MMO Updates

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• PAX East 2012: Menace of the Underdark brings big changes to Dungeons and Dragons Online
• WRUP: Ransom edition
• The Daily Grind: Do you want realism or awesome?
• ArenaNet clarifies Guild Wars 2 CE pre-purchase options
• PAX East 2012: A talk with PlanetSide 2's Matt Higby
• PAX East 2012: SWTOR 1.2 coming next week
• Amazon offers exclusive mount for TERA pre-orders
• Betawatch: March 31 - April 6, 2012
• Guided tour of the new SWTOR flashpoint
• PAX East 2012: Defiance's first-ever combat trailer
• PAX East 2012: World of Warplanes impressions
• DUST 514 dev blog details vehicle roles
• PAX East 2012: Hands-on with Hi-Rez's new MOBA, SMITE
• League of Legends IPL swings into Sin City
• Storyboard: Police state
• MMObility: Reaching the MMORTS sweet-spot, slowly

PAX East 2012: Menace of the Underdark brings big changes to Dungeons and Dragons Online Posted: 07 Apr 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Classes, Expansions, Interviews, Lore, Previews, Free-to-play, Massively Interviews, Massively Event Coverage Dungeons and Dragons Online players are in for a whole new world of adventure when Menace of the Underdark launches this summer. The expansion, due to release on June 25th, will send players into the Forgotten Realms to fight against the Queen of Spiders, Lolth. Executive Producer Fernando Paiz and Senior Producer Eric Boyer welcomed us into their lair... er, Turbine's booth... to talk about the upcoming expansion at this year's PAX East. Read on for our preview! Continue reading PAX East 2012: Menace of the Underdark brings big changes to Dungeons and Dragons Online PAX East 2012: Menace of the Underdark brings big changes to Dungeons and Dragons Online originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 07 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

WRUP: Ransom edition Posted: 07 Apr 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous PAX East is holding Eliot hostage! We've just learned that the infamous Boston gaming con is planning to force Eliot, Matt, Lis, and Karen to play video games for money indefinitely. But don't worry; I'm sure you guys can have Eliot and his Dadaist commentary back once I get those cookies. I mean, once PAX gets those cookies. Yeah. In the meantime, let's do this WRUP thing after the break! We'll talk about what we think of beta weekends and what we're playing, and then you can do the same using our brand-new comment system that so totally doesn't have any bugs (see, I can be absurd like Eliot!). Continue reading WRUP: Ransom edition WRUP: Ransom edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 07 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Do you want realism or awesome? Posted: 07 Apr 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous I realize that any discussion of realism in MMOs can quickly devolve into absurdity, but bear with me. I was recently involved in a discussion between some guildies of mine who were extolling the virtues of Tribes: Ascend over more realistic FPS games. "It's the jetpacks," they told me. In a realism-driven FPS, there's an emphasis on physics and gravity, but in Tribes, it's all about the jetpacks and learning how to fight effectively while using one. The fun of a game like that is in how awesome it is to break realism, not in how true-to-life it might be. Pure MMOs are no different. Many games make compromises along the spectrum of reality, especially when it comes to travel: In some games, we're grounded, forced to use a horse or our own two feet to make our way across the world; in others, we teleport via magical contraptions or leap tall buildings in a single bound. So riddle me this: When it boils down to it, what do you prefer to be the guiding principle of your MMOs -- realism or awesome? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind! The Daily Grind: Do you want realism or awesome? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 07 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

ArenaNet clarifies Guild Wars 2 CE pre-purchase options Posted: 06 Apr 2012 08:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Guild Wars 2, Free-to-play There's been a bit of confusion concerning Guild Wars 2 collector's edition pre-purchases of late. ArenaNet's Mike O'Brien took to Reddit earlier tonight to address the issues, and he had plenty to say about retailer reservations as well as the fact that Amazon isn't listing the CE. The long and short of it is that any retailer that is distributing keys prior to the April 10th street date is violating said street date "and risks losing [its] allocation of keys." That said, ANet can't stop stores from taking reservations, but O'Brien says unequivocally that "a reservation is not the same as a pre-purchase." As far as the Amazon situation goes, O'Brien explains that the company was simply unable to deliver digital codes at the time of purchase in addition to physical boxes on release day, so ANet has "reallocated [its] units to other retailers." Finally, O'Brien provides a link to some pre-purchase CE alternatives. ArenaNet clarifies Guild Wars 2 CE pre-purchase options originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Reddit

PAX East 2012: A talk with PlanetSide 2's Matt Higby Posted: 06 Apr 2012 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Interviews, Previews, PvE, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, Massively Event Coverage, PlanetSide 2 "For me, it's such a compelling genre for anybody who's played it," SOE Creative Director Matt Higby said about PlanetSide 2's niche. "But that's the thing. There's not a lot of people who have played a MMOFPS, but the people who have are addicted." Hibgy sat down with us at PAX East to promote SOE's upcoming sci-fi shooter, saying that it scratches two itches with one bird (or some other mixed metaphor). "I'm a competitive player; I love shooters," he said, "but I'm also a very social player and love the progression aspect of MMOs." It's not as if the MMOFPS field is going to remain wide-open for very long. Competitors are rushing to mine this largely untouched market. Still, SOE has an advantage above the rest: It launched one of the first of its kind and has years of experience managing such a game. While we anxiously wait for word on PlanetSide 2's beta, we listened to Higby tell us why this title will continue the company's reign over the genre. Continue reading PAX East 2012: A talk with PlanetSide 2's Matt Higby PAX East 2012: A talk with PlanetSide 2's Matt Higby originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

PAX East 2012: SWTOR 1.2 coming next week Posted: 06 Apr 2012 07:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic We've been telling you about Star Wars: The Old Republic's 1.2 Legends patch for a while now. Thankfully we've finally got a release date to share as well. Actually, let's call it a release window, and let's call it next week, thanks to statements made by BioWare's James Ohlen at PAX East earlier today. "We have our update 1.2 coming in the next week, and then after that, it's going to continue to roll out month after month. It's exciting," he told Boston-area convention-goers. Ohlen's optimism springs from what's to come in SWTOR over the next few months. "The scope of our game updates in 2012 is going to be unimaginable. You're going to see so many changes and additions to the Star Wars Universe; it's going to be impressive," he said. Massively's on the ground in Boston during the weekend of April 6-8, bringing you all the best news from PAX East 2012. Whether you're dying to know more about TERA or PlanetSide 2 or any MMO in between, we aim to have it covered! PAX East 2012: SWTOR 1.2 coming next week originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Darth Hater

Amazon offers exclusive mount for TERA pre-orders Posted: 06 Apr 2012 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, TERA, Promotions With TERA's May launch coming up in under a month, the window to pre-order the action MMO is shrinking daily. Those who are loyal members of the En Masse Army have a tough decision to make at this juncture: Where should you pre-order? Amazon hopes that you'll choose it, of course, and has a unique bonus to tip your favor in its direction. Amazon has worked out a special deal with En Masse to entice players to its store. Those who pre-order with Amazon.com will be guaranteed an in-game horse mount that's decked out in all manner of wicked-looking armor (note that the armor appearance gives no armor bonuses.) It's called the Pinto, and it won't be found anywhere else. In addition to this special mount, pre-orders guarantee a three-day head start to the game, name reservations, and in-game gear. There's added incentive to getting in on any of TERA's pre-orders if you haven't already, as they'll secure your spot in the next beta test, which is scheduled for April 20th. Also be sure to check out a new teaser trailer after the jump that was released exclusively for Amazon for those looking to learn a bit more about the game. Continue reading Amazon offers exclusive mount for TERA pre-orders Amazon offers exclusive mount for TERA pre-orders originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Amazon.com pre-order

Betawatch: March 31 - April 6, 2012 Posted: 06 Apr 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, MMO industry, Betawatch, Miscellaneous This week on Betawatch, we say farewell to Seven Souls Online and Blacklight Retribution, both of which have now launched officially. In their place, we've added two new games to keep an eye on: Star Conflict, a PvP-oriented space-combat MMO, joins our open beta list, while Grecca, a 2-D sandbox MMO, earns its city-building self a spot on our (open) alpha list. Meanwhile, Spirit Tales announced an open beta date of April 25th, TERA kicked off its final closed beta weekend with a look at what open beta will entail, and Ensemble Online reached out for Kickstarter funding for its beta. Enjoy the full Betawatch roundup beyond the break. Continue reading Betawatch: March 31 - April 6, 2012 Betawatch: March 31 - April 6, 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Guided tour of the new SWTOR flashpoint Posted: 06 Apr 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Lore, Previews, PvE, Opinion, Star Wars: The Old Republic Yesterday, BioWare invited some members of the press to take part in a guided tour of the latest update for Star Wars: The Old Republic. In recent Hyperspace Beacons, we've covered everything from the user interface changes to the crew skills system. However, the specifics of some of the new story content have been a bit sparse. Thanks to help from BioWare, that's now changed. Beyond the break, we have put together a 15-minute video describing the ins and outs of the latest flashpoint: The Lost Island. Together with a member of the BioWare development team, we explored this new level-50 zone, destroying everything in our path and maybe learning something along the way. Continue reading Guided tour of the new SWTOR flashpoint Guided tour of the new SWTOR flashpoint originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

PAX East 2012: Defiance's first-ever combat trailer Posted: 06 Apr 2012 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, News items, Consoles, MMOFPS, Defiance PAX East is kicking into high-gear today. Studios are all over the floor showing off their latest trailers and demos, and Trion Worlds is no exception. The studio has just released a shiny new trailer focusing on the upcoming Syfy-Trion collaboration known as Defiance. For the first time since the title's announcement, players get to take a look at the game's frantic FPS combat. The trailer takes players into the land of the United States' Bay Area, which is in the process of being terraformed by alien invaders, and it's up to humankind to stop them before it's too late. The video gives fans a glimpse of large-scale combat as dozens of characters storm a stronghold by foot, ATV, and humvee to bring the fight to the alien scum, guns blazing. Oh, and the aliens look like the kind of fellows you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley... or in a well-lit one, for that matter. Just check out those teeth! Load your weapons and get in the fight past the cut. Massively's on the ground in Boston during the weekend of April 6-8, bringing you all the best news from PAX East 2012. Whether you're dying to know more about TERA or PlanetSide 2 or any MMO in between, we aim to have it covered! Continue reading PAX East 2012: Defiance's first-ever combat trailer PAX East 2012: Defiance's first-ever combat trailer originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

PAX East 2012: World of Warplanes impressions Posted: 06 Apr 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Historical, Galleries, Screenshots, Events, real-world, New titles, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Massively Interviews, Massively Hands-on, Massively Event Coverage, Miscellaneous, World of Warplanes Much like its predecessor, World of Warplanes is not a game with an ambiguous title. This is a game about planes, and not the sort that flies cargo from one point on the globe to another. If flying around and getting into aerial dogfights sounds like an unappealing concept to you, well, you can pretty much just exit stage left when you hear the name. But the lack of subtlety in the name, however noteworthy, doesn't really say much about the game itself. Is it fun to play? Does it succeed in what it sets out to do? Really, is it just World of Tanks up in the air? I can't speak to the last one, but I can say that it definitely delivers on its stated design goals. This is a game all about maximizing the rush of an aerial fight and striking a balance between crafting an in-depth flight simulation and providing accessibility to those new to the genre. Gallery: World of Warplanes Continue reading PAX East 2012: World of Warplanes impressions PAX East 2012: World of Warplanes impressions originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

DUST 514 dev blog details vehicle roles Posted: 06 Apr 2012 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, DUST 514, Sandbox DUST 514 isn't at PAX this weekend, which probably explains CCP's strategic reveal of a new dev blog earlier this afternoon. We knew that the MMOFPS will boast a number of similarities to its EVE Online sibling (like the fitting screens, factions, and lore); one thing we didn't know, though, was that DUST will also repurpose vehicle hulls in a decidedly EVE-like way. Many EVE ships share the same hull visuals despite having radically different performance envelopes and combat roles, and DUST vehicles will definitely follow that trend, according to CCP's Cmdr Wang. DUST vehicles will also be powered by a capacitor (which should seem awfully familiar to you capsuleer types). Cap management will therefore play a vital role in the new game just as it does in the old. Finally, DUST's vehicle skill system also takes a page out of EVE's book. Today's dev blog finishes up with a look at a couple of high-level vehicle skills as well as some verbiage on module customization. DUST 514 dev blog details vehicle roles originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Vehicle roles

PAX East 2012: Hands-on with Hi-Rez's new MOBA, SMITE Posted: 06 Apr 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, Previews, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Massively Hands-on, Massively Event Coverage, MOBA Move over, MOBAs -- there's a new kid in town. As PAX East 2012 rocks onward, Hi-Rez Studios is flaunting its newest upcoming title, the action-game-inspired MOBA SMITE. Today I got the opportunity to sit down with the game and get my face ground into the floor by the myriad more-experienced players with whom I played. But regardless of my utter incompetence, I still got some hands-on time with the title, so indulge me for a moment and let me tell you about it. The basic layout of the game will be quite familiar to any MOBA player. It sticks to the tried-and-true formula set forth by Defense of the Ancients in almost every possible way. There are three lanes, each lined with a number of defensive towers, and the ultimate objective is to work in tandem with your teammates and allied NPC creeps with the goal of pushing through the towers and destroying the enemy's giant minotaur. Wait, what? Continue reading PAX East 2012: Hands-on with Hi-Rez's new MOBA, SMITE PAX East 2012: Hands-on with Hi-Rez's new MOBA, SMITE originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

League of Legends IPL swings into Sin City Posted: 06 Apr 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, Free-to-play, MOBA, League of Legends Las Vegas is welcoming League of Legends players with open arms as the best of the best compete in the next step of the Challenger Circuit: IPL 4. With $5 million on the line for the season, you can bet that League of Legends players are doing anything and everything they can to get a piece of that action. IPL 4 is taking place from today through Sunday at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Sin City. Over the weekend, eight teams will compete for rankings and a $50,000 pot. The challengers are Team Dignitas, EpikGamer, Counter Logic Gaming, Team Solomid, v8 eSports, Against All Authority, Monomatic eSports, and Curse Gaming. Riot Games says there are still IPL 4 tickets available for those who want to attend in person. For those who can't, there's always the official IPL YouTube channel for long-distance spectating. League of Legends IPL swings into Sin City originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: League of Legends

Storyboard: Police state Posted: 06 Apr 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous Sometimes, column topics get away from you. When I sat down to write last week's Storyboard, I realized at the halfway mark that I had spent a lot of time not really hitting the core of the issue, and the overall article wound up being much weaker as a result. So I went back, started fresh, and instead delivered a column aimed squarely at the central question of whether or not it's important to have a flagged roleplaying server. But there is an issue that I didn't really address in that column but still remains relevant. If you're going to talk about having an RP server exist even if it's not policed, you do need to address what policing a roleplaying server actually entails. A lot of it is just plain speculative at the moment, given the overall track record of the industry, but that doesn't mean it's not worth discussing. Continue reading Storyboard: Police state Storyboard: Police state originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MMObility: Reaching the MMORTS sweet-spot, slowly Posted: 06 Apr 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Historical, Screenshots, Business models, Culture, Game mechanics, Opinion, War, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, MMORTS, Humor, Miscellaneous, MMObility As a player of many MMORTS titles, I have grown to understand that patience is not only a virtue but a necessity. Many titles from the genre are designed to make you spend real time to do anything. It's not that they are boring or tedious; instead, they are representing what it might be like to actually grow an army or trade hub and to explore the often massive world around you. The pacing is meant to be slow. These are not games of instant leveling or non-stop quest grinding. They're meant to be played in as little as a few minutes per day. This explains a lot of their success -- just imagine how popular they are with time-strapped players. There is a time, however, after months of toiling away at building up various structures, growing a small army, or finally getting to the maxed out level in a certain area, when you can finally settle down for some real gameplay. It might sound silly to have to wait that long for glory, but come on... this is city-building we are talking about. It takes time. Continue reading MMObility: Reaching the MMORTS sweet-spot, slowly MMObility: Reaching the MMORTS sweet-spot, slowly originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Latest Gaming and MMORPG Updates

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• PAX: Double Dragon Neon Brings Back the ’80s, But Not in a Good Way
• Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition: Every Detail On Gameplay & Tweaks
• New York Comic-Con’s Cutest Cosplayers Photo Gallery
• Blizzard continues shedding staff in Korea
• The Best and Worst Video Game Compilations

PAX: Double Dragon Neon Brings Back the ’80s, But Not in a Good Way Posted: 07 Apr 2012 03:53 AM PDT Max Payne and I go way back. Throughout the series’ first two installments, I was wholly immersed in its stark shadows, smoky atmosphere, and hard-boiled dialogue. I brandished my pistols and dove sideways more times than I could count. I cherished the horror and violence of his revenge as if it were written by Raymond Chandler himself, and yet, a place that I’d never experience Max Payne’s world was online. That void was quickly remedied when I got my hands on a small slice of the multiplayer portion of Rockstar’s next effort, Max Payne 3. MP3 is attempting to destroy the barriers between single and multiplayer in a wide variety of ways. We’ve written about the solo portion before, but this time we got to spend some time in the online Gang Wars. The story in Gang Wars, the most fleshed out mode of multiplayer, runs alongside that of the solo campaign. The skirmishes you take part in online will oftentimes be set moments before Max’s arrival to a location during the story, or sometimes in the charred remains of where his whirlwind tour of revenge previously swept through. While third-person works fine offline, the perspective can oftentimes lead to ineligent combat that feels more like a frantic crapshoot than a strategic faceoff; even phenomenal titles like Red Dead Redemption suffer in moments of intense action. While I was a bit worried that MP3′s multiplayer would stall under the same stress, I’m happy to report that the impeccable energy from the series’ singleplayer campaigns transfers over quite well into the online arena. Yes, there were still a handful of moments where it seemed like my opponent and I both cracked under pressure, especially once combat became an up close affair, but the game remained a controlled experience for the most part. Rockstar showed off a slew of game matches, most of which were slight variations on genre classics like team deathmatch and king of the hill. One unique mode is called Payne Killer, which starts off as a free-for-all until someone scores the first kill. After this occurs, the killer becomes Max Payne, while the victim transforms into his singleplayer sidekick Passos. These two characters come equipped with special weapons, higher health, and unique abilities. It then becomes the task of the remaining players to work together in taking down these two protagonists. Whoever scores the kill against Max or Passos earns the right to play as the powerful hero. This mode encouraged players to work together in short spurts to take down the two powerhouses, but those alliances you make will quickly be severed once one member gets the kill and joins the other side. Related posts: Grand Theft Auto V Brings Back Multiplayer to Southern California Nintendo Dubstep Experience 3D Looks to Reinvent the Rhythm Genre Total War Conversion Mod Brings Zelda’s Hyrule to PC

Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition: Every Detail On Gameplay & Tweaks Posted: 06 Apr 2012 09:53 PM PDT It's a bank holiday, there is no news – so instead we're going to give you a bumper load of details on this year's most important PC game. No, we're not kidding. Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition might only be a remade, repackaged digital version of the classic RPG but it's still the game that has no doubt made you into the shrivelling , excuse of a person you have become today. Who needed friends when you had Minsc and Edgar? Don't pretend to deny it. So rather than arbitrarily re-iterate what we already know – yes, it is going to be on PC, Mac and iPad and will be out in Summer 2012 – we thought it'd be more helpful to track down some of the details we can garner from Tweet-happy head honcho Trent Oster (formerly of BioWare and, before that, Black Isle). So here it is, everything you need to know about Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition as Tweeted by Trent Oster: Gameplay There will only be one miniature, giant space hamster. There will be new content added into BGEE in the form of new characters and new locations. No details on what this will take just yet, except that it will be a mix of areas added into the main game and sections for a new adventure/expansion. Sounds like it code be a healthy chunk of content, especially since Trent doesn't know "how we are going to build that much art." The new content will be separate and "can be ignored". Both BGEE and BG2EE will contain the additional content from their related expansion packs – Tales Of The Sword Coast and Throne Of Bhaal. Characters will transfer from BGEE to BG2EE. BGEE will still be built on DD 2nd Edition rules. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? May include additional difficulty modes, as inspired by community mods. New equipment will be added into the game to cover for neglected classes. There will be an increased level cap, though not too high – Baldur's Gate encounters don't scale very well, apparently. BGEE will feature Baldur's Gate 2: Throne Of Bhaal's weapon proficiencies, classes and kits. There may even be new classes and kits added in. Original Baldur's Gate characters will have new, text-only dialogue. None of the original characters will have new voice work. Enemies from Baldur's Gate 2 will be implemented into BGEE. Dialogue system will remain the same – no Mass Effect style convo wheel. No content will be removed. Visual/Audio Improvements Online Will be released in "summer". No specific date just yet to allow for flexibility and ensure a good quality game. Won't cost too much, Beamdog is committed to making BGEE a great buy. Currently planned for a digital-only release, though there may be a disc version due to demand. Should come in at under 2GB for iPad limit. Beamdog has been in talks with Atari for about two years, way before Baldur's Gate arrived on GOG.com Android tablets will be a potential option. Trying to embrace the Weidu method of mods. Trent wants to get mods compatible across all platforms. There may be a new, better mod management system. Some mods will be included as "canon". Will be looking at ways of making modding easier, and compatible with earlier, existing mods. Could come to iPhone post-ship. EA and BioWare have no input in BGEE or BG2EE. Trent Oster and EA "don't share views on games". The more successful BGEE is, the more additions the team can bring over to BG2EE. Big success = more new content. Won't be on consoles. UI will change depending on platform. Icewind Dale content is not yet available for Beamdog. French will be one of the supported languages. THE BIG NEWS Baldur's Gate 3 is the ultimate goal, and is dependant on the success of BGEE and BG2EE. Planescape: Torment could even become a future project. Related posts: 1UP Plays Minecraft: Pocket Edition Limited Edition Mario, Zelda 3DS Bundles Coming on Thanksgiving

New York Comic-Con’s Cutest Cosplayers Photo Gallery Posted: 06 Apr 2012 08:23 PM PDT Everyone loves cosplay galleries — at least, if the amount of traffic, comments, and links they get is any indication. And hey, why not? The amount of attention some people put into their costumes is admirable, sometimes maybe even borderline-crazy. But when you’ve been doing this as long as we have, all those costumes start to blur together. Girls in lovingly detailed but inappropriately skimpy spandex thongs, folks wearing cardboard armor, scrawny guys trying to pass themselves off as muscular slabs of superheroism, hefty dudes straining the stitching on their Char Aznable uniforms… it’s the same show after show. After a while, you just need a fresh take on it all. Luckily, we found exactly that at this year’s New York Comic-Con. Maybe it’s the family-oriented nature of the show, or maybe it’s just the event’s close proximity to Halloween. Whatever the case, the cosplayers who caught our eye were the legions of little kids roaming the show while decked out in full costumes. From classics like Batman to newfangled characters like Hatsune Miku, the under-10 set was well-represented at NYCC. And to be honest, they kind of melted our hearts. There’s something awesomely sincere about a pre-teen Doctor Who brandishing his sonic screwdriver with a determined expression on his young face that a 35-year-old in the same threads could never hope to capture. We photographed our favorite next-gen geeks from NYCC — with their parents’ permission, of course! — and have rounded them up into this gallery so that your heart, too, can be melted. Enjoy, and prepare to say, “Awww.” (A lot!) Photos by Catherine Nguyen. Similar Article: http://www.1up.com/features/york-comic-con-cutest-cosplayers Related posts: New York Comic-Con’s Cutest Cosplayers Photo Gallery

Blizzard continues shedding staff in Korea Posted: 06 Apr 2012 03:53 PM PDT A couple of weeks ago, Blizzard Entertainment announced laying off around 600 staff globally from the company. Many point towards the sliding number of World of Warcraft users as the main catalyst. Just 5 days ago, it was announced World of Warcraft in Korea will be closing off 10 servers (link) in what is said to be a major sign of the game’s declining numbers in the country of online gaming. Earlier today, foreign reports were pointing to Blizzard Korea shedding off numbers from its staff strength. The Korean arm once had around 330 employees during its heyday, but the number was recently reported to have trimmed down to 230 instead. Following the layoff announcement, the numbers will most probably be around 200 soon. An anonymous staff mentioned that the folks will be working until the end of this month. Before BlizzCon 2011, I read an article by an industry analyst about how Blizzard will suffer if the secretive Project Titan is not announced at the event. To some extent, I think the analyst got it spot on. Related posts: The9 expands to Korea with PlanetSide 2 MapleStory Korea I Played Blizzard DOTA and Died, and That’s OK

The Best and Worst Video Game Compilations Posted: 06 Apr 2012 09:53 AM PDT definitely Posted: 9 hours ago by  Dub_Z the other example of how to do it right.   thought of Metal Slug Anthology while reading this too… that was definitely not a rip off, even if everything after 3, post-Playmore is a little recycled-feeling. 1, 2, X 3 on a single disc was already a bargain.   Related posts: The Best and Worst Video Game Compilations Why Every Elder Scrolls Game is the Best and Worst in the Series The ’90s Game Price Comparison Charticle

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MMORPG News

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• Defiance: First In-Game Footage Revealed
• Firefall: NDA Lifts
• Rift: Gloamwood Pines
• Star Wars: The Old Republic: Novare Coast Trailer Released
• Runescape: New Player Experience Spotlighted in New Trailer
• Wakfu: The Subscription Edition Review of Wakfu

Defiance: First In-Game Footage Revealed Posted: 06 Apr 2012 04:34 PM PDT Trion Worlds has released the first ever trailer from its upcoming MMO, Defiance. The trailer shows off the first-ever in game footage from Defiance, an MMO that will tie in with the Syfy television show of the same name. The trailer was revealed at the 2012 PAX East convention.

Firefall: NDA Lifts Posted: 06 Apr 2012 01:25 PM PDT The NDA has officially lifted for those players who have been beta testing Red 5's Firefall. Our own Grakulen has been a busy guy and has several awesome videos to show off some of Firefall's features.

Rift: Gloamwood Pines Posted: 06 Apr 2012 11:04 AM PDT In today's Chronicles of One Telaran, Caedryn the Dwarf has reached a milestone of sorts with his arrival in Gloamwood Pines. He's got stories to tell of his first steps in the Rift zone known for spiders and other creepy crawlies. Read on!

Star Wars: The Old Republic: Novare Coast Trailer Released Posted: 06 Apr 2012 09:10 AM PDT Bioware and the Star Wars: The Old Republic dev team have released a new trailer featuring the new Novare Coast warzone that will debut when v1.2 goes live later this month. Enjoy!

Runescape: New Player Experience Spotlighted in New Trailer Posted: 06 Apr 2012 08:36 AM PDT Jagex has sent out a brand new Runescape trailer to show off the overhauled new player experience. Called "The Troll Warzone, the new area brings a brand new quest line into Runescape designed to introduce new players to the game and to familiarize them with RuneScape's lore.

Wakfu: The Subscription Edition Review of Wakfu Posted: 05 Apr 2012 02:09 PM PDT In our second review today, we re-examine Wakfu from the subscriber's side and see how it stacks up. See what you think and leave us your thoughts in the comments.

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General gaming

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• PAX: Double Dragon Neon Brings Back the '80s, But Not in a Good Way
• PAX: Penny Arcade Adventures Bares Its Naked Inspiration
• PAX: With Hell Yeah!, Sega Does What Nintendon't: Namely, Give Us a Drill Dozer Follow-Up
• How Can Final Fantasy Versus XIII Not be a Disappointment?
• Games, Dammit! Episode 14: Remakes, Re-releases, and Re-imaginings
• The Best Video Game Glitches
• Gamers Reflect on What They'll Miss Most About the Old Days

PAX: Double Dragon Neon Brings Back the '80s, But Not in a Good Way Posted: 06 Apr 2012 08:21 PM PDT Majesco recently announced Double Dragon Neon, an update to the classic arcade game due this summer. The "neon" in the title is less a play on "neo" and more a reference to the fact that Double Dragon was a quintessentially '80s kind of game; the roaming brawler died at the hands of Street Fighter II right around the time that Kurt Cobain waxed poetic about deodorant and the '90s sprang to life. Thus the game's interface design of this remake is drenched with electric blue and hot pink, hearkening back to the days of Miami Vice, Members Only jackets, and that one rich kid in your class who wore 20 Swatches at once on one arm, each with a little rubber guard strap over its face. But that's not the only part of Neon that feels like it blasted its way directly out of the '80s. The game as a whole is redolent of the bad part of the '80s: The part dominated by terrible home ports of arcade favorites, insipid licensed NES games, and industry-destroying market crashes. It's ugly, slow-paced, limited, and all in all comes off as... well, cheap.

PAX: Penny Arcade Adventures Bares Its Naked Inspiration Posted: 06 Apr 2012 07:03 PM PDT When television shows go on hiatus, they frequently return to the airwaves with a storyline that reflects the passage of time. The protagonists of Penny Arcade, on the other hand, make a point to mention the fact that the four years that have elapsed between 2008's Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode 2 and the upcoming Episode 3 amounts, in-game, to all of a week. Comparing the two episodes, though, you'd be forgiven for thinking Episode 3 actually shattered the limitations of linear time and came out years before Episode 2 -- about 15 years before, to be precise. Where the first two installments of Penny Arcade's game series were contemporary-looking 3D adventures by Hothead Games, Episode 3 leaps backward three hardware generations to resemble a 16-bit RPG.

PAX: With Hell Yeah!, Sega Does What Nintendon't: Namely, Give Us a Drill Dozer Follow-Up Posted: 06 Apr 2012 05:05 PM PDT I was surprised to see a colorful, classic-style 2D platformer on display at Sega's PAX East booth this weekend that I'd somehow never heard of. Developed by Arkedo and due soon for release via Xbox Live Arcade and PSN -- producer Camille Guermonprez tells me they finished the game yesterday -- the evocatively named Hell Yeah! is both hyperactive and hyper-saturated. The tutorial level on demo at PAX is drenched in shades of red and offers a hint of an excellent, entertaining action platformer. What really surprised me, though, was that despite Hell Yeah!'s first impression hitting me with a tease of Sonic the Hedgehog, that sensation quickly faded as the game grew more and more reminiscent of another, far more obscure game: Game Freak's Drill Dozer, the vibrating puzzle action game the arrived to little notice in the waning days of the Game Boy Advance.

How Can Final Fantasy Versus XIII Not be a Disappointment? Posted: 06 Apr 2012 02:20 PM PDT Square Enix announced Final Fantasy Versus XIII way back at E3 in 2006, along with its peers Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Agito XIII. Since then, both vanilla XIII and Agito have actually seen release -- Agito under the new name "Type-0" -- and the former has even enjoyed a recent sequel. Yet Versus remains nowhere to be seen; Square didn't even bother teasing it at last year's Tokyo Game Show.

Games, Dammit! Episode 14: Remakes, Re-releases, and Re-imaginings Posted: 06 Apr 2012 12:34 PM PDT Since Jeremy recently fled the country, I found myself in charge of our very own Games, Dammit podcast this week. And because we're down one man, I had no choice but to use this new responsibility for an ulterior motive; my discussion with Jose and Marty helped inform this brand new feature, which acts as a nice supplement to episode 14 (or vice-versa). After spending several hours writing and podcasting on the subject this week, I really can't think of much more to say aside from "enjoy!" And please, let us know what you think about remakes, re-releases, and re-imaginings in the comments section below and/or the message board of your choice (preferably ours). Jeremy will be back in two weeks with a brand new episode, so until then, have a great Easter weekend! Download Episode 14 of Games, Dammit here!

The Best Video Game Glitches Posted: 06 Apr 2012 12:31 PM PDT Feature Share it: Tweet The Best Video Game Glitches The greatest broken bits of our favorite games. By: Steve Watts April 6, 2012 Glitches happen. No matter how hard a developer tries or how much QA testing a game goes through, occasionally a bad bit of code will cause conflicts in some unforeseen way. Most of the time these are minor annoyances, and in our modern age such issues often get patched before they impact too many people. Once in a while, though, they turn out to be hilarious, beneficial, or even a vital part of a game's legacy. We've thought up a few of our favorites. What are yours?

Gamers Reflect on What They'll Miss Most About the Old Days Posted: 06 Apr 2012 11:00 AM PDT Gaming is rapidly changing. Whether we're talking about things becoming more digital or new business models or whatever else, the industry already looks a great deal different than it did 10 or 20 years ago and that's only going to continue in the coming decades. As with anything in entertainment that changes, people are going to yearn for the way things used to be (while also worrying about what the future will bring). For me, one of the things I miss most is the sort of manuals games used to come with. What I looked forward to most when first buying a new game, regardless of what it was, was opening the box up and flipping through the manual before actually trying the game out. And I'm not just talking about spending time devouring the pages of a manual (or whatever other paperwork a PC game would come with -- keyboard shortcut cards, tech trees, etc. -- as it installs); console and handheld game manuals had to be read cover to cover before the game went into the system. This wasn't a matter of preparing for games with no tutorials, as I treated those with in-game instructions no differently. I specifically remember reading the entire manual for Mario Party 2 -- Mario Party 2 -- before I would even stick the cart in my Nintendo 64.

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