| The Road to Mordor: Could Lord of the Rings Online end in 2014? Posted: 04 May 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Legal, The Road to Mordor, Sunsets Almost two years ago, Star Wars Galaxies players were rocked to their core by the news that their virtual world was to be sunsetted at the end of the year. Despite obvious SOE love for the title and player petitions, the call was already made: LucasArts didn't want to renew the contract with SOE, and that was that. Because of an IP, an entire galaxy was lost. It's one of the "cons" of IP-based MMOs. Because there is licensing and contracts and other legal mumbo-jumbo involved, an online game that is completely wedded to an intellectual property has the added danger of being shut down completely if the IP is denied to the studio. SWG is a sobering lesson as to how this can happen to an otherwise healthy game. If you haven't noticed already, Lord of the Rings Online is somewhat inspired by a certain IP. This IP can survive without the game, but the opposite is not true. So the scary question that we'd rather not ask is this: What if Turbine loses the rights have its game set in the Lord of the Rings universe? It's not an unreasonable question. And what makes it even scarier is that it could conceivably happen as early as next year. Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Could Lord of the Rings Online end in 2014?  The Road to Mordor: Could Lord of the Rings Online end in 2014? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 04 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| WRUP: A glance at Paragon City edition Posted: 04 May 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous It's a lot quieter in City of Heroes these days without all the heroes around. A lot more boring. But it's all right, after a fashion. Bringing over the old Praetorian Police seemed like an iffy idea, but it's turned out to work well, and ultimately the two worlds have learned to work together. Sometimes there's a bit too much zeal involved, but old habits die hard, and everyone's keeping an eye open. As for the heroes, no one knows quite where they went. Some people are guessing that they ascended to some deific plane of existence; others figured that they just left when they weren't needed. The favored theory is that they're needed elsewhere, that after the Praetorian invasion they found someplace in greater need of heroes. There's no memorial in the city, but that's because everyone still remembers. Not every random WRUP opening needs to be funny. Don't worry, we saved some jokes for our weekend plans just past the break. Let us know what you'll be up to in the comments. Continue reading WRUP: A glance at Paragon City edition WRUP: A glance at Paragon City edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 04 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: Are there games you would play if you could skip to the end? Posted: 04 May 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Game Mechanics, Endgame, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Most of the time I can't really recommend starting new in Final Fantasy XI, which is a shame. It's not that the game is bad, nor is it lacking in things to do once you're at the level cap. No, it's just painful to get to the level cap. If you could somehow skip months of tedious leveling and just get straight to the broad and varied endgame, you would be set. Which sounds dangerously close to an endorsement for leveling services, but that's not the point. We all have games that we like, but not enough to fully commit to in terms of leveling. Some of these are games that are great at the cap, but we'll never see them. Of course, some would argue that if you're not willing to put in the work to level, you're not going to be willing to play the game at the top either. So are there games you would play if you could skip straight to the end of the leveling game? Or would that defeat some of your attraction to MMOs?  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: Are there games you would play if you could skip to the end? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 04 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Storyboard: Just the artifacts Posted: 03 May 2013 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous There's something inherently alluring about objects of power. That much is obvious; games are already fairly littered with them, ranging from weapons to vehicles to various items whose powers are invariably decided by needs of the plot. It's inevitable that as a roleplayer you would want to create something of power for your own purposes, something that has a purpose that only you know, hopefully a purpose with more careful thought than "being the most scary thing ever." Items like this are what I'm calling artifacts. In some settings they're actual artifacts; in others they're just exceptionally well-programmed computers or bits of otherwise lost technology or whatever. They're useful for extended roleplaying, they create an additional element of your characters, and they're also really problematic in a variety of ways. Still, the drawbacks aren't significant enough to make them useless, just significant enough that you'll want to use a careful hand when adding in your own hidden wonders. Continue reading Storyboard: Just the artifacts Storyboard: Just the artifacts originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 May 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Betawatch: April 27 - May 3, 2013 Posted: 03 May 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, MMO Industry, News Items, Betawatch, Miscellaneous So Neverwinter launched this week. Or it went into open beta. Or it did both. We've kind of got a Schrödinger's Launch going on here. You can read our first impressions of the game if you're curious about its overall quality regardless of whether it really launched or not. Lost Saga enjoyed a comparatively unambiguous launch, complete with new content compared to beta. There's not a full open beta for Marvel Heroes yet, but you can still jump into the game this weekend in celebration of some new movie or another. Representing the other major superhero franchise is Infinite Crisis, which announced that the start of its closed beta testing will be on May 8th. Oh, and there's the usual assortment of games in testing listed just past the cut. See something amiss? Feel free to let us know about it down in the comments. Continue reading Betawatch: April 27 - May 3, 2013 Betawatch: April 27 - May 3, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| MMObility: Vendetta Online on the iPad is a familiar experience Posted: 03 May 2013 05:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, PvP, Opinion, Mobile, MMObility, Sandbox Vendetta Online has a long history. You can play the game across many platforms and access the same universe as all other players no matter which device you are on. That's right, you can jump on your Android device and kill a few enemies while on a lunch break and then go home to switch to the PC, for example. I looked at the game for Rise and Shiny last year, and we got our hands on it again at this year's GDC Online. It's always been an impressive enough experience for the most part, but the game is definitely aging. It's still not a newbie-friendly title, and the smaller playerbase makes the game seem like a ghost town a lot of the time. I have been poking around the game for a bit now only to encounter mostly the same experience I found before. That's not a bad thing, but it's not exactly a good thing, either, because if there is one thing I do not like, it's bumping into a rough newbie experience. Sure, there are tutorials and missions to help you get started, but once you make your way into the greater universe, you might find yourself a bit lost, or worse -- bored. Continue reading MMObility: Vendetta Online on the iPad is a familiar experience MMObility: Vendetta Online on the iPad is a familiar experience originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 May 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Dragon Nest reveals its newest character, Kali Posted: 03 May 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Classes, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, Dragon Nest Here's the problem with having a destined hero -- no matter how specific you make the criteria for being the chosen one, there's always the chance you'll wind up with the chosen two or four or whatever. That's the case in Dragon Nest, where the new character Kali is a second prophet in addition to the prophet Rose. While Rose seemed to be the chosen one, Kali wields the same amount of power, albeit in a very different fashion. As demonstrated in the preview video, Kali revels in dark magic and spirit attacks, mixing up large magical attacks flowing melee strikes. She's advertised as moving quickly between targets, and certainly seems built for speed and multi-target abilities over single hits or durability. But you don't have to take our word for it, as you can check out some of Kali's moves for yourself in the video embedded just past the break. [Source: Nexon press release] Continue reading Dragon Nest reveals its newest character, Kali Dragon Nest reveals its newest character, Kali originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Allods Online explains designing a raid in great detail Posted: 03 May 2013 04:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Endgame, News Items, Free-to-Play, Allods Online, Dungeons Have you ever wanted to know exactly what goes into designing a new raid for Allods Online? Because there are apparently a lot of moving pieces at play. The latest article from the community team is penned by one of the game designers, and it explains extensively just what is involved in bringing a raid from the concept stage to the actual playable level. For Allods Online, the first step is the writing team coming up with a concept for the raid that makes sense in the game world and ties into major figures. That leads to the creature and object designers getting a sense of how much can be done for any given raid -- how many new enemies can be created, how many bosses can be made, how big the maps can be. From there it's on to layout and battle mechanics. For a more in-depth overview, take a look at the full entry on the official site. Allods Online explains designing a raid in great detail originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 May 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Star Trek Online dev diary details new species: The Remans Posted: 03 May 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Expansions, News Items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries  Star Trek Online's Legacy of Romulus expansion is slated for release in just over two weeks from now, and if you've been keeping up with the onslaught of dev diaries, you know that means new ships, new fashions, and of course, new playable alien species. The most recent dev diary from the folks at Cryptic Studios focuses on the Romulans' slightly nastier counterparts, the Remans. Players will be able to unlock Remans as a playable species in one of two ways: They can either purchase it from the C-Store (standalone or as part of the Legacy Pack) or "achieve Tier 5 in the New Romulus Reputation." Remans, of course, come with their own unique racial traits, including the powerful Mind Drain ability, described as "a powerful single-target psychic attack which drains vital essence from the victim to the caster." Sounds rather unpleasant to us. Remans also have access to two exclusive ship materials that can alter the appearance of any Romulan vessel they own, and they'll also gain access to spiffy Reman-only uniform variants. To check out the details on the new species, head on over to the official site for the full post, and remember that Legacy of Romulus will be going live on May 21st. Star Trek Online dev diary details new species: The Remans originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| New Neverwinter video takes you to the Whispering Caverns Posted: 03 May 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Neverwinter Have you explored Neverwinter's Whispering Caverns yet? No? Well, what in the nine hells are you waiting for? You can load up the game and do it in real time, it's free-to-play you know, or you can head to the official website and watch Cryptic's latest video. There's an accompanying dev diary, too, and it's all about the labyrinth of forgotten tunnels northwest of Neverwinter. All manner of underdark nasties are calling the place home nowadays, from evil dwarves to mindflayers to the drow House Xorlarrin. Click past the cut for a look-see. Continue reading New Neverwinter video takes you to the Whispering Caverns New Neverwinter video takes you to the Whispering Caverns originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Darkfall Unholy Wars interview talks sandboxes, mounts, and content updates Posted: 03 May 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Game Mechanics, Interviews, News Items, Sandbox, Subscription  The fine folks behind Darkfall Unholy Wars recently sat down with an Italian fansite to chat a bit about the game. They talked about how the new game stemmed from their desire to push the original Darkfall beyond the limits of its systems. There's no reason to scrap a good thing, though, so the developers have brought over a lot of the sandbox features from the original. The Demi-God bosses, naval combat, and mounted combat systems are all making a reappearance in some form, although the team has been trying to improve upon their original implementation. Additionally, the game is meant to support player-generated events, crafting without artificial barriers, a new dye system, and city vendor hubs. Presently, the team is putting in frequent patches with bug fixes while working on adding in features. Once the developers' current wishlist of features has been implemented, the team can focus on planning bigger patches and expansions for the future. You can read the interview for yourself here, but be prepared to scroll to get down to the English bit. Unless you're super pro and read Italian. [Thanks to moxious internetter Festano for the tip!] Darkfall Unholy Wars interview talks sandboxes, mounts, and content updates originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| EVE Online celebrates 10 years of smuggling, intrigue, and the magic of teamwork Posted: 03 May 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events (In-Game), News Items, Sandbox, Anniversaries There ain't no party like an EVE Online 10-year anniversary party because an EVE Online 10-year anniversary party uses Facebook "likes" to unlock in-game gifts and fireworks. No, really. Every "like" that EVE Online's Facebook page receives will help unlock free gifts for players and hourly firework drops. The gifts will be handed out after downtime on Sunday the 5th of May. There will also be an attempt to break the current PCU record, so the park your accounts and enjoy the display. To keep you entertained, there will be two "Hunt a Dev" roams, prizes, and oodles of player events. You can check out all the details on the official page. EVE Online celebrates 10 years of smuggling, intrigue, and the magic of teamwork originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| New Infinite Crisis videos show off Poison Ivy, Gaslight Catwoman Posted: 03 May 2013 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Super-hero, Video, Game Mechanics, New Titles, Previews, PvP, Free-to-Play, MOBA, Infinite Crisis Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today released two new character videos for the upcoming DC Comics-based MOBA Infinite Crisis, and we've got 'em both for your eyeballs. First we have Gaslight Catwoman, a stealthy assassin who sneaks around and teleports to finish off enemies when they least expect it. She has the passive ability to deal more damage to already-injured foes. She also launches her claws in a cone-shaped attack! MeOW! Next we have Poison Ivy, who's all about protecting the environment. Her passive ability creates a healing ring for every sixth spell she casts; she can also cast Deadly Flora, an area-of-effect spell that heals teammates and damages foes at the same time. Bammo! You can sign up for the closed beta at the official site, but hurry because it's due to start on May 8th, right around the corner. Click past the cut to check out the videos. Continue reading New Infinite Crisis videos show off Poison Ivy, Gaslight Catwoman New Infinite Crisis videos show off Poison Ivy, Gaslight Catwoman originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 May 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| A guide to Guild Wars 2's Molten Weapon Facility dungeon Posted: 03 May 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Events (In-Game), Lore, Previews, PvE, Guild Wars 2, Hands-On, Humor, Events (Massively's Coverage), Guides, Dungeons, Buy-to-Play Massively's Richie "bogotter" Procopio is concerned for you. He's concerned that you might not have tried out Guild Wars 2's Molten Weapon Facility dungeon, the latest installment of the game's "Living Story" arc Flame and Frost: Retribution. He's equally concerned that you might have missed the memo about just how temporary this dungeon really is: It's over on May 12th, meaning you don't have long to check it out before it's gone. Forever. But it's all good because Richie has put together a brand-new video guide to the dungeon, so you can either watch it and get a jump on playing through the zone yourself this weekend or just live vicariously through him, which would certainly involve less death. Enjoy his walkthrough after the break! (Dead goat sold separately.) Continue reading A guide to Guild Wars 2's Molten Weapon Facility dungeon A guide to Guild Wars 2's Molten Weapon Facility dungeon originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Zynga teaser trailer introduces new mobile MOBA called Solstice Arena Posted: 03 May 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Trailers, Video, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, MOBA Last fall, Zynga acquired the small mid-core, multi-platform game developer A Bit Lucky with the aim of expanding into that market. Today, the fruit of that team's labors is unveiled: Zynga announced the new 3v3 free-to-play MOBA Solstice Arena. Solstice Arena, which is playable on mobile devices, breaks away from the tethers of the PC and hopes to introduce new players to the MOBA genre. The game offers fast matches that average only 10 minutes and three game modes to make it fun for new and experienced players alike (solo vs. A.I., co-op vs. A.I. and player vs. player) and . Heroes will earn experience as they play and have the option to progress along one of three ability upgrade paths, unlocking various ability upgrades. Solstice Arena also offers customization via skins and armor. Want to catch your first glimpse of the game? Check out the trailer after the cut. [Source: Zynga press release] Continue reading Zynga teaser trailer introduces new mobile MOBA called Solstice Arena Zynga teaser trailer introduces new mobile MOBA called Solstice Arena originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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