MMORPG News

MMORPG News

Age of Conan: Unchained: Four Updates Outlined

Posted: 04 Oct 2011 08:12 AM PDT

The September Development Update letter has been posted on the Age of Conan: Unchained site that lays out the basics of the next four patches coming to the game.

Fallen Earth: Second Anniversary Events Detailed

Posted: 04 Oct 2011 07:53 AM PDT

The Fallen Earth blog has been updated with information about upcoming events to be held in celebration of the game's second anniversary. In addition, the team details the Economy Patch that will be deployed soon.

Dungeon Fighter Online: Altar of Infinity Released

Posted: 04 Oct 2011 07:41 AM PDT

Dungeon Fighter Online players have a lot to look forward to in the latest update to the game. The update features the mentorship system, the Altar of Infinity dungeon and new skills for players to try out.

Final Fantasy XIV: Ifrit, the Primal of Fire

Posted: 04 Oct 2011 07:33 AM PDT

The Final Fantasy XIV team has a new blog post on the Lodestone that describes the upcoming battle with Ifrit, the Primal of Fire. This new 'battle content' will arrive with the v1.19 patch is released.

Bright Shadow: New Mentor & Apprentice Systems Added

Posted: 04 Oct 2011 07:26 AM PDT

The Bright Shadow team has revealed a new expansion themed for Halloween that contains both the Mentor and Apprentice systems.

General: Golden Age Closed Beta Begins October 19th

Posted: 04 Oct 2011 07:20 AM PDT

Aeria Games' MMORTS, Golden Age, will officially enter its closed beta phase of development on October 19th. Closed beta testers will have several events in which to participate.

General: Five Reasons to Attend New York Comicon

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 01:49 PM PDT

In The List this week, MMORPG.com Industry Relations Manager Garrett Fuller outlines all of the best reasons that YOU should attend the New York Comicon, not the least of which is the chance to hobnob with MMORPG.com staffers. Check out why Garrett thinks you need to be there. Let us know what you think in the comments.

EVE Online: The Jester’s Lament

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 02:44 PM PDT

In today's One Jump Home column, MMORPG.com's Ross McDermott writes about the impending control of null-sec by two titans of EVE: Goonswarm Federation and Legion of xXDEATHXx. But there's more to the story than a simple non-invasion pact in the thought that null-sec is stagnant and that it's the events happening there that shape the rest of the EVE universe. Ross has several ideas to share with readers so head through the jump. Add your thoughts in the comments.

TERA: The Crucible

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 10:52 AM PDT

MMORPG.com and En Masse Entertainment have a second treat for TERA Tuesdays with another exciting story by R.K. MacPherson. Called "The Crucible", the story focuses on the coming-of-age rite of the Castanic race and, in particular, the young Castanic named Taelrithia. Read "The Crucible" and let us know what you think in the comments.

TERA: Miss You. Wish You Were Here!

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 11:15 AM PDT

In the latest installment of awesome screenshots from En Masse Entertainment and the TERA development team, we see innocent travelers hoping for some rest and relaxation in beautiful locales only to have those hopes dashed with the arrival of B.A.M.s (Big Ass Monsters). Check out our latest installment of TERA Tuesdays: Miss You. Wish You Were Here.

Black Prophecy: Celebrating Space Week

Posted: 04 Oct 2011 07:15 AM PDT

The Black Prophecy team has announced that players will benefit from the real world celebration of Space Week with bonuses in game. Space Week is an educational celebration to teach people how space affects their daily lives.

4Story: Awakening of the Demons Event

Posted: 04 Oct 2011 06:56 AM PDT

The 4Story team will be dressing up for Halloween a bit early this year with the Awakening of the Demons Event. During the event, GMs will be posing as Black Demons and wandering the countryside looking for victims.

DC Universe Online: Five Reasons to Look Forward to Update 5

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 03:03 PM PDT

The DC Universe Online Facebook page has been updated with a new screenshot and the news that Update 5 is coming soon. In addition, the team highlighted five reasons why players should look forward to Update 5.

General: Game of Thrones RPG in Development

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 12:53 PM PDT

Kotaku is reporting that Cyanide Studios, developers of the just-released Game of Thrones RTS title, has confirmed that a "Mass Effect like" RPG based on the best selling series of books by George R.R. Martin is currently being developed.

Forsaken World: Storms of War?

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 11:57 AM PDT

The Forsaken World team has sent along an intriguing screenshot and logo that seem to be teasing an expansion perhaps? We know little else about The Storms of War other than what you see here. Speculation, folks?

World of Warcraft: Raid Finder Coming in v4.3

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 10:41 AM PDT

World of Warcraft devs have penned a new blog post about the Raid Finder that will arrive with patch v4.3. Similar to the Dungeon Finder, the Raid Finder seems to have stirred something in the community with over 1,200 posts made so far in response to the post.

General: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Gameplay Impressions

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 10:02 AM PDT

Recently, MMORPG.com's Garrett Fuller had the opportunity to participate in a press day thanks to Big Huge Games and 38 Studios. While there, Garrett checked out Kingdoms of Amalur and even managed to get his grubby little hands on the game. Today, we offer up Garrett's impressions of Amalur. Check it out!

Wizard101: Halloween Arrives in the Spiral

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 09:25 AM PDT

The Wizard101 team has posted the news that Halloween is in full gear in Wizard City and the rest of the Spiral.

Star Trek Online: A Noob’s First Impressions

Posted: 02 Oct 2011 08:58 AM PDT

Managing Editor Bill Murphy is finally going where lots of men (and women!) have gone before. He's taking the plunge into Star Trek Online to see for himself what the game is all about. As Bill says, "you either love it for what it is, or hate it for what it isn't." Find out where Bill landed in his latest article for MMORPG.com. Let us know which side of the spectrum you land on in the comments.

Rift: The Best Loyalty Rewards

Posted: 02 Oct 2011 08:46 AM PDT

With last week's launch of the Rift v1.5 "Ashes of History" update, MMORPG.com Managing Editor Bill Murphy's one decked out dwarf cleric thanks to the new veteran's rewards. Bill is awfully impressed with the rewards program implemented with Ashes and some of the ingenious rewards players can earn. He's got a few thoughts to share and then wants to hear your ideas in the comments. Read on!

General: GDC Online - Virtual Items Summit with Min Kim

Posted: 02 Oct 2011 09:31 AM PDT

During GDC Online, MMORPG.com Industry Relations Manager Garrett Fuller had the opportunity to chat with Nexon's Min Kim about one of the hottest topics in the MMO community: Virtual goods. Find out what the pair discussed and about the realities of virtual goods in MMOs today. Have an opinion about the interview? Leave us your thoughts in the comments.

EverQuest II: A World of Adventure and Discovery

Posted: 02 Oct 2011 09:09 AM PDT

Norrath, as MMORPG.com's Robert Schroeder says, has been the MMO "home" of countless players for many years. Everquest II is an enduring classic game that continues to attract new players. In our ongoing effort to re-review games that consistently show progress and improvement, MMORPG.com takes a look at Everquest II. Read what Robert has to say and then leave us your thoughts in the comments.
Posted by Shri Krishna

General gaming

General gaming

Review: Rage is a Melting Pot of Post-Apocalyptica That Soon Solidifies

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 09:01 PM PDT

Rage didn't start out the way I thought it would. My idea of it was mostly based on its initial reveal some years ago: depicting a barren wasteland where people live, drive, and dress in whatever they can find. Just another Mad Max pastiche, right? So imagine my surprise when the game begins inside a cold, angled underground capsule (an "Ark") from a forgotten time in the far-flung future. I guess post-apocalyptic worlds have to start somewhere.

It's a harsh beginning, but Rage doesn't let up from there. After emerging on the surface of the largely-destroyed Earth, you're saved from certain death by a kind-hearted wasteland homesteader named Dan Hagar (voiced by John Goodman, who also played a "Dan" on Roseanne, which was more than enough to keep me from taking this character seriously). Hagar wastes no time in employing your "services" to wipe out a nearby influx of mutants, and perform a few odd jobs around his settlement and the neighbors'. You get the hang of shootin', drivin', and survivin', and eventually learn more about your past as an enhanced human candidate of the "Eden" project, initiated by the oppressive powers of the Authority, who try to keep this crazy world in check... for their own gains, of course.

How Namco Juggles Six+ Tekken Projects

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 08:13 PM PDT

Feature

Header

How Namco Juggles Six+ Tekken Projects

By: Jose Otero October 3, 2011

When GamePro asked Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon in 2008 if he'd continue to reinvent the brand (after MK vs. DC Universe), or take the iterative approach of the Tekken series, his answer points to an interesting truth: "Out of our competitors, my favorite fighting series is Tekken. When I pick up [a new Tekken game] and play as Hwoarang or Jin Kazama, I feel like my character gained a few new moves but overall retained the same strategy. Prettier graphics, but the same basic gameplay... I feel like I've played them all before."

"Coincidentally, their sales aren't nearly as big as they were back in the days of Tekken 3," Boon says, "I think that's something all fighting games, especially ones with multiple sequels, need to do: add something dramatically different."

The Lack of Itagaki's Trash Talk Saddens Tekken's Harada

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 05:08 PM PDT

Katsuhiro Harada

Tomonobu Itagaki spent the better part of two decades at Tecmo and Team Ninja, where his major projects included developing the Dead or Alive fighting game series and making sure you knew the competition (Tekken in particular) wasn't any good. He left the developer several years ago and is now working on action game Devil's Third at Valhalla Game Studios. In other words, he's no longer in the fighting game business and therefore no longer trash talks the competition -- and it's exactly that which Tekken boss Katsuhiro Harada misses.

Speaking with 1UP at the Tokyo Game Show last month (look for a 1UP cover story on Tekken soon), Harada brought up the subject of Itagaki and how he's sad that the notoriously frank developer is no longer around to spice things up.

Review: Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 Finds Itself as a Series in Flux

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 04:00 PM PDT

A friend, who knows my predilections for the Beautiful Game well, once IM'ed me a joke:

"how you you say 'almost' in spanish?"
"Casi?"
"no, 'futbol!' lol"

2D Boy Questions if XBLA is Past its Prime

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 02:16 PM PDT

Geometry Wars

Xbox Live Arcade unquestionably did wonders for digital distribution on consoles. It introduced a great number of people to the concept of purchasing and downloading a digital game that's played on TV. Be that as it may, its popularity may have already peaked for many of the best independent developers around, and that doesn't bode well for the platform's future.

This subject is explored in an in-depth piece written by Ron Carmel, a former developer at EA-owned Pogo and one of the two guys behind 2D Boy, the indie developer responsible for indie hit World of Goo. Using survey data he collected from a number of independent developers, he learned that PlayStation 3 has become the more popular platform to develop downloadable games for, and that's only going to continue to increase as XBLA's popularity declines.

These numbers obviously don't account for every developer out there. However, looking at average review scores from Metacritic and Gamasutra-provided sales data based on leaderboards, these developers who are increasingly opting for PSN over XBLA account for some of the best-selling and highest-rated games on XBLA. For instance, the average number of copies a game developed by the group surveyed was 137,010, compared with just 46,281 by everyone else. Likewise, the average review score for games made by the surveyed group was 78, compared with 66 by others. Three of the five top-rated games for XBLA were also developed by those who were surveyed, so clearly, some of the best talent around is accounted for in Carmel's survey group.

Expect a Larger Gap Between Future Assassin's Creed Releases

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 01:26 PM PDT

Assassin's Creed Revelations

With Revelations coming out on November 15, this year is the third in a row we've gotten a new, non-spinoff Assassin's Creed game, and next year would be the fourth in as many years. While it might seem like too much for such a short period, there is a reason for Ubisoft Montreal to get so many games out in such a short period -- the world is ending next December.

Or, at least, it is set to end in the world of Assassin's Creed. There's belief in the real world that an apocalypse-type event of some sort will take place on December 21, 2012, and this served as the inspiration for something similar to happen in Assassin's Creed. As such, the developers feel the need to complete the story before we pass that point in the real world.

"In Assassin's Creed we set up a timeline with this whole end of the world plot of December 2012," Ubisoft's Alexandre Amacio told Eurogamer. "That's fast approaching, and the story we have to tell, we obviously need to do it before we arrive at that point."

Review: Tetris Axis is the Tetris Game That Does it All, Boringly

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 12:30 PM PDT

Objectively speaking, I recognize thatTetris Axis is a pretty good game. At its base level, it's a great game; Tetris has been voted the best game of all time more than once, and for good reason. It's the most fun a person could possibly have with seven geometric shapes (barring some sort of heretofore unpublicized fetish), and testing your reflexes to see how many lines of blocks you can vanquish before they accumulate to the kill line remains as fun as it was 25 years ago. That's the concept at the heart of Axis, and that element remains enjoyable.

Personally speaking, though, Axis is unbearable: A hodgepodge of ideas with no aesthetic consistency. It includes practically every Tetris derivative mini-game to have been pushed out the door by various licensees over the past decade, both good and bad, making it a sort of omnibus. At the same time, the whole thing feels cheap and generic, and there's very little visual consistency from mode to mode. The clip-art-quality graphics vary wildly from gumballs and kittens to surreal space-scapes. One minute you're looking at a Precious Moments painting of Tetriminoes making geometric snow angels, like something straight off an airbrushed T-shirt in an unpopular corner of the carnival; the next you're going head-to-head against obscure Bomberman characters. It feels like the developers were trying to hedge their bets by making Axis a game with something for everyone, but ended up with something much too aimless and slapped-together to appeal to anyone.

Sega Wants You to Guess it's Working on a New Daytona USA

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 12:07 PM PDT


Sega appears to be on the verge of announcing a new Daytona USA game. It launched a contest today where people can guess what new game the publisher will soon reveal, only the provided hint is terribly obvious.

After getting over how cute the bunny is, fans of Daytona USA will immediately recognize the dragged-out "rolling start" clip in the video above. (See here for a comparison.) The full instructions for how to enter the contest can be found on the official Sega blog. Those who win will get a free copy of the soon-to-be-announced game on PlayStation 3.

This isn't the first we've heard of a new Daytona USA. As often happens, its existence was revealed by a listing on the Australian classification board's website (via Edge) last month. Although the free copies for contest winners will be available on PS3, that listing mentioned the game as being multiplatform, so presumably we'll also see the game come to Xbox 360.

Ni No Kuni to Adopt Wrath of the White Witch as a Western Subtitle

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 11:21 AM PDT

Ni No Kuni

Level-5's drop-dead gorgeous RPG Ni No Kuni was confirmed for a North America release last month. It's still without an official release date, but a trademark filing seems to have revealed what the game's subtitle will be in North America.

On September 26, a trademark on Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch was filed for in the U.S. Although Ni No Kuni, which is also known as also known as The Another World, was already released on DS last year, it never made it to the west and therefore was never given a western name. In Japan its subtitle translates to The Jet-Black Mage, whereas the PS3 version (coming out on November 17 in Japan) translates to The Queen of White Sacred Ash. That exact name likely wouldn't go over well in the west, although the new trademark is reminiscent (at least to me) of World of Warcraft expansion Wrath of the Lich King.

As explained in our hands-on preview from TGS, Ni No Kuni isn't the most complicated of RPGs. It is, however, incredibly good-looking, and that alone may be all it needs to grab people's attention, regardless of what its name ends up being.

Vita's European Box Art Revealed, All of Those App Icons Explained

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 10:36 AM PDT

PlayStation Vita

PlayStation Vita is still without a release date for most of the world beyond a loose "early 2012." Even though we're still months away from getting our hands on it, Sony has decided to tease us with a look at the European box art for the new handheld, as well as brief descriptions for what all of those icons on its home screen are for.

Many of the apps are self-explanatory based upon the picture like the camera, Trophies, and browser. The European PlayStation Blog has explained them all in any event. Starting with the upper left corner:

Posted by Shri Krishna
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