Latest Gaming and MMORPG Updates

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• NCsoft buys over Pangya and Trickster developer
• Sennheiser Launches “The Write Stuff” Competition
• The Vita Launch Round-Up: Part Two
• Wizardry Online (JP)
• Touch My Katamari Review: Not as Clever as It Wants to be
• F2 : Floating Fortress (KR)
• Watch 1UP Play the Battlefield 3 Beta

NCsoft buys over Pangya and Trickster developer Posted: 15 Feb 2012 08:05 AM PST Earlier today in the financial call, NCsoft confirmed the purchase of 76% shares of Korean developer Ntreev. The deal is reportedly worth a cool USD 96.7 million. Ntreev is well-known in the English market for titles including Trickster and Pangya, and more recently is own English MMO portal, GameRage (link). 1 of the company’s most recent casual games include Alicia (link) as well, but what is the reason for NCsoft buying the company? Well, casual gaming is one thing which NCsoft obvisouly failed terribly over the past few years (Dragonica Korea, Exteel etc), with the recent closure of Punch Monster (a MapleStory/ Grand Chase hybrid) as proof. Another core reason the takeover happened is due to Ntreev’s experience in developing Baseball Manager Online (below), which is a top earning game in Korea with sales hitting over USD 2.5 million on the record month. NCsoft recently formed the 13th team (NC Dinos) in the professional Korean baseball league (link), hence there are links here as well. Ntreev has got deep ties with Japanese gaming company SEGA as well due to various baseball games collaborations, and NCsoft will not have a chance to deepen the working relationship. Ntreev is also an established online games publisher in Korea, with the most recent titles captured being Heroes of Newerth (HoN) and Age of Wulin Korea (link). To add on, Ntreev is also developing Power Rangers Online (link). All in all, a big year ahead for NCsoft with Blade Soul confirmed to begin commercial service before mid 2012 later this year, and Guild Wars 2 confirmed to launch before the year ends. Good times indeed for NCsoft, definitely.

Sennheiser Launches “The Write Stuff” Competition Posted: 15 Feb 2012 08:05 AM PST Gaming peripheral manufacturer Sennheiser and eSports website Cadred.org have launched an exciting new competition for budding games journalists. It's called "The Write Stuff" and invites gamers from all over Europe to apply for an internship at Cadred, detailing their gaming interests, reasons why they want the internship and any previous journalism experience. The application process is open now, and closes on 1 April 2012 after which a shortlist of ten candidates will be selected to write about what Sennheiser's latest  product for gamers, the PC 320 headset, brings to online competitive gaming. These articles will be presented to the gaming community on Cadred.org for a public vote, which will have a strong impact on the decision made by the judging panel. The winner gets a three-month paid internship (at a rate of £200 a month), a fortnightly column on Cadred and mentoring from Richard Lewis and Michael McGhee. The internship will start on 1 May with an expenses-paid trip to the i45 LAN gaming event and will go on to report on the most prestigious online gaming tournaments. "For me it is vitally important to nurture the next generation of writing talent within the world of esports," said Richard Lewis, Editor in Chief for Cadred.org. "The journalists are the front line in promoting competitive gaming as a whole; without talented and dedicated journalists the world of esports would be an awful lot bleaker, and there's plenty of untapped potential out there." "The competitive gaming scene has gone from strength to strength over the past decade, and is an incredibly exciting place to be right now," said Charlotte Gaskin, Sennheiser Channel Marketing Manager. "We strive to give gamers the best audio products on the market, and in partnering with Cadred we are able to continue our support for the gaming community; we can't wait to see what talent we find." You can apply for the competition yourself on the official The Write Stuff webpage. Posted by: admin in Gaming News Find related article at: http://www.totalpcgaming.com/latest-pc-news/sennheiser-launches-the-write-stuff-competition/ Thank you for Visiting Gameforumer.com, Hope you enjoyed the stay with us.

The Vita Launch Round-Up: Part Two Posted: 15 Feb 2012 02:04 AM PST Yesterday, we posted some reviews and capsule impressions on about half of the PlayStation Vita’s launch lineup. As you might have noticed, it was a pretty Sony CEA-centric half. Today, the embargo has lifted for pretty much everything else. Some other reviews and posts will go live as embargos lift, but in the meantime, here are our not-quite-reviews of a lot of third-party Vita games. Army Corps of Hell It’s not the Pikmin game we want… but maybe it’s the Pikmin game we deserve. Army Corps may wear the Square Enix name and make you want to bang your head and make devil horns with your fingers, but make no mistake: This is a game designed very much in the spirit of Nintendo’s RTS classics for GameCube (thanks in large part to sharing key creative personnel). Still, despite the similarity of play mechanics — you’re a dude who controls dozens of little minions divided into three different classes with distinct abilities, and you attack foes by chucking your servants at them — don’t go thinking this is just Pikmin with a Satan-colored coat of paint. It’s a far more linear kind of experience than its inspiration, more akin to a time attack or boss rush than Pikmin’s leisurely exploration was. That doesn’t make it bad; merely different. We’re still working on our full review of the game, but if you can stomach its rather high price tag it’s definitely one of the most notable and entertaining selections of the Vita launch lineup. Asphalt Injection Gameloft’s Asphalt Injection brings the charms of simple iOS racing series to Vita at a much higher price point than the App Store. It’s true that Asphalt controls well on Sony’s new portable, and offers fun touch control schemes that take advantage of the Vita’s many features. But on the visual front, Asphalt injects little effort — presenting a bland set of environments, cars, and game mechanics. It’s still a fun game to play, but the lack of worthwhile visuals makes the $29.99 price tag a questionable purchase. BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II Extend BlazBlue serves as a fine 2D portable fighting game alternative to Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom. Consider this the “definitive” version of Continuum Shift — which has already undergone its fair share of re-releases. Learning the intricacies of 19 characters (plus new ones like weirdo puppeteer Rellius Clover) across 11 modes (including cross-platform play and a crazy hard “Unlimited Mars” mode from the arcade version) will likely keep you busy. The option to use touch controls exists, but it feels like a complete afterthought or a feature-by-obligation — you’ll just want to stay with using analog sticks and buttons. While diehard fans who have every previous version will notice how this one doesn’t add a whole lot new, it’s still a great to have a damn good (and gorgeous) 2D fighting game for the system. Dungeon Hunter Alliance Looking for a great co-op RPG experience on your Vita? Well… keep looking. Dungeon Hunter isn’t a terrible game, but it’s not particularly good, either. It certainly does nothing to show off the capabilities of your shiny new Vita; the game is a recycled port of a smartphone game, and its visuals look decidedly sub-par for a PSP, let alone Vita. Despite its smudgy textures and blocky characters, it chugs in places, and its teensy-tiny screen font is basically an exercise in eyestrain. For those desperate to do some loot-grinding on Vita, it’s a quick fix, but we’d rather save our pennies for a rainy day in the hopes that the rain will bring a PSN port of Torchlight or something. Posted by: admin in Gaming News Find related article at: http://www.1up.com/features/vita-launch-round-up-part-two Thank you for Visiting Gameforumer.com, Hope you enjoyed the stay with us.

Wizardry Online (JP) Posted: 15 Feb 2012 01:26 AM PST As you might have known, Wizardry, the gaming franchise from the 1980s’, was made into an online game by the current IP owner, Gamepot Japan. After a few Closed Beta tests, the game is now set for Open Beta in Japan on October 7th. This hardcore title with permanent player death will also be reaching English shores in the future (link). I am not sure if it will be under Gamepot USA, as the company’s game catalog is really… depressing at the moment (link). However, players must first purchase the Wizardry Online client at a price of 3990 Japanese Yen (USD 52.09) to activate the game. This essentially make the title a Buy to Play (B2P) with a Cash Shop. The 2 Dwarven races will not be available for selection during this phase. More information about the game can be found here (link). Posted by: admin in Gaming News Find related article at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2011/09/wizardry-online-jp-open-beta-dated.html Thank you for Visiting Gameforumer.com, Hope you enjoyed the stay with us.

Touch My Katamari Review: Not as Clever as It Wants to be Posted: 14 Feb 2012 02:03 PM PST “Some say I’ve been lazy,” admits the King of All Cosmos in the opening sequence of Touch My Katamari. “Phoning it in.” This is meant to be hilarious — that crazy King, always so pompous, yet vain enough to be stung by criticism! — but the wittiness of the whole thing is badly undermined by the fact that Touch My Katamari is lazy. Namco is, in fact, phoning it in. Of course, the best parody is that which rings of the truth. In that sense, sure, this game is pretty parodic. Damningly so, I’d say. The problem is that I don’t think it was meant to be self-satire; certainly it’s not an exercise in self-reflection. All this talk of apathy and flabbiness are meant to be loving, tongue-in-cheek pokes at the character, not a frank assessment of the software itself. So, it’s either a joke that reflects a jarring lack of self-awareness by the developers, or else it’s a snide middle finger to the player: Yeah, this game is warmed-over, recycled content, but we’re gonna fix that! By… making you do the exact same things you did in the last five Katamari games. Thanks for the 30 bones, suckers. Posted by: admin in Gaming News Find related article at: http://www.1up.com/reviews?cId=3186716 Thank you for Visiting Gameforumer.com, Hope you enjoyed the stay with us.

F2 : Floating Fortress (KR) Posted: 14 Feb 2012 02:03 PM PST Do note that this is for the Korean server only. As reported yesterday, the development arm of Gala Net, Gala Lab, teased FlyFF’s sequel with an artwork poster. Today, F2 has been confirmed after the opening of the game’s main website, but it is known as “Floating Fortress” instead.Below are the few main classes players will get to choose. Looking familiar? As quoted from various Korean websites, this supposed sequel of FlyFF will bring in almost all features found in the original, but each now enhanced to meet modern gamers’ needs. Castle sieges, aerial combat, mass PvP and PvE grounds… These are just some of the features confirmed. Posted by: admin in Gaming News Find related article at: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/02/f2-floating-fortress-kr-brief-details.html Thank you for Visiting Gameforumer.com, Hope you enjoyed the stay with us. Incoming search terms: www gala-net com f2 floating fortress mmorpg gala labs floating fortress game play

Watch 1UP Play the Battlefield 3 Beta Posted: 14 Feb 2012 01:26 PM PST The Battlefield 3 Beta goes live for the entire world on Thursday, but a handful of individuals (including those who pre-ordered the game on Origin) are getting early access starting on Tuesday. 1UP will be playing the Beta starting at 11 AM PST and you can check out the game, and get our impressions live right here. Hop into the UStream channel to ask questions (or point out how much we suck at the game). You can also contact us on Twitter via @1UP. To reiterate: What: 1UP plays the Battlefield 3 Beta two days early. When: Tuesday at 11 AM PST Where: Right here at this very URL – http://www.1up.com/news/watch-1up-play-battlefield-3 Posted by: admin in Gaming News Find related article at: http://www.1up.com/news/watch-1up-play-battlefield-3 Thank you for Visiting Gameforumer.com, Hope you enjoyed the stay with us.

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MMORPG News

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• Eligium: Open Beta Arrives
• General: Dragon Eternity Hits Retail Launch
• Seven Souls Online: Closed Beta Begins
• Star Wars: The Old Republic: Powertech PvE Player Guide
• Ultima Online: The Making of a Classic Part 1
• Eudemons Online: Trumpet of the Legionnaire Updates Coming
• General: Pirate Storm Goes Live
• Allods Online: Game of Gods Launches
• SteelWar Online: Alpha Testing Begins
• Lord of the Rings Online: Mounted Combat: A PVP Success?
• General: Free Webzen Coin and Character Giveaway!
• Star Wars: The Old Republic: Coming to Asia-Pacific Region March 1st
• Rusty Hearts: Requiem Update Deployed
• Aika: Epic II: Hestia Coming March 8th
• General: RTSGuru.com | Coffee Stain Studios Talks ARTs/MOBAs
• Rift: Streaming Mass Hitchin' Event
• Free Realms: SOTW: Free Realms 'Festival of Hearts' Edition!
• DragonSoul: Free $5 Gift Key!
• General: Game On #2: Rift Interview, Listener Mail & News
• Guild Wars 2: Micro-Awesomeness
• Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Future is Bright (or Dark, if you prefer)

Eligium: Open Beta Arrives Posted: 15 Feb 2012 07:21 AM PST Frogster has announced that the open beta for Eligium: The Chosen One will officially launch at 4:00 p.m. CET. The open beta is scheduled to run for the next several weeks as the team compiles a list of bugs reported by players.

General: Dragon Eternity Hits Retail Launch Posted: 15 Feb 2012 07:10 AM PST Dragon Eternity has officially hit its retail release and players are invited to check out what devs call a "beautiful and captivating web-based fantasy MMORPG" that is "brimming with PvP action".

Seven Souls Online: Closed Beta Begins Posted: 15 Feb 2012 07:04 AM PST Neowiz has announced that the closed beta for Seven Souls Online has officially kicked off. The team is still taking applications for closed beta testers who will have a pair of interesting events in which to participate during the test.

Star Wars: The Old Republic: Powertech PvE Player Guide Posted: 14 Feb 2012 12:19 PM PST In the latest addition to our growing library of Star Wars: The Old Republic player's guides, we present the Powertech, one of the advanced classes for the Bounty Hunter. Read on and become invincible!

Ultima Online: The Making of a Classic Part 1 Posted: 14 Feb 2012 12:34 PM PST Ultima Online is considered one of the grand old dames of the MMO genre and has just passed its twelfth anniversary. We have a comprehensive look at just how this classic MMO came into being and will present it to our readers in two parts. Check it out and then tell us your memories of UO in the comments.

Eudemons Online: Trumpet of the Legionnaire Updates Coming Posted: 15 Feb 2012 05:46 AM PST Eudemons Online recently expanded with the Trumpet of the Legionnaire add-on. Developers have let us know that a new update is incoming that will feature new content and more. The team has released a trailer showing off what will be released into the game on February 22nd.

General: Pirate Storm Goes Live Posted: 15 Feb 2012 05:36 AM PST Folks looking for some piratey goodness may want to head over to the Pirate Storm site for a look-see. The game joins the Bigpoint stable of MMOs and is localized in 24 worldwide languages.

Allods Online: Game of Gods Launches Posted: 15 Feb 2012 05:16 AM PST Allods Online has, according to developers, reached a new era with the deployment of the Game of Gods expansion. Game of Gods brings a plethora of new features and content into Allods including new zones, enhanced content and reworked systems. Game of Gods also includes the new Bard archetype, a new PvP skirmish zone and the new endgame Dead City raid.

SteelWar Online: Alpha Testing Begins Posted: 15 Feb 2012 05:05 AM PST Popace has announced the commencement of the alpha testing for SteelWar Online. Players taking part in the test will receive the equivalent of $2,000 in-game currency to try out all of the available item mall options as well as unlimited gold.

Lord of the Rings Online: Mounted Combat: A PVP Success? Posted: 14 Feb 2012 12:06 PM PST One of the more exciting features to be announced for the Riders of Rohan expansion to Lord of the Rings Online is mounted combat. This has gotten a lot of players very excited yet some wonder whether it will make it into LOTRO's version of PvP, Monster Play. Read on and then weigh in with your own thoughts in the comments.

General: Free Webzen Coin and Character Giveaway! Posted: 15 Feb 2012 12:36 AM PST To celebrate Webzen Portal Site Renewal in February, Webzen is holding Free W Coin & Character Giveaway for all Webzen's games to help make your journey of adventure as easy as possible! For a limited time only, you can take your first step into WEBZEN live Games with a FREE W coins and high level character!

Star Wars: The Old Republic: Coming to Asia-Pacific Region March 1st Posted: 14 Feb 2012 03:33 PM PST Bioware has officially announced that March 1st will mark the launch date of Star Wars: The Old Republic in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Rusty Hearts: Requiem Update Deployed Posted: 14 Feb 2012 01:15 PM PST Rusty Hearts players will want to check out the new Requiem update which brings a new playable character, Roselle Vergerius, into the game as well as four new dungeons, a "dynamic" training camp in a new location, new weapons and what developers call "challenge based" dungeons.

Aika: Epic II: Hestia Coming March 8th Posted: 14 Feb 2012 01:08 PM PST Aika Online players have a lot to prepare for as the release date for Epic II: Hestia approaches. The latest content expansion is scheduled to launch on March 8th and Aika devs are giving players a leg up to 80 with power boosting events that kicked off today.

General: RTSGuru.com | Coffee Stain Studios Talks ARTs/MOBAs Posted: 14 Feb 2012 01:02 PM PST Coffee Stain Studios' Lead Designer Oscar Jilsen shares some thoughts on the beloved MOBA/ARTS genre. Unfortunately, we couldn't get him to leak anything about Sanctum 2. Check out the full interview at RTSGuru.com.

Rift: Streaming Mass Hitchin' Event Posted: 14 Feb 2012 10:36 AM PST MMORPG.com will be live streaming one of the mass weddings that will be taking place throughout the day on all Rift servers today. Trion's goal is to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records with the most in-game weddings in a single day. You'll be able to watch one of the big events happening on the Deepwood server with Suzie Ford, Adam Tingle and Victor Barreiro Jr..

Free Realms: SOTW: Free Realms 'Festival of Hearts' Edition! Posted: 14 Feb 2012 10:15 AM PST Everyone loves to take screenshots of their favorite games, and we want you to share them with us and the rest of the MMORPG.com community! To that end, we're back with our latest Screenshot of the Week feature, and we're looking to give out some cool swag. This week, we've partnered with SOE to put on a special Valentine's Day edition of our SOTW, focused specifically on Free Realms' currently ongoing 'Festival of Hearts' Valentine's Day event.

DragonSoul: Free $5 Gift Key! Posted: 14 Feb 2012 10:02 AM PST MMORPG.com has been given special keys for DragonSoul that will give players $5 FREE in game! Get your key now while supplies last!

General: Game On #2: Rift Interview, Listener Mail & News Posted: 14 Feb 2012 07:33 AM PST In this week's episode of Game On, hosts Som Pourfarzaneh, Bill Murphy, and Hillary "Pokket" Nicole bring you the latest news from the industry with their unique brand of insightful commentary. We also sit down with Rift's Producer Hal Hanlin to chat about the game's plans for 2012, and we take in some of our listener mail as well. Be sure to mail in all your questions, suggestions, and critiques to gameon at mmorpg dot com!

Guild Wars 2: Micro-Awesomeness Posted: 13 Feb 2012 09:58 AM PST One of the most controversial words these days in MMOs is "microtransaction". The idea of microtransactions always stirs a lot of emotion. In today's Guild Wars 2 column, we explore the thought of microtransactions in GW2. Read on and let us know what you think in the comments.

Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Future is Bright (or Dark, if you prefer) Posted: 13 Feb 2012 11:41 PM PST The busy bees at BioWare have released a flood of information on what's coming to Star Wars: The Old Republic in the patches leading up to and beyond Game Update 1.2. Join us in this week's SW:TOR column as we discuss all the latest developments.

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