MMORPG News

MMORPG News

Rift: Trion Partners with Shanda Games for China Release

Posted: 09 Feb 2012 06:56 AM PST

Trion Partners with Shanda Games for China Release

Trion Worlds has announced that it has inked a partnership deal with Shanda Games to publish Rift. No release date was revealed but the announcement takes Rift one step closer to a blockbuster release in mainland China sometime in 2012.

Crystal Saga: Tweet Your Way to Prizes

Posted: 09 Feb 2012 06:49 AM PST

Tweet Your Way to Prizes

The Crystal Saga team is offering their players an easy way to score some nifty in-game prizes. Simply follow the Crystal Saga Twitter account to keep informed about events, chat with GMs and more. The team has promised some "handy free prizes" for randomly selected followers.

Final Fantasy XIV: World Merge Incoming

Posted: 09 Feb 2012 06:12 AM PST

World Merge Incoming

Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy XIV world will be merging on March 27th. The server count will go from the current eighteen to ten. All players will be required to choose which server they would like to live once the merger is complete.

TERA: Frogster Announces Velika Stress Test Tonight

Posted: 09 Feb 2012 06:03 AM PST

Frogster Announces Velika Stress Test Tonight

Frogster has announced a special test of the TERA Velika server to take place this evening at 20:00 / 8 pm CET/GMT+1 and feature an increased player cap for this test. Players will be able to play TERA during the test but characters will be wiped afterward.

The Secret World: Deck Templates

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 09:44 AM PST

Deck Templates

The Secret World is going to feature one of the most complex abilities systems in any MMO to date. The dev team has partnered with MMORPG.com to unleash new information about the pre-made "deck templates" that will help players navigate the complexities. Check it out and then let us know what you think in the comments.

Xsyon Earth 2012: Prelude: Gather Resources and Win

Posted: 09 Feb 2012 06:00 AM PST

Gather Resources and Win

The Xsyon team has a new challenge for players with the Skills Competition Event. Players will be challenged to complete mini quests that will require the use of all gathering skills.

AdventureQuest Worlds: VDay Event Features Aussie Singer Mia J. Park

Posted: 09 Feb 2012 05:48 AM PST

VDay Event Features Aussie Singer Mia J. Park

Artix Entertainment has announced that a special Valentine's Day event will kick off on Friday, February 10th and will feature Australian singer Mia J. Park. Players are challenged to find Mer'angel (Park herself) and take a journey into the Underworld to reunite two separated lovers. Park's music will be featured during the event.

Star Trek Online: Series 4: Episode 1 Coming February 11th

Posted: 09 Feb 2012 05:30 AM PST

Series 4: Episode 1 Coming February 11th

Perfect World Entertainment and the Star Trek Online team are inviting players to check into the game on Saturday, February 11th as Series 4: The 2800 kicks off. In Episode 1, a lost fleet reappears in the Alpha Quadrant and players are sent to find out what's going on. Further episodes in Series 4 will debut weekly through March 10th.

Fantage: Five Days of Valentine's Fun

Posted: 09 Feb 2012 05:24 AM PST

Five Days of Valentine

Starting on Friday, February 10th and running through Valentine's Day on the 14th, Fantage players will have a ton of fun with new items, prizes and events to participate in.

General: Every Guild Member Ever

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 10:23 AM PST

Every Guild Member Ever

Many of us actually realize that social activity in MMOs is fun, weird uncle in the guild house included. In today's Coyote's Howling, we take a look at that online family that we know and love, identifying each one by type. See if you see YOUR virtual family in today's column. Have other ideas? Leave them in the comments.

Earthrise: Game Service Ends Today

Posted: 09 Feb 2012 05:01 AM PST

Game Service Ends Today

Masthead Studios has announced that service for Earthrise will cease as of today, Thursday, February 9th. According to Atanas Atanasov, Director of Masthead Studios, the team felt that Earthrise had been released too early and never managed to meet its players' expectations.

General: Roll n Rock Open Beta Start Pack Keys!

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 09:04 PM PST

Roll n Rock Open Beta Start Pack Keys!

MMORPG.com has been given special keys for the Roll n Rock open beta event! Each key will give you many free items. Key your key now while supplies last! The open beta starts Feb 8, 2012 at 8PM EST!

Guild Wars: Miku's Tale - Winds of Change Pt. 3

Posted: 07 Feb 2012 06:04 PM PST

Miku

The Arena.Net team has announced that tomorrow will mark the release of Miku's Tale: Winds of Change Part 3. The ongoing story and content bridges the gap between the events of Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2. The last installment of the update will feature nine new quests, new rewards and hidden scenes that will add even more to the story.

League of Legends: RTSGuru.com| Live Stream Tonight

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 01:28 PM PST

RTSGuru.com| Live Stream Tonight

Our own Paragus will be live streaming League of Legends TONIGHT at 10:30 p.m. EST on the RTSGuru.com Twitch.tv channel. Be sure to join Paragus and the RTSG team for a fun hour (or so) of LoL streaming fun and chat galore!

Lineage 2: The Numbers Don't Lie

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 10:52 AM PST

The Numbers Don

NCSoft has sent us some amazing stats about Lineage II: Truly Free. From what we can see, the transition from a traditional subscription-based MMO to a free to play title has been awesomely successful.

Star Wars: The Old Republic: Players Reporting New Ilum Issues

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 10:12 AM PST

Players Reporting New Ilum Issues

Star Wars: The Old Republic players are flocking to the official forums with reports that PvP kills on the planet are not registering for daily and weekly quests.

Rise of Dragonian Era: Beta Event to Offer Big Prizes

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 10:04 AM PST

Beta Event to Offer Big Prizes

Rise of Dragonian Era (RODE) is a forthcoming MMO from Mgame USA. The dev team has announced that a beta event will be taking place this weekend that will feature some pretty powerful incentives to participate.

Conquer Online: The Conquer Online iPad Review

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 09:25 AM PST

The Conquer Online iPad Review

Conquer Online is one of the first 'traditional' MMOs to make the leap from PC to iPad. In our latest review, we take a look at the iPad version of Conquer Online to see how it measures up and how well it made the transition. Read on and then let us know what you think in the comments.

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning: Night of Murder Returns

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 09:21 AM PST

Night of Murder Returns

The Warhammer Online Herald has been updated with the news that the annual Night of Murder event has made its return. The event is scheduled to run from February 9th through the 22nd and features special quests and rewards.

Marvel Super Hero Squad Online: TV Show Actors Voicing Game

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 08:31 AM PST

TV Show Actors Voicing Game

Gazillion Entertainment has announced that the actors who lend their talents to the Marvel Super Hero Squad cartoon series will soon be bringing their voices to Marvel Super Hero Squad Online as well.

Star Wars: The Old Republic: Jedi Guardian Player's Guide

Posted: 07 Feb 2012 09:55 PM PST

Jedi Guardian Player

In the latest addition to our growing library of Star Wars: The Old Republic player's guides, we present the Jedi Guardian, the advanced class for the Jedi Knight. Read on and become invincible!

League of Legends: First Impressions with Ripper X

Posted: 07 Feb 2012 08:49 AM PST

First Impressions with Ripper X

MMORPG.COM's Ripper X blasts into Riot Games' free to play dynamo, League of Legends, for some newbie ownage and epic fun. Check out League of Legends: First Impressions with Ripper X and then leave us your thoughts in the comments.
Posted by Shri Krishna

General gaming

General gaming

OP-ED: I'm Ecstatic Over Double Fine's New Adventure Game, But I Feel Uncomfortable Donating

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 08:20 PM PST

As if the creator of Minecraft funding a dream project from a veteran game designer was not crazy and exciting enough of an idea, Double Fine may have just topped it. One day after Markus "Notch" Persson proposed Mojang help to make Psychonauts 2 a reality, the developer of Psychonauts is turning to fans to bankroll a new, old-school adventure game.

Using Kickstarter, a fundraising platform that has been employed by independent game developers and documentarians alike, Double Fine is looking to raise $400,000. $300,000 of that will be used to fund the PC game's development, while the other $100,000 will be used to document the entire development process. 2 Player Productions, the same group that produced a documentary on the early development of Minecraft at Mojang, has already been tapped to create the documentary, which will be made available in monthly installments for those who back the project. Any money raised beyond the $400,000 will be used to pay for things like extra voiceover work or bringing the game to additional platforms like Mac and iOS.

OP-ED: How Vita Can Avoid The PSP's Fate

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 03:00 PM PST

Read the latest in portable gaming news, and you might think it's 2005 all over again -- but not quite. Though Sony's higher-priced-and-powered piece of tech is once again up against a Nintendo product with a retail head-start, the former handheld doesn't seem like the destined winner this time around. For Vita, competition is stiff: Nintendo's 3DS took only eight months to match the shaky first year of DS sales, and, unlike the PSP's early days, the smartphone market currently provides a multitude of cheaper options for gaming on the go (not to mention multimedia features matching Sony's offerings). And while Vita's hardware fixes many of the PSP's flaws, power alone won't win this arms race; instead, Sony will have to rely on strategies beyond pushing the HD angle.

Review: Rhythm Heaven Fever Masterfully Proves the Power of Physical Buttons

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 03:00 PM PST

Playing Rhythm Heaven Fever reminds me of the dozens of iPhone games I've tried over the last three years. It contains the same type of simple challenges and single tap mechanics as Canabalt or Groove Coaster. Despite the responsive touch provided by an iOS device, somehow an experience like this feels better with buttons -- the sense of feedback is much more tactile and provides less room for error. It probably helps to remember that this single button idea is something Nintendo put to use a long time ago -- specifically in Rhythm Heaven's GBA debut back in 2006 -- and its sheer simplicity, attractiveness, and execution make Fever a notable representation of the idea.

For those unfamiliar with Rhythm Heaven's charms, the series combines a fun and flexible minigame setup with a lot of catchy tunes -- offering a playful approach to playing a music game that's inspired, unique, and surprisingly simple. All mechanics revolve around the A and B buttons of the Wii Remote -- a move that returns the series to its original GBA roots versus the slightly awkward tap, hold, and flick mechanics of the DS game.

How Windows 8 Could Change Casual Games

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 02:51 PM PST

What do you think of when you read or hear the phrase "casual games?" Long considered a dirty word amongst a vocal minority of "hardcore gamers," casual games are undergoing a transformation thanks to new distribution models that make gaming on PC easier than plug & play consoles. A newly leaked list of games available on the upcoming "Consumer Preview" version of Windows 8 provides a glimpse into the future of casual games, and it's a lot more "hardcore" than you'd expect.

Windows 8

Similar to the Mac and Google Chrome app stores, Windows 8 will offer its own software portal for easy to install applications. Called the Window's Store, it will carry the following 10 games during the preview period:

With Sony's Credit Downgraded, Vita Could be Doing Things Better

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 01:38 PM PST

Kaz Hirai Vita

Kaz Hirai, who was recently named the new CEO and president of Sony, accepted the job knowing he would be walking into a difficult position. Sony is not in the greatest of positions right now, and Hirai was not shy in admitting it. "I thought turning around the PlayStation business was going to be the toughest challenge of my career, but I guess not," he told the Wall Street Journal last month. "It's one issue after another. I feel like 'Holy s***, now what?'"

The latest such issue has to do with Sony's credit rating. A week after Hirai was officially confirmed as Howard Stringer's successor, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services lowered the long-term credit rating of Sony from an A- to BBB+, placing it just two grades above junk bonds (but still well below the AA+ rating the United States was cut to in August). The downgrade follows similar moves by both Moody's Investors Service and Fitch Ratings, as well as a poor third quarter performance Sony reported the details of last week. In addition to revealing a substantial loss for the quarter ended December 31, 2011, Sony projected a loss of $2.87 billion for the full fiscal year. Needless to say that is not good, with S&P deeming the outlook "negative" for Sony's long-term corporate credit rating.

3DS Circle Pad Pro Review: Weird, But Not So Bad

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 10:31 AM PST

Jeremy: The 3DS Circle Pad Pro -- affectionately (I think) known as the Frankenstick -- is finally out in the U.S. this week. It's a weird creature for a lot of reasons. The design of it, its function, the way it only connects through the I.R. port and has to be supported by individual games rather than at the system level, the way it's a retailer-exclusive... Yeah, I don't even know what to think about this thing. You've used it a lot more than anyone else at the office, Jose. What do you think of it?

Jose: Ever since the day we first unboxed it, I've been surprised by how comfortable the Circle Pad Pro feels in my hands. The rounded edges and concave bottom really feel great despite the amount of bulk it adds to the system. I used the Circle Pad to play through Resident Evil Revelations for my review, and I firmly believe its the best way to play the game, even down to the effective use of the triggers to replace actions you'd normally see on the face buttons. The Circle Pad Pro gives publishers and developers a tacked-on solution for future action and shooter games that need a second analog, but I wonder if that's ever been part of Nintendo's portable market?

It does feel slightly awkward to recommend anyone buy a Circle Pad Pro, because so few games actually support it. Outside of Metal Gear 3DS and Kingdom Hearst Dream Drop Distance, what else is there? I know I said that having one is the best way to play Revelations, and Metal Gear comes out on February 21st, but I don't see anything in the near future to keep support for this thing alive. Using the Circle Pad Pro also makes playing a 3DS in public feel slightly less attractive. It reminds me of all those peripherals that came out for the original Game Boy -- some included magnified screen attachments and bigger buttons, and made the fun of gaming on a portable system look questionable. I'd pass a guy using all that on the subway and think, "Man, that looks terrible." In this case, I'd have my 3DS and Circle Pad Pro and the guy next to be is just swiping away on his iPad.

The Wild And Wacky Challenge Tower of Mortal Kombat Vita

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 09:00 AM PST

I can't help but smile while witnessing some of the wacky challenges of Mortal Kombat for PlayStation Vita. One has me attempting to juggle an MK character using missiles fired from the lower part of the Vita's touch screen -- think Missile Command but with an MK twist. Another involves a tug of war mechanic, but also feels like a jab at the popular casual game Fruit Ninja at the same time: A character standing across from my MK fighter throws a handful of items, and the goal is to slice objects he tosses in order to build up a special meter. The twist is that you have to also block incoming grenades by pressing and holding a finger on the screen.

I get to see more examples of the all-new Vita-specific Challenge Tower -- a mode from last year's excellent MK reboot that adds objectives to the notoriously bloody violence already on display -- and I can't help but feel impressed. Each new challenge looks wackier than the last, and highlights the kind of creative ideas developers can realize due to the multiple input types built into Sony's new gaming machine. Another challenge splatters blood across the screen each time my character gets hit, and I have to quickly wipe the blood off using my finger to see what's happening.

Posted by Shri Krishna
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