just a bit controversial. See if you agree with Bill's choices of MMOs that deserve our attention, then leave us a couple thoughts in the comments.

EVE Online: A Blood Red Storm

Posted: 04 Sep 2011 06:33 PM PDT

In the latest edition of One Jump Home, MMORPG.com columnist and EVE Online Council of Stellar Management member, Ross McDermott, has once again penned an excellent article about the latest happenings in the EVE Online world. It's a great read and takes on recent events involving Russian alliances and more. Keep reading!

General: Luvinia Open Beta Gift Keys!

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 04:21 PM PDT

MMORPG.com has been given a set of special gift keys for Outspark's newest MMORPG - Luvinia! These special keys will give you the very cool "Rocky The Tiger" in game mount for 14 days! The open beta phase for Luvinia begins September 7, 2011 so get your key now while you can!
Posted by Shri Krishna

MMO updates

MMO updates

Legend of Wukong - Game trailer released

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 05:13 AM PDT


First teased just a few days back (link), Wukong, or Legend of Wukong, is a new online game developed by China MMO company Baiyou. As the title states, it is loosely based on Journey to the West. The game is still a point-and-click one, but attacks will affect and hit all other nearby mobs, similar to NCsoft's Blade & Soul. If the screenshots posted before do not convince you of some striking resemblances to some of the hottest Korean games, here is the trailer to convince you further.


Legend of Wukong is actually some legal issues back in China, as the game's Chinese name is similar to that of a novel's. Ironically, Tencent Games' upcoming MMO, Asura (link), is based off that novel. Expect a name change for the game soon!

Continent of the Ninth (C9) goes to Thailand

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 04:24 AM PDT


So, after Webzen's C9 launched in Japan as the first overseas server, this was followed in succession by the China server under Tencent Games, currently in Closed Beta 2. Today, the latest overseas server to join the crowd was announced to be Thailand. Continent of the Ninth (C9) will be localized and published by Ini3 Digital (link), with the aim of getting the game online in 2012.


I am still not sure what is going to happen with the global server (link) though, as it seems several publishers from other regions are in talks with Webzen over the game as well.

Age of Wulin (CN) - Closed and Open Beta phases detailed

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 10:34 AM PDT


So, after being delayed several times, Snail Game has finally announced a very detailed article about Age of Wulin China's beta schedules. Players waiting for the English server under gPotato Europe (link) may not be too happy about it, unless the game is being localized while tested. Why do I say so? Well, the Open Beta phase for the China server doesn't begin until April next year! So, here is the schedule below.


Both Closed Beta phase will require the fabled Closed Beta key to participate, with phase 2 allowing players from all over China to enter the game. With beta keys now selling for around USD 80.00 in the China forums, the regional unlock sequence for Closed Beta 1 is a worry which put me off from buying a key for the moment as Snail Game might be detecting IP of sorts. Well, the 80 bucks did put me off as well, so if anyone is willing to donate the sum, please let me know :D


Further down, if you have remembered, the Closed Beta packages (link) included both Cash Points card and a Monthly Payment card. Nothing much was disclosed, except that the Monthly Card is used for the "offline" features and some training system. Not detailed yet at this moment, but I am guessing the "offline" features will have something to do with automatically gaining skill points or experience, since there is no character level in the game. Snail Game's CEO also mention they have removed several items from the Cash Shop after receiving some suggestions at the recent summer camp event (link).


Now, the Cash Shop will hold mostly costumes, mounts and potions. Some items will give extra stats, for example mounts having higher movement speed. There are also no jewels in the Cash Shop, which is usually used to craft equipments in China's online games. The combat system in Age of WUlin is kind of complicated, so I will not go too much into it. There will be a internal chi system for all characters, which are actually the 8 chakra gates you see used by Naruto's Rock Lee and his master. As you progress in the game and learn more stuff, more gates will open up, which are the requirements for learning certain skills.


The current Closed Beta build for Age of Wulin has 3 instances, called "Forbidden Wulin Grounds", which is a tiny fraction of the over 70 planned. Before I forget, there are no skills which will add to health, aka no healing skills. From the long Closed Beta phases, you can see how much Snail Game is aiming to perfect Age of Wulin, but also at the cost of players' patience. How long will it take before the English server sees light? Well, let's wait and see. You can read more about the game here (link).
Posted by Shri Krishna

General gaming

General gaming

Videogame Journalism Pioneer Bill "The Game Doctor" Kunkel Passes Away

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 03:55 PM PDT

Bill Kunkel

Bill Kunkel, also know as "the Game Doctor" and "the Grandfather of Videogame Journalism," passed away on Sunday, September 4. He was a pioneer in the field of videogame journalism, having been a co-founder of Electronic Games magazine in 1981 along with Arnold Katz.

Kunkel served as the Executive Editor for Electronic Games until it was shut down in 1985. (It would reemerge, for a time, in the early 1990s with him on board.) It was the first magazine of its kind to be found in the United States, and Kunkel made a name for himself with his "Game Doctor" columns that would later make it into a number of other publications, including Electronic Gaming Monthly and Computer Gaming World.

Even if you aren't old enough to have read his original work, you've surely felt his influence. He and the others Electronic Games invented terms like "Easter egg" and "screenshot," and he was a proponent of the term "videogame." (Although he acknowledges that "video game" is the more search engine-friendly of the two.)

Slavery: The Game Seems Awfully Fake

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 01:48 PM PDT


A website and trailer recently appeared for a supposed real-time strategy game called Slavery: The Game. All signs point to it not being real, but one way or the other, the makers of Total War have nothing to do with it.

The trailer, seen above, talks about the "game" being set in the 17th century, when Europe still ruled the world. Players are able to buy slaves and then "discipline" and "exploit" them in an effort to "become the most powerful slave trader." An inventory screen shows that players can level up and equip different weapons such as a whip, rifle, and spiked club.

Now, it goes without saying how offensive something like this would be if real, but even as a joke (or a publicity stunt), it's going to cause a great deal of outrage.

Spectator Gaming: They Play, So You Don't Have To

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 11:41 AM PDT

Feature

Header

Spectator Gaming: They Play, So You Don't Have To

By: Bob Mackey September 5, 2011

Explain the concept of "Let's Play" to the uninformed, and you're bound to receive a few befuddled looks in return. After all, important news sources and politicians have made a habit of blaming video games for rampant idleness and wasted lives -- so proclaiming the joys of watching over playing can peg you as sort of a weirdo, at least until the judgmental check out this Internet phenomenon for themselves.

If the concept of Let's Play escapes you -- or, if you've simply never encountered it during your Internet adventures -- it's really not all that complicated; folks play through a game, continually document their progress via photos or video, and add their own commentary to complete the package. This content is typically posted in message board threads, which draw in an enthusiastic audience that's eager to discuss the game, contribute suggestions, and even concoct their own creative works directly related to the title in question. The result: a highly interactive community that's created hundreds upon hundreds of hours of entertainment, all for the love of gaming.

Dragon Quest X May Not be Free to Play Online

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 09:37 AM PDT

Dragon Quest X

The new Dragon Quest for Wii and Wii U will have an MMO-like style. To go along with that, it may also have an MMO-like usage fee.

The newly-launched Dragon Quest X website has a spec sheet that lists both "price" and "usage fee." According to Andriasang, they are both currently "TBA" (as in "to be announced"), so at least as of yet, Square Enix isn't saying if DQX will have some sort of subscription fee that's required to play online.

Of course, even if one had been announced, it wouldn't necessarily apply for North American or European gamers. Our news story earlier today mentions how Monster Hunter Tri influenced Dragon Quest IX and seems to be doing the same with DQX. Tri costs money (in the form of Wii Points) to play online in Japan; those in the United States and Europe, on the other hand, are able to play free of charge.

Interview: The Past and Future of Halo

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 09:33 AM PDT

Halo stewards 343 Industries revealed a small amount of new information on Halo 4 last weekend at PAX Prime ancillary Halofest event. Perhaps more illuminating was this lengthy, casual conversation Mike Nelson and I had with franchise director Frank O'Connor a few weeks ago, which touches on both the history of the series and where 343i hopes to take Halo now that Bungie has moved along to other concerns. (Special thanks to Jose Otero for help with this article.)

MGS: Peace Walker HD Supports Four-Player Online Co-Op

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 08:37 AM PDT

four player Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker HD Collection

All of the visual improvements to Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker in the upcoming HD Collection won't result in the game's multiplayer being stripped out. In fact, you'll be able to play in games with up to four players online.

The news was confirmed by Hideo Kojima on Twitter earlier today (where he posted the picture above). He also mentioned that the game runs at 60 frames per second and displays various characters' dialogue on the loading screen, for those of you who judge the merit of a game on the content of its loading screens.

On PlayStation Portable, you could play much (but not all) of the game alongside three other players. Some of the extra missions were made much easier when played with other players; however, difficulty wasn't scaled to the number of people playing. This issue is touched upon further in 1UP's review.

Posted by Shri Krishna
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