MMO Updates

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• Some Assembly Required: Creating content for cash
• PAX Prime 2012: Hands-on with Origins of Malu
• Farewell and thank you!
• Blade & Soul opens Western website, debuts trailer
• The Daily Grind: Which studio would you like to see do a Reddit Ask Me Anything?
• CCP shares EVE's social calendar
• World of Warcraft continues Mists of Pandaria TV coverage
• RaiderZ shows off Hero's Lane
• City of Heroes fans buy Paragon Studios a meal and proclaim allegiance
• Chaos Theory: Nine of The Secret World's best videos
• ArenaNet on Guild Wars 2's reimagined endgame
• SOE working on two additional PlanetSide 2 continents
• LotRO hands over war-steed reins in dev diary
• Players in DUST 514 and EVE Online can join the same corporations
• BioWare testing new high-population server tech for SWTOR
• New Firefall milestone focused on PvE

Some Assembly Required: Creating content for cash Posted: 14 Sep 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Aion, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Business models, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, Second Life, All Points Bulletin, Miscellaneous, Some Assembly Required Housing. Mission generators. Player-run festivals. Music. Overall general sandboxy goodness. Since its debut over a year ago, Some Assembly Required has covered a number of topics related to player-generated content as well as the games that offer such features. However, recent events have turned my attention toward a different aspect of PGC. Between the Dota 2 incident and last week's announcement from Sony Online Entertainment, I am actually looking at player-generated content in a whole new way: as a revenue generator. That's right -- collecting cold hard cash for your creativity. Although plenty of titles allow players to create content and share it within the games, very few let players sell that content for real-world money. This column explores the cash-for-content phenomenon in MMOs: what games have it, how to use it, and whether it is likely to become the next big thing. Continue reading Some Assembly Required: Creating content for cash Some Assembly Required: Creating content for cash originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

PAX Prime 2012: Hands-on with Origins of Malu Posted: 14 Sep 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, Opinion, Massively Interviews, Massively Hands-on, First Impressions, Massively Event Coverage, Miscellaneous PAX Prime is gone and passed, but our coverage isn't done quite yet. As it happens, we've saved one of the best for last. Burning Dog Media's upcoming MMO, Origins of Malu, has been making a few waves in the sandbox-craving community. Boasting features such as brick-by-brick player-house construction and exploration-focused gameplay, Origins of Malu is a game that I've had my eye on for some time. So of course I was rather excited to be able to go hands-on with the game at PAX, where Burning Dog had set up a small alpha-build PvP battleground in which players could battle head-to-head in a slightly twisted version of the traditional capture-the-flag gametype. Now, I don't know about y'all, but PvP isn't exactly on the top of my list of Origins of Malu features I'm looking forward to, but there were definitely some surprises to be had in the demo, plus I got to have a bit of a chat with Burning Dog's president of media, Michael Dunham. What did I think? Find out for yourself after the cut. Continue reading PAX Prime 2012: Hands-on with Origins of Malu PAX Prime 2012: Hands-on with Origins of Malu originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Farewell and thank you! Posted: 14 Sep 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous Well, the time has come. After almost five years at Massively and over three and a half at the helm, it's time for me to step down as Editor-in-Chief. On September 30th, I'll be handing the site over to the capable hands of Bree Royce, who has been such an integral part of the behind-the-scenes goings-on at the site already that it should be a seamless transition. It's certainly been a wild ride, and as much as it pains me to leave everything I've helped build with my blood, sweat, and tears, it's a necessary change at this point in my life. As a guy who has been everything from a graphic designer to a police officer to the Orkin man, I can honestly say this has been the best job I've ever had. Continue reading Farewell and thank you! Farewell and thank you! originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Blade & Soul opens Western website, debuts trailer Posted: 14 Sep 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Free-to-play, Blade & Soul If you've been long awaiting NCsoft's Blade & Soul, then today might be the shot in the arm that your anticipation needs. The publisher unloaded a brand-new website for its Western fans as well as a North American trailer. The website offers many goodies right out of the gate, including an overview of Blade & Soul's world, races, and classes; screenshots, concept art, and videos; a newsletter signup; and frequently asked questions and answers. As for the trailer, it's a high-octane mix of splendid videos and flashy combat, as you might have expected. Massively recently met with NCsoft to talk about the title's voyage to the Western market, and the following trailer is certainly part of that transition. Continue reading Blade & Soul opens Western website, debuts trailer Blade & Soul opens Western website, debuts trailer originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Which studio would you like to see do a Reddit Ask Me Anything? Posted: 14 Sep 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Community Q&A, Miscellaneous Funcom, ArenaNet, and heck, even Blizzard have all turned to the popular online gaming community at Reddit to participate in what is known as an Ask Me Anything (AMA). These Q&A sessions are in real-time and can get quite heated, although they are monitored closely by Reddit mods. The results of these AMAs are sometimes up for interpretation as weeding through the oceans of questions for anything meaty can be a chore. Nonetheless, more and more game studios are discovering how effective these scheduled events can be. So who (in MMO gaming) would you like to see do one of these AMAs? If your favorite MMO dev studios haven't jumped in yet, would you like to see them go for it? Or do you think it's a waste of time? Let us know! 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: Which studio would you like to see do a Reddit Ask Me Anything? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

CCP shares EVE's social calendar Posted: 13 Sep 2012 08:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, real-world, News items, Dev Diaries, Sandbox It's the busy season for conventions and expos. There are events running all 'round the world, and now you can know which ones CCP is taking part in. Flip open your calendar and ring up your travel agent if you've got your heart set on meeting your favorite EVE Online devs. The EVE DUST Summerfest runs this weekend, September 14th-16th, in Loutraki, Greece. It's followed shortly by the Tokyo Game Show on the 20th-23rd. The player-organized VETO EVE event is in London on the 29th, so if you're in town for the Eurogamer Expo, which runs from the 27th-30th, you might as well check it out. After that, the party moves to Igromir in Moscow, Russia before winding up in the Las Vegas for EVE Vegas. Check out the EVE blog for full details and hit up the official forums for word of more player meetups. CCP shares EVE's social calendar originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: EVE Online news

World of Warcraft continues Mists of Pandaria TV coverage Posted: 13 Sep 2012 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Expansions "The question isn't why we fight," a wizened voice says, "but what's worth fighting for." Thus goes the third TV commercial for World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria. Blizzard continues to storm the airwaves in preparation for Pandaria's September 25th release. The commercial is just cobbled together from the opening cinematic, but it's still cool to see an MMO get airtime on television these days. Give it your full and undivided attention after the jump. Continue reading World of Warcraft continues Mists of Pandaria TV coverage World of Warcraft continues Mists of Pandaria TV coverage originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: YouTube

RaiderZ shows off Hero's Lane Posted: 13 Sep 2012 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Previews, News items, Free-to-play The whirlwind tour of the world of Rendel continues with the latest zone preview for RaiderZ. Today's video shows off the region known as Hero's Lane, a lovely location for a leisurely stroll that's filled with aging graveyards and expansive gardens. Of course, since this is RaiderZ, your definition of a leisurely stroll will need to include hordes of undead, carnivorous plants, and demonic forces working all around you. Beneath the expansive graveyard filled with the undead lie the Catacombs of the Damned, which is absolutely lousy with undead minions and demonic cultists (as the name might imply). Stopping to smell the roses instead might be a bad idea, as the aforementioned expansive garden is home to the Master of the Garden, a plant that's far more dangerous than any photosynthesizing creature ought to be. Check out the full trailer for the area just past the break. [Source: Perfect World Entertainment press release] Gallery: RaiderZ Gallery Continue reading RaiderZ shows off Hero's Lane RaiderZ shows off Hero's Lane originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

City of Heroes fans buy Paragon Studios a meal and proclaim allegiance Posted: 13 Sep 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Culture, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play The zeal of the City of Heroes fanbase has not wavered, and fans continue striving to avert the game's shutdown. But it's not just the game that's suffered; the staff at Paragon Studios has been hit with a heavy load as well. TonyV, mastermind behind the movement to save CoH, knew of a restaurant that the studio employees frequented for meals and started a fundraiser to buy the staff a meal. It took three hours to raise $1000, enough for the entire team to have a nice dinner out courtesy of the fans. Fans are also organizing further events in-game. Two massive joint task force runs are scheduled for September 20th at 9 p.m. EDT and September 22nd at noon EDT. Players are asked to gather in Steel Canyon in record numbers to run Positron's Task Force en masse, showing that the entire playerbase is indeed Positron's Ally. Check the official thread for more details and start clearing some space on your schedule for next week. [Thanks to Dr. Toerag for the tip!] City of Heroes fans buy Paragon Studios a meal and proclaim allegiance originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Call to Action: Dinner's on us!, Call to Action: Positron's Ally

Chaos Theory: Nine of The Secret World's best videos Posted: 13 Sep 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Trailers, Video, MMO industry, Opinion, The Secret World, Chaos Theory What say you to the idea of a feature film based on The Secret World? It's a pretty cool thought, however unlikely, amirite? Yesterday, someone linked me to one of those mash-up YouTube fan trailers that purported to be a teaser for a Secret World movie, and it was so well done that I spent portions of the day collecting as many pro-quality TSW trailers as I could find. Most of these I'd seen already. Some are fairly obscure, though, and given the bad news swirling around the game these last few weeks, I figured that today's Chaos Theory ought to take a step back and celebrate some of the awesome that stems from the TSW's chewy narrative center. Continue reading Chaos Theory: Nine of The Secret World's best videos Chaos Theory: Nine of The Secret World's best videos originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

ArenaNet on Guild Wars 2's reimagined endgame Posted: 13 Sep 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, PvE, Guild Wars 2, Free-to-play Fan scuttlebutt has long held that Guild Wars 2 has no traditional MMO endgame, but now you can get a summation of the design manifesto straight from the horse's mouth. ArenaNet Lead Content Designer Mike Zadorojny has authored a blog post called The Endgame Reimagined, and in it he says that yes, Guild Wars 2 seeks to avoid making players grind "through chunks of boring, repetitive content to get to the occasional pockets of fun." How, specifically, does the game manage it? For starters, it introduces elements typically associated with endgame "at every level and every possible opportunity." Things like large-scale boss fights are commonplace, as are the title's dynamic events that spread across the level range. Once you do get to the actual endgame, ANet says that there's still plenty to do. Read all about it at the official site. ArenaNet on Guild Wars 2's reimagined endgame originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Endgame Reimagined

SOE working on two additional PlanetSide 2 continents Posted: 13 Sep 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2 Those of you enjoying er, testing the PlanetSide 2 beta have thus far been confined to a single continent. That's about to change, as Sony Online Entertainment is getting ready to Galaxy-drop a new landmass into the thick of the game's closed testing phase. CEO John Smedley took to the official forums earlier this week to provide some details. Not only is SOE working on a second continent (Esamir), but it's got a third one waiting in the wings. We are working hard on Esamir. It's getting closer and closer to a finished state where we want you guys to play on it. It's pretty awesome and very different gameplay-wise than Indar. After that, Amerish will go back to being worked on. These continents are taking longer than we expected and it's possible we end up launching with two and delivering the third shortly after launch. We're working super hard but we have some resource bottlenecks. We also are going to see how the game plays with two continents before making any final decisions, so please do us a favor and don't judge any of this before you play the game with two. Further updates, including performance, gunplay, and spawning tweaks, are all viewable on the official PS2 boards. SOE working on two additional PlanetSide 2 continents originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: PS2 forums Via: RPS

LotRO hands over war-steed reins in dev diary Posted: 13 Sep 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, Free-to-play The Lord of the Rings Online team is hard at work putting the final touches on next month's Riders of Rohan, and a new dev diary shines a spotlight on the expansion's star attraction: trainable war-steeds. The article gives a brief overview of the types of mounts -- light, medium, and heavy -- as well as the trait trees that accompany them. According to the devs, each war-steed will have 32 potential traits to unlock. The good news, they say, is that retraiting a mount is easily accomplished on the fly for the cost of a few coins. The devs round out the post by sharing a few of their favorite traits and skills that war-steeds boast. These include feigning injury to dump threat, trampling enemies, giving additional damage to attacking from behind, and boosting crit chance by a whopping 25%. LotRO hands over war-steed reins in dev diary originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Mount dev diary

Players in DUST 514 and EVE Online can join the same corporations Posted: 13 Sep 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Guilds, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, DUST 514 Integrating EVE Online with CCP Games' upcoming DUST 514 must present many challenges, one of which is how to handle the issue of corporations (guilds). In a new blog post, CCP confirms that players of either game can join the same corporations, whether they are newly established or deep-rooted EVE entities. DUST 514 corps will therefore be structured and function much the same as the corps in EVE Online, with the founding member becoming CEO. DUST 514 players will not be able to access all levels of management for multi-game corps, however. CCP is providing similar corporation creation tools for DUST 514, including logo design, structured roles, and corporation battles. Players of both games will then be easily able to communicate to each other through corp chat. Players in DUST 514 and EVE Online can join the same corporations originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: PlayStation blog

BioWare testing new high-population server tech for SWTOR Posted: 13 Sep 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic BioWare is working on something called "high-population server tech" for Star Wars: The Old Republic. A new posting on the game's official website claims that the new stuff "will allow us to significantly increase current server populations." The company is putting out a call for testers, and all characters from East Coast servers have already been copied to a new public test server that is available starting today. Full instructions for logging in and testing can be found on the official site. BioWare testing new high-population server tech for SWTOR originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

New Firefall milestone focused on PvE Posted: 13 Sep 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, PvE, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, Dev Diaries, Firefall Red 5 has posted a new announcement on its website concerning Firefall's latest project milestone, and this one features a laser focus on PvE content. The posting details a bit of Red 5's internal structure before going on to talk up what exactly each team is doing. The Chosen Warfront group is working on "new, dynamic encounters with the Chosen to make the war a part of the daily life of New Eden's residents." Translation: They're expanding on patrols and incursions to give PvE battles more of a random, life-like feel. There are also specific teams devoted to creatures, player rewards, core combat, exploration, matchmaking, and more. Check it out on the Firefall website. New Firefall milestone focused on PvE originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Milestone update

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General gaming

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• The Essential 100, No. 31: Ultima IV
• The Essential 100, No. 32: StarCraft
• The Essential 100, No. 33: The Sims
• Tokyo Jungle Review: When Pomeranians Ruled the Earth
• The Essential 100, No. 34: Baldur's Gate
• The Essential 100, No. 35: Sonic the Hedgehog
• Joe Danger 2: The Movie Review: Unstoppable Joe-mentum
• Wii U's Price May Prove to Be Too High As It Focuses On Casuals, Not the Core

The Essential 100, No. 31: Ultima IV Posted: 13 Sep 2012 09:54 PM PDT Feature Share it: Tweet 1UP COVER STORY 1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 10 | THE ESSENTIAL 100, PART THREE The Essential 100, No. 31: Ultima IV Cover Story: One game said, "Be excellent unto each other," and changed RPGs forever. O ne the greatest strengths of video games comes from their sheer mutability. Games can take on myriad forms with endless objectives. Whether serving up simple high-score challenges or taking players an interactive journey to Hollywood by way of the Uncanny Valley, a video game can provide practically any kind of escapist diversion you desire: So concentration-intensive you slip into a trance of adrenaline, or such repetitive clicking and grinding your delta waves start to peak. Even within a genre, you can find an enormous gamut of styles, approaches, and objectives.

The Essential 100, No. 32: StarCraft Posted: 13 Sep 2012 07:18 PM PDT Feature Share it: Tweet 1UP COVER STORY 1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 10 | THE ESSENTIAL 100, PART THREE The Essential 100, No. 32: StarCraft Cover Story: South Korea's national sport helped defined pro gaming in our time. A t PAX 2012, one of the largest rooms at the convention was devoted entirely to the League of Legends region championships. Actually, "room" isn't quite the right word. It was like walking into gaming's equivalent of Thunderdome: Flashing lights, huge crowds, massive flat screens, and row upon row of competitors. For this spectacle, fans can in large part thank StarCraft. StarCraft didn't bring about the pro scene -- it's been around since people started chasing high scores in games like Donkey Kong. But StarCraft, along with Quake and Street Fighter, was one of the three pillars that helped set eSports on the path to where it is today.

The Essential 100, No. 33: The Sims Posted: 13 Sep 2012 04:34 PM PDT Feature Share it: Tweet 1UP COVER STORY 1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 10 | THE ESSENTIAL 100, PART THREE The Essential 100, No. 33: The Sims Cover Story: Playing house in the 21st century. I 'd be willing to bet that a lot of you found yourself in a similar situation that I did back in 2000. The Sims caused me to become fused to my monitor as I developed a sort of digital OCD for my virtual family. I had to make sure that their house was spotless, their lives were perfect, and their futures were bright. I spent hours upon hours pecking away at my mouse to meet this goal, until suddenly it hit me: Why was I cleaning up a virtual room when my actual room needed cleaning? Why did I place more importance on my character getting to work on time than I did on myself getting to school on time? For the love of god Will Wright, what did you do to me? Well, it turns out that SimCity creator/video game icon wasn't some sort of malevolent conjurer focused on ruining productivity, but rather just one hell of a game designer.

Tokyo Jungle Review: When Pomeranians Ruled the Earth Posted: 13 Sep 2012 03:18 PM PDT If Tokyo Jungle asked me to insert a quarter every time my critter got chomped, I'd gladly empty my pockets. It's strange that a PS3 game in 2012 is able to deliver the closest thing I've had to a pure arcade experience in well over a decade. The PSN survival story presents a surprisingly dense world with a series of interesting mechanics that encourage you to learn from your mistakes and rewards you for your willingness to adapt and evolve. I have a feeling that Tokyo Jungle is going to be remembered as "that weird game where you play as a Pomeranian," which is a bit of a shame. What it should be remembered as is, "that fantastic weird game where you play as a Pomeranian." The world is in ruin. Unknown forces have caused humanity to become extinct, leaving the urban sprawl of Tokyo to be populated by all manner of wild beasts. That's where you come in -- your job is to assume the role of increasingly larger animals, and simply survive for as long as you can before succumbing to the dangers of hunger, predators, and old age. Like those classic arcade games of yore, Tokyo Jungle is really all about playing until you die, learning from your mistakes, and making a bit more progress the next time you play. At the start of any survival mode round, you'll choose your character from an ever-increasing roster of animals that range from beagles and chicks to lions and dinosaurs. Each animal is either a carnivore or herbivore, forcing you to adapt your play style to whichever creature you choose. Meat eaters can go on the offensive and attack weaker animals, while more docile herbivores will need to take a stealthy approach to survival. As time passes, you'll need to find a mate, reproduce, and eventually take control of the next generation. This natural, organic approach to the concept of extra lives really demonstrates the game's smart design that takes a strange concept and runs with it.

The Essential 100, No. 34: Baldur's Gate Posted: 13 Sep 2012 02:57 PM PDT Feature Share it: Tweet 1UP COVER STORY 1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 10 | THE ESSENTIAL 100, PART THREE The Essential 100, No. 34: Baldur's Gate Cover Story: The standard by which PC role-playing games are still judged. C onjure up a mental image of a computer RPG. What do you see? An enormous adventure packed with nearly eighty hours of content? A fantasy setting that feels lived in and chock full of character? Pauseable party-based combat featuring layers of complexity and rewards for careful planning and creativity? Tons of genuinely interesting side quests driven by memorable characters, from shady liars to sickeningly virtuous rubes? You would be hard-pressed to name anything more representative of PC role-playing than the Baldur's Gate saga. Arriving in 1998 and concluding in 2001 after two core games and a pair of lengthy expansions, the series put BioWare on the map. It transcended its Dungeons & Dragons license, massaging the 2nd Edition ruleset and high fantasy Forgotten Realms setting into a sprawling epic that could have been appreciated by someone who had never rolled a D20 or scrawled the name Carlos on their dwarf fighter's character sheet. To this day the collective journey is a touchstone for PC gamers, a point of reference in any discussion of substantial RPGs.

The Essential 100, No. 35: Sonic the Hedgehog Posted: 13 Sep 2012 01:34 PM PDT Feature Share it: Tweet 1UP COVER STORY 1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 10 | THE ESSENTIAL 100, PART THREE The Essential 100, No. 35: Sonic the Hedgehog Cover Story: Sega's speedster played an important role in evolving the platformer. S onic the Hedgehog creator Yuji Naka may have read The Tortoise and the Hare, but he sure as hell didn't pay any attention to it. Naka and his team at Sega shrugged off the lessons of Aesop's parable, electing instead to view the rabbit as a source of inspiration. What if slow and steady didn't win the race? Perhaps the fable had it wrong; what if the race to the top of the platform mascot mountain could be won through raw, unadulterated speed? Well, that theory was certainly put to the test when Sega pushed all of their chips towards a blue hedgehog named Sonic.

Joe Danger 2: The Movie Review: Unstoppable Joe-mentum Posted: 13 Sep 2012 01:18 PM PDT Though the original Joe Danger saw its share of healthy sales and glowing reviews back in the summer of 2010, I don't think Hello Games' debut received the following it deserved. Falling in line with other popular downloadable titles like Geometry Wars and Super Meat Boy, the original Danger offered bite-sized levels with multiple goals that required a delicate mix of patience and skill to complete. Where Danger differed from these twitch-style games, though, could be found in its complex controls, which gave players a remarkable amount of management over Joe's aerial acrobatics at the risk of overloading their brains with the demands of six different buttons. With the sequel, Hello Games could have broadened the appeal of Joe Danger by simplifying their control setup into something a little less touchy and technical, but thankfully, they've held fast to Joe's original game play by requiring the same amount of meticulous multi-tasking from players, all in settings wildly different than the racing-related backdrops of the original.

Wii U's Price May Prove to Be Too High As It Focuses On Casuals, Not the Core Posted: 13 Sep 2012 11:40 AM PDT As expected, Nintendo finally revealed the details on Wii U we've been anticipating for months: a price and release date. The new system launches on November 18 in the United States in two distinct versions. The Basic set includes a white system and will be priced at $300, while the Deluxe set containing a black system will come in at $350. We also now have a clear impression of what to expect in terms of software in the console's first few months of availability. With that knowledge in hand, it seems as if Nintendo is gearing the system to a more casual audience, but if that's the case, it could be that these prices are a bit too high. Part of the Wii's resounding success was its $250 price and the free copy of Wii Sports all systems came with. The cost of tax and an extra controller aside, you were getting a complete experience for only $250, a price that gave it an edge over the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 to go along with its more approachable nature. It was improbable Nintendo (or any game console manufacturer) would be able to recreate the degree of success the Wii enjoyed; this price only makes it more difficult to begin to approach those heights with Wii U.

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