Latest Gaming and MMORPG Updates

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• The 1UP Community Cares About The Legend of Dragoon
• Diablo III Looks To Be Getting a Starter Edition, Too
• How Dead Space 3 Can Avoid Making Alien 3′s Mistakes
• Game Music Thunderdome Round 2.1: The Mario Paint Face-Off

The 1UP Community Cares About The Legend of Dragoon Posted: 19 Apr 2012 09:17 AM PDT Last week, we caused the internet to raise its collective pitchfork in anger at us for stating that 1UP doesn’t care about The Legend of Dragoon. And while we haven’t changed our stance, you guys certainly provided a plethora of arguments in favor of caring about LoD. Some of you condemned us for stating our opinions, while others, like kingsharkboi, appreciated the fact that we started a dialogue about a game that tends to be overlooked by lovers and haters alike. We’ve gathered a handful of the best responses in defense of The Legend of Dragoon from Facebook, Twitter, and 1UP into a nice little companion piece to our original article.  Michael Johnston: I think it’s awesome. I still have my ps1 copy and replayed it all over again a year ago and still think it’s one of my favorite JRPG games ever. Shawn Goodman: This is one of my all time favorite RPGs. Right up there with Earthbound and Super Mario RPG! This game is amazing. Darryl Bethea Jr.: One of THE most underrated RPG’s of all times in my opinion. It gave Final Fantasy VII competition and had a very nice time based attack system. I still have my original copy and would very much love to see a sequel on today’s graphics @1UP LoD came from an era dominated by Squaresoft. It set itself apart by being fun without being dense or juvenile like its competition. ? Kevin Tucker (@chiefnuggz) April 12, 2012 @1UP What I like about Dragoon is the combo system, every battle becomes very active and adds a level of depth. The magic is useless though ? Benjamin Camacho (@CamachoBen) April 15, 2012 @1UP How can you NOT love The Legend of Dragoon. It was so addictive I dropped out of Summer school because I couldn’t stop playing! ? Alan V. (@alan_v) April 12, 2012 @1UP that’s why I don’t follow you guys …. Ignorance ? luis ocana (@ocana147) April 12, 2012 cly5000: I’ve never beaten the game before. It seemed as if every copy I was able to get my grubby 14-year-old hands on had a scratch practically in the same spot on disc 2. I was never able to finish it because every disc 2 I found was roughed up so much. But with that said, I thought the game was awesome. Finding new Dragoon powers (one of which was hidden I believe), an interactive battle system, and an interesting story all made this game memorable to me. Sure, it’s been nearly 12 years since I’ve played it, but after 12 years it has left a lasting effect on me! odomk: Buddha Christ THANK YOU for the remake! I was never actually able to finish the game until recently (yes, a decade later). I remember when I first played it back in the day, the game brought a new feel when it came to the RPG battle system. At the time, there was no better feeling than landing a “Gust of Wind Dance” or those darn Dragoon melee combo attacks. That game gave me a sense of success. Did I mention the music in that game? Yeah, it was pretty awesome. It’s kinda what made grinding in that game not so bad. EliteDarkMage: I don’t see how The Legend of the Dragoon is a Final Fantasy clone. It lacked everything that makes up Final Fantasy, including deep customization options, tons of sidequests and a complex story arc. That was exactly what I liked about the game — it was a straightforward, more linear RPG, with characters that fulfilled a set role, almost limiting the player. In my opinion this made the game more challenging and more demanding strategically. The story was also cliche and predictable but never failed to engage me as a player. The Power Ranger-esque transformations and the overall cinematic feel of the game were a win for me. As for the music, although no track sticks out as a memorable masterpiece, the varied and upbeat score always got me pumped during battles, especially during boss battles. Desertfox1613: I played LoD all the way through to the end which is rare for me and an rpg this long. I have only completed this, Chrono Trigger, FF 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12. None of squares other RPG’s compared to this game at the time. Vagrant Story was released also very closely to the release of this game, as was Chrono Cross which was mentioned in the article. But for some reason these other two games could not captivate my interest to the end. Legend of Dragoon’s production value was unparalleled in its day. it had fully voiced FMVs which were almost unheard of for an RPG back then. I’ve played it again on emulator on my PC but will play it again on PSN on May 1. Hope this release means a sequel is planned!! andrew_415: The Legend of Dragoon was Paper Mario before Paper Mario, and Final Fantasy X before Final Fantasy X. That’s probably excessive. While not immensely complex in and of itself, the Paper Mario famous timed button presses being used to execute full powered attacks was a new and creative way to keep gamers from falling into the grind-a-thon style “press X over and over again” gameplay found in most other RPGs. That sounds like a rose-colored glasses statement, but having played this game within the past few months, I can assure you that it’s a mechanic that continues to keep the player from subconscious play. Rewards were given for frequent use of specific characters without making the others seem useless by comparison, although a couple of later additions to the roster may seem a bit tacked on. Maybe the reason 1UP should care about The Legend of Dragoon has nothing to do with the game itself, but rather because you all seem to care about it so much. Regardless, despite not enjoying the game when it released back 2000, you’ve convinced some of us here to give it another shot and download it on May 1. Well done, you crafty minxes. Finally, we’ll leave you with the most elegantly loquacious response of them all. BananaJane: You guys suck at liking things Similar article: http://www.1up.com/news/legend-dragoon-community

Diablo III Looks To Be Getting a Starter Edition, Too Posted: 19 Apr 2012 09:17 AM PDT For many developers and publishers, free-to-play is the way to go these days. Just recently we’ve seen quality games like Tribes Ascend and Super Monday Night Combat, two titles that would have no doubt come with a price tag attached in order to play in the past, released for free. Despite all the predictions that World of Warcraft will one day be forced to go free-to-play like so many other MMOs (Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons Dragons Online, DC Universe Online, Star Trek Online, EverQuest, and so on), Blizzard has stuck by the more traditional methods of selling games. Starting last year, however, it did begin trying to lure in new players with the trappings of free-to-play, and it appears as though things will be no different with Diablo III. As reported by Ars Technica, a Starter Edition of Diablo III popped up sometime overnight, allowing even those without beta access to play a portion of the game ahead of its launch on May 15. Last June, Blizzard announced any Battle.net user would be able to play World of Warcraft up to level 20 for free. Previous trial versions of the game limited players to a certain period of time before they would be asked to subscribe. The new trial placed no restrictions on play time, allowing potential subscribers to create an unlimited number of characters and play without feeling rushed. StarCraft II followed suit later in the year with a Starter Edition. Replacing the existing demo, it allowed for a good amount of content — the first four missions, first two challenges, and four multiplayer maps (playable with owners of the full game) — to be played without ever paying a dime, the idea being the sample would convince players to purchase the full version. I wondered at the time if Diablo III would see something similar released, and whether or not it would be coming at launch or months down the line. Considering last night’s leak, it seems as though a Starter Edition may be available at launch, if not sooner. Word began circulating earlier today that anyone with a free Battle.net account could download the Diablo III beta client and begin playing. Some of the initial speculation was that Blizzard might be opening up the beta to everyone to stress test its servers before the beta is shut down on May 1. It was quickly made clear this beta access was not by design; beta servers were taken offline for everyone this morning and remain down as of this writing. The reasoning for this, according to a forum post by Blizzard community manager Danielle Vanderlip, was incredibly vague — “The Diablo III beta is currently unavailable while we work to resolve an issue,” the post reads. A response to a question asking for more information later described the issue as “an accessibility error.” Before the servers could be taken down, alleged screenshots were posted online which refer to players with a “starter edition.” The same (limited) content available to beta players was available to these starter edition players during the brief period that they could access the game; the only difference appears to have been various promotions for the full version of the game, as seen here. Considering the way things work with both WoW and StarCraft, and seeing what features are advertised for the full version of Diablo III (level 60 cap; Nightmare, Hell, and Inferno modes) it looks like this Starter Edition will limit players not with play time, but with a level cap and content restrictions. Level 13 is the cap for beta players currently, and somewhere in the neighborhood of that would make sense for the Starter Edition. The trials in WoW and StarCraft allow for a taste of the game, not for the entire thing to be experienced sans certain features. Letting prospective buyers play up to level 13 or so with each of the five character classes but not letting them see the endgame content or higher difficulty settings sounds like the right balance of providing a taste and leaving a lot to be seen in the full game. With this setup apparently already in existence, it’s possible this will be available at the game’s launch next month (in which case I wonder if it dissuades some people from buying the game if they can get their fix from the freebie version.) As the beta is closing in less than two weeks, Blizzard may, however, be interested in seeing how gamers react to things like the prompts encouraging a purchase of the full game. If that proves to be the case, it stands to reason this starter edition could be officially pushed out the door in the coming days, or possibly as soon as the beta servers are brought back online. Vanderlip gave no indication such a thing was coming on the way, though another update is expected to be coming today at 3PM Pacific. With word of the starter edition spreading, it shouldn’t be much longer before Blizzard at least acknowledges its existence. Similar article: http://www.1up.com/news/diablo-iii-starter-edition

How Dead Space 3 Can Avoid Making Alien 3′s Mistakes Posted: 19 Apr 2012 09:17 AM PDT What’s so terrible about DmC? People sure were angry when Capcom revealed this Devil May Cry prequel/reboot last year. Not having particularly followed the series myself, I found the outcry a little baffling. Sure, it was being outsourced rather than being developed internally by Capcom, but the studio responsible for it is Ninja Theory, who have yet to make a poor game; on the contrary, their work — particularly the recent sleeper Enslaved: Journey to the West — have been quite nicely received by critics. In the end, the complaints mainly seem to boil down to the fact that protagonist Dante suddenly has dark hair and a coif that look an awful lot like that of Ninja Theory’s boss, Tameem Antoniades. OK, so maybe it’s a little self-gratifying. But still, I have to ask: What’s so terrible about DmC? Now that I’ve had the opportunity to play DmC for myself, I have a hard time imagining that any fan of Devil May Cry fan wouldn’t enjoy Ninja Theory’s take on the franchise. Yeah, Dante has become something of a self-insertion character, and he’s a cocky twerp; but his brashness is offset by a delirious combination of over-the-top silliness and over-the-top action game excess. One moment, Dante is answering the door of his trailer home in the nude; the next, a massive demon is attacking and the hero dresses himself in slow-motion by free-falling through the air into his clothes. (Conveniently placed hovering free-fall objects such as slices of pizza manage to preserve his modesty to the viewer through an increasingly improbable sequence of events.) There’s a real sense of tongue-in-cheek absurdity to it all; were these events to simply flash past in a moment, they’d seem frivolous. Instead, they drag on just a little too long and become just a little too ridiculous, and that clearly deliberate excess amounts to a knowing wink at the audience. It works. Similar article: http://www.1up.com/previews?cId=3187004

Game Music Thunderdome Round 2.1: The Mario Paint Face-Off Posted: 19 Apr 2012 09:17 AM PDT A few months ago, we pitted together 64 of our favorite pieces of game music ever and asked you to vote on them. Once you’d narrowed the picks down to 32, we… well, we got sidetracked a bit and forgot to advance things to the next round. Sorry. But better late than never, right? We’re compacting our second round into two parts of 16 tunes apiece rather than running them each as daily one-vs-one contests. For this first set of face-offs, we’ve decided to pay tribute to the greatest 16-bit artistic tool of all time: Nintendo’s Mario Paint. These 16 tracks are presented below in fan-made Mario Paint renditions (or ersatz versions created in Mario Paint Composer. It’s the great equalizer! By stripping these tracks from their original context, the core melodies are freed from the shackles of technology and can face off on compositional merit alone. Also, mario Paint remixes are awesome. Listen to and vote on all 16 tracks (which we’ve spread across several pages to keep your browser from barfing under the strain of too many YouTube embeds), and stay tuned for Round 2.2 — coming soon! Vote One: All Final Fantasy, All the Time: Final Fantasy VII, “J-E-N-O-V-A”: A bizarre, otherworldly battle theme that eschews the standard bombast of Final Fantasy battle themes to better fit the nature of the alien threat it accompanies. Final Fantasy IV, “The Dreadful Battle”: The theme that defined the standard bombast of Final Fantasy battle themes, trotted out specifically for fights with the game’s four key plot bosses. Vote Two: Rebel Yell Metal Gear Solid 2, “Yell Dead Cell!”: A forceful beat propels this theme, but what makes it truly intense is the dissonant saxophone that punctuates the piece and shatters its otherwise understated melody. Street Fighter II, “Guile’s Theme”: This theme goes with everything, not just cool Air Force pilots with improbable hair and extraordinary anti-aerial kicks. Similar article: http://www.1up.com/features/game-music-thunderdome-21-mario

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MMO Updates

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• CCP shows off seven years of DUST 514 skill training
• New World of Warplanes gameplay video showcases fighters
• Runic not ready for Torchlight MMO anytime soon
• The Daily Grind: How do you define pay-to-win?
• WildStar Wednesday showcases a rogue's gallery full of rogues
• En Masse addresses TERA lawsuit speculation
• A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Status report, last year
• EVE Online streamlines the process of figuring out who's crippling your ship
• Warhammer Online is cross-promoting with Wrath of Heroes
• Massively Exclusive: City of Heroes previews the upcoming Mecha Armor
• RIFT's patch 1.8: Infernal Dawn goes live
• Free for All: The importance of those first moments in a game
• MechWarrior Online devs field 'Mech customization queries
• Choose My Adventure: Ultimate road trip edition
• Guild Wars 2 announces first beta weekend for April 27th to 29th
• Why I Play: Star Trek Online
• TERA open beta begins this weekend

CCP shows off seven years of DUST 514 skill training Posted: 19 Apr 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, DUST 514, Sandbox CCP recently said that it would take seven years to max out every skill in its DUST 514 MMOFPS. If you want to see what that improbable feat looks like on a DUST character screen, head to fansite DUST514.org (or check out the video clip behind the cut). "Much like in real life, and in EVE Online, we don't expect that a player will master all of these skills," explains CCP marketing guru David Reid. Specialization is the name of DUST 514's skill game, and Reid says that most players will probably choose a few skills and "get really, really good at them." DUST isn't just about skills, though. It's an MMO, and an MMO means gear, so the game will launch with upwards of a thousand items (the vast majority of which can be lost in battle). How do you manage and equip these items? Through the fitting screen, of course, and today's video gives us a good look at the system in action. Continue reading CCP shows off seven years of DUST 514 skill training CCP shows off seven years of DUST 514 skill training originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: DUST514.org

New World of Warplanes gameplay video showcases fighters Posted: 19 Apr 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Historical, Trailers, Video, Classes, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, War, Free-to-play, World of Warplanes Wargaming.net has released another brief gameplay video from its upcoming World of Warplanes opus. The footage focuses on fighter-class aircraft, which the firm says are designed for "offensive reconnaissance, engaging in close one-on-one dogfights, and effective attacking in groups of two or three." Like all of WoWP's aircraft, fighters will feature various engines, ammunition types, and assorted customizable modules that allow players to tune for optimum combat performance. World of Warplanes is currently in global alpha, but Wargaming.net says that closed beta is "coming soon." In the meantime, check out the clip after the cut. [Source: Wargaming.net press release] Continue reading New World of Warplanes gameplay video showcases fighters New World of Warplanes gameplay video showcases fighters originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Runic not ready for Torchlight MMO anytime soon Posted: 19 Apr 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, MMO industry, News items So when's that Torchlight MMO coming out? When it's ready, and when Runic can muster the money and resources needed to properly handle the long-term commitment that an MMO represents, according to CEO Max Schaefer. "An MMO is a hell of a commitment," Schaefer tells Rock, Paper Shotgun. "It means we're gonna be doing that for a few years at least prior to release and then committing years of support for it afterward. So it's a decision we take very, very seriously." RPS says that a Torchlight MMO has always been Runic's end goal, but given the fact that the 30-man company is still fiddling with Torchlight II, the massively multiplayer version remains a ways off. Runic not ready for Torchlight MMO anytime soon originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: RPS

The Daily Grind: How do you define pay-to-win? Posted: 19 Apr 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business models, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Game design in the free-to-play era is somewhat different from that of years past. No longer can devs concentrate solely on making a fun title; now they must also worry about getting a percentage of their userbase to actually pay for it. Free-to-play makes it quite challenging to separate monetization decisions from game design decisions, and as a result, developers are understandably concerned about avoiding the dreaded pay-to-win stigma. Pay close attention to any interview or press release that talks about a title's business model and you're guaranteed to hear a dev (or executive) say something vaguely reassuring in terms of how his title's monetization scheme absolutely isn't pay-to-win. The problem is that there is no agreed-upon definition of pay-to-win. "Convenience" items are a good case in point. Some folks don't mind them, while others point out that they can make your character more powerful in less time, depending on the system. For today's early-morning discussion, we'd like to know your thoughts on pay-to-win. More specifically, how do you define it? 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: How do you define pay-to-win? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

WildStar Wednesday showcases a rogue's gallery full of rogues Posted: 18 Apr 2012 09:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Lore, Previews, News items, WildStar WildStar is shaping up to be a lot of things, but "peaceful" isn't one of them. Players watching the various previews already have an idea of what the more natural threats in the game world will look like. This week's installment of WildStar Wednesday focuses on a much more human element, however: three different criminal organizations that all have a decided interest in the region of Algoroc. As if the wildlife wasn't bad enough, you have to contend with all manner of criminals as well. Marauders are intergalactic pirates, the Darkspur Cartel is essentially an interstellar mafia, and the Crowe Gang is a group of smugglers and moonshine brewers. But all of them have an interest in Algoroc, and none of them are open to outsiders or anything law-abiding in the area. That means players are going to have to face off against all three, and from the looks of the preview, none of these groups will go down easily. WildStar Wednesday showcases a rogue's gallery full of rogues originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Algoroc Rogue's Gallery

En Masse addresses TERA lawsuit speculation Posted: 18 Apr 2012 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Legal, TERA En Masse Entertainment has issued a response to yesterday's developments in the long-running NCsoft vs. Bluehole Studio legal drama. A posting on the official TERA blog says that the upcoming action MMO will launch as scheduled on May 1st despite "baseless accusations" and "unfounded rumors" regarding the theft of Lineage III assets by former Bluehole employees in Korea. The piece states that "after extensive Korean proceedings, Bluehole Studio was not found to have made any use of any NCsoft trade secrets in the form of source code or game design." It also notes that NCsoft product performance has suffered since TERA's Korean launch more than a year ago. En Masse addresses TERA lawsuit speculation originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Producer letter

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Status report, last year Posted: 18 Apr 2012 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Culture, Game mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-play, A Mild-Mannered Reporter, Anniversary What with one thing and another, a year has passed. At this time last year, things were very different for City of Heroes, and so I started up my usual trifecta of columns on the past year with a look back at what I said the game needed and how it's done on those fronts. So it's time for the second annual iteration because as we all know, the first annual anything doesn't really count. And if your memory is getting rusty from a year ago, by all means, take the time to refresh it. Certainly if you had told me back then that every major superhero game would be free-to-play before the year was up, I wouldn't have believed it. But that's what's happened, and as the game has shifted, so has the market around it. That means that the game has really had to face off against its two "direct" competitors on a straight footing, and that might not have been in the game's best interests as a whole. Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Status report, last year A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Status report, last year originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Online streamlines the process of figuring out who's crippling your ship Posted: 18 Apr 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Patches, Previews, News items, Sandbox If you're playing EVE Online, you are going to lose a ship sooner or later. It's as inevitable as the tides. Sometimes you'll be outnumbered and outgunned, and while that can be frustrating, there's no real shame in it. But when you're having your ship locked in place by an attacker you can't see and you don't actually know what's happening, that is a different matter. It's particularly infuriating, and it's something that the game's next update is aiming to fix. Starting with the next patch, the new Effects Bar will show a quick overview of all the effects currently in place on your ship as well as the source of same. So if there are two people attacking you, an icon will pop up, and you'll be able to target and counterattack appropriately rather than fumble through more clumsy interface methods. If the blog entry explaining the system isn't clear enough for you, check out the short preview video just past the break. Continue reading EVE Online streamlines the process of figuring out who's crippling your ship EVE Online streamlines the process of figuring out who's crippling your ship originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Effects Bar

Warhammer Online is cross-promoting with Wrath of Heroes Posted: 18 Apr 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Warhammer Online, News items, Free-to-play, Promotions, MOBA Are you the sort of player who just can't get enough of Warhammer Online, whether in classic form or the new Wrath of Heroes bite-sized version? Or are you a fan of the latter game and not sure if you want to keep up a subscription to the former? The latest cross-promotional deal for the games is aimed directly at players like that -- starting now, any players with active Warhammer Online subscriptions will receive a 50% bonus to gold and experience in Wrath of Heroes. There's no complicated process to getting the bonus; if you have both accounts on the same EA/Origin account, your characters will reap the benefits, although it may take up to 24 hours for the system to line up if you've just started a subscription. The bonus also stacks with items from the Wrath of Heroes store, letting veterans of Warhammer Online get ahead in the new game. Warhammer Online is cross-promoting with Wrath of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Wrath of Heroes cross-promotion announcement

Massively Exclusive: City of Heroes previews the upcoming Mecha Armor Posted: 18 Apr 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, Galleries, Screenshots, City of Heroes, Previews, Free-to-play Do you dig giant robots? Of course you do. The team behind City of Heroes apparently likes them as well, seeing as how the game's next major update, Issue 23, allows you to dress up like one. The newest Tier 9 VIP reward is the Mecha Armor costume set, and the fine people at Paragon Studios were kind enough to give us a chance to take a sneak peek at the costume set before it's available on the test server. The gallery below contains an image of a male, female, and huge character in the new costume set, complete with wings, backpacks, and other armor reminiscent of any number of Gundam designs. Like other Tier 9 VIP rewards, the armor will only be unlockable for a limited time, so if you're feeling a desperate need to play with these costume parts -- and we can't blame you -- it's best save up your reward tokens now. Gallery: City of Heroes Core Gallery Massively Exclusive: City of Heroes previews the upcoming Mecha Armor originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

RIFT's patch 1.8: Infernal Dawn goes live Posted: 18 Apr 2012 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, News items, RIFT, Dungeons Maelforge and Laethys better be watching their backs because RIFT's patch 1.8: Infernal Dawn is now live, and players are now able to head into the eponymous Infernal Dawn raid to lay the smack down on the pair of dragon-gods. On top of that, the patch will be ringing in a new world event known as the War of the Wanton Maw, which will presumably involve players fighting back against Maelforge's Wanton cult and Laethys' Golden Maw. If you're a less combative type, don't worry. Infernal Dawn is also bringing some more relaxing activities in the form of two new tradeskills. Those looking to spend a calm day on the water can bait a hook and spend an afternoon fishing, while those who want to rough it in the great outdoors can craft food and shelter with the new survival skill. For the full details on what this monumental patch is bringing to the game, just head on over to the official forums to check out the patch notes yourself. Oh, and if you're curious about what you're going up against, just click on past the cut for a look at Maelforge and Laethys in the official Infernal Dawn trailer. Continue reading RIFT's patch 1.8: Infernal Dawn goes live RIFT's patch 1.8: Infernal Dawn goes live originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: RIFT patch 1.8 patch notes

Free for All: The importance of those first moments in a game Posted: 18 Apr 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Bugs, Culture, Opinion, Free-to-play, Casual, Free for All, Miscellaneous This week, I decided to download and install Aion. I haven't played it since beta. Although I was not impressed with it at the time, my favorite Aion columnist has been covering the game in such a way that I knew some good things had happened to the game. And after all, it's free now. Right? I was nervous from the moment I installed the game. NCsoft hosts a notoriously odd account management system. Sure, once you break the code and understand how to make an account for your master account that signs into your game account (or something like that), it might seem elementary. Until that moment, though, the system makes you feel like an idiot. It makes you feel as though the publisher literally doesn't want you to play the game. I had a week filled with such moments. The frustration I felt led me to today's topic. Continue reading Free for All: The importance of those first moments in a game Free for All: The importance of those first moments in a game originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MechWarrior Online devs field 'Mech customization queries Posted: 18 Apr 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Free-to-play, Community Q&A, MechWarrior Online If you had four developers of a hot upcoming title trapped in a room and could ask them any question you wanted, what would it be? (Please note that if you actually are in this situation, Massively advises releasing the hostages and surrendering to the police.) While there might not be a filthy underground lair involved in MechWarrior Online's latest community Q&A session, the principle is the same. A good bulk of the 27 questions thrown to the four members of Piranha Games' team revolve around 'Mech customization. MechWarrior Online will be pretty flexible in this regard, although not as flexible as pen-and-paper fans might hope. For example, custom decals won't be in the game at launch, as their inclusion would require too much monitoring. Still, if you're trying to get a sense of the scope of MWO's 'Mech customization, this Q&A might impress you. Just because the community could ask doesn't mean that Piranha had to answer, however. When queried about the in-game economy, Creative Director Bryan Ekman put the answer off until later: "We're not ready to go into details on the economics of the game. We plan to cover this in greater detail in the next couple of months via our dev blogs." MechWarrior Online devs field 'Mech customization queries originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: MechWarrior Online

Choose My Adventure: Ultimate road trip edition Posted: 18 Apr 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Polls, Hands-on, Choose My Adventure, Miscellaneous Let's go for another spin! Just like Mikey of Life cereal fame, I ventured into the realm of Choose My Adventure once before, and I liked it! Grand adventures, camaraderie with readers, exploring the unknown... what more could I ask for? More time, obviously! It ended all too soon. I was totally revved up and ready to jump right back in, but unfortunately neither pleading nor bribery worked to continue my stint as your plucky puppet (and locking the other staff members in a dark closet didn't pan out either -- they escaped), so I had to park it and wait my turn. It took much too long, but finally my time has come again. *happy dance* Now the boss may have handed me the keys, but you will be the ones driving. The top is down, and I've got snacks and shades; all that is left to begin our adventure for the next six weeks is to pick which direction to head and floor it. Although a lot of good places have already been visited, there are plenty more to choose from. In the mood for fantasy? Capes? Nebulas? Heavy artillery? Cast your votes by Sunday, April 22nd, 2012, at 11:59 p.m. EDT for your chance to steer me to the world of your choice. Our possible destinations (in no particular order) are... Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Ultimate road trip edition Choose My Adventure: Ultimate road trip edition originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Guild Wars 2 announces first beta weekend for April 27th to 29th Posted: 18 Apr 2012 12:15 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Events, in-game, News items, Guild Wars 2 Guild Wars 2 fans, prepare to rejoice; the time has nearly come to throw open the floodgates. ArenaNet has taken to Twitter to announce that the first public Guild Wars 2 beta weekend event will be taking place the weekend of April 27th. Other details are scant at the moment, but the team promises that a blog post with further information will be going up tomorrow. If you want to get in on the fun but don't have a beta key, don't fret. The tweet also reminds players that prepurchasing the game will grant instant beta event access for this weekend and others to follow. So that's it, folks: You've got a little over a week to call in sick, stock up on the most dangerously caffeinated beverages you can find, and kiss your sleep schedule goodbye. We'll see you in Tyria. Guild Wars 2 announces first beta weekend for April 27th to 29th originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Guild Wars 2 official Twitter

Why I Play: Star Trek Online Posted: 18 Apr 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play, Why I Play It was a cold, dreary Saturday morning in January 2010 when I told my wife that we had a quest to accomplish. It was absolutely imperative that we drive into unsafe areas of Detroit to locate one of the very few Del Tacos in the area in order to buy cups. On these cups, as I explained to my increasingly incredulous spouse, were codes for shuttle pets in the upcoming Star Trek Online. I had to get some, I insisted; Captain Kirk was depending on me. An hour later, our mission was accomplished, and my wife had another tale of husband-geekery to share around the office. To her credit, the very next week she happened to be driving by another Del Taco and purchased me six additional cups to give away to fans who otherwise couldn't get one. That's how awesome she is. I tell you this story because it is indicative of my relationship with Star Trek Online: silly yet passionate, excitable yet frivolous, and flawed yet fascinated. I've played this game off and on for the past couple of years and have become convinced that while it's clunky and lacking in areas, it's an MMO gem that deserves much better than the slander it's endured. This is why I play it. Continue reading Why I Play: Star Trek Online Why I Play: Star Trek Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

TERA open beta begins this weekend Posted: 18 Apr 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, TERA Hey look, it's more TERA news! Happily, this tidbit has to do with your ability to get your hands on En Masse's new action MMO sooner rather than later. This weekend marks the beginning of the game's open beta period; the initial test period runs from Friday through Monday. It also marks the first time that players will be able to try out the new prologue experience that we told you about earlier today. The action starts right away as you're shipwrecked on the Island of Dawn and immediately set upon by hordes of hungry demons. You'll jump into TERA's action combat from the get-go, as opposed to the traditional tutorial experiences in many other MMOs. Signing up for the beta is pretty straight-forward. All you need is an En Masse account and the ability to remember the TERABETA promo code. Step-by-step signup instructions are available after the cut. [Source: En Masse press release] Continue reading TERA open beta begins this weekend TERA open beta begins this weekend originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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