MMO Updates

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• Final Fantasy XIV beckons former players with Legacy, Welcome Back campaigns
• Turbine talks Eberron vs. Forgotten realms in new DDO video
• Vendetta celebrating 10-year anniversary, prepping new content
• SOE games down Monday for 24-hour maintenance
• Mount & Blade: Warband DLC features 250-player battles
• Diablo III roars into an open beta weekend
• The Daily Grind: Is there such thing as too much new content?
• Ask Massively: I approve of more staves edition
• The Summoner's Guidebook: Yes, I've seen your bear Tibbers
• Dungeons & Dragons Online invites players to build a guild
• APB: Reloaded's patch 1.7: New Breed Part One is locked, loaded, and live
• The Guild Counsel: What makes a guild leader miserable?
• Guild Wars 2 briefs players on next weekend's beta event
• Ex-MMO devs aim to fund space combat game via Kickstarter
• Guild Wars 2 releases underwater concept art
• Outspark launches Fiesta Social beta on Facebook
• Otherland alpha sign-ups begin
• Funcom temporarily takes The Secret World Facebook tie-in offline
• The Perfect Ten: Free-to-play holdouts
• Analyst says SWTOR subs peaked at 1.7 million, now declining

Final Fantasy XIV beckons former players with Legacy, Welcome Back campaigns Posted: 20 Apr 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Final Fantasy XIV Square-Enix is rolling out the welcome mat for former players of its Final Fantasy XIV MMORPG. The company has announced two new promotional campaigns, the first of which is aimed at players who have paid for at least 90 days of sub time since January 6, 2012. You should be getting an email from Square if you're eligible, and you'll receive a discount on your monthly sub ($9.99 for 30 days) as well as 40 playable character slots on your account (with a maximum of eight per world). Legacy members will also get an exclusive chocobo mount with version 2.0 as well as the option to have their name listed in the update's credits. Square's second announcement concerns the Welcome Back Campaign, which is intended to stoke the interest of former players with inactive service accounts. Eorzean ex-patriots can come back for free between May 9th and May 20th. During the 10-day trial Square says that you can take part in the "once-in-a-lifetime" Seventh Umbral Era content and experience the new job system and inn room updates. Finally, Naoki Yoshida has published a new producer's letter which expounds on the campaigns as well as the game's future. [Thanks to William for the tip!] Final Fantasy XIV beckons former players with Legacy, Welcome Back campaigns originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: FFXIV campaign info

Turbine talks Eberron vs. Forgotten realms in new DDO video Posted: 20 Apr 2012 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play Turbine has released the next installment in its Menace of the Underdark dev diary series. The video clip runs for two-and-a-half minutes and features various developer personalities discussing Dungeons and Dragons Online's jump from one fantasy world to another. "It's really important to us that Faerun feels unique and is more true to the classic high-fantasy setting," says producer Fernando Paiz. Whereas Eberron featured elements of fantasy-tech and magicpunk, the Forgotten Realms is one of the more iconic and traditional high fantasy settings around. As such, Turbine says, it has collaborated closely with Wizards of the Coast to ensure the authenticity of the expansion experience. So what is the link between these two different realms? In a word, Lolth, the drow spider-queen goddess who is powerful enough to connect the worlds. Turbine remains mum on the specifics, though, so you'll have to check out the expansion to see for yourself. [Source: Turbine press release] Continue reading Turbine talks Eberron vs. Forgotten realms in new DDO video Turbine talks Eberron vs. Forgotten realms in new DDO video originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Vendetta celebrating 10-year anniversary, prepping new content Posted: 20 Apr 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Sandbox, Anniversary Ten years is an eternity in the game industry, and MMOs that manage to hang around for a decade or more are few and far between. One such title is Vendetta Online, which originally released on April 20, 2002 and is still going strong today. Guild Software is hosting a couple of celebration events this weekend. The company has also announced that its massive 1.9 patch is coming later this year, followed by an even more massive expansion in 2013. Vendetta is unique among MMOs for its twitch-based space combat and extensive trading, mining, and exploration gameplay. Large space battles, dynamic territory control, and player-generated content systems round out the feature set, all of which is coded and maintained by a four-man dev team. The single-universe game server is accessible from a number of different platforms that include Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. In March 2011, Vendetta became the first PC MMO to jump to mobile platforms, and it spent several weeks as the number one paid app on Android devices. Check out the game's official website for more info, and don't forget to sign up for the trial while you're there. You can also read Massively's latest game impressions in Some Assembly Required. [Source: Guild press release] Vendetta celebrating 10-year anniversary, prepping new content originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

SOE games down Monday for 24-hour maintenance Posted: 20 Apr 2012 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Pirates of the Burning Sea, PlanetSide, MMO industry, News items, Vanguard, Free-to-play, Free Realms, DC Universe Online, Family We imagine that the word downtime makes Sony Online Entertainment employees cringe, convulse, and eye-twitch for hours on end after last summer's disastrous hacker-induced service outage. Happily though, the next service interruption is planned and we've got plenty of notice. SOE will be performing maintenance this Monday, April 23th, and the firm says that all of its game services will be unavailable for approximately 24 hours. The downtime starts at 3:01 a.m. EDT. Commerce transactions and account management functionality will also be affected, so you might as well cross all of your SOE-related plans off Monday's calendar. SOE games down Monday for 24-hour maintenance originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: EQII website

Mount & Blade: Warband DLC features 250-player battles Posted: 20 Apr 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Historical, Trailers, Video, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, War A Mount & Blade MMO is something we've wanted to see for a long time. While that's not exactly happening, 250-player battles is probably the next best thing. Paradox has just released a new DLC pack for Mount & Blade: Warband called Napoleonic Wars. It brings the game's signature real-time combat to 19th century Europe and gives players the ability to use soldiers, artillery, and even battlefield musicians to wage epic multiplayer battles. Napoleonic Wars features five nations, a wide range of artillery pieces, an Engineer class that uses barricades, trenches, and explosives, and over 220 new units. There's also a new commander battle mode for your squad-leader gameplay needs. The DLC pack will set you back $9.99. Oh, and don't forget to check out the launch trailer after the cut. [Source: Paradox press release] Continue reading Mount & Blade: Warband DLC features 250-player battles Mount & Blade: Warband DLC features 250-player battles originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Diablo III roars into an open beta weekend Posted: 20 Apr 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Events, in-game, Diablo III Flex those mouse-clicking fingers, compadres -- it's demon-hunting time! This weekend, Blizzard is blowing the doors off Diablo III's beta, allowing any and all (well, those with a Battle.net account, that is) to come try out this upcoming action RPG. The open beta weekend begins at 3:00 p.m. EDT today and lasts until 1:00 p.m. on Monday, April 23rd. During the beta, all five classes will be available, but players will be limited to a level 13 cap as they give the game a whirl. To access the Diablo III open beta, players need a valid Battle.net account and a BattleTag. Despite playing in the open beta, participants won't be able to post in the beta forums and won't receive Beta Bucks with which to spend. Asian players in Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau won't be part of this stress test, but rather a separate invitation-only closed beta test starting on April 23rd. Diablo III roars into an open beta weekend originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: D3 Open Beta

The Daily Grind: Is there such thing as too much new content? Posted: 20 Apr 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Getting the best value for your money has always been a concern with MMOs. As players, we want to see our dollar stretch as much as possible, and developers want to make sure they're creating enough content to keep their hardcore players happy as well as maintaining that early experience to keep new players coming in. But can it ever be just too much? I've found myself drifting away from a few MMOs after a new expansion or content update makes me feel completely lost. I played the game to max level, thinking I was doing good to finally join my friends in endgame content, only to have a new expansion nullify that feeling. So tell us your opinions, dear readers. Have you ever experienced content overload in a game, or do you welcome the content avalanche with open arms? 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: Is there such thing as too much new content? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Image credit

Ask Massively: I approve of more staves edition Posted: 19 Apr 2012 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Opinion, Free-to-play, Massively Meta, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous You know what we need more of? Staves used as melee weapons instead of a caster's Set of Stats in a Stick. Usually, what we get is closer to a cane than an actual staff, so it makes sense that a curvy stick with a lawn ornament on one end isn't much for actual combat. But come on, folks. You can do some serious damage with a metal pole and a few witless mooks. City of Heroes is ahead of the curve here. This week's installment of Ask Massively has nothing to do with staves, however. It has to do with a few more lingering questions about the comment system and some wide-ranging "best of" topics. If you've got a question you'd like to see answered in a future installment of the column, you can leave it in the comments or mail it to ask@massively.com. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity. Continue reading Ask Massively: I approve of more staves edition Ask Massively: I approve of more staves edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Summoner's Guidebook: Yes, I've seen your bear Tibbers Posted: 19 Apr 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Opinion, Free-to-play, Guides, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook Annie is a very popular champion in the lower skill ranks of League of Legends. This is especially true of the Classic gametypes, where she is one of the more common choices for the solo mid lane. Additionally, she is a fearsome enemy even when played by the AI. Horror stories of Annie Bot wrecking whole teams have been going on since the dawn of the game. Because Annie is so popular and deadly, she's an ideal character to spotlight on the Guidebook. She's fun, easy to play, and oh-so-very cute. When you go up against her, it's good to know exactly what to expect. Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: Yes, I've seen your bear Tibbers The Summoner's Guidebook: Yes, I've seen your bear Tibbers originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Dungeons & Dragons Online invites players to build a guild Posted: 19 Apr 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Events, in-game, News items, Free-to-play, Promotions If you're going to take on the Drow in Dungeons & Dragons Online, you're going to need help. You'll need allies, people you can count on no matter what. In other words, you need a guild. That means recruiting some good players -- and the new Build Your Guild event is aimed at giving players incentives for just that. Running until late June, the event offers players two different ways to gain fantastic advantages just by being in a guild. All players can gain extra experience and loot by grouping with fellow guild members, whether you're a new player or an old hand. You can also gain special bounties for reaching leveling milestones, which grants bonus guild renown and astral diamonds. Last but not least, guilds will randomly be rewarded a variety of prizes during the length of the event, culminating with a level 85 airship in late June. The event should provide plenty of incentive for players to work together in a guild, and if you happen to get some prizes along the way, so much the better. Dungeons & Dragons Online invites players to build a guild originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Build Your Guild event

APB: Reloaded's patch 1.7: New Breed Part One is locked, loaded, and live Posted: 19 Apr 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Patches, News items, Free-to-play, All Points Bulletin, Crime Heads up, APB: Reloaded players; the game's patch 1.7: A New Breed Part One is now live, so it's time once again to lock and load. This rather sizeable update brings quite a few new features with it, such as the previously covered new contacts, weapons, mods, weekly challenges, and more. On top of all those goodies, the patch is also introducing a number of new clothing sets and vehicle kits to allow players to commit/bust crimes with panache. A great number of changes have been made to the game proper as well, such as some environmental tweaks and some modifications to weapon and character mechanics, the full list of which can be found over on the game's official blog. But why read about it when you can experience all the new content yourself? Just head on over to San Paro and join the fight. [Source: GamersFirst press release] APB: Reloaded's patch 1.7: New Breed Part One is locked, loaded, and live originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Guild Counsel: What makes a guild leader miserable? Posted: 19 Apr 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Guilds, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous Guild-leading can be a very enjoyable and rewarding activity, but it's not always a walk in the park. In many of the columns here and the discussions that follow, the most common theme is how leading guilds is both the best and the toughest role in the game. When things are all falling into place and everyone's clicking, it's extremely satisfying to see it all come together. But when it's not, it can be extremely frustrating and stressful. We've often looked at the benefits of running a guild, but in today's Guild Counsel, let's look at a few areas that can sometimes make guild leadership almost seem not worth it. Hopefully by discussing and recognizing these moments of misery, guild leaders can find some solace in knowing that they aren't alone, and members can help make life easier for their leaders. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: What makes a guild leader miserable? The Guild Counsel: What makes a guild leader miserable? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Guild Wars 2 briefs players on next weekend's beta event Posted: 19 Apr 2012 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Events, in-game, Guild Wars 2 Excited about next weekend's Guild Wars 2 beta event? We're right there with you, which is why we uttered a sigh of relief to hear some concrete details about the hows and whys of the nitty-gritty details from ArenaNet's mouth. The event will take place from Friday, April 27th, at 3:00 p.m. EDT until Monday, April 30, at 3:00 a.m. While there are various ways to obtain a key for the weekend (such as having gone to PAX East), the only 100% surefire way of getting in the event is to have pre-purchased the game. All event attendees will be emailed next week with instructions about the client download. The beta event will allow players to choose from three races (Charr, Human, and Norn) and all eight classes, to experience PvP and PvE content, and to see Lion's Arch for the very first time. ArenaNet assured us that this will not be the final beta weekend prior to launch and delivered the good news that this event will not be hampered by an NDA of any sort. Guild Wars 2 briefs players on next weekend's beta event originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Guild Wars 2

Ex-MMO devs aim to fund space combat game via Kickstarter Posted: 19 Apr 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles They were part of the force behind many MMOs you've known and loved, including Jumpgate, Auto Assault, LEGO Universe, RIFT, and League of Legends, and now they're banding together for a new cause funded by crowdsourcing. They're the developers at END Games, and they hope to raise a quarter of a million dollars to create a multiplayer space combat game. Despite the team's legacy, however, this new title will not be an MMO. Titled Squad Wars, the proposed project will blossom into a frantic starfighter game that will pit squads of players against each other in the deadly vacuum of space. Instead of focusing on a persistent world, Squad Wars will offer packaged scenarios that will "ensure the most fun every time you login." END Games is also notable in that two of its members were founders of NetDevil: Scott Brown and Ryan Seabury. As of the time of this writing, END Games has $1,430 toward its goal, which must be attained by May 19th for the project to proceed. Ex-MMO devs aim to fund space combat game via Kickstarter originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Kickstarter

Guild Wars 2 releases underwater concept art Posted: 19 Apr 2012 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Screenshots, Guild Wars 2 They say a picture is worth a thousand words, or in this case, 460,000 likes on Facebook. Reacting to the growing popularity of Guild Wars 2 in its social media, ArenaNet has released a brand-new piece of gorgeous concept art for you to gawk at. The piece shows Norn Eir Stegalkin finding something hidden deep underwater. Eir is one of the five key heroes of Destiny's Edge, the retired adventuring group that plays a huge part in the game. As Guild Wars 2 will have a significant underwater portion, this art is a good reminder that not all of the game's exploration and landmarks will take place out in the open air. The concept art is by ArenaNet's Jamie Ro and can be viewed in high resolution on Flickr. Guild Wars 2 releases underwater concept art originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Guild Wars 2 facebook

Outspark launches Fiesta Social beta on Facebook Posted: 19 Apr 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual It's beta time for Fiesta Social, a new Facebook RPG based on Outspark's Fiesta Online MMO. "With Fiesta Social, when you meet someone in-game, you're hanging out with them in real-time, laughing at their jokes and saving them in battle. It's highly addictive, soul-satisfying bonding you just can't get from the current 2-D turn-based social games," says Outspark CEO Philip Yun. We're not sure about the soul-satisfying bit, but the trailer has a certain cute factor that you can see by clicking past the cut below. Outspark says that Fiesta has nearly 10 million registered users and close to 600,000 Facebook fans, so there's always someone to share your personal information with... er, have fun with, day or night. Outspark is also giving away free dance emotes and free mounts. All you have to do is enter the code OTTERGONBEAT. Continue reading Outspark launches Fiesta Social beta on Facebook Outspark launches Fiesta Social beta on Facebook originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Otherland alpha sign-ups begin Posted: 19 Apr 2012 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Otherland Fancy getting an early peek at the MMO version of Tad Williams' Otherland? Head to gamigo's official forum, then, because the company is seeking a few good alpha testers. This isn't your typical marketing beta, at least according to the sign-up verbiage. "As an alpha tester, you will be asked to focus-test specific game elements, document your user experience, and fill out in-depth surveys each week. Alpha testing is hard work," gamigo says. It's also unpaid work, so only die-hard Otherland fans need apply. If you're not a die-hard but are still interested in the game, check out our GDC impressions as well as this handy post that collects all of the publicly known information in one place. Otherland alpha sign-ups begin originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Alpha testing app

Funcom temporarily takes The Secret World Facebook tie-in offline Posted: 19 Apr 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Horror, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Browser, The Secret World, Casual Earlier today Funcom pulled its new Secret War game from Facebook. The minigame launched yesterday in an attempt to drum up interest in the upcoming The Secret World MMO. We've received a few news tips and heard a few rumors as to why the game was taken offline, so we decided to contact Funcom directly for the full scoop. Director of communications Erling Ellingsen gave us the low-down: What's happened is that the activity levels on sharing to Facebook has been significantly higher than expected, and we have been asked by Facebook to make certain adjustments. So we are taking down the experience now and will be bringing it up again once the necessary adjustments have been made. Even shortly after launch yesterday we had tens of thousands of people playing and sharing actively, so the interest for the experience has been very high. And there you have it. We'll update the story as Funcom brings The Secret War back online or if there are any further developments. [Thanks to Adam for the tip!] Funcom temporarily takes The Secret World Facebook tie-in offline originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Perfect Ten: Free-to-play holdouts Posted: 19 Apr 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Asheron's Call, Dark Age of Camelot, EVE Online, Final Fantasy XI, PlanetSide, Warhammer Online, Ultima Online, Free-to-play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, RIFT, Final Fantasy XIV, Perfect Ten In the increasingly diminishing field of subscription-only MMOs, two distinct camps have formed. There is the Old Guard that has its established playerbase and is simply not interested in jumping on board the F2P train, and then there are the New Kids on the Block (which would make an excellent band name, by the way), who argue that their premium features and AAA content warrant a subscription in the F2P age. A few years ago, doing a list of the final few F2P holdouts would have been a ridiculous proposition, but now it's actually difficult to get to 10 of these. Each company has a different reason that it hasn't given these games more flexible payment options (FPO should replace F2P; pass it on!), and while some have addressed this publicly, others say nothing and leave us to speculate on it. For today's Perfect Ten, we're going to look at the 10 biggest current F2P holdouts in the industry and muse about what's going on behind the scenes. Will this list be impossible to do in a few years or will subscription-only titles come back in a big way? Hey, I don't predict things; I just make lists. Continue reading The Perfect Ten: Free-to-play holdouts The Perfect Ten: Free-to-play holdouts originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Analyst says SWTOR subs peaked at 1.7 million, now declining Posted: 19 Apr 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, Economy, MMO industry, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic Stop us if you've heard this one before. Expensive themepark MMO launches to critical and fan acclaim (minus a healthy contingent of naysayers, of course). A few months after launch, rumors of bleeding subscriptions abound, followed by analyst predictions of... well, business as usual. Gamasutra reports on one such forecast for Star Wars: The Old Republic by Cowen and Company. Analyst Doug Creutz says that though TOR's subs peaked at 1.7 million in February, he expects them to drop to around 1.25 million by March of 2013. The analysis is based on statistics gleaned from TorStatus.net, which tracks daily users as opposed to sub numbers. Electronic Arts' recent SWTOR promotional blitz also factored into the report. "While the game got off to a good start, the relatively light amount of end-game content does appear to be taking a toll," Creutz wrote. Analyst says SWTOR subs peaked at 1.7 million, now declining originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Gamasutra

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General gaming

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• Prey 2 Delayed, Not Canceled, as Developer's Status Called Into Question
• Disgaea 3 Review: Its Ridiculousness Only Runs Skin-Deep
• The Most Important Changes Zelda Needs to Make
• Evil And Loving It: Six Decisions That Tap into Our Dark Side
• God of War: Ascension Goes Backward While Hopefully Taking the Series Forward

Prey 2 Delayed, Not Canceled, as Developer's Status Called Into Question Posted: 19 Apr 2012 04:49 PM PDT After keeping Prey fans in suspense for the past two months, publisher Bethesda has finally confirmed Prey 2 remains in development. It has, however, been delayed out of 2012 according to a surprisingly straightforward statement released earlier today. "Development of Prey 2 has not been canceled but the game will not be released in 2012 as planned," the statement read in part. "The delay is due to the fact that game development has not progressed satisfactorily this past year, and the game does not currently meet our quality standards." That's a far cry from the industry standard way of handling a situation like this, where we'd normally hear about nothing but an intense desire to ensure the game in question turns out as good as possible. That is what's hinted at here, but it's a far more pessimistic assessment of the progress that has been made than we're used to seeing publicly.

Disgaea 3 Review: Its Ridiculousness Only Runs Skin-Deep Posted: 19 Apr 2012 04:10 PM PDT Let us assume, for the sake of making a conversation, that we can both agree the original Disgaea was a brilliant piece of game design. No, not perfect by any means; but what it lacked in refinement it more than made up for with sheer audacity. Even if you're not a fan of its over-the-top sensibilities, you have to admit that Disgaea's unconventional combination of on-the-nose, metatextual skewering of anime game clichés and ludicrous obsession with stats and grinding was precisely the slap to the face the overly serious strategy RPG genre desperately needed a decade ago. The problem with a game so fresh, so irreverent, is that it paints its creators into a corner. A larger, more diverse developer probably could have simply followed up with something totally different. Nippon Ichi, on the other hand, was a tiny studio whose only modest pre-Disgaea successes had come with lighthearted but ultimately more conventional takes on the genre -- the precise sort of games Disgaea was mocking. By their standards, Disgaea was a blockbuster, but it also broke that old rule of (pardon my French) not shitting where you eat. Having ruthlessly ripped their previous work a new one, Nippon Ichi certainly couldn't go backward. Forward was the only choice, and that meant more Disgaea.

The Most Important Changes Zelda Needs to Make Posted: 19 Apr 2012 02:10 PM PDT Feature Share it: Tweet The Most Important Changes Zelda Needs to Make How Nintendo's flagship series can thrive by breaking free from tradition. By: 1UP Staff April 19, 2012 Bob Mackey, Associate Editor After attending the San Francisco performance of The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses, I couldn't help but walk away from the event with a strange sensation buzzing around in the back of my brain. Yes, the series made an immeasurable impact on game design, with the original NES game and Ocarina of Time each establishing the rules for their respective formats, but the pomposity now exhibited by the Zelda property as a whole comes off as grating -- and with the last two console installments not bothering to change the formula much, a bit unearned. Of course, I can't deny the goosebumps populating my body during some of the more stirring (and nostalgic) pieces played during the concert, but since the marvelously cartoony The Wind Waker, The Legend of Zelda seems to have completely lost its sense of humor. And by attempting to establish the story's epic beginning, Skyward Sword in particular sold itself on the sheer importance of Zelda, without really doing much to prove why the series abducted our hearts and minds over the past quarter-century.

Evil And Loving It: Six Decisions That Tap into Our Dark Side Posted: 19 Apr 2012 01:44 PM PDT Feature Share it: Tweet Evil And Loving It: Six Decisions That Tap into Our Dark Side Choices that only make sense if you're an unrepenting jerk. By: Dennis Farrell April 19, 2012 When we're presented with a moral choice, the "evil" path can usually be justified in some small way. Coercing a destitute quest-giver into handing over his family heirloom as a reward for your services? That ring of +1 Charisma could help you save lives down the line. Somehow. Maybe. Leaving a poisoning victim to die? Finding the cure would take at least thirty seconds, and your mission is so vital that you can't waste any time -- aside from romancing party members and gambling on mini-games, that is.

God of War: Ascension Goes Backward While Hopefully Taking the Series Forward Posted: 19 Apr 2012 01:02 PM PDT A new God of War game is officially on the way to PlayStation 3, and it's not God of War IV as many expected. After being teased by Sony over the last week, the surprise was spoiled prior to its proper announcement, first by the file name of an image on Sony's servers, and then by an Amazon listing revealing the latest entry in the series: God of War: Ascension. God of War III was designed as the end of the trilogy. It was always made clear more games would be coming, though it's becoming increasingly clear Sony has no interest in leaving Kratos behind. The bald, ill-tempered (seriously -- he ripped a guy's head off and proceeded to use it as a flashlight) protagonist of every GoW game to date makes a return in Ascension, which will, like both of the series' PlayStation Portable games, be a prequel. You could be mistaken for thinking, "Again?" in response to hearing that detail: this is now the third prequel (or fourth if you count the mobile title Betrayal, though only Chains of Olympus and Ascension take place before the original game) to be released, meaning there are now more GoW prequels than sequels, which is a pretty peculiar place for a franchise to find itself. It's not as if the potential for God of War IV is not there; III ended on a cliffhanger that left open the door for Kratos to make his triumphant return in the inevitable GoW IV, though if that proves to be the case, Ascension will likely take the edge off of his "return."

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