| Trion hires executives for overseas operations Posted: 21 Nov 2011 10:00 AM PST |
| New ArcheAge videos show off PvP, dancing gameplay Posted: 21 Nov 2011 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, ArcheAge, Sandbox A couple of ArcheAge tidbits surfaced during the recent Tencent Games Carnival. XLGAMES' sandpark MMO was on display since it is gearing up for both its fourth Korean beta phase and a 2012 beta in Tencent's native China. Two noteworthy videos came out of the conference, and their radically different nature points to the breadth of gameplay on display in ArcheAge. First up is an over-the-shoulder clip featuring some five vs. five PvP gameplay. The action takes place on an instanced map known as the Siege Warfare Training Camp, and MMO Culture points out a couple of lingering bugs relating to character movement (as well as some interesting weapon combinations). The second video comes directly from XLGAMES, and it shifts gears in favor of ArcheAge's social features. While many MMOs feature dance animations, thus far the only title to take a serious stab at dance gameplay has been Star Wars Galaxies. ArcheAge looks to continue that tradition by allowing players to choreograph dances and coordinate with other dancers, though we are scratching our heads a little bit due to the jarring mixture of high fantasy and pop music. You'll find both videos viewable after the cut. Continue reading New ArcheAge videos show off PvP, dancing gameplay  New ArcheAge videos show off PvP, dancing gameplay originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| League of Legends trailer shows off new Vladimir model Posted: 21 Nov 2011 08:30 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Classes, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, News items, Free-to-play There is a monster in all of us, according to Riot Games, and the company is capitalizing on that blood lust with a revamp of its Vladimir champion in League of Legends. The Crimson Reaper was originally released in July of 2010, and today Riot is giving the Blood Lord a makeover that features a "new and intimidating model," new voiceovers, new animations, and new spell effects. "If you'd like to indulge your dark side by living out fantasies of holding the lives of your enemies in the palm of your hand, Blood Lord Vladimir should help slake that thirst," Riot's website says. The company has also released a new teaser trailer for the champion, which you can view after the cut. Continue reading League of Legends trailer shows off new Vladimir model League of Legends trailer shows off new Vladimir model originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| PlanetSide 2 community night reveals vehicle customization, Vanguard tanks, and in-game footage Posted: 21 Nov 2011 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, Video, Previews, Free-to-play, PlanetSide 2 What would you do if you had developers for a highly anticipated MMO on video chat with your fansite's community? The correct answer is "Pump them for all the information you can, then see if you can't get a first glimpse of said game in action." PlanetSide Universe scored 1000 points this past weekend with that answer, as the site's community night video podcast covering PlanetSide 2 turned into an informational bonanza for the game's fans. The hosts talked to SOE's Matt Higby and Tramell Isaac about PS2's maps and vehicle customization while also getting a tour around the team's offices and a couple segments of in-game footage showing off PlanetSide 2's engine. The fansite also netted a pair of new pictures showing off the impressive Vanguard tanks, which you can check out in the gallery below. The full community night podcast is after the jump, but you might want to put on a bib beforehand to catch all the drool! Continue reading PlanetSide 2 community night reveals vehicle customization, Vanguard tanks, and in-game footage PlanetSide 2 community night reveals vehicle customization, Vanguard tanks, and in-game footage originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| MV Guide: November 21-27, 2011 Posted: 21 Nov 2011 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Massively Meta, Livestream, Miscellaneous, MV Guide MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively TV. Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of titles to take a look at. During our streamed events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, streaming is subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.) We've got a fun-sized lineup this week as the Americans on the Massively crew prepare to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with family. Join us for the first half of the week for some livestreaming of games both old and new, and don't forget to bookmark our new Twitch TV channel! Continue reading MV Guide: November 21-27, 2011 MV Guide: November 21-27, 2011 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Hands-on impressions of The Secret World Posted: 21 Nov 2011 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Historical, Horror, Sci-fi, Events, real-world, New titles, Previews, PvP, PvE, Opinion, Hands-on, The Secret World, Massively Hands-on, Massively Event Coverage, Dungeons, Crafting Last month, Funcom held a special hands-on event for The Secret World at its Montreal, Canada offices, where we sent freelancer François Blondin to cover all the exciting details. François also got to play the game for several hours, giving us a fresh perspective on what TSW has to offer MMO gamers. In Funcom's upcoming The Secret World, the game's three factions -- Templars, Illuminati and Dragons -- face off, compete, and collaborate (all at the same time!) amidst the nightmarish creatures being revealed throughout the world. But choose your allegiance carefully: Your faction determines your path and special bonuses for the whole game, and faction-switching won't be an option. Join me for a hands-on look at the game's current incarnation! Continue reading Hands-on impressions of The Secret World Hands-on impressions of The Secret World originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: Are you in favor of SWTOR's 'legacy' surnames? Posted: 21 Nov 2011 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, Lore, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Roleplaying, Star Wars: The Old Republic Though you may have missed the announcement amidst all the NDA-lifting frenzy, last week BioWare revealed the Legacy system for Star Wars: The Old Republic. Essentially, it allows players to choose surnames for their characters, but in a lore-friendly (if not RP-friendly) twist, you'll be restricted to one unique surname that will be shared across all of your characters on a single server. Two hundred pages of posts later, players are still voicing deep concerns about the system. While most fans seem content with being rewarded for "legacy levels," roleplayers are baffled at the idea that their Twi'lek Consular and their Mirialan Smuggler must share the same last name and that gamers RPing family members across different accounts cannot share surnames. Some have suggested this is merely a ham-handed "handle" and not a true surname at all as seen in countless MMOs since the days of Ultima Online's free-form naming system. What do you think? Should BioWare scrap this system and allow characters independent last names, or do you think the system suits the game just fine as proposed?  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 you in favor of SWTOR's 'legacy' surnames? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| MMO Week in Review: Deleted from life Posted: 20 Nov 2011 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Massively Meta, Week in Review, Miscellaneous At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. Miss a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week? You've come to the right post. This week, Japanese MMO publisher Hangame forgot what everyone who's ever written a last-minute research paper in Microsoft Word knows very, very well: Always make a back-up! Hangame managed to bungle a server issue and delete an entire MMO and its databases -- from life. Ouch! Hopefully, refugees from Hangame's lost MMO will find a home in Star Wars: The Old Republic, for which we doled out beta keys just before the official NDA lifted. In still other news, Massively is hiring again! This time we're looking for a maestro of all things livestream- and video-related. Apps are due in by December 2nd, so bring it on! Unlike Hangame, we expect you to press the save button. Repeatedly. Hit the jump for a run-down of all this week's other top MMO stories. Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Deleted from life MMO Week in Review: Deleted from life originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 20 Nov 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| EVE Evolved: Returning EVE to the Crucible Posted: 20 Nov 2011 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Opinion, EVE Evolved, Sandbox When EVE Online launched in 2003, it was a barren game without many of the comforts we enjoy today. The user interface was abysmally worse than today's (if you can imagine such a thing), players with cruisers were top dog, and practically the only activities were mining or blowing up miners. The culmination of years of hard work by a small indie studio, EVE Online sold almost entirely on its future potential. When I was introduced to the game by an excited friend in early 2004 during the Castor expansion, he encouraged me to get in on the ground floor because he believed the game was going to be huge. Years later, I find myself introducing the game to thousands of readers on the same premise. EVE's continual success over the years transformed a fresh-faced CCP Games into a multinational game development giant. And yet, for all that growth and all the updates to EVE over the years, the fact that the game sells largely on future potential is still firmly embedded in both players and developers. Players subscribe not only because they like the game but because they want to support development to reach EVE's true potential. Two years with very little iteration on existing features sent the message that developers weren't trying to reach that potential, but it seems that trend is soon to be completely reversed. With the newly announced Crucible expansion, CCP will be adding countless small features, graphical updates and iterations that put EVE firmly back on the path to reaching its full potential. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at CCP's plans to return EVE to the crucible and reforge it into something awesome. Those waiting for the third part of my look at the new player experience can catch that in next week's column, as Kajatta is enjoying his final week in EVE before delivering his verdict. Continue reading EVE Evolved: Returning EVE to the Crucible EVE Evolved: Returning EVE to the Crucible originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 20 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| First Impressions: UFO Online Posted: 20 Nov 2011 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Bugs, Game mechanics, New titles, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Hands-on, First Impressions I've written about UFO Online before. It should be obvious how much I am looking forward to this new browser-based, turn-based strategy combat game. When I got to sit down with representatives from publisher gamigo at E3 earlier this year, I felt that familiar old feeling that I used to get when shopping for tabletop gaming miniatures. There's something about controlling a squad of little dudes with guns, something that seems to resonate with my generation. Well, the board game has gone digital, and now we do not have to drive for miles and miles to get to the closest gaming shop and wade through six feet of nerddom just to hope that we aren't teamed up with players who really give the hobby a stereotypical bad name. Now we can digitally join up with fellow game geeks and have it out across worlds that fit in our browser. I was able to take a bit of a tour through UFO Online over the last week. So what did I find? Click past the cut and I'll let you know. Continue reading First Impressions: UFO Online First Impressions: UFO Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 20 Nov 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Rise and Shiny Recap: Evony Posted: 20 Nov 2011 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Video, Business models, Culture, Previews, PvP, Opinion, Browser, Hands-on, Casual, MMORTS, Humor, Rise and Shiny, Livestream Yes, you read the title correctly. This week I revisited Evony. But don't worry -- I tend to write about a game's gameplay and how it made me feel, not the politics surrounding it, especially during a time when people are talking more about an instance of poor taste in lieu of a discussion about how fun the game is. In other words, I will only speak about the infamous Evony ads at the end of this column. if you want more opinionated stuff, check out our Soapbox column! I knew going in that the game had changed since I last played it. I also knew that it would not blow me away as far as gameplay is concerned, simply because I have played scores of MMORTS games over the last year. But what did I find? What was good and bad about the game? And what about those ads? Click past the cut and we'll chat about it. Continue reading Rise and Shiny Recap: Evony Rise and Shiny Recap: Evony originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 20 Nov 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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