Latest Gaming and MMORPG Updates

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• Grand Theft Auto III to Cost $5 on iOS and Android Next Week
• Mortal Kombat Review: A Near-Flawless Victory
• Otherland
• Fable Heroes Review: Not the Hero We Need or Deserve
• Awesomenauts Exhibits Publishers’ Effect on Digital Distribution
• Dragon Nest goes to Russia
• Portal 2 DLC Gives Fans the Gift That Keeps Giving With New Level Editor
• Phantasy Star Online 2: A Deeper Look at the Beta
• Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Embraces the Genre’s Past
• Kritika (KR)

Grand Theft Auto III to Cost $5 on iOS and Android Next Week Posted: 01 May 2012 07:10 AM PDT In just over a week’s time, one of the most influential games of the last generation of consoles will be playable in its entirety on your phone. As previously announced, the 10-year anniversary of Grand Theft Auto III‘s release (it came out on PS2 on October 22, 2001) is being celebrated with the release of it on iOS and Android devices. Only more recent hardware will be capable of running it, at least at launch — additional support for other devices could come later. For the time being, you’ll need one of the following to play it: Apple iOS Devices: iPad 1 2, iPhone 4 4S, iPod touch 4th Generation Android Phones: HTC Rezound, LG Optimus 2x, Motorola Atrix 4G, Motorola Droid X2, Motorola Photon 4G, Samsung Galaxy R, T-Mobile G2x Android Tablets: Acer Iconia, Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Dell Streak 7, LG Optimus Pad, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1, Sony Tablet S, Toshiba Thrive Grand Theft Auto III: 10 Year Anniversary Edition will go on sale on both the App Store and Android Marketplace on December 15. It’ll be avilable for $4.99, half the price of what you can expect to pay for it on Steam on any given day. Visually the game appears to look just as it did in 2001. The obvious catch is playing the game on an all-touchscreen interface doesn’t sound like the most ideal way to play, particularly when there were complaints about the shooting aspects of the game when it was played on a controller. We’ve gone hands-on with it and Rockstar seems to be doing what it can to deal with the issues (one solution: only displaying buttons when they are needed), but your miles may vary when it comes to dealing with the controls yourself. As of yet GTAIII is the only old GTA game confirmed for iOS and Android. While there would be a “technical challenge” in porting Vice City and San Andreas, ports of the two have been deemed “very possible” by Rockstar. I wouldn’t mind seeing GTA2 as well — Chinatown Wars showed an overhead GTA game can (mostly) work with touchscreen controls, and the Zaibatsu aren’t about to help themselves. Screen 1 from iOS version; 2 and 3 from Android version Find similar article at: http://www.1up.com/news/grand-theft-auto-iii-cost-5-ios-android

Mortal Kombat Review: A Near-Flawless Victory Posted: 01 May 2012 04:42 AM PDT At one point in time, the concept of a zombie apocalypse stood as a genuinely terrifying idea. But, over the years, zombies have begun to serve a different role altogether; for the most part, they’ve become meat pinatas, assisting us in acting out our creative ultraviolent fantasies. Dead Rising and Dead Island may give us the chance to take out thousands of zombies with patently ridiculous weapons, but the badass protagonists of these particular games barely bat an eye at the moldering hordes trying to get a taste of their sweet innards. When compared to these exaggerated experiences, Telltale’s The Walking Dead feels much more like a documentary than Dead Alive; each and every undead encounter is meaningful (and horrible), and taking down a single zombie amounts to much more effort than tearing your way through wet tissue paper. This grounded approach meshes well with the typical slower pace of the traditional adventure formula, and also makes for one of the more atypical and interesting zombie games seen in quite some time. After Telltale’s dreadful Jurassic Park, the company looked to be headed in a dangerous direction; JP’s QTE-based gameplay might have been highly approachable, but it removed most of what we’ve come to expect (and love) from their brand. The Walking Dead doesn’t return completely to the mechanics seen in the later Sam and Max seasons and Tales of Monkey Island, but it gives the player back some much-needed agency, rather than forcing them to undergo neverending series of button prompts. Make no mistake: the interface can’t get any simpler. The ways you can interact with objects and people have been reduced to their absolute basics, and old-school adventure game fans may be disappointed to find that the main character doesn’t have a pithy comment for every piece of background scenery. You can definitely feel Telltale’s hand guiding you throughout, though the developer has provided just the right amount of wiggle room to allow their story to be told effectively. Horror relies entirely on tension, which can easily be broken if players are allowed to meander for minutes, poking at puzzles and exhausting their character’s knowledge of everything in his pockets. Find similar article at: http://www.1up.com/reviews?cId=3187054

Otherland Posted: 01 May 2012 04:42 AM PDT [Game website] I am sure a group of you readers have read about Otherland, an upcoming MMORPG based on Tad Williams’ Otherland novels. While the publisher has been confirmed to be Gamigo, the development studio Real-U (link) is actually located in Singapore and it is a subsidiary of German console game publisher dtp entertainment. I know, it sounds a little bit confusing, but here comes the bad news. According to IGN (link), dtp entertainment has just filed for insolvency just a few hours ago. While the future of Otherland is not mentioned, it seems funding will be limited as insolvency means dtp entertainment is currently unable to repay business debts. Will Gamigo fund the project instead? For me, Otherland is looking really cool, and it will be a total waste if it is canned. Find similar article at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/05/otherland-game-future-in-jeopardy.html

Fable Heroes Review: Not the Hero We Need or Deserve Posted: 30 Apr 2012 10:42 PM PDT See the child. Hear her beckon forth, surrounded by the carcasses of men harboring murderous intent. Men you ended. Their last breath whispering about the sweetness of a child, or the satisfaction of killing the interloper that you are. Save the child, who you thought was yourn, but she reveals herself to be Mei lost in the world of dust, not the daughter you left behind twelve months ago. The voice in your pocket sputters forth. The man named Henry asks, take her, take the lost child Mei, take her to the mall. Give her medicine left behind by those who never set foot in Haventown, those who drop foodstuffs and medicines from above and never look back. Not since The Event. The Event that scraped the loam off the earth and turned it into the dust that hugs and holds and kills all who wander within. The dust that chips and gnaws at your very stamina. The Event that dominates I Am Alive. So you go, ever pressing on to find wife and child. Gone a year, but now you return, to climb and cobble and carry on. You cannot ignore Mei’s bleat for aid, but other survivors of the Event not so much as settle but subsist their meager existences in the dust covered Haventown. A man yearns cigarettes to pass on. Another man in an amusement park needs medicine to heal the leg that’s been crushed by another uncivilized man. Haventown also starves for supplies. Bottles of water, cans of fruit cocktail, a single inhaler, a handful of painkillers, these all turn into precious manna from heaven through scarcity. Give the emergency kit to the woman with the ankle sprain? What these bemoaning folk have to give, besides gratitude and perhaps a precious shotgun, is the Retry. Haventown harbors death by trial, not saves. It does not yield to the checkpoint that others call for. It takes away a Retry from your knapsack for every fall, stab, or shot you suffer. Deplete your store of Retries, and your journey resumes at the beginning of your current episode. A practice that leeches away minutes of your life. A practice that mocks you by depleting Retries and then flings you back to 45 minutes ago. What is worth more, the rat meat that can heal you, or the Retry that you get for giving rat meat to the gurgling man below? Every survivor, like the woman bound by handcuff to a bench, pleads for help while you mind debates. Find similar article at: http://www.1up.com/reviews?cId=3187051

Awesomenauts Exhibits Publishers’ Effect on Digital Distribution Posted: 30 Apr 2012 10:42 PM PDT Update: We’ve received word from Ronimo that both the XBLA and PSN releases of the game will go ahead as scheduled. There’s no word on how this may impact the plans for post-launch updates or if dtp holds the rights to a sequel if and when the time comes for that, but at least for now there won’t be any interruption in us getting our hands on the game this week. Original Story: Awesomenauts‘ name has been mentioned a great deal as of late with its release scheduled for this week. In addition to the new trailers you’d expect to see shortly before a game comes out, it was less than a week ago that developer Ronimo Games announced Awesomenauts would be made available to PlayStation Plus subscribers for free in May. Unfortunately, as the developer is now learning firsthand, what a difference a week can make. IGN reported the bad news yesterday: Awesomenauts publisher dtp entertainment has filed for insolvency. In other words, the German-based company has found itself unable to pay its debts and, as a result, Awesomenauts’ release has been called into question. Dtp has founded in 1995 and has published a number of titles, many of which were for the German market, including Drakensang: The Dark Eye and sequel The River of Time, Crazy Machines: Elements, and King’s Bounty: Armored Princess. “At the moment we’re unsure what this means for [Awesomenauts],” said Ronimo’s Jasper Koning, who also noted the developer is “working hard to try and resolve the situation.” The fate of dtp may need to be determined first; having filed for insolvency, it will now need to reorganize its business or liquidate assets in order to pay off its debts. All we know for sure at the moment is it looks like Awesomenauts will not make it out as planned. The MOBA-style game was first announced last May, Ronimo Games having come off its first major release — another good-looking side-scrolling game, Swords Soldiers. Awesomenauts is a side-scrolling, class-based shooter where two teams are pitted against each other in the same basic structure as in a MOBA game like Dota or League of Legends. It had been scheduled for release tomorrow on the PlayStation Network and Wednesday on Xbox Live Arcade. It might seem strange for a game being released digitally to find itself in such an unfortunate position. Ronimo did absolutely nothing wrong here; instead it would appear that dtp was mismanaged or it somehow miscalculated its finances. Now dtp is in a spot where layoffs could be necessary (it employed over 150 people as of last year) and it may not be able to publish a highly-anticipated game that has the potential to do very well. Ronimo has mentioned having plans to add new characters after release; dtp’s situation could have some impact on those assuming it isn’t forced to sell the publishing rights to the game. Depending upon just how bad the spot it’s currently in is, that may turn out to be a necessary step, although one would think it would prefer to release the game and reap the benefits of a hot XBLA/PSN game. Digital distribution was supposed to make it easier for smaller budget games to be released. It removes the risk inherent in manufacturing and distributing physical copies of a game which might sell out if not enough are produced or sit on store shelves if the expected demand is not there. Yet here we see a game specifically designed for digital platforms that has been thrown into a position with an unknown outcome all because of a publisher’s failings. Although manufacturing and distribution (in the traditional sense) are not an issue in this case, this demonstrates the effect a publisher can have even on a digital game on the verge of release. Find similar article at: http://www.1up.com/news/awesomenauts-publishers-effect-digital-distribution

Dragon Nest goes to Russia Posted: 30 Apr 2012 07:11 PM PDT Earlier today, it was announced a localized Russian version of Dragon Nest will be coming in 2012, which is next year. This is part of Eyedentity Games’ master plan to bring the game to a global audience. The publisher for Dragon Nest Russia is Mail.Ru, one of the biggest online gaming companies in the awesome land of vodka. An European English server (link) next? We shall see. Find similar article at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2011/11/dragon-nest-goes-to-russia.html

Portal 2 DLC Gives Fans the Gift That Keeps Giving With New Level Editor Posted: 30 Apr 2012 04:42 PM PDT Few developers treat their fans better than Valve Software. With the recent unveiling of their new Portal 2 DLC, the company is giving even more power to players with the introduction of the “Perpetual Testing Initiative,” a level editor for last year’s critically acclaimed title. Narrated by Aperture Science’s own Cave Johnson, the new add-on to the excellent puzzle-solving physics romp will give players an expansive set of tools to design their own test chambers and mind bending puzzles with. Valve, in essence, has given fans the keys to the castle — something perfectly in keeping with the developer’s mission. Valve demonstrates an incredible track record of nourishing and promoting user-created content, or as PC call it, “mods.” Counter-Strike, Day of Defeat, and Team Fortress all began as projects fans built on Half-Life‘s original GoldSource engine (which in turn was build around id’s Doom engine). With Valve’s intervention, these “garage” productions went on to become global phenomena in the PC space (well, except perhaps for Day of Defeat) and are still enjoyed by thousands of people today. With Valve’s track record of discovering talent, the most exciting thing about this new DLC isn’t that it’s just around the corner. No, instead the question that comes to mind is who next among Valve’s fans may be plucked to join the developer after creating something even the developer couldn’t have fathomed — it certainly wouldn’t be the first time. Find similar article at: http://www.1up.com/news/portal-2-dlc-fans-gift

Phantasy Star Online 2: A Deeper Look at the Beta Posted: 30 Apr 2012 04:42 PM PDT Remember the Halo Reach sniper rifle shot heard (and bounced) around the world? The one that ricocheted in such a crazy way that it actually went through the head of the very fellow who fired it in the first place? Bizarre as that situation may sound, it can serve as one of many crazy ways to assassinate someone in Dishonored. During the tail end of a recent hands-off demonstration, co-creative directors Harvey Smith and Raf Colantonio briefly went quiet as a Bethesda staffer playing showed off a particularly slick method of taking out multiple targets: Having the player character, Corvo, slow down time before laying down a spring razor trap and using his Blink ability to teleport a short distance away just in time to see the trap detonate when time resumes flowing at a normal rate. To get back to Reach’s unintentional suicide, Smith explained, “Sometimes, when you activate Bend Time, you can actually see the bullet in the air; you can actually then Possess the guy who shot it and walk him around to the front. When time resumes, the bullet kills him and he has this very shocked expression on his face.” Smith has previously described Dishonored as an action-stealth title in terms of its overall genre, but he cites titles like Far Cry 2, Ultima Underworld, System Shock, Thief, and Deus Ex as examples of what he, Colantonio, and the rest of the developers at Arkane are going for with their new creation: An open-ended game driven more by systemic interaction than by scripted spectacle. In other words, they want to simply provide a suite of tools, and objective, and then let players go at it. Corvo has a number of tools — including gear such guns, daggers, traps, grenades and weird steampunk treasure detecting devices as well as more supernatural abilities such as Bend Time, Possession, and Windblast — and his task is simply to find his targets and neutralize them. This can be as simple as stabbing someone in the face; as odd as possessing fish and mice to navigate through the sewers below until you find said target before possessing him to make him jump out a window; or as elaborate and non-lethal as arranging to have his identity stolen in order to condemn him to work in the very same salt mine that he owns. Find similar article at: http://www.1up.com/previews?cId=3187055

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Embraces the Genre’s Past Posted: 30 Apr 2012 04:42 PM PDT Remember the Halo Reach sniper rifle shot heard (and bounced) around the world? The one that ricocheted in such a crazy way that it actually went through the head of the very fellow who fired it in the first place? Bizarre as that situation may sound, it can serve as one of many crazy ways to assassinate someone in Dishonored. During the tail end of a recent hands-off demonstration, co-creative directors Harvey Smith and Raf Colantonio briefly went quiet as a Bethesda staffer playing showed off a particularly slick method of taking out multiple targets: Having the player character, Corvo, slow down time before laying down a spring razor trap and using his Blink ability to teleport a short distance away just in time to see the trap detonate when time resumes flowing at a normal rate. To get back to Reach’s unintentional suicide, Smith explained, “Sometimes, when you activate Bend Time, you can actually see the bullet in the air; you can actually then Possess the guy who shot it and walk him around to the front. When time resumes, the bullet kills him and he has this very shocked expression on his face.” Smith has previously described Dishonored as an action-stealth title in terms of its overall genre, but he cites titles like Far Cry 2, Ultima Underworld, System Shock, Thief, and Deus Ex as examples of what he, Colantonio, and the rest of the developers at Arkane are going for with their new creation: An open-ended game driven more by systemic interaction than by scripted spectacle. In other words, they want to simply provide a suite of tools, and objective, and then let players go at it. Corvo has a number of tools — including gear such guns, daggers, traps, grenades and weird steampunk treasure detecting devices as well as more supernatural abilities such as Bend Time, Possession, and Windblast — and his task is simply to find his targets and neutralize them. This can be as simple as stabbing someone in the face; as odd as possessing fish and mice to navigate through the sewers below until you find said target before possessing him to make him jump out a window; or as elaborate and non-lethal as arranging to have his identity stolen in order to condemn him to work in the very same salt mine that he owns. Find similar article at: http://www.1up.com/previews?cId=3187056

Kritika (KR) Posted: 30 Apr 2012 04:42 PM PDT Revealed back in 2011 (link), there hasn’t been news about Kritika, developed by Lunia Online’s creator, Korean studio All-M. But earlier today, it was announced that Kritika will be entering its very first Korean Closed Beta for a short period, from 24th to 27th May. Kritika will be a MMO very focused on fast, stylish combo combat, which seems to be a trend of the newer games coming out from Korea currently. Not a bad thing I must say, since most gamers now are really attracted to online games sort of similar to console hits such as Devil May Cry, which is one of the most used examples during interviews. The China server was announced at the end of last year as well, with Tencent Games publishing the title in the world’s largest nation (link). The current marketing campaign there is how Kritika will be a “playable comic”. Not a bad pitch, seeing how they intend to start a comic series based on the game. Find similar article at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/05/kritika-kr-closed-beta-1-announced.html

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MMO Updates

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• Flameseeker Chronicles: After beta action report
• Ten ways En Masse changed TERA for the west
• Massively Speaking 199: Rusty Hearts reveal
• TERA launch-day roundup
• Rusty Hearts releases new Leila Vergerius character
• The Daily Grind: How dark do you like your MMO nights?
• Not So Massively: Hero spotlights and Diablo III confirms PvP arenas in 2012
• Tribes: Ascend puts together a beta infographic
• Age of Conan dev blog outlines stamina changes, multi-spec functionality
• EVE Online celebrates nine years of internet spaceships
• TERA Europe offers bonus items and skins to prepurchase customers
• Leaderboard: Two factions vs. three factions
• Allods Online's patch 3.0.1 bringing mentor system, new Astral space
• Pitchblack Games' Dominus abruptly shutting down
• Captain's Log: Interview with Star Trek Online lead writer Christine Thompson, part two

Flameseeker Chronicles: After beta action report Posted: 01 May 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles Well there you have it, ladies and gents: The first Guild Wars 2 beta weekend over which people had direct control over their participation has come and gone. It was quite the exciting weekend, and it's amazing to see the volume and content of feedback being provided. If you missed out on a chance to get your hands on the game, feel free to form some vicarious impressions; there's tons of footage out there from oodles of people. Massively has a few streams recorded, and I have a niggling feeling that someone will have plenty of extra footage. It was great to be back in the game, it was great to get to talk about stuff with people and stream and share pictures, but mostly it was great to see the world populated the way it really needs to be to feel alive and whole. Beta being beta, that brought its own set of challenges and learning experiences -- mostly for ArenaNet -- but on the whole I hope that most people agree that this was, if not a truly delightful weekend (I can't expect everyone to share my taste in games), then at least a solid and informative one. Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: After beta action report Flameseeker Chronicles: After beta action report originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 May 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ten ways En Masse changed TERA for the west Posted: 01 May 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Launches, MMO industry, New titles, News items, TERA TERA's launch day is upon us at last, and in between bouts of action combat we're scouring the web to gauge everyone's reaction to the game. One of the more interesting pieces we've run across thus far outlines all the changes made to the TERA client to accommodate western audiences. Gameranx.com has a list of 10 things En Masse did differently when it appropriated the Korean version of the game, including controller support, quest rewrites, reputation, and daily quests. The firm also made extensive changes to the game's leveling curve to avoid the dreaded "Korean grind-fest" syndrome that supposedly prevents Asian MMOs from finding success in the States. En Masse also borrowed EVE Online's anti-gold farming PLEX idea, renaming it Chronoscrolls for the world of Arborea. There's more too, but you'll have to click the source link below to read it. Ten ways En Masse changed TERA for the west originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 May 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Gameranx.com

Massively Speaking 199: Rusty Hearts reveal Posted: 01 May 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Podcasts, City of Heroes, Interviews, MMO industry, News items, Guild Wars 2, Massively Meta, Massively Speaking, TERA, Neverwinter Massively Speaking Episode 199 has our intrepid duo sitting down with Rusty Hearts Game Producer Mark Hill to talk about the game's newest character: Leila! If petticoats and perfume and razor-sharp swords are your bag, then Leila will answer your peculiar personals ad. We also talk about several game anniversaries, the Guild Wars 2 beta weekend, and Cryptic's big boo-boo. Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air! Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes. [RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. Listen here on the page: Read below the cut for the full show notes. Continue reading Massively Speaking 199: Rusty Hearts reveal Massively Speaking 199: Rusty Hearts reveal originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 May 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

TERA launch-day roundup Posted: 01 May 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Launches, MMO industry, New titles, News items, TERA We've devoted a ton of virtual ink to TERA over the last couple of years. Since the game's long-awaited North American launch day is finally here, we figured it was high time to collect our best coverage in one handy post. Click past the cut to find a little bit of everything to help you start your Arborean journey off on the right foot. We've got detailed gameplay impressions, video, exclusive lore, and plenty of information about everything from crafting to the endgame political system. If you're playing TERA on launch day, join the discussion in the comments and tell us what you think of the game! Continue reading TERA launch-day roundup TERA launch-day roundup originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 May 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Rusty Hearts releases new Leila Vergerius character Posted: 01 May 2012 06:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Classes, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play If you haven't tried Rusty Hearts yet, this week is as good a time as any since Stairway Games, WindySoft, and Perfect World Entertainment are adding a brand-new playable character to the hack-and-slash free-to-play title. Leila Vergerius is the younger sibling of Roselle Vergerius, and she's been fighting to escape her older sister's protective shadow for some time. Perfect World tells us that Leila doesn't actually need the protection since she's more than capable of unleashing a dark magic-flavored can of whoop-ass on par with those of big sis. Leila is also adept with a sword and an axe, both of which are made even more deadly by her propensity for speed, agility, and leap-and-flip aerial attacks. Check her out in the gallery below, and head to the official Rusty Hearts website for more game info. We've also got an interview with Rusty Hearts producer Mark Hill on today's podcast! [Source: Perfect World press release] Gallery: Rusty Hearts Rusty Hearts releases new Leila Vergerius character originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 May 2012 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: How dark do you like your MMO nights? Posted: 01 May 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Daily Grind, MMOFPS I spent some quality time with the Firefall beta build last weekend. One of the things I noticed is that the game's version of night bears more than a passing resemblance to actual night. As in, it's kinda dark and stuff. Helpfully, the devs at Red 5 Studios have provided flashlight functionality in the form of your X key (because the night is dark and full of terrors, according to the cheekily written patch notes on the launcher). Anyway, it was a refreshing change from most of the MMOs nights I've experienced, which are basically MMO days with a blue lens filter. What about you? How dark do you like your MMO nights? 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: How dark do you like your MMO nights? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 May 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Not So Massively: Hero spotlights and Diablo III confirms PvP arenas in 2012 Posted: 30 Apr 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Video, Game mechanics, New titles, Patches, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Not So Massively, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III This week, League of Legends revealed plans to buff support tanks in the Varus patch and change several ability power items. Riot also plans to buff Master Yi and nerf Ryze's ability to tank and deal damage at the same time. Dota 2 released an updated user interface designed to take all the pain out of using the courier, and Bloodline Champions revealed its massive $10,000 DreamHack Summer 2012 tournament. Diablo III revealed the Witch Doctor this week, giving Diablo II necromancer fans a peek at the closest replacement they'll get in the upcoming title. Blizzard's Jay Wilson also confirmed that PvP arenas will be released long before the end of the year. Heroes of Newerth released its new support hero Ellonia, an ice mage whose abilities focus around a stacking slow debuff. Rise of Immortals released a new immortal spotlight video on popular area-effect damage-dealer Netheurgist and encouraged players to start guilds with a contest to win 1,000 prestige points for every guild member. Continue reading Not So Massively: Hero spotlights and Diablo III confirms PvP arenas in 2012 Not So Massively: Hero spotlights and Diablo III confirms PvP arenas in 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Tribes: Ascend puts together a beta infographic Posted: 30 Apr 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Culture, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS Tribes: Ascend has finally launched, and that means players everywhere can experience the simple joy of logging in, gearing up, and then skiing at high velocity across the ground while firing explosive munitions at distant targets. All right, maybe that joy isn't quite as simple, but the point remains that the game has successfully cleared its beta test. And what better way to celebrate that a bit belatedly than by pulling together some interesting stats on the overall beta experience? Past the cut, you'll find an official infographic tallying things like total kills, total number of flags captured, and the ever-important question of how many people met their end by falling. In a game with jetpacks and high-speed skiing, that number is a bit higher than you might otherwise think. So take a look at the full collection of stats, sigh wistfully in memory, and then start gearing up for another round. Continue reading Tribes: Ascend puts together a beta infographic Tribes: Ascend puts together a beta infographic originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Age of Conan dev blog outlines stamina changes, multi-spec functionality Posted: 30 Apr 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Classes, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play Funcom may be gearing up for The Secret World's imminent launch, but the company hasn't abandoned its other Dreamworld-powered MMO. Yes, Age of Conan is still going strong, as it's closing in on its fourth anniversary and pumping out updates on a semi-regular basis. Today's traditional end-of-the-month development letter focuses on said updates, in particular a few systems changes slated for the near future. Funcom's Craig Morrison gives us an update on extensive changes to AoC's stamina mechanics, which have long been a thorn in the side of PvPers and PvEers engaged in lengthy battles. The new system boasts "a new personal resource that will be used just for sprinting. It is also not observable by other players," the dev blog states. Stamina will now be used exclusively for combos, and caster classes no longer have stamina at all. Age of Conan is also getting multi-spec functionality with respect to the game's feat system. Switching between specs can be done almost anywhere in the game world (aside from raids and group instances). Look for these changes on the live servers "later in the summer," Funcom says. Finally, class updates are in the works, beginning with the Tempest of Set and continuing on to the Bear Shaman, the Herald of Xotli, and the Necromancer. There's more too, so head to the official AoC site to read it all. Age of Conan dev blog outlines stamina changes, multi-spec functionality originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: April dev update

EVE Online celebrates nine years of internet spaceships Posted: 30 Apr 2012 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, in-game, News items, Sandbox Break out the cake and presents because EVE Online is turning nine years old on May 6th! That's right, the internet's premier spaceship/spreadsheet simulator is almost a decade old, and CCP Games is doing it up big-time with this year's anniversary gift packages. Beginning on May 4th, players will have the opportunity to choose one of eight fabulous prize packages that include goodies such as ships, skill books, implants, mining crystals, and more. To take a look at all of the wonderful goodie bags that CCP has prepared for you, just head on over to the EVE Online official dev blog and check out the full announcement. EVE Online celebrates nine years of internet spaceships originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: EVE Insider

TERA Europe offers bonus items and skins to prepurchase customers Posted: 30 Apr 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, News items, TERA, Promotions What with all the hullabaloo about TERA Europe's sex-and-violence-reducing changes to the game, some European players have professed to having second thoughts about whether or not to actually purchase the action-focused title. Frogster, the game's European publisher, announced today a new promotion for players who have purchased (or plan to purchase prior to launch) the European version of TERA. To get in on the promotion, players must have purchased the full version of TERA (not the mini pre-order version, which can be upgraded to the full or collector's edition) prior to the game's May 2nd launch. Any players who fall into that category will be rewarded with the Legendary Legacy item package, which includes an exclusive weapon skin for each class, plus three accessories: a pirate eye-patch, a pirate face-mask, and... a pair of horn-rimmed glasses? What is this, sexy pirate librarian cosplay? At any rate, for the full details, head on over and check out the official post at the TERA EU official site. TERA Europe offers bonus items and skins to prepurchase customers originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: TERA Europe -- Bonus for Upgrading and Existing Customers

Leaderboard: Two factions vs. three factions Posted: 30 Apr 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Polls, Culture, Opinion, Miscellaneous, Leaderboard Two vs. three: It should be a cut-and-dry affair. After all, three is always better than two? Maybe... but maybe not. When it comes to factions in MMOs, the line seems to be split between two and three, and I think a good case can be made for both. Two factions is the majority approach for MMOs that have them, and it's easy to understand why. We can comprehend an "us vs. them" mentality in almost every walk of life. If you're not with us, you're against us -- that sort of thing. Two factions draws a line in the sand and requires little explanation for people to understand that one side is naturally better than the other. Three factions, on the other hand, is a godsend for PvP in particular. By having a third faction, it's much less likely that one side can dominate the battlefield eternally, as the other two sides can team up to put an end to that nonsense. Three factions also offers more variety and arguably stronger factional identities. So what say you? Two or three? Cast your vote after the jump! Continue reading Leaderboard: Two factions vs. three factions Leaderboard: Two factions vs. three factions originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Allods Online's patch 3.0.1 bringing mentor system, new Astral space Posted: 30 Apr 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Allods Online Allods Online's astral space is about to get just a little bit bigger thanks to the game's recently announced patch 3.0.1. The title's publisher, gPotato, announced today that the game's May content update will be bringing "a host of fixes and tweaks alongside some significant new features, including a new mentoring system and a new sector of astral space dedicated to free-for-all treasure hunting." The game's mentoring system allows experienced, high-level players to impart their wisdom and knowledge upon new characters of the same faction and archetype. The system is managed entirely through the game's mentor interface, which also helps to match prospective apprentices with a mentor. Mentors can receive a number of rewards, including gold and marks of diligence, depending on the amount of time the mentor spends with his apprentice. The update is also unveiling a new area of astral space wherein players will compete in a free-for-all battle for randomly spawning treasure, but be warned: The more players are in the zone, the higher the chance that a demon will show up to try to wreck your day. Players will have a limited amount of time to contend with opposing players and marauding demons and to gather the most loot possible before time's up. To get a sneak peek at these shiny new features, just head on past the cut and have a look at the update's official trailer. [Source: gPotato press release] Continue reading Allods Online's patch 3.0.1 bringing mentor system, new Astral space Allods Online's patch 3.0.1 bringing mentor system, new Astral space originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Pitchblack Games' Dominus abruptly shutting down Posted: 30 Apr 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, News items, Sandbox We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but sometimes it's just unavoidable. Sanya Weathers, Director of Community for Pitchblack Games' in-development sandbox title, Dominus, posted on the forums today to inform players that, effective immediately, Dominus is no more. Weathers states that the team "simply cannot deliver the game [players] deserve with the resources [the studio has]." She goes on to apologize vehemently, adding that the forum is now read-only, though the game's Facebook page will remain open long enough for players to say their last goodbyes. Sanya signs off by thanking the players for proving that "there is a market for a game like [Dominus]." She concludes, "I will miss you all, and I know we'll meet again." Here's to hoping. Best of luck to the folks over at Pitchblack; we look forward to your next endeavor. Pitchblack Games' Dominus abruptly shutting down originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Dominus official forums -- Closing Down

Captain's Log: Interview with Star Trek Online lead writer Christine Thompson, part two Posted: 30 Apr 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play, Captain's Log This week brings to an end my series of interview with Cryptic Studios representatives. We conclude with the second half of my interview with Christine Thompson, lead writer for Star Trek Online. Thompson confirmed that she essentially writes everything in STO. She admits that she gets some help, sometimes from developers who prefer to write their own work, but she says she writes 90% of everything in the game. The conversation picked back up with a focus on The Foundry, the user-generated content tool available to players in STO. I asked her if she had any direct advice for authors who use the Foundry to create missions and maps and social zones in the game. She said, "Authors "shouldn't be afraid to tell the stories they want to tell. That's one of the joys of The Foundry. And they should also know not every story is going to work for everybody. Some things people will love, and some things people won't. Use Of Bajor for example. I really enjoyed that episode. We took a chance and did something completely different with that episode, and I liked telling a Bajoran story. But for every person who liked that episode, there was somebody saying" -- and here she dropped her voice to a hoarse whisper -- "oh dear god, why can't I just shoot something?!" Continue reading Captain's Log: Interview with Star Trek Online lead writer Christine Thompson, part two Captain's Log: Interview with Star Trek Online lead writer Christine Thompson, part two originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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General gaming

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• Mortal Kombat Review: A Near-Flawless Victory
• Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Embraces the Genre's Past
• Phantasy Star Online 2: A Deeper Look at the Beta
• Portal 2 DLC Gives Fans the Gift That Keeps Giving With New Level Editor
• Awesomenauts Exhibits Publishers' Effect on Digital Distribution
• Fable Heroes Review: Not the Hero We Need or Deserve
• Will Gamers Still Love Lara Croft?

Mortal Kombat Review: A Near-Flawless Victory Posted: 01 May 2012 12:01 AM PDT I didn't think it fair to review Mortal Kombat for Vita without referencing the following key paragraph from our original review, which was written a little over a year ago by fighting game savant Neidel Crisan: "With just under 30 characters to try out from the get-go, 30 different stages with a mountain of secrets and unlockables, and a robust online mode, the replay value is absolutely through the roof. Mortal Kombat has set the standard for the sheer amount of content that is to be expected from a title like this, showing that it is possible to add many creative elements to a genre that has typically been restricted to one-vs.-one arcade battles, training and online modes that leave a lot to be desired. If other developers follow suit and add even half of the amount of content that's included in Mortal Kombat, the fighting game genre has a very bright future ahead of it."

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Embraces the Genre's Past Posted: 30 Apr 2012 04:16 PM PDT Shortly after last fall's release of the underwhelming Mario Kart 7, we put together a list of six lessons the series could learn from other entries in the genre. Mario has resided in rarefied atmosphere at the top of the mountain, and because of this, recent installments have suffered from the kind of stagnation that stems from a lack of competition. Well, in a serendipitous turn, it seems like the folks at Sumo Digital were thinking of many of the same lessons. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (which I will refer to as Transformed for the sake of my own sanity), a followup to Sonic's 2010 inaugural jaunt behind the wheel, treads new ground in the genre by keeping a watchful eye on the past. For a long time, I've wanted Mario Kart to take a Super Smash Bros. approach and treat each installment as a tribute to all things Nintendo. While this has yet to come to fruition, Transformed's focus is on being a complete and sincere love letter to all things Sega. From the inclusion of fan-favorite characters like Vyse from Skies of Arcadia to more obscure competitors like Gilius Thunderhead, the feisty little dwarf from Golden Axe, Sumo is rolling up its sleeves and digging deep into the mine of Sega's past. Sumo isn't pandering by filling the line-up with purely Sonic characters, but instead giving those of us who grew up on the Genesis a healthy heap of fan-service. While the wide variety to characters show off this idea of tribute, it's the tracks themselves that really bring this concept to fruition.

Phantasy Star Online 2: A Deeper Look at the Beta Posted: 30 Apr 2012 03:45 PM PDT

Portal 2 DLC Gives Fans the Gift That Keeps Giving With New Level Editor Posted: 30 Apr 2012 03:33 PM PDT Few developers treat their fans better than Valve Software. With the recent unveiling of their new Portal 2 DLC, the company is giving even more power to players with the introduction of the "Perpetual Testing Initiative," a level editor for last year's critically acclaimed title.

Awesomenauts Exhibits Publishers' Effect on Digital Distribution Posted: 30 Apr 2012 01:26 PM PDT Update: We've received word from Ronimo that both the XBLA and PSN releases of the game will go ahead as scheduled. There's no word on how this may impact the plans for post-launch updates or if dtp holds the rights to a sequel if and when the time comes for that, but at least for now there won't be any interruption in us getting our hands on the game this week. Original Story: Awesomenauts' name has been mentioned a great deal as of late with its release scheduled for this week. In addition to the new trailers you'd expect to see shortly before a game comes out, it was less than a week ago that developer Ronimo Games announced Awesomenauts would be made available to PlayStation Plus subscribers for free in May. Unfortunately, as the developer is now learning firsthand, what a difference a week can make.

Fable Heroes Review: Not the Hero We Need or Deserve Posted: 30 Apr 2012 12:11 PM PDT With Fable 3 wrapping up the RPG trilogy with a nice little bow, its creators now seem intent on exploring the wider Xbox 360 base by tapping into two other very distinct styles of play: Gesture-based shooting in Fable: The Journey, and bite-sized, beat-'em-up thrills with Fable Heroes. The Journey may well prove divisive among fans simply for its reliance on Kinect, but Fable Heroes sets its sights on wide appeal via accessible co-op action, a tiny $10 price point, and a bevy of franchise references that are light enough to not alienate newcomers. As such, the Xbox Live Arcade release seems poised to introduce the world of Albion to a much larger audience; but for all its surface charm and smart ideas, Fable Heroes falls flat in action. Its slow-paced, repetitive combat fails to engage or consistently entertain. All the colorful callbacks in the world can't make up for what proves to be a frequently dull and unnecessarily repetitive experience.

Will Gamers Still Love Lara Croft? Posted: 30 Apr 2012 10:16 AM PDT Forget Mario. Forget Sonic. Forget White Guy With Short Brown Hair and High-Tech Space Armor. Forget Pac-Man. The most beloved video game character ever just might be Lara Croft, the tough-talking heroine of Eidos' Tomb Raider series. Boys mostly remember her for her habit of wearing impractical, revealing outfits and wiggling her hips as she explored ancient ruins; girls mostly remember her for being a non-nonsense heroine in a medium laden with princesses in need of rescue: A woman who could pump every bad guy in sight full of bullets all on her own, thank you very much, skimpy outfits and sexy wiggle be damned.

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