MMORPG News

MMORPG News

Phantasy Star Universe: Coming to PS Vita

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 07:37 AM PST

Coming to PS Vita

SEGA has announced that Phantasy Star Online will be ported to the PS Vita in the near future. PC players and Vita players will share servers and players will be able to enjoy the game irrespective of the platform used. There is still no word when PSO will be released outside of Japan.

General: Soloers Don’t Destroy MMOs

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 10:38 AM PST

Soloers Don

A lot of talk is bandied about by players who honestly believe that solo players somehow degrade the overall MMO experience and that they have too much effect on a game's development. In today's Player Perspectives, we take on those presumptions head on. See what we've got to say and then leave us a comment or two.

Rise of Dragonian Era: Launch Day Interview

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 06:37 AM PST

Launch Day Interview

Rise of the Dragonian Era, or RODE, officially launches today and we've got an exclusive interview with Game Service Manager Ryan Kwon. Check it out and then let us know what you think in the comments.

Rise of Dragonian Era: Retail Release Today

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 06:17 AM PST

Retail Release Today

MGames has announced that Rise of Dragonian Era is now officially in retail release. Players can log into the free to play MMO and take advantage of this weekend's give away featuring Alienware laptop, PS Vitas, graphics cards and more.

Age of Empires Online: Our Age of Empires Online Review

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 01:11 PM PST

Our Age of Empires Online Review

The Age of Empires franchise has long been a favorite of strategy fans. When Age of Empires Online debuted, fans of both MMOs and strategy games rejoiced. Does the game live up to his vaunted pedigree? Find out in our official Age of Empires review.

Forsaken World: Celebrating 1 Year & New Expansion Announced

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 06:04 AM PST

Celebrating 1 Year & New Expansion Announced

Forsaken World is celebrating its first anniversary by giving players a package of in-game items that may include a rare mount. In addition, Perfect World announced that the Nightfall expansion is on its way and ready to unleash some new features into the game.

Crystal Saga: Officially Launching March 12th

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 05:57 AM PST

Officially Launching March 12th

Gamedp has announced that Crystal Saga will officially launch into retail release on March 12th. To celebrate the launch, the team will be giving away $100,000 in prizes to players. A special gift pack is also available to give boosts in both Crystal Saga and Dragon's Call.

DUST 514: Beta Coming In April

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 05:48 AM PST

Beta Coming In April

A new video interview with CCP's CEO Hilmar Petursson and CMO David Reid over at GameTrailers.com reveals the interesting news that Dust 514 will enter beta testing in April.

General: Meta-Gaming Adds to the Fun

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 10:27 AM PST

Meta-Gaming Adds to the Fun

Being -in- the MMO we love is probably the best part but there are times when the MMO carries itself outside of the game but that keeps us involved. See what we've got to say about the meta-game in today's Devil's Advocate and then let us know what you think.

Star Wars: The Old Republic: Riccitiello Confirms 1.7 Million Subscribers

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 01:33 PM PST

Riccitiello Confirms 1.7 Million Subscribers

Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello has confirmed that Star Wars: The Old Republic is sporting 1.7 million subscribers and indicated that the "vast majority" of the subscribers have passed beyond the thirty days of game time that was included in the purchase price.

MechWarrior Online: New Screens Out of GDC

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 10:52 AM PST

New Screens Out of GDC

The MechWarrior Online team has released five new screenshots during this week's Game Developer's Conference. The screens are straight out of the game and show off some nifty environments. Check them out in our MechWarrior Online gallery.

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning: New Website Debuts

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 10:04 AM PST

New Website Debuts

The official Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning site has been completely overhauled with a spiffy new look and a much more user-friendly interface.

General: RTSGuru | Win Starcraft's Zeratul via Facebook

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 08:32 AM PST

RTSGuru | Win Starcraft

Want one of the extremely limited run Zeratul figures from Blizzard and DC Direct? Don't want to pay for it? Like RTSGuru.com on Facebook and leave a comment, and you could get one for absolutely nothing!

Dino Storm: Blog Details In-Game Events

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 08:10 AM PST

Blog Details In-Game Events

Dino Storm players will be able to influence the game world and work together in key ways. A new blog post on the official Dino Storm site gives a hint about ways in which players will participate in adventures in the world.

Salem: Crime & Punishment

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 08:03 AM PST

Crime & Punishment

The Salem team has released a new developer diary that details the way crime and punishment will be handled in the permadeath game from Paradox Interactive.

TERA: GDC 2012 Hands-On Preview

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 05:04 AM PST

GDC 2012 Hands-On Preview

During GDC 2012, we had the chance to check out the latest development on En Masse Entertainment's TERA. We sat down with EME's Chris Hager and Stefan Ramirez to check out TERA. See what we discovered and then leave us your thoughts in the comments.

Aika: Hestia Finale Released

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 07:53 AM PST

Hestia Finale Released

Aika players will want to head into the game to check out the final chapter in the Hestia expansion. The new content brings two new level 80 raids into the game as well as new items and monsters.

Little Space Heroes: Scores kidSAFE Seal

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 07:45 AM PST

Scores kidSAFE Seal

Bubble Gum Interactive has proudly announced that Little Space Heroes has secured the kidSAFE Seal. The seal is given after a rigorous review of the website, the game and the child safety measures employed by the development team.

PlanetSide 2: FPSGuru | Exclusive GDC Interview & Preview

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 07:40 AM PST

FPSGuru | Exclusive GDC Interview & Preview

During this week's Game Developer's Conference, the FPSGuru.com editors have had a chance to check out Sony Online Entertainment's PlanetSide 2. See what they discovered in a pair of articles at FPSGuru.com.

TERA: NA Beta Weekend Detailed

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 07:36 AM PST

NA Beta Weekend Detailed

En Masse Entertainment has laid out the plans for this weekend's TERA beta event. CBT 3 is expected to kick off on Friday, March 9th at 11:00 PST and will run through midnight on Sunday, March 11th. Two PvP and two PvE servers will be active for the duration.

Final Fantasy XIV: Patch v1.21 Notes Released

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 07:25 AM PST

Patch v1.21 Notes Released

Square Enix has released the official notes for the v1.21 Final Fantasy XIV patch. The comprehensive notes give all of the details about changes coming into the game in preparation for this fall's v2.0 release.

General: UnboundGamer.com | Mass Effect Infiltrator

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 07:19 AM PST

UnboundGamer.com | Mass Effect Infiltrator

In the latest edition of Five Minute Fix, UnboundGamer.com editors take a look at Mass Effect Infiltrator, an iOS game tied to the just-released Mass Effect 3. See what you think at UnboundGamer.com.

League of Legends: RTSGuru | The Best MOBA to Stream?

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 07:13 AM PST

RTSGuru | The Best MOBA to Stream?

Streaming in general has ultimately become more popular due to a higher quality of encoders, easier programs and faster internet. Which game in the MOBA Genre is the better game when it comes to streaming? Find out at RTSGuru.com.

Guild Wars 2: The Thief Preview

Posted: 07 Mar 2012 11:32 AM PST

The Thief Preview

In the latest of our Guild Wars 2 profession previews, we take a look at the enigmatic thief. See what we discovered about the thief in the recent limited closed beta event and then let us know what you think in the comments.

Game of Thrones: GDC 2012: Game of Thrones Goes Sandbox Warfare

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 04:53 AM PST

GDC 2012: Game of Thrones Goes Sandbox Warfare

It's the week of the annual Game Developer's Conference and you know what that means: TONS of new looks at games that are coming soon. In today's First Look Preview, we check out Bigpoint's just-announced Game of Thrones MMO. A cross-faction PVP sandbox? This is something you don't want to miss! Read on!

Star Wars: The Old Republic: Dueling the Infernal Council

Posted: 07 Mar 2012 11:24 AM PST

Dueling the Infernal Council

Pokket and her crew step into the ring in Star Wars: The Old Republic's Nightmare Eternity Vault and take on the Infernal Council. Watch SWTOR: Dueling the Infernal Council in the Eternity Vault for tips and tricks to taking down the council without breaking a sweat.
Posted by Shri Krishna

General gaming

General gaming

Spirit Camera Brings Entertaining Daytime Horror to the 3DS

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 06:15 PM PST

Yesterday, I got my first hands on time with Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir, an augmented reality horror game from the makers of Fatal Frame that uses the 3DS as a "Camera Obscura" -- a possessed camera that players use to take photographs and interact with Spirit Camera's ghastly world. Through a combination of AR and the Gyro Sensor technology, players get transported to and from a spooky mansion as they attempt to piece together the larger mystery taking place.

My demo begins with the arrival of package that includes the Camera Obscura and a small notebook called the Book of Faces -- in the real world, the Book of Faces included with Spirit Camera is actually a small pamphlet, but hopefully you get the idea. The prologue identifies the Book of Faces as a mysterious and haunted object, and one whose appearance usually leads to strange happenings and disturbing events. As much as that sounds like a Saturday morning cartoon -- and I wouldn't blame you for thinking that to some degree -- that vibe contributes to why I'm so interested in Spirit Camera. Sure, the premise is a bit silly, but a horror title where invisible things appear and disappear through a special viewfinder is still entertaining.

How Saints Row: The Third Nearly Failed

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 06:11 PM PST

Saints Row: The Third

"Visual and quality issues were the number one complaint in Saints Row 2," said Design Director Scott Phillips at a Saints Row: The Third postmortem at GDC on Thursday. Despite the retail performance of the second game, he explained that developer Volition couldn't take success for granted. Producing a goofy breakout hit didn't automatically give them the resources or insight to improve upon the game. Phillips documented how the team created a better and more cohesive experience by improving upon the last title's tone, quality, and scope.

"How you're going to say something can be more important than what you're saying," explained Phillips. Nothing could be more important for a game like Saints Row: The Third than setting the proper tone. He felt that the previous two games in the series suffered from incongruous emotional moments falling too close together -- SR2 tasked you with committing a brutal murder in cold-blood after an extended "vehicle surfing" moment. He stated that the team on the first Saints Row "wanted to make...an MTV music video," but that clashed with some of the goofier missions.

Harvest Moon Creator Yasuhiro Wada on His Game's Cross-Gender Appeal

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 06:08 PM PST

Take a look at the list of retro game post-mortems at GDC 2012, and Harvest Moon may seem out-of-place; after all, there's no question that Gauntlet and Fallout changed the industry, but a niche farming sim? On the surface, at least, Harvest Moon doesn't seem as relevant as the other old games being dissected this year, but this late Super NES release actually laid the groundwork for outrageously popular titles like The Sims and Animal Crossing by showing the world that day-to-day drudgery could make for a highly addictive experience. Original developer Yasuhiro Wada (now of Toybox) and Natsume Vice President of Operations Graham Markay sat down with me after the panel to discuss how such an atypical concept has been able to thrive over these past 16 years.

Harvest Moon owes a great deal of its success to cross-gender appeal; women make up nearly a third of the game's Japanese audience, a percentage doubled by its American user base. But, initially, Wada never intended for Harvest Moon to strictly appeal to women; later in the series' history, the "for girls" releases would feature the same essential experience as the games with male protagonists. And further down the line, male and female protagonists could be selected from the very start, allowing players to decide on their gender of choice without having to buy an entirely different game.

OP-ED: Blizzard's Latest Attempt to Lure Back WoW Subscribers Reeks of Desperation

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 03:00 PM PST

World of Warcraft Cataclysm

The latest attempt by Blizzard to regain former World of Warcraft subscribers comes in the form of the Scroll of Resurrection. To the company's credit it's a hell of an incentive to get back to playing what is still the world's most popular subscription-based MMO, but I can't help but wonder if it comes across as so desperate that it will make it harder to keep players coming back in the future without the help of another promotion.

Last year's big ploy, which continues to this day, was to offer the game for free up to level 20, a scheme I think is smart for WoW and other, non-F2P MMOs. (Blizzard also offered a free digital copy of Diablo III to anyone willing to commit to a year of WoW.) The newly-announced Scroll of Resurrection is geared towards bringing back former subscribers rather than trying to attract new ones.

Super Mario 3D Land: Game Design Before Fan Service

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 02:28 PM PST

After feeling little soured on Super Mario 3D Land, I've gradually come around to enjoying the game more for what it is. Certainly hearing director Koichi Hayashida's musings on the thinking behind 3D Land's design has been illuminating. He delivered an interesting presentation yesterday at Game Developers Conference 2012 which outlined the development process, then met with me this morning for a more in-depth interview. The point that Hayashida kept circling around was that the game, being a "reset" of the 3D Mario series (as he calls it), was built with playability and functionality in mind first and foremost. This means that familiar elements of the past, like Super Mario Bros. 3's Tanooki Suit, were added later as the team began fleshing out the game's details.

He's quick to clarify that the original plan for Mario 3D Land was not simply to borrow ideas from 1990's NES classic. "There are simply a lot of fans of Mario 3 on the team," Hayashida said. "It's the game everyone seems to love most.

A Quick Look Back at Heavy Rain in the Shadow of Kara

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 12:29 PM PST

Just before David Cage's Game Developers Conference presentation yesterday -- at the exact moment Apple announced its new iPad, in fact -- the Heavy Rain director was stuck in a meeting room doing press appointments. A few hours later, he would entertain the Internet with a tech demo called "Kara" showing a robotic girl convince herself that she is human (seen above).

Much like Quantic Dream's "The Casting" tech demo released prior to Heavy Rain, the team designed Kara as a glimpse into the technology they are experimenting with rather than as a hint to the content of their next game. So during my appointment with Cage, I clarified a few points on the video -- the virtual actress Kara won't appear in the team's next game like Mary Smith from The Casting did in Heavy Rain, Sony funded Kara, and Cage's team is working exclusively with Sony at the moment. But since he couldn't say much more than that, I figured I'd use our limited time to sneak in a handful of questions about Heavy Rain in retrospect.

The Stanley Parable is a Crowning Achievement in Metafiction

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 11:42 AM PST

I've always been fascinated with breaking the fourth wall in art. Whether it's a moment in Arrested Development when Ron Howard directly addresses the audience or the opening of Italo Calvino's novel If on a Winter's Night a Traveler, which begins with the passage, "You are about to begin reading Italo Calvino's new novel, If on a Winter's Night a Traveler," metafiction has always appealed to me as a puzzle where solving and experiencing become synonymous. While Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid series has always been held as one of the pillars of self-aware video games, a 2011 Source mod may very well be the definitive work in interactive metafiction.

The Stanley Parable begins with a narrator introducing you to Stanley, a mild-mannered office drone who spends a great deal of time pressing buttons...much like the player who is currently controlling Stanley. The entire mod takes place within the confines of a seemingly banal office space adorned with olive green shag carpet and stale air. After stumbling upon the realization that he is the only person in the facility, you guide Stanley into the next room. The player is given their first dose of meta-narration within the first 10 seconds of the game. Upon entering a room containing a pair of doors, the narrator tells you that, "When Stanley came to a set of two open doors, he entered the door on his left." But seeing as how you are in control of Stanley, you can choose to have him obey the narrator and go left, or disobey the omniscient voice and head right. That's when things get tricky.

Crazy Facts We Just Learned About Portal 2

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 11:10 AM PST

Portal 2

Even if it's not strictly related to my topic, I couldn't resist going to "Creating a Sequel to a Game That Doesn't Need One" panel for Portal 2. Valve writers Chet Faliszek and Erik Wolpaw, in the space of 40 minutes, detailed some of the craziness and creativity in creating a sequel that would be more compared to Grand Theft Auto III rather than Titanic 2. The talk alternated between sage advice ("if you're going to do a comedy game, make it co-op") and amusing quips ("so in the end, we finished and released the game, and there was one clear winner for most game of the year awards: Skyrim"), but below are the biggest takeaways from their talk:

Portal 2 Was Originally Set In The '80s And Had Giant Chickens And Smoking Robots
Posted by Shri Krishna
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