MMORPG News

MMORPG News


Firefall: Development Update & Beta Tests

Posted: 08 Nov 2011 06:19 AM PST

The Firefall blog has been updated with news about what the development team is currently working on and what's happening with beta testing of Red5's inaugural title.

EVE Online: Scaling the UI

Posted: 08 Nov 2011 06:13 AM PST

The latest EVE Online developer blog deals with a new feature being introduced for pilots everywhere: Scale-able UI. Part of the reason for this new feature is based on the recent introduction of the scale-able font size. The blog is fairly technical but, in true EVE fashion, has pictures to illustrate the point!

General: News From the MMO-niverse

Posted: 07 Nov 2011 09:36 AM PST

In his latest Free Zone column, MMORPG.com's Richard Aihoshi has gathered the best news from the F2P MMO-niverse from around the web. Included in the news is Lineage II's F2P announcements, the latest layoffs and LEGO Universe shutting down. Read on!

Lucent Heart: DDR Never Felt This Good

Posted: 07 Nov 2011 09:29 AM PST

Social partner-friendly MMO, Lucent Heart, is getting ready to expand in lots of interesting new ways. MMORPG.com's Joseph Sanicky has a preview of the new features being included in the expansion. Check our Joe's thoughts about new dance moves and more. Leave us a comment or two when you're finished reading!

Guild Wars 2: Holiday Events in GW2

Posted: 07 Nov 2011 09:17 AM PST

In his latest column devoted to Guild Wars 2, MMORPG.com's David North wonders if the new game will be able to measure up to the holiday goodness that came with the original Guild Wars. See what sorts of holiday fun David has dreamed up for Guild Wars 2. Do you have a few thoughts? Add them in our comments.

General: Dark Eden: Reintroducing the MMOVRPG

Posted: 08 Nov 2011 06:03 AM PST

Ignited Games has announced that it is accepting beta applications for its upcoming vampire MMO called Dark Eden. According to press information, Dark Eden is a throwback to the "golden age of MMOs, featuring classic hack-and-slash action and isometric 2D visuals."

EverQuest: Pillars of Alra Zone Preview

Posted: 08 Nov 2011 04:58 AM PST

The Everquest team has released the latest in a series of developer diaries that focus on a specific zone in the upcoming Veil of Alaris expansion set to debut later in 2011. This time, devs discuss the Pillars of Alra. "EverQuest fans will take on the magic of Alra as they travel between floating islands and encounter four different factions. Whether fans decide to tackle dark, light, pure or nature magic, they're in for a challenge."

General: Lineage Eternal: Twilight Resistance Announced at G-Star

Posted: 08 Nov 2011 03:21 AM PST

Fans of NCsoft's insanely popular Lineage games will be happy to know that the third game, a sequel to Lineage II, has been announced today in Korea prior to G-Star. Lineage Eternal: Twilight Resistance is shooting for a 2012 closed beta, and more info will likely come from G-Star this week.

Rift: Ember Isle Developer Diary

Posted: 07 Nov 2011 01:10 PM PST

Trion Worlds and the Rift team have released a new video featuring the ins and outs of how the team developed Ember Isle, the dragon-cult-infested former home of the Kelari people and zone for level-50 Ascended. The new zone is the largest ever created for Rift.

Dominus: Now Known Simply as 'Dominus'

Posted: 07 Nov 2011 01:05 PM PST

PitchBlack Studios has announced that the game formerly known as Prime: Battle for Dominus will now simply be called "Dominus". A new Facebook page and website have been launched to reflect the name change.

APB: Reloaded: Life in San Paro

Posted: 07 Nov 2011 11:49 AM PST

GamersFirst and the APB Reloaded team have released a brand new trailer featuring a first hand look at life in San Paro. "Fun for some, not for all" seems to be appropriate. Check it out!

General: MechWarrior Online: All Carrot, No Stick

Posted: 07 Nov 2011 11:12 AM PST

MechWarrior Online developer Bryan Ekman has posted a new blog article on the official site detailing the reasons behind the decision to make the game F2P. In it, Ekman states that MechWarrior Online will feature "All Carrot, No Stick". Essentially, Ekman states that MWO will not be "pay to win".

Mabinogi: Become the Merchant of Venice (CA)

Posted: 07 Nov 2011 11:04 AM PST

Nexon is sponsoring a new contest for players to become the Merchant of Venice (CA). Mabinogi players will want to log in and get to level 9 in the new Merchant of Venice content in order to be eligible to win.

The Secret World: No Open Beta Before 2012

Posted: 07 Nov 2011 09:54 AM PST

Last week, the rumor mill went into full swing with what some perceived as a slip up on the part of Funcom developers in saying that The Secret World's open beta would start in December 2011. Contrary to these reports, Funcom has categorically stated that the open beta will not begin until after the start of 2012.

Star Trek Online: Space Skills Revision

Posted: 07 Nov 2011 09:09 AM PST

The latest "Path to F2P" blog post is now live on the Star Trek Online site. This time, Lead Designer Al Rivera gives readers an inside look at the newly overhauled space skills that are now live on the Tribble test server.

Nadirim: Today Marks Official Launch

Posted: 07 Nov 2011 08:07 AM PST

Twisted Tribe has announced that Nadirim is now officially in retail release. Nadirim is an online browser MMO based on the Arabian Nights folktales.

Archlord X: Exclusive Pre-GStar Interview

Posted: 06 Nov 2011 04:34 AM PST

Later this week, Korea's G-Star convention gets underway. To lay the foundation for his visit to Korea, MMORPG.com's Richard Aihoshi had the opportunity to connect with Sung Jin Hong, Executive Producer for Archlord X and Paul Doo, Archlord's Product Manager to chat about Archlord X. We've got an exclusive firsthand look at Archlord X through the eyes of the dev team. Check it out!

General: Top 5 MMO Immersion Breakers

Posted: 06 Nov 2011 05:53 AM PST

Have you ever stood around in your favorite MMO and given it a critical look? While not one to be fanatical about immersion, MMORPG.com Associate Editor Suzie Ford occasionally gets tweaked about some immersion breakers found in MMOs these days. Check out The List today for Suzie's top slaps to the face immersion-wise. Add your own thoughts to the comments.

General: The Revenue Model Wars

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 05:22 PM PDT

In a new column that's sure to generate some...heated discussion, MMORPG.com's Adam Tingle takes a look at several big title games and their revenue models. Adam has a few things to say about 'bang for your buck' and other topics. See if you agree. Either way, leave us a comment or two when you're finished.

Lord of the Rings Online: Rise of Isengard & F2P Goodness

Posted: 06 Nov 2011 05:42 AM PST

With the recent release of the Lord of the Rings expansion, Rise of Isengard, interest has once again been sparked by Turbine's venerable game. In our latest look at LOTRO, MMORPG.com's Lori May checks out the game, its F2P revenue model and more. Read on!

General gaming

General gaming


Review: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3: Whether You Love or Hate It, This Shooter's Still Got It

Posted: 08 Nov 2011 07:30 AM PST

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 -- whether you like it or not, and whether you support it or not -- will be acknowledged by gamers in one way or another. Because of this, we wanted to offer you, the reader, multiple perspectives on this attention-grabbing game. We asked Jose Otero (the FPS-but-not-COD-guy), and Tina Palacios (the in-house COD-veteran), to offer their thoughts on arguably the biggest game of the year.

Tina Palacios: When gamers think of a new Call of Duty being released, there're plenty of constants they can depend on: There's a new one each year; it'll have a five to seven hour (action-packed) campaign; a heavily played multiplayer mode; and some sort of co-op mode. So when we went to see everything Modern Warfare 3 has to offer, we went in with plenty of expectations.

Watch the Phoenix Wright Movie Trailer

Posted: 07 Nov 2011 05:46 PM PST

Set for release in Japan in February next year, the Ace Attorney movie is gearing up for a three month marketing blitz. Directed by Takashi Miike (Dead or Alive; Ichi the Killer) Gyakuten Saiban as it's called in Japan is, according to the trailer, set in a dystopian near-future Japan where a stressed criminal justice system has limited trials to three days with a presumption of guilt unless proven otherwise.

The trailer is filled with scenery and words that fans of the series will instantly recognize. It features multiple screams of igi ari (objection) and kurae (Take that!) as well as what looks like most of the cast and clients from the first Ace Attorney game. It's clear that in typical Miike fashion, the movie is leaving reality behind with clairvoyance, ghosts, and all the other trappings of the series.

Battlefield 3's Back to Karkand is More Than a "Map Pack"

Posted: 07 Nov 2011 04:57 PM PST

Battlefield doesn't do "map packs." At least, that's the key talking point EA wanted writers to walk away with after sinking a few hours into the first "expansion pack" for Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand. It seems that DICE and EA want to conjure up images of shooter expansion packs of old, rather than the IV drip of DLC that modern games offer players. Back to Karkand will include four new maps, but it also offers three new vehicles (including a sweet looking VTOL F-35B), five new dog tags, ten new weapons, and five new Achievements/Trophies. A hefty package to be sure, especially by today's standards. However, the phrase "expansion pack" seems a bit forced -- Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII this is not.

I'd love to tell you about all the new weapons and vehicles, but we don't actually get a chance to touch them in our three hours playing the game on PS3 at EA's offices. We start out with level one soldiers -- denying us the opportunity to check out the new weapons -- and the versions of the maps we play lacked the fancy new vehicles. We do however get to spend those three hours exploring two of the new maps available.

New Alan Wake, BioWare Games Get Teased Ahead of VGAs

Posted: 07 Nov 2011 03:57 PM PST

Alan Wake teaser

As promised, teaser images of the new Alan Wake and BioWare games -- both set to be announced at this year's Spike TV Video Game Awards in December -- have been released today by Game Informer.

The Alan Wake image above shows Alan Wake looking like a carpenter, complete with a nail gun. We can see a diner and the Desert Shore Motel in the background, as well as a sign that indicates Night Springs is 15 miles away.

Sony, Microsoft Bent Rules to Allow Joe Danger on XBLA

Posted: 07 Nov 2011 03:08 PM PST

Joe Danger

An enhanced port of 2010 PlayStation Network title Joe Danger is headed to Xbox Live Arcade as Joe Danger: Special Edition this holiday. It's not a transition we see often (for a PSN game to end up on XBLA), and this one is even more unusual as the game was partially funded by Sony.

The Sony Pub Fund, announced at GDC in 2009, provides development and marketing assistance in addition to guaranteed royalties matching a game's development budget. Joe Danger was one of the games to benefit from this; it turned out to be a good game but Xbox 360 gamers weren't able to enjoy it at the time.

1UP Presents #3: The Sketch Issue

Posted: 07 Nov 2011 02:31 PM PST

1UP Presents #3

Welcome to 1UP Presents #3 -- it's behind schedule, the last issue, and the most expensive. Restrain yourselves. But it's actually kind of awesome.

A couple months ago, 1UP editor-in-chief Jeremy Parish and I decided that we'd close out our print magazine experiment with the third issue. He started it as a pet project about six months ago, and it never really made much money or practical sense, but it was a fun thing to do on the side, so Jeremy spent many off-work hours organizing the first two issues, and handed me the third.

Dragon Quest X Beta Details Emerge

Posted: 07 Nov 2011 01:09 PM PST

Dragon Quest X beta reward

Dragon Quest X is going in a much different direction than most of its predecessors. While DQIX did incorporate multiplayer elements, DQX is going even further in the direction of being an MMO. The Wii (and Wii U) game is without a release date as of yet, but a beta is planned to iron out any kinks before Square Enix unleashes the game (complete with subscription fees) in Japan.

A Japanese website filled with information on the beta has just been launched. Gamers can begin applying for access beginning sometime in mid-November, although you must live in Japan and have a free Square Enix Members account to be considered. You'll also need a Wii that can connect to the Internet and be willing to actively participate by submitting bug reports and things of that nature.

Mass Effect 3 Story Details Leaked Following Accidental Beta Release

Posted: 07 Nov 2011 11:58 AM PST

Mass Effect 3

Update: BioWare has sent a cease-and-desist to NeoGAF, where a great deal of information from the leaked beta and story information could be found. So clearly, the company is taking a more aggressive stance than what the statement below would suggest, where fans were urged not to read any spoilers.

Original Story: A pair of Mass Effect 3-related leaks have taken place in the past few days starting with an internal beta getting into the hand of a select number of Xbox 360 owners on Friday.

How Deepak Chopra Made a Video Game

Posted: 07 Nov 2011 11:35 AM PST

Feature

Header

How Deepak Chopra Made a Video Game

By: Tracey John November 7, 2011

With credits on triple-A titles like Red Dead Redemption, Homefront, and Dance Central, it's hard to believe Curious Pictures started out making television commercials. Founded in 1993, the New York-based company began with stop-motion animation, and over the years expanded to 150 people who not only create ads, but also television shows, feature films, visual effects and, in recent years, video games.

As this story goes to press, they've just finished Deepak Chopra's Leela, a game that exists in a weird place between experimental art titles and licensed games the enthusiast media doesn't hear about until they appear at Wal-Mart.

'During the last several years, we really moved into games with the idea that we would be producing the games of the future -- a kind of blended media,' says Lewis Kofsky, a producer and partner. 'There's been a lot of change in the gaming industry, and we're working on titles that we think will blur the boundaries between traditional entertainment and interactive experiences.'

Steam Forums Down After Reportedly Being Hacked

Posted: 07 Nov 2011 10:10 AM PST

Steam forums hacked

"The Steam Forums are temporarily offline for maintenance. Your patience is appreciated."

That's the message greeting users who have tried to visit the official Steam forums over the past day. While Valve has yet to release an official statement on the downtime as of this writing, a Reddit user captured the screenshot above of the forums shortly before they were taken down showing that they were apparently hacked.

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