MMORPG News

MMORPG News

Eligium: Open Beta Arrives

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 07:21 AM PST

Open Beta Arrives

Frogster has announced that the open beta for Eligium: The Chosen One will officially launch at 4:00 p.m. CET. The open beta is scheduled to run for the next several weeks as the team compiles a list of bugs reported by players.

General: Dragon Eternity Hits Retail Launch

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 07:10 AM PST

Dragon Eternity Hits Retail Launch

Dragon Eternity has officially hit its retail release and players are invited to check out what devs call a "beautiful and captivating web-based fantasy MMORPG" that is "brimming with PvP action".

Seven Souls Online: Closed Beta Begins

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 07:04 AM PST

Closed Beta Begins

Neowiz has announced that the closed beta for Seven Souls Online has officially kicked off. The team is still taking applications for closed beta testers who will have a pair of interesting events in which to participate during the test.

Star Wars: The Old Republic: Powertech PvE Player Guide

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 12:19 PM PST

Powertech PvE Player Guide

In the latest addition to our growing library of Star Wars: The Old Republic player's guides, we present the Powertech, one of the advanced classes for the Bounty Hunter. Read on and become invincible!

Ultima Online: The Making of a Classic Part 1

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 12:34 PM PST

The Making of a Classic Part 1

Ultima Online is considered one of the grand old dames of the MMO genre and has just passed its twelfth anniversary. We have a comprehensive look at just how this classic MMO came into being and will present it to our readers in two parts. Check it out and then tell us your memories of UO in the comments.

Eudemons Online: Trumpet of the Legionnaire Updates Coming

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 05:46 AM PST

Trumpet of the Legionnaire Updates Coming

Eudemons Online recently expanded with the Trumpet of the Legionnaire add-on. Developers have let us know that a new update is incoming that will feature new content and more. The team has released a trailer showing off what will be released into the game on February 22nd.

General: Pirate Storm Goes Live

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 05:36 AM PST

Pirate Storm Goes Live

Folks looking for some piratey goodness may want to head over to the Pirate Storm site for a look-see. The game joins the Bigpoint stable of MMOs and is localized in 24 worldwide languages.

Allods Online: Game of Gods Launches

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 05:16 AM PST

Game of Gods Launches

Allods Online has, according to developers, reached a new era with the deployment of the Game of Gods expansion. Game of Gods brings a plethora of new features and content into Allods including new zones, enhanced content and reworked systems. Game of Gods also includes the new Bard archetype, a new PvP skirmish zone and the new endgame Dead City raid.

SteelWar Online: Alpha Testing Begins

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 05:05 AM PST

Alpha Testing Begins

Popace has announced the commencement of the alpha testing for SteelWar Online. Players taking part in the test will receive the equivalent of $2,000 in-game currency to try out all of the available item mall options as well as unlimited gold.

Lord of the Rings Online: Mounted Combat: A PVP Success?

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 12:06 PM PST

Mounted Combat: A PVP Success?

One of the more exciting features to be announced for the Riders of Rohan expansion to Lord of the Rings Online is mounted combat. This has gotten a lot of players very excited yet some wonder whether it will make it into LOTRO's version of PvP, Monster Play. Read on and then weigh in with your own thoughts in the comments.

General: Free Webzen Coin and Character Giveaway!

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 12:36 AM PST

Free Webzen Coin and Character Giveaway!

To celebrate Webzen Portal Site Renewal in February, Webzen is holding Free W Coin & Character Giveaway for all Webzen's games to help make your journey of adventure as easy as possible! For a limited time only, you can take your first step into WEBZEN live Games with a FREE W coins and high level character!

Star Wars: The Old Republic: Coming to Asia-Pacific Region March 1st

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 03:33 PM PST

Coming to Asia-Pacific Region March 1st

Bioware has officially announced that March 1st will mark the launch date of Star Wars: The Old Republic in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Rusty Hearts: Requiem Update Deployed

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 01:15 PM PST

Requiem Update Deployed

Rusty Hearts players will want to check out the new Requiem update which brings a new playable character, Roselle Vergerius, into the game as well as four new dungeons, a "dynamic" training camp in a new location, new weapons and what developers call "challenge based" dungeons.

Aika: Epic II: Hestia Coming March 8th

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 01:08 PM PST

Epic II: Hestia Coming March 8th

Aika Online players have a lot to prepare for as the release date for Epic II: Hestia approaches. The latest content expansion is scheduled to launch on March 8th and Aika devs are giving players a leg up to 80 with power boosting events that kicked off today.

General: RTSGuru.com | Coffee Stain Studios Talks ARTs/MOBAs

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 01:02 PM PST

RTSGuru.com | Coffee Stain Studios Talks ARTs/MOBAs

Coffee Stain Studios' Lead Designer Oscar Jilsen shares some thoughts on the beloved MOBA/ARTS genre. Unfortunately, we couldn't get him to leak anything about Sanctum 2. Check out the full interview at RTSGuru.com.

Rift: Streaming Mass Hitchin' Event

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 10:36 AM PST

Streaming Mass Hitchin

MMORPG.com will be live streaming one of the mass weddings that will be taking place throughout the day on all Rift servers today. Trion's goal is to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records with the most in-game weddings in a single day. You'll be able to watch one of the big events happening on the Deepwood server with Suzie Ford, Adam Tingle and Victor Barreiro Jr..

Free Realms: SOTW: Free Realms 'Festival of Hearts' Edition!

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 10:15 AM PST

SOTW: Free Realms

Everyone loves to take screenshots of their favorite games, and we want you to share them with us and the rest of the MMORPG.com community! To that end, we're back with our latest Screenshot of the Week feature, and we're looking to give out some cool swag. This week, we've partnered with SOE to put on a special Valentine's Day edition of our SOTW, focused specifically on Free Realms' currently ongoing 'Festival of Hearts' Valentine's Day event.

DragonSoul: Free $5 Gift Key!

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 10:02 AM PST

Free $5 Gift Key!

MMORPG.com has been given special keys for DragonSoul that will give players $5 FREE in game! Get your key now while supplies last!

General: Game On #2: Rift Interview, Listener Mail & News

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 07:33 AM PST

Game On #2: Rift Interview, Listener Mail & News

In this week's episode of Game On, hosts Som Pourfarzaneh, Bill Murphy, and Hillary "Pokket" Nicole bring you the latest news from the industry with their unique brand of insightful commentary. We also sit down with Rift's Producer Hal Hanlin to chat about the game's plans for 2012, and we take in some of our listener mail as well. Be sure to mail in all your questions, suggestions, and critiques to gameon at mmorpg dot com!

Guild Wars 2: Micro-Awesomeness

Posted: 13 Feb 2012 09:58 AM PST

Micro-Awesomeness

One of the most controversial words these days in MMOs is "microtransaction". The idea of microtransactions always stirs a lot of emotion. In today's Guild Wars 2 column, we explore the thought of microtransactions in GW2. Read on and let us know what you think in the comments.

Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Future is Bright (or Dark, if you prefer)

Posted: 13 Feb 2012 11:41 PM PST

The Future is Bright (or Dark, if you prefer)

The busy bees at BioWare have released a flood of information on what's coming to Star Wars: The Old Republic in the patches leading up to and beyond Game Update 1.2. Join us in this week's SW:TOR column as we discuss all the latest developments.

Posted by Shri Krishna

General gaming

General gaming

The Vita Launch Round-Up: Part Two

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 05:30 PM PST

Feature

The Vita Launch Round-Up: Part Two
 Our quick takes on the rest of the Vita launch lineup.

By 1UP Staff

Yesterday, we posted some reviews and capsule impressions on about half of the PlayStation Vita's launch lineup. As you might have noticed, it was a pretty Sony CEA-centric half. Today, the embargo has lifted for pretty much everything else. Some other reviews and posts will go live as embargos lift, but in the meantime, here are our not-quite-reviews of a lot of third-party Vita games.

Army Corps of Hell
It's not the Pikmin game we want... but maybe it's the Pikmin game we deserve. Army Corps may wear the Square Enix name and make you want to bang your head and make devil horns with your fingers, but make no mistake: This is a game designed very much in the spirit of Nintendo's RTS classics for GameCube (thanks in large part to sharing key creative personnel). Still, despite the similarity of play mechanics -- you're a dude who controls dozens of little minions divided into three different classes with distinct abilities, and you attack foes by chucking your servants at them -- don't go thinking this is just Pikmin with a Satan-colored coat of paint. It's a far more linear kind of experience than its inspiration, more akin to a time attack or boss rush than Pikmin's leisurely exploration was. That doesn't make it bad; merely different. We're still working on our full review of the game, but if you can stomach its rather high price tag it's definitely one of the most notable and entertaining selections of the Vita launch lineup.

Touch My Katamari Review: Not as Clever as It Wants to be

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 09:05 AM PST

"Some say I've been lazy," admits the King of All Cosmos in the opening sequence of Touch My Katamari. "Phoning it in." This is meant to be hilarious -- that crazy King, always so pompous, yet vain enough to be stung by criticism! -- but the wittiness of the whole thing is badly undermined by the fact that Touch My Katamari is lazy. Namco is, in fact, phoning it in.

Of course, the best parody is that which rings of the truth. In that sense, sure, this game is pretty parodic. Damningly so, I'd say. The problem is that I don't think it was meant to be self-satire; certainly it's not an exercise in self-reflection. All this talk of apathy and flabbiness are meant to be loving, tongue-in-cheek pokes at the character, not a frank assessment of the software itself. So, it's either a joke that reflects a jarring lack of self-awareness by the developers, or else it's a snide middle finger to the player: Yeah, this game is warmed-over, recycled content, but we're gonna fix that! By... making you do the exact same things you did in the last five Katamari games. Thanks for the 30 bones, suckers.

Lumines Electronic Symphony Review: Still a Dazzling Mix of Sight And Sound

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 09:05 AM PST

For puzzle game fiends like myself, the original Lumines injected a massive amount of sound-appeal into a pretty standard genre. It's not that catchy music didn't exist in puzzle games before its PSP debut (or have their own brand of audio/visual charm either), but no game in the genre I played before mixed the two together so well. Lumines exists in a delicate framework: one where each piece of the experience complements the other, and where developer Q Entertainment shows its impressive music-bending muscle. Take away the quirky audio samples, funky music, or puzzle mechanics, and the other components just wouldn't hold my interest. It's an example of a game that pulses to a special beat and, similar to any top-notch puzzler, one where the mechanics shine after repeated play.

While the gameplay exists in a careful balance of visuals and sound, Lumines is also one of the few games where I'm resistant to change; and a lot of that has to do with how well the mechanics of the first game worked. So I'm grateful that Lumines: Electronic Symphony doesn't try to complicate its familiar block-matching formula with unnecessary additions. For the uniformed: colored block clusters (consisting of four squares and up to two color tones) drop from the top of the screen and can be rotated left or right. The end goal is for players to match up four squares of the same color and clear away blocks before they pile up to the top of the screen. A scrolling timeline (that passes from left to right) erases matching block clusters, and adds them to your score. A helpful list of colored blocks to the left of the playing field shows the pattern of the next three incoming pieces, so there's plenty of room for strategy as well.

Why We Love Games

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 07:51 AM PST

Feature

Header

Why We Love Games

A celebration of the little things that elevate games from good to great.

By: 1UP Staff February 14, 2012

Valentine's Day is all about love. This year, we figured you've probably seen enough nearly identical "Top 10 Games to Play With Your Girlfriend" pieces across the web (ProTip: Try Bubble Bobble), so we've decided instead to step back and look at a different kind of love altogether -- our love for games. What we realized is that what makes us love this crazy hobby has more to do with specific details, not big experiences. We've put together a tribute to some of the most memorable moments we've ever experienced in games -- not necessarily the big set-pieces that were carefully calculated to make an impression, but rather the little things that have stuck with us through the years. On consoles, PCs, arcade machines, and portables, these are the artful, loving incidentals and twists that have turned us into the fans we are. Some are profound, some are utterly trivial, but each one resonated with us.

Keep in mind, this isn't some comprehensive list of gaming's greatest moments; it's simply a reflection on our personal favorites. Everyone has their own, and everyone's are different -- so please, share yours!

God of War Creator Calls Story-Driven Games a Waste of Time and Money

Posted: 13 Feb 2012 03:59 PM PST

When I first downloaded God of War creator David Jaffe's PSN game, Calling All Cars, I didn't quit playing until my thumbs literally grew too sore to continue. The game borrowed heavily from NBA Jam despite its cops & robbers aesthetic, and like that arcade classic, my friends and I fought down to the wire in every round. Though Jaffe has in the past referred to the game as a "mistake," I would place it above the original God of War as my favorite game of his. I know it seems strange to value a forgotten PSN downloadable title above one of the best PS2 games of all time, but I've come to a point where I prefer experiences that don't aspire to tell a grand story, and I'm thankful that game creators like Jaffe feel the same way.

Jaffe explained his feelings to other game makers in a presentation recorded by Gamespot at last week's DICE summit, "My talk is actually a warning about why we shouldn't tell stories with our video games. I think it's a bad idea. I think it's a waste of resources and time and money and more importantly I think it actually stunts, and has stunted over the last ten years or so, the medium of video games."

Posted by Shri Krishna
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