MMO Updates

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• Webzen gearing up for C9 PvP tourney, Witchblade reveal at E3
• SOEmote tech brings live facial expressions, voice to EverQuest II avatars
• Former 38 Studios employees defend Schilling, talk political misinformation
• ZeniMax devs 'unapologetic' about making Elder Scrolls MMO
• Defiance to launch April 2013, shows off E3 trailer
• The Firing Line: Zomg it's almost time for PlanetSide 2 edition
• The Daily Grind: Do you subscribe to offline gaming publications?
• Perpetuum rolling out Gamma Frontier tomorrow
• The Guild Counsel: How to leave a guild gracefully
• The Summoner's Guidebook: Dealing with Heimerdinger
• The Perfect Ten: Worst MMO launches of all time
• Defiance could link up an Xbox 360 with a PS3 -- but can't
• Exclusive City of Heroes dev diary: Design insights from the Magisterium trial
• RIFT: Storm Legion expansion coming this fall
• Funcom soliciting Age of Conan feedback via annual summer survey
• Ask Massively: Haven't had an animal picture since March edition
• New DUST 514 dev diary talks fittings, lore
• City of Heroes Issue 23: Where Shadows Lie launches today
• So who wants a Guild Wars 2 closed beta key?

Webzen gearing up for C9 PvP tourney, Witchblade reveal at E3 Posted: 01 Jun 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play Webzen's Continent of the Ninth Seal, otherwise known as C9, hasn't made a lot of noise in the West as of yet. That may change after next week's E3, when the South Korean action MMO import will introduce a new class and strut its stuff via the championship finals of its PvP tournament. The new class is called the Witchblade, and E3 attendees will get some hands-on time with it as they battle the forces of evil in the game's Blenheim region. Webzen is also showing off Arctic Combat, a new online FPS set on the frozen tundra of World War III. Check in with Massively next week as we'll be on the ground in Los Angeles to bring you all the latest MMO news and views. [Source: Webzen press release] Webzen gearing up for C9 PvP tourney, Witchblade reveal at E3 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

SOEmote tech brings live facial expressions, voice to EverQuest II avatars Posted: 01 Jun 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Roleplaying Roleplaying is the red-headed stepchild of MMO design considerations these days, but at least one studio hasn't forgotten immersion enthusiasts. Sony Online Entertainment has announced a new EverQuest II feature called SOEmote which converts your webcam input into avatar facial expressions. The suite also gives users the option to modulate their voice to something appropriate for their character. "Any game that calls itself a roleplaying game absolutely needs this feature. For other games, it's just a really good idea that your players will want. Pick a character. Pick a class. And then be that character instead of just being yourself. That's what a roleplaying game is supposed to be," SOE producer Dave Georgeson explains. Head to PCGamer for the full interview and a tech demo video. SOEmote tech brings live facial expressions, voice to EverQuest II avatars originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: PCGamer

Former 38 Studios employees defend Schilling, talk political misinformation Posted: 01 Jun 2012 08:45 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous Gamers and other outsiders have been quick to label Curt Schilling as the primary villain in the 38 Studios drama, but a new piece at Gamasutra intimates that that might not be the whole story. The website cites multiple anonymous sources who say that 38's situation wasn't helped by Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee. "Once things went bad, Chafee's office started leaking any information it could to make 38 Studios look like it had been a bad deal. Unfortunately, a lot of these leaks involved partial and complete misinformation," the source said. Another source dispelled notions of excessive spending at the shuttered studio. "I can say that the company didn't spend money extravagantly at all. We didn't have giant statues in the halls, or supercomputers with 30-inch monitors at every desk. We had what we needed to work on the game and that was it," the source tells Gamasutra. Former 38 Studios employees defend Schilling, talk political misinformation originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Gamasutra

ZeniMax devs 'unapologetic' about making Elder Scrolls MMO Posted: 01 Jun 2012 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, The Elder Scrolls Online ZeniMax Online recently called in to the Game Informer podcast to talk up its Elder Scrolls Online title. Game director Matt Firor and creative director Paul Sage were the devs of record, and the 30-minute chat featured some interesting tidbits. Firor mentions that the game will release simultaneously on PC and Mac, but ZeniMax has no plans for a console version. Sage talked a bit about the progression system, which, while level-based, does feature skill-based advancement as well. In the current build, characters gain experience in skills that are slotted. Sage also mentions that you do get better with weapons as you wield them, though the gain is not 100 percent usage-based. There's also a bit of discussion about art style, camera modes, and the decision to MMOify the Elder Scrolls IP. "We're making an MMO, we're unapologetic about that. This is the Elder Scrolls MMO. It's not Skyrim, Skyrim already exists and you can go play Skyrim. We're making the MMO version of the Elder Scrolls, and with that comes some conventions that are different from a console RPG," Firor says. ZeniMax devs 'unapologetic' about making Elder Scrolls MMO originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Game Informer

Defiance to launch April 2013, shows off E3 trailer Posted: 01 Jun 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Events, real-world, Launches, MMOFPS, Massively Event Coverage, Defiance It's just a few days until this year's E3, and one of the titles we're definitely going to be scoping out is Trion Worlds' "transmedia" MMO, Defiance. However, if you're willing to spoil your trade show appetite for a small advance reveal, we've got a treat for you: the Defiance E3 trailer. The trailer shows more of Defiance's gameplay, including an arkfall event that will be one of the cornerstone of the game's experience. The narration in the trailer is performed by the show's star Grant Bowler. We also learned that both Defiance the TV show and Defiance the MMO will simultaneously launch in April 2013. Check out the trailer after the jump, and stay tuned as we get our hands on the first-ever public demo of this game at E3 next week. [Source: Trion Worlds press release] Continue reading Defiance to launch April 2013, shows off E3 trailer Defiance to launch April 2013, shows off E3 trailer originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Firing Line: Zomg it's almost time for PlanetSide 2 edition Posted: 01 Jun 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Business models, Game mechanics, Lore, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Opinion, Free-to-play, DUST 514, Sandbox, World of Warplanes, The Firing Line It's taking all of my willpower to avoid reducing this week's column down to four words: PlanetSide 2 hands-on. I guess technically that might be three words, or even two, depending on how you classify numbers and hyphens. The point, though, is that this time next week, I will have gotten my grubby little paws on Sony Online Entertainment's MMOFPS, and I'm so excited that little else matters. OK, some stuff still matters, namely the interesting shooter news that happened this past week. Join me after the jump for a recap. Continue reading The Firing Line: Zomg it's almost time for PlanetSide 2 edition The Firing Line: Zomg it's almost time for PlanetSide 2 edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Do you subscribe to offline gaming publications? Posted: 01 Jun 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Some people say print media is already dead, but as a fan of magazines myself, I tend to disagree. Online media may be taking over for online-themed topics more than anything else, but there are still those of us who enjoy the look and feel of a paper publication in our hands. Plus, I'm a bit of a graphic design nerd, so the aesthetics and layout of these magazines make it even more worth while to me. But what about you? Do you feel that the popularity of the iPad and other mobile devices is driving just another nail in the coffin of print media for tech and gaming news, or will there always be a place for it on your coffee table? 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: Do you subscribe to offline gaming publications? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Perpetuum rolling out Gamma Frontier tomorrow Posted: 31 May 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, Patches, Previews, News items, Perpetuum, Sandbox Home is where you hang your hat, but in Perpetuum home is also where you ensure that your mining operations remain stable with the aid of several high-powered turrets. The next major update to the game, Gamma Frontier, is all about making sure that your home is the best it can be. Player corporations will be able to make use of the game's new Modular Private Colony system, setting up static buildings and defenses for large-scale industrial operations, helped by the addition of 24 new teraformable islands. Obviously, player-run structures are a pretty big deal all by themselves, but the update also includes a new rendering engine for land and sky textures. There's also a new public test server available so that players can take the measure of future updates before they go live. If you're a longtime fan of the mech-based game, you can tide yourself over a little longer by taking a look through the several new screenshots of the update below. [Source: Avatar Creations press release] Gallery: Perpetuum gallery Perpetuum rolling out Gamma Frontier tomorrow originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 May 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Guild Counsel: How to leave a guild gracefully Posted: 31 May 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Guilds, Opinion, The Guild Counsel Last week, we talked about ways to leave with extreme drama and much messiness. One thing I intended to add in that column was the "right way" to leave a guild, but it's really something that deserves a column of its own. MMO players are really good at knowing how to push buttons, get under skin, and create drama. But what if you joined a nice guild and it just wasn't the right fit? How do you leave without looking like the bad guy? In this week's Guild Counsel, we'll look at ways to leave gracefully. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: How to leave a guild gracefully The Guild Counsel: How to leave a guild gracefully originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 May 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Summoner's Guidebook: Dealing with Heimerdinger Posted: 31 May 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, Guides, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook When I was a League of Legends nooblet, I latched onto Heimerdinger during a free week and found him really fun. He was my first taste of bottom lane Dominion play, and he contributed a lot to my early wins. I felt pretty invincible as bottom lane Heimerdinger, and while he was highly gankable, I used it as a way to practice flashing to escape. A lot of my mid-levels were gained by playing Heimerdinger. In Dominion, he's a strong bottom pick, though he has a lot of weaknesses that can be exploited. On Summoner's Rift, he's a strange pick that nobody knows where to place. We'll talk about either case this week and some things you can do to handle them. Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: Dealing with Heimerdinger The Summoner's Guidebook: Dealing with Heimerdinger originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Perfect Ten: Worst MMO launches of all time Posted: 31 May 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Age of Conan, Aion, Anarchy Online, Star Wars Galaxies, Vanguard, All Points Bulletin, Humor, Final Fantasy XIV, Allods Online, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous First things first: Whatever MMO release is currently ticking you off is the worst launch of all time. It would be folly of me to try to convince you otherwise. You've been roundly slapped in the face and you don't want me to convince you that the pain was in vain. I understand. Getting past that, however, would it be possible to examine the subsequent 10 worst launches in the MMO industry? If your trauma isn't too great, that is. It would be? Terrific! What constitutes a horrible game launch is varied, although each and every one of the following games made an unfortunate blunder that caused the title to stumble instead of sprint out of the gate. It's not the end of the story, of course, but it does make for a good tale to tell to youngsters camping in the open woods or a particularly seedy LAN center. Continue reading The Perfect Ten: Worst MMO launches of all time The Perfect Ten: Worst MMO launches of all time originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 May 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Defiance could link up an Xbox 360 with a PS3 -- but can't Posted: 31 May 2012 02:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, MMO industry, MMOFPS, Miscellaneous, Defiance In this slowly unifying world of technology and gameplay that we live in, it seems weird how we still have the segregation between consoles in the online space. Trion Worlds put on a private demonstration on development hardware to show just how that barrier can be easily knocked down. Unfortunately, the console companies involved will never let it happen. The game in question is Trion Worlds' upcoming Defiance, an MMOFPS that will interact with the Syfy television series of the same name. Trion showed a crowd how it's entirely possible for one player on an Xbox 360 to fight against or with another player on a PlayStation 3. Trion Global Brand Director Alex Rodberg said that while this cross-platform mingling can be done, it's extremely unlikely that such a thing would ever reach live servers: "Microsoft won't let Sony players play against them." A Microsoft spokesperson agreed with that sentiment: "We have a high level of expectation for our game developers to ensure that all Live experiences remain top notch. Because we can't guarantee this level of quality, or control the player experience on other consoles or gaming networks, we currently do not open our network to games that allow this cross-over capability." Defiance could link up an Xbox 360 with a PS3 -- but can't originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 May 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Kotaku

Exclusive City of Heroes dev diary: Design insights from the Magisterium trial Posted: 31 May 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Super-hero, City of Heroes, Patches, Dev Diaries Today the war ends in City of Heroes. Today players are taking up arms (and mutated plant spores) in the final battle of the Praetorian War, and it will be a glorious eruption of particle effects and superheroic feats. The Magesterium incarnate trial is arguably the centerpiece of Issue 23, and Associate Designer Jeff Hamilton flew in to give us the skinny on this chaotic fight. You can get all the details on the Magisterium as well as an exclusive sneak peek at images from the fight, all after the jump! Continue reading Exclusive City of Heroes dev diary: Design insights from the Magisterium trial Exclusive City of Heroes dev diary: Design insights from the Magisterium trial originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 May 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

RIFT: Storm Legion expansion coming this fall Posted: 31 May 2012 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Classes, Expansions, RIFT, Dungeons The RIFT army cannot be stopped, and neither can Trion Worlds' incredibly hard-working team. Trion officially announced today that RIFT's first expansion, Storm Legion, will be hitting the stores this fall. Executive Producer Scott Hartsman said that the expansion will "triple in size" the amount of content and territory that players currently have. "RIFT: Storm Legion is about more, more, more," he said. Storm Legion will open up two new continents for play: Dusken (a horror-themed continent) and Brevane (which hosts the cradle of Telaran civilization). Another major city will join the map, the dual-faction town of Tempest Bay. Each continent will feature its own storyline, with the promise by the devs that the term "story" will feature far more heavily than mere busy work. The main story of the expansion is driven by Crucia, the Queen of Storms, who's bringing her huge entourage to Telara through the Infinity Gate. Players have much to anticipate when the expansion releases. In addition to the new continents, the expansion will increase the level cap to 60, add capes to our wardrobes, experiment with a player housing system called "dimensions," introduce seven new dungeons and three new raids, add a crafting tier, and see another Chronicle join the roster. Players will also get to play with four new souls, one for each calling (Warrior, Rogue, Mage, and Cleric). Finally, for the brave at heart, the expansion will bring the immense colossus to terrorize the realms, and these open-world colossus battles are supposed to be like nothing we've ever seen before. Get excited for RIFT: Storm Legion by watching the trailer after the jump! Continue reading RIFT: Storm Legion expansion coming this fall RIFT: Storm Legion expansion coming this fall originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 May 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Gamespot

Funcom soliciting Age of Conan feedback via annual summer survey Posted: 31 May 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play If you've ever wanted to give Funcom a piece of your mind when it comes to Age of Conan's development, now's your chance. The latest monthly development update is live, and with it comes the annual AoC summer survey questionaire. It's a pretty lengthy set of questions, and it covers everything from item store prices, to PvP, to potential player housing. And lest you think the survey is just for show, AoC game director Craig Morrison begs to differ. "It genuinely does have an impact. Many of the answers in the previous surveys became the templates for specific additions, features and new content. People voted for a 12v12 minigame two years ago, and that was what we made for the next minigame. People wanted more solo instances, those arrived as well," he writes. Funcom soliciting Age of Conan feedback via annual summer survey originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 May 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: May dev update

Ask Massively: Haven't had an animal picture since March edition Posted: 31 May 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Lore, Opinion, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous So I was looking at the Wikipedia page for capybaras when I realized that I haven't had an animal picture as my header here since March. That just doesn't seem right. I do try to make a conscious effort to avoid putting animals up here all the time, but considering that a good portion of my day is spent thinking about critters, two months seems a really long while. So, here's a capybara. I was originally going to go with a tapir, but I have to pace myself. What was this column supposed to be about? Oh, right, it's the new installment of Ask Massively, discussing the issue of non-European fantasy settings and the potential for more love of crowdsourced projects. If you've got a question you'd like to see answered in a future installment of the column, mail it along to ask@massively.com or leave it in the comments below. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity. Continue reading Ask Massively: Haven't had an animal picture since March edition Ask Massively: Haven't had an animal picture since March edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 May 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

New DUST 514 dev diary talks fittings, lore Posted: 31 May 2012 11:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Lore, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Consoles, MMOFPS, DUST 514, Sandbox If you're unfamiliar with the new PlayStation 3 shooter DUST 514, and the PC MMO EVE Online on which it's based, the latest CCP video dev diary is for you. See, DUST mercenaries inhabit the same universe (and the same server) as EVE capsuleers, and like their EVE counterparts, DUST mercs are immortal. The new video is the second part of CCP's Welcome to New Eden series, and while the lore stuff will probably seem somewhat fluffy to the EVE-newb target audience, there is a bit of gameplay info to be had. It centers around DUST's fitting system, which differentiates the game from traditional role-based shooters by allowing extreme flexibility when it comes to kitting out a character and adjusting to a dynamic battlefield. See for yourself after the break. Continue reading New DUST 514 dev diary talks fittings, lore New DUST 514 dev diary talks fittings, lore originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 May 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

City of Heroes Issue 23: Where Shadows Lie launches today Posted: 31 May 2012 11:15 AM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Business models, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play City of Heroes' Issue 23 launches today, and Paragon says that Where Shadows Lie is "the culmination of two years' worth of storytelling as it heads to its epic conclusion." It's not all about story, though, as the patch also includes the new Night Ward zone, the Magisterium Incarnate Trial, a server-wide chat channel for both VIP and free players, and new incarnate powers. Perhaps the best part of all this is that it's a free update. You can head to the official CoH website for a complete breakdown of all the patch additions. [Source: Paragon press release] City of Heroes Issue 23: Where Shadows Lie launches today originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 May 2012 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Issue 23

So who wants a Guild Wars 2 closed beta key? Posted: 31 May 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Guild Wars 2, Giveaways I could write a bunch of stuff here about how Guild Wars 2 is the most anticipated MMO launch of the year and we bet you really want to play in the next beta if you didn't already pre-purchase the game, but we know you just want that key! So go getchoo one! Just click past the cut for a link to our giveaway page and complete redemption instructions for your chance to get started in June 8th's closed beta weekend. Continue reading So who wants a Guild Wars 2 closed beta key? So who wants a Guild Wars 2 closed beta key? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 May 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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General gaming

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• What We Don't Want to See at E3
• The Best Humble Indie Bundle Yet Includes Bastion and Psychonauts
• E3: Punching Above Its Weight Class
• E3 Thoughts and Predictions Vol. 2: Microsoft
• Diablo III Review: A Worthy Sequel, Once It Clicks

What We Don't Want to See at E3 Posted: 31 May 2012 05:51 PM PDT Feature Share it: Tweet 1UP COVER STORY 1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF MAY 28 | E3 2012 What We Don't Want to See at E3 Cover Story: Several reasons we might be inclined to call in sick this year. E 3 may bring with it a collection of exciting announcements, but for every amazing, forward-thinking game we'll see, five unwanted ones pop up to remind us of how shallow and cynical this industry can be. And it's not just games that hold the potential to annoy us; any number of gaming-related products hold the potential to make us roll our eyes at a record-breaking speed. We've decided to share what we're dreading the most from this year's show, and we'd love to hear your own fears in the comments section below!

The Best Humble Indie Bundle Yet Includes Bastion and Psychonauts Posted: 31 May 2012 05:24 PM PDT The Humble Indie Bundles, which are sold for any price the customer decides, are great for a variety of reasons: They allow the spotlight to be placed upon a small number of indie games, they get games in the hands of gamers for almost no money (depending upon how generous they're feeling), and they support charity. While they may also devalue games, as they get gamers in the mindset of potentially being able to pay a single penny for a handful of games worth many, many times that, there are still clearly many upsides to them. With that in mind, the latest Humble Indie Bundle -- launched just earlier today -- might very well be the best we've ever seen. Despite being referred to as The Humble Indie Bundle V, there have been more than four in the past when accounting for the Frozen Synapse, Frozenbyte, Introversion, and Android bundles, among others. The best of these, in my opinion, was the fourth one, which included Super Meat Boy, Jamestown, Bit Trip Runner, Shank, NightSky, and, for those who exceeded the average sale price, Cave Story+ and Gratuitous Space Battles. Soundtracks for these games ended up being released to buyers, too, as were the games included in the third Humble Bundle. Not too shabby.

E3: Punching Above Its Weight Class Posted: 31 May 2012 01:18 PM PDT Feature Share it: Tweet 1UP COVER STORY 1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF MAY 28 | E3 2012 E3: Punching Above Its Weight Class Cover Story: Our fancy charticle puts the world's biggest game show in perspective. S ince its debut in 1995, the Electronic Entertainment Expo has remained steady as the single biggest event in the gaming industry -- yes, even that one year when the ESA tried to kill the show in its sleep by limiting its size and forcing everyone to hunt for their appointments in hotels spread across the entirety of Santa Monica, CA. While several game-related events throughout the year outclass E3 in terms of size, scale, or attendance, no other show compares to the number of revelations, announcements, debuts, and information that comes out of E3. Just how much bigger than E3 are shows like GamesCom and Tokyo Game Show? And what makes E3 such a big deal, anyway? Well, friend, do we have the charticle for you! Read on....

E3 Thoughts and Predictions Vol. 2: Microsoft Posted: 31 May 2012 09:39 AM PDT Feature Share it: Tweet 1UP COVER STORY 1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF MAY 28 | E3 2012 E3 Thoughts and Predictions Vol. 2: Microsoft Cover Story: 1UP wades through Microsoft's pool of casual and hardcore products to bring you E3 predictions. H ooray for E3 2012! Each year, Microsoft, Sony, and NIntendo kick off the biggest trade show in the games industry by holding individual press conferences. This annual routine of presentations, stage demos, and unveilings brings us some of the most exciting news of the show -- especially when a new gaming platform is involved. Here at 1UP, we're just as excited for E3 as you, so we decided to throw together our thoughts and predictions in anticipation. A few days ago, we mulled over what Nintendo will do at E3 and now it's time to turn our attention to Microsoft, a company that tries to focus their E3 presentation on everyone by combining stage demos for popular core games alongside casual fare. For more on speculation on what Microsoft will show at E3, check out the May 25th episode of the Games, Dammit! podcast. Jeremy Parish: Of all the console makers, Microsoft seems the most adrift and aimless. I guess they're doing pretty well, but that success almost seems to come in spite of themselves. Each year we see a smaller number of exclusive 360 titles than the last, and Kinect seems to be slowly fading from the collective conscious with fewer releases as time goes by. This year, Microsoft needs to step up and be assertive. Yeah, OK, you have Halo 4 and another Forza game. You have a handful of Kinect games. What else? Show us your cards, and cut the B.S.; we don't want marketing speak or tiresome demos of tech that will never become a game, we just want to know why we should care. New hardware? New games? If you want to go all-in on selling 360 as a Kinect machine for casual gamers, that's fine, too. Just give us the impression that you have a solid plan, OK? Gamers love waffles, but not wafflers.

Diablo III Review: A Worthy Sequel, Once It Clicks Posted: 31 May 2012 09:07 AM PDT I wouldn't have been able to write an unbiased review of Diablo III immediately after launch; I was too wrapped up in the hype and fanboyism of it all. I've spent more time with Diablo II than almost any other game ever made, and my anticipation for this sequel had completely eclipsed that of any other game this year. Many PC gamers could say the same, and that speaks volumes of the immense expectations that Blizzard had in front of them. I've spent an embarrassing amount of time with this game since launch (70+ hours) and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Diablo III is not a perfect game, but it could come close with time. Diablo III keeps the tenets of the franchise close to its core: Choose a class, hack away at thousands of demons, level up, and collect loot. If this sounds like fun to you, then Diablo III is your game. The story has never been a primary selling point for the series, although the cutscenes are pretty. Diablo III adds accessibility in a big way. With each level you earn, you unlock a new skill or "rune," a modifier for the skills you've selected. By default the game enables an "Elective Mode" that puts each of your unlockable skills in categories and limits you to having one of each type accessible at a time. Even though you can disable Elective Mode and put any skill in any slot, this will help any new player become acquainted with their class. You can also swap any skills or runes out at any time, which relieves the stress of potentially messing up your build. You are encouraged to equip and try out all the skills, which is a breath of fresh air in the realm of action RPGs. Smashing demons with great-hammers never felt so good. The mayhem animates smoothly, and watching an enemy fly into the air as you cut through the masses reminds you of what makes Diablo games special. You will feel powerful, and powerful in a different way than the character next to you, even though you may belong to the same class. Diablo III allows you to slay evil as a special snowflake. Each Wizard will employ different skills augmented with different runes. And every time you see someone using Hydra while you have Meteor equipped, you'll think to yourself, "Maybe I should try that out..." The pacing of Diablo III is flawless. Never does a "good stopping point" come along. You seamlessly move into each new quest, continuously battling evil. As with previous Diablo titles, once you complete the story you are invited to play the game on a harder difficulty. Diablo II featured Normal, Nightmare, and Hell difficulties, while Diablo III adds an Inferno difficulty. And unlike the previous games, you don't have to grind out levels and gear to progress. You can finish Normal around level 30 and feel right at home in Nightmare Act I. You can finish the story in around 12 hours, but that's just where the game gets exciting. You can enter Nightmare difficulty (with your same character, level, and gear), where you're are encouraged to hunt even better loot drops. Diablo II met great success as a single-player adventures as well as a multi-player one, so Blizzard's decision to develop Diablo III with a mandatory always-on Internet connection earned its share of criticism. The ill-will from that decision came boiling to the surface at launch as millions of gamers attempted to log in to the game servers only to receive error messages that prevented them from enjoying their new purchase. The only-online decision makes a certain amount of sense; game additions like the global, in-game-currency auction house as well as the yet-to-be-implemented real-money auction system no doubt influenced the decision to store character information on Blizzard's servers. Yet always-online play requirements only work when the system itself is always up and running, and while the server issues seen to have worked themselves out, the problems they've introduced to Diablo III has undoubtedly affected many players' opinions of the game. Will Diablo III last? Will gamers still care about Diablo III next year, or the year after that, the way so many have continued playing Diablo II for nearly a decade? I can't say yet, but with the addition of achievements, the no-retries hardcore mode, the extra-punishing design of Inferno mode, and the real-money auction house and PvP arenas on the way, I think the game has real legs. After more than hours of play time, Jrex the Wizard is in Act I of Inferno Mode, and I don't see myself putting the game down anytime soon. Maybe the loot drops aren't balanced perfectly. Maybe the servers were down that one time you tried to log in. Yet few will argue that Diablo III isn't a beautiful and addicting action RPG. Even Diablo II wasn't the powerhouse we know it as today back at its launch. Only after a number of balance changes, expansions, and game-altering patches years after release did it achieve its legendary status. Ten days after its debut, Diablo III is a great game, and it will only get better over time as Blizzard has time to tweak and fine-tune the formula.

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