MMORPG News

MMORPG News

Little Space Heroes: Comic in Production

Posted: 02 Mar 2012 05:35 AM PST

Comic in Production

Bubble Gum Interactive has announced that a new comic is being created to fill in the back story for Little Space Heroes. The Little Space Heroes team will be joined by Graham Cousens, former Disney Channel Creative Director and Robert Greenberg, an internationally acclaimed children's TV writer as they work to bring the adventures of Ace, Kira and their friends as they seek out Lord Shadowbot.

RaiderZ: New Website & Alpha News

Posted: 02 Mar 2012 05:29 AM PST

New Website & Alpha News

Perfect World Entertainment has announced that the RaiderZ website has been overhauled and that sign ups are now being accepted for the North American alpha test that is scheduled to begin on March 14th.

Rift: The Carnival of the Ascended

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 11:53 AM PST

The Carnival of the Ascended

The Carnival of the Ascended has begun in Rift and in today's Chronicles of One Telaran, Caedryn the Dwarf gives us the cook's tour of all the activities and a few pithy thoughts about it all. Check it out!

Line of Defense: New Trailer Debuts

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 12:12 PM PST

New Trailer Debuts

3000AD has sent out the first trailer from its upcoming MMO, Line of Defense. The trailer shows off some of the wicked combat that players can expect from the game that's set to hit the airwaves later in 2012.

City of Heroes: Melissa Bianco in New Role as Producer

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 11:42 AM PST

Melissa Bianco in New Role as Producer

The latest City of Heroes Producer's Letter has been released by new Lead Producer Melissa "War Witch" Bianco. Bianco shares information regarding Issue 22, upcoming additions to the Paragon Market (including a Leprechaun pet!) and other nuggets of information.

Dungeon Overlord: Expansion Announced

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 10:51 AM PST

Expansion Announced

Dungeon Overlord fans will rejoice in the news that an expansion is incoming. Called "The Succubus Stories", the expansion is friendly to both new and veteran players. The latter group will have new challenges added in the form of repeatable PvP endgame content.

General: RTSGuru | Why Has Blizzard Laid Off 600 People?

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 10:24 AM PST

RTSGuru | Why Has Blizzard Laid Off 600 People?

In a year when BlizzCon is canceled, and games pushed back, the editors of RTSGuru.com speculate why Blizzard let 600 people go yesterday, including around 60 developers. Check it out!

Pathfinder Online: Persistence & Construction

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 10:00 AM PST

Persistence & Construction

A new developer blog is now live on the Pathfinder Online site that details a bit of the design philosophy the team is utilizing with regard to persistence and construction. Players will be able to create (and destroy) buildings that everyone will be able to see and interact with in a move that is sure to please sandbox fans everywhere.

World of Warcraft: Fancy Cosmetic Mounts!

Posted: 29 Feb 2012 12:19 PM PST

Fancy Cosmetic Mounts!

You know the one we're talking about: That sparkly winged horse, right? In today's WoW Factor, we take a look at cosmetic mounts and their effect on World of Warcraft. See what you think!

Rift: Carnival of the Ascended Arrives

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 09:02 AM PST

Carnival of the Ascended Arrives

It's hard to believe that it's been a year since Rift launched itself on the world but it has. The team is ready to unleash the Carnival of the Ascended on all Rift players and are inviting former players to return for "A Full Week of Rift for Everyone" from March 8-14.

Marvel Super Hero Squad Online: New TCG Ties into Online Game

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 08:46 AM PST

New TCG Ties into Online Game

Marvel has announced that a new trading card game based on the Super Hero Squad IP has been released with a starter set of three hundred cards. The game also has a tie in for fans of Marvel Super Hero Squad Online in the form of special loot cards and reward codes that can be used in the online game.

EVE Online: Launching in Japan on March 28th

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 08:21 AM PST

Launching in Japan on March 28th

CCP Games has officially announced that EVE Online will launch in Japan on March 28th. The launch is marked by the partnership agreement between CCP and Nexon. The Japanese release will be fully localized for customers.

General: From MUD to MMO

Posted: 29 Feb 2012 10:23 AM PST

From MUD to MMO

If you know what a MUD is, you're one of an increasingly small number of people who do. Maybe you remember your first MUD and wonder why it hasn't made the jump to a full-fledged MMO. Read our latest No Elves Allowed column for more thoughts about MUDs, MMOs and more.

World of WarPlanes: Over 100k Sign Up for Alpha Testing

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 07:34 AM PST

Over 100k Sign Up for Alpha Testing

Wargaming.net has announced that over 100,000 folks have signed up for potential spots in the upcoming alpha test for World of Warplanes. The World of Warplanes alpha will not be region-locked and will include players from around the world.

Mythos: A Month's Worth of Fun

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 07:24 AM PST

A Month

Mythos Global players have a month's worth of fun to look forward to with four special events occurring in March. Players will have an opportunity to face off against a GM, receive free stamina potions from a randomly GM-possessed merchant, receive random bonus items based on t-coin purchases and a chance to participate in Facebook events as well.

Digimon Masters Online: Carnival of Dreams Event Launches

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 07:15 AM PST

Carnival of Dreams Event Launches

Digimon Masters Online players will want to check into the game from today through March 20th to participate in the Carnival of Dreams event. During the special event, players will be able to take advantage of double XP gains during the week and triple XP gains on weekends. In addition, three new Digimon are included and players logging in on a daily basis will receive various boosts.

MapleStory: Alliance Unbound Trailer & Info

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 07:07 AM PST

Alliance Unbound Trailer & Info

Nexon has revealed new information about the forthcoming MapleStory update slated to hit servers on March 14th. Called Alliance Unbound, the new trailer "previews the Ellin Forest Revamp, where players will be able to travel back in time to Victoria Island of the past, revisiting the site of the initial battle against the Black Mage."

Guild Wars 2: The Elementalist Preview

Posted: 29 Feb 2012 10:05 AM PST

The Elementalist Preview

During the Guild Wars 2 press beta a week or so ago, we had the opportunity to check out all of the game's professions. In our latest preview, we check out the Elementalist, that purveyor of fire and ice. See what you think and then leave us a comment or two.

Spirit Tales: CBT to Launch March 15th

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 07:03 AM PST

CBT to Launch March 15th

Folks interested in participating in KoramGames' Spirit Tales closed beta test are encouraged to head to the official site to sign up for testing which is scheduled to begin on March 15th. Spirit Tales offers players an in depth character customization and progression systems as well as an in-depth pet capture and training feature.

General: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Review

Posted: 29 Feb 2012 09:51 AM PST

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Review

While not an MMO, 38 Studios' Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is of interest to our readers. This is largely due to the future release of Copernicus, an MMORPG set in the same world as Reckoning. See what we thought of KoA:R and then leave us your thoughts in the comments.
Posted by Shri Krishna

General gaming

General gaming

OP-ED: Zynga Wise to Expand to Its Own Platform

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 02:29 PM PST

CityVille Zynga.com

Zynga today revealed plans for the Zynga Platform and Zynga.com, details of which we first learned about this past October. Put simply, Zynga's new website will grant players access to a number of games available on Facebook while providing additional features that could make playing much more pleasant.

Playing games on Zynga.com -- when it launches later this month CastleVille, Words With Friends, Zynga Poker, CityVille, and Hidden Chronicles will be playable -- will require a Facebook account and purchases will be made using Facebook Credits thanks to a deal Zynga has with Facebook running through 2015. That means Facebook isn't being abandoned as a home for Zynga games; this is merely an alternative (and a potentially more attractive one at that) for playing the company's games. Any progress you've made in CastleVille or any other game will be present when playing on the Zynga Platform as it is not a separate instance of the game being run on Zynga's website.

The 1UP Community on Mass Effect 2

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 02:21 PM PST

We've had plenty to say this week about Mass Effect 2 as we've dissected the game through blog posts, retrospectives, and critical analysis. But we're not the only ones who love the game and want to see how Commander Shepard's tale comes to an end -- you do, too. Today, we're highlighting your thoughts on BioWare's RPG smash.

Mass Effect 2 and the Advent of the Mainstream RPG

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 02:20 PM PST

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Mass Effect 2 and the Advent of the Mainstream RPG

BioWare completely changed the Mass Effect series with its second chapter... and by extension changed the entire genre.

By: Jeremy Parish March 1, 2012

In 1987, Nintendo developed Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, the sequel to the incredibly popular and wildly influential NES hit The Legend of Zelda. It was in many ways a dramatic departure from its predecessor: An action-oriented platformer built on the success of a quest-driven proto-RPG. Its determination to buck expectations resulted in a slightly uneven title which, in hindsight, is broadly regarded as the black sheep of the entire series.

Nearly a quarter of a century later, we had Mass Effect 2, which did something remarkably similar to Zelda's first sequel. A series that was in its first installment a numbers-driven RPG dressed in the trappings of a squad-based shooter has all but abandoned those RPG mechanics to become, unabashedly, a squad-based shooter. It's an uncannily deep shooter to be sure, but it represents a dramatic change of genre nevertheless. Yet the transformation of Mass Effect is much less obvious than Zelda's was; the advance of technology has made it easier to hide such substantial mechanical shifts. Zelda went from a top-down Adventure derivative to a side-scroller that seemed more akin to Dragon Buster or Castlevania with its emphasis on reflex-heavy conflict and a reliance on action concepts like lives. Meanwhile, aside from its streamlined HUD, Mass Effect 2 still looks like the same basic game its predecessor was. Underneath that surface, however, RPG-based dice rolls and randomness have been abandoned in favor of direct point-and-shoot action. And unlike Zelda, it's been met with nearly universal critical acclaim for so elegantly bucking expectations.

You can chalk that up to any number of factors -- changing tastes, maybe, or perhaps the fact that the original Mass Effect was a godawful hodgepodge of ill-fitting elements that mostly got by on sheer chutzpah and desperately needed reinvention -- but nevertheless it's interesting to consider that one of the most dramatically divergent video game sequels in recent memory earned its plaudits by stripping out many of the role-playing elements that made the first game so unique. Meanwhile, Final Fantasy XIII took largely the same approach to its design, yet it was incredibly divisive: A virtual line in the sand across which different schools of fans lob complaints and epithets at one another. Again, you can spin this however you choose -- FFXIII botched its attempt, possibly, or then again maybe its fans simply aren't as accepting of evolution -- but the fact of the matter is, the role-playing game is changing.

Mass Effect 2: Shepard vs. Einstein

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 02:20 PM PST

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Mass Effect 2: Shepard vs. Einstein

He can take on the Reapers, but what about the laws of physics?

By: Ryan Winterhalter March 1, 2012

Science-fiction fans maintain a love/hate relationship with Albert Einstein. The German scientist demonstrated that the universe and its physical laws behave far more strangely than even the most fantastic stories would have predicted. At the same time, his insights revealed a much more ho-hum future for humanity than many would otherwise have envisioned. Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity, the traffic cop of the universe, will keep humanity quarantined to the immediate vicinity of our star and its eight planets. As if resigning humanity to our pleasant if somewhat dull galactic neighborhood wasn't bad enough, Einstein's laws present an even bigger challenge for Commander Shepard, who wants to save the other 100 billion stars in the galaxy from the Reapers. What would Mass Effect look like if it followed the laws of Special Relativity? Could Shepard and the Normandy battle back an invasion? Let's find out.

Light travels at around 186,000 miles per second in a vacuum, which sounds fast, but even at that speed the nearest star to Earth lies four years away. In some cases, the stars we see in the night sky with the unaided eye discharged their light two billion years before our sun began burning. In other words, space is really, really big and any fiction set in it, like Mass Effect, needs to invent a quicker method of travel. Though the games take great pains to explain away the tech behind the mass relays and the ship's faster-than-light engines, the fact remains that humans will never travel faster than light-speed, because nothing else in the universe can do it, either.

How Max Payne 3 Could Be 2012's Most Cinematic Shooter

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 09:00 AM PST

Most video game cut-scenes are pretty terrible; they tend to be static shots of two characters yammering at each other with occasional arm waves or somesuch. Rockstar games, especially the more recent ones, at least tried to emulate movies -- in that the camera moves around, or the characters actually pace around or engage each other during a conversation. While previous Max Payne installments featured comic panels as a storytelling device, the newest installment, Max Payne 3, opts for an interesting fusion of traditional in-game engine cut-scene and said comic panels.

It's a fusion because rather than use either cut-scenes or comic-panels-with-voiceover, these storytelling moments unfold as cut-scenes that get divided into panels. During an early sequence where Max discusses the kidnapping of Fabiana Branco (the wife of Max's new boss, Sao Paulo real estate mogul Rodrigo Branco), the conversation would unfold like a traditional cut-scene, but then the visuals would pause and undergo a quick color shift. That moment then gets locked into a panel on left side of the screen while the rest of the conversation continues forward uninterrupted before another pause, or color shift, or camera change gets locked into another panel. In addition to slicing and shifting a conversation from cinematic to on-screen comic page, the game also emphasizes key points by telegraphing words and sentences on the screen (which reminds me of the way Tony Scott played with subtitle usage and placement in his movie Man on Fire). It all results in a distinct visual style that hasn't been explored very much (the closest analog I can think of is the Ultimate Spider-Man game, and that was much more cartoony and resembled traditional comic art), and makes what would be a normal cut-scene stand out as something

Journey Review: The Most Exciting Nature Walk You'll Ever Go On

Posted: 01 Mar 2012 09:00 AM PST

At its simplest level, Journey is a game about walking. You start in a desert, controlling a character without a name or a backstory or even knowing if you're human. Your only objective comes from the camera angle pointing towards a mountain in the distance.

So you walk up a small hill and start to learn this is how it's going to work. The game isn't going to tell you anything. It's going to give you a vague sense of direction and let you go there when you're ready. There's no challenge. You move slowly. And your only abilities are to jump and shout, or whatever you call it when your character emits a sonar bubble to interact with the world.

Posted by Shri Krishna
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