MMO Updates

---

• Blade & Soul Korean open beta records 150,000 users within an hour
• Schilling 'tapped out' after loss of 38 Studios
• New World of Warplanes video features carrier-based fighters
• EverQuest II Game Update 64 revamps Qeynos and PvP
• Waren Story hits closed beta
• The Daily Grind: Have you ever loved a game you once hated?
• EVE players abuse faction warfare to produce trillions of ISK
• The Summoner's Guidebook: Stopping the endless rage in League of Legends
• Storm Legion will include RIFT for free
• Anarchy Online celebrates its 11th birthday
• Star Wars: The Old Republic talks adaptive gear, augment tables
• The Guild Counsel: Nerfed to heck - now what?
• Diablo III forces digital consumers to wait up to 72 hours to access full game
• Ask Massively: You guys have strong opinions on gaming laptops edition
• New Heroes & Generals trailer shows gameplay, community
• ArcheAge to feature extensive maritime gameplay, housing
• Another Guild Wars 2 stress test is coming this Wednesday
• The Perfect Ten: MMO Jukebox

Blade & Soul Korean open beta records 150,000 users within an hour Posted: 22 Jun 2012 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Blade & Soul Have you been itching to jump in to try Blade & Soul during its open beta test? If so, you aren't alone: The Korean OBT for the fantasy game started just last night and recorded 150,000 CCU (or Concurrent User number for the acronym-challenged) within a single hour. To accommodate the volume of players participating in the beta, NCsoft increased the number of servers available from two to 25 and has five more waiting in the wings if needed. Even with that flood of users, the B&S servers remained stable. Currently, Blade & Soul ranks only behind Diablo III and League of Legends in popularity according to data provided by Gametrics. The game is scheduled to launch in Korea next month; unfortunately for North American and European fans, there are currently no set plans for bringing the game to these markets. Blade & Soul Korean open beta records 150,000 users within an hour originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Jun 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: ThisIsGame

Schilling 'tapped out' after loss of 38 Studios Posted: 22 Jun 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business models, Economy, MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous Curt Schilling has spoken to a Boston radio station about the lingering effects of 38 Studios' demise. The former Red Sox pitcher has been vilified by some gamers who assume that he's living the high life while former employees are suffering, but he tells WEEI that that's pretty far from the truth. "The money I saved and earned playing baseball was probably all gone... life is going to be different," he says. Rhode Island taxpayers will also be tightening their belts, as they'll pay nearly $12 million annually through the year 2020 to cover 38's $150 million debt, according to Joystiq. Schilling also revealed that 38 Studios was close to signing a deal to produce a Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning sequel prior to remarks made by Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee that supposedly damaged the negotiation process. Schilling also expressed remorse at the plight of former 38 Studios employees. "The employees got blindsided," he said. "They have every right to be upset. I always told everybody if something were going to happen, you're going to have a month or two of lead time, and I bombed on that one in epic fashion." Schilling 'tapped out' after loss of 38 Studios originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Jun 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Boston Globe Via: Joystiq

New World of Warplanes video features carrier-based fighters Posted: 22 Jun 2012 08:30 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 a new gameplay video for World of Warplanes. The clip focuses on carrier-based fighters from the U.S. tech tree, including stalwarts like Grumman's Wildcat variants and Chance-Vought's deadly F4U Corsairs. There are a few lesser-known aircraft in the mix as well. Players can fly several early biplane fighters as well as jets like the F5U and F7U. World of Warplanes is currently in closed beta. The game is an arcade-style flight shooter that features four unique battle maps as well as 59 aircraft from the U.S., Germany, and the U.S.S.R. Click past the cut to see some carrier fighters in action. [Source: Wargaming.net press release] Continue reading New World of Warplanes video features carrier-based fighters New World of Warplanes video features carrier-based fighters originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Jun 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EverQuest II Game Update 64 revamps Qeynos and PvP Posted: 22 Jun 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Patches, PvP, News items, Free-to-play Although EverQuest II's Game Update 63 is only a couple of months old, GU 64 is already hot on its heels. But instead of adding new content, this update focuses on revamping features already in-game, most notably the city of Qeynos, open-world PvP, and battlegrounds. Besides the much-anticipated opening of Qeynos by consolidating zones, the bulk of this update is focused on improving the PvP experience both in and outside of battlegrounds. One key aim is to have "player skill [be] the biggest deciding factor in PVP combat, not gear." Changes in store for the PvP-minded are stat adjustments, consolidated open-world and battleground tokens, enhanced open world PvP as well as the battlegrounds, and adjusted crowd control mechanics to better balance the classes. You can listen to the devs discuss the changes related to PvP and the battlegrounds in Sony Online Entertainment's latest community webcast or read more details in the announcement. These changes hit the test server on Tuesday, June 26th and are expected to go live in the next couple of months. EverQuest II Game Update 64 revamps Qeynos and PvP originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Jun 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: EQ2 Wire announcement

Waren Story hits closed beta Posted: 22 Jun 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, PvP, Free-to-play Enough talking the talk; Waren Story is ready to walk the walk. The PvP-centric MMO announced the start of its closed beta phase today as it pushes forward toward release. Aeria Games is calling for all bloodthirsty players to help test the game and iron out the bugs. Waren Story's PvP is both varied and vicious. There are 10 different modes of player-vs-player combat, including siege warfare and a weekly conquest war. Players who fall in combat will give up some of their experience and items to their killer, so there's a vested interest in staying alive at all costs. If you're interested in the beta, you can head over to Waren Story and download the client starting today. Waren Story hits closed beta originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Jun 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Closed beta announcement

The Daily Grind: Have you ever loved a game you once hated? Posted: 22 Jun 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous It's easy to hate a game you once loved. Your class gets nerfed, your favorite playstyle gets changed, everyone's a Jedi -- we get that side of things. But there are also those times when you try a game in beta or at launch and it just doesn't click with you. Even worse, there are games that may do something in those first few hours that cause you to swear that game off forever. But if you paid for the game, or have some sort of investment in it, you might see it collecting dust on your shelf or making puppy-dog eyes at you from your desktop and decide that it deserves another try. That's when you discover that it might just be the best game you've ever played. Has this happened to you? Which game reeled you back in? Was it because of a patch, or just the fact that time heals all wounds? Let us know in the comments! 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: Have you ever loved a game you once hated? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Jun 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE players abuse faction warfare to produce trillions of ISK Posted: 21 Jun 2012 10:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Bugs, Culture, Events, in-game, Expansions, Game mechanics, Professions, News items, Sandbox If there's one constant in the EVE Online universe, it's that the players can never be underestimated and every care must be taken to make sure systems can't be abused in unintended ways. In 2009, a handful of players figured out how to artificially boost the number of valuable faction warfare loyalty points rewarded for completing missions and farmed enough ISK to build a titan. That record was completely blown out of the water today as five EVE players revealed how they'd generated five trillion ISK using game mechanics introduced in the Inferno expansion. Inferno added a new reward system for faction warfare that gave players loyalty points for enemy ship kills based on the value of the destroyed ship and cargo. A bug was found that rewarded players for both the destroyed and surviving cargo, even though surviving cargo could be recovered. GoonWaffe pilot Aryth and four friends began destroying their own freighters full of minerals to cash the minerals out into loyalty points, which were then used to buy items for sale. When CCP discovered this bug and fixed it, the group manipulated the market price of one of the game's least-purchased items up to a huge number. When the price index for the value of that item updated, the players began destroying haulers full of them to generate billions of loyalty points for almost nothing. The points were cashed out into items for sale on the market, producing a total profit of over five trillion ISK. The abuse has not yet been declared an exploit, but CCP has fixed the issue and is still investigating it. At current market prices, five trillion ISK is enough to buy around 10,000 30-day game time codes worth a total of $175,000 US. EVE players abuse faction warfare to produce trillions of ISK originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Jun 2012 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: EVE Forum

The Summoner's Guidebook: Stopping the endless rage in League of Legends Posted: 21 Jun 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Game mechanics, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, Guides, MOBA, League of Legends, The Summoner's Guidebook Tryndamere is one of the most overrated champions in League of Legends. This is not to say he's a bad champion; he's a strong pick in both Summoner's Rift and Dominion. However, he's considered by many players to be overpowered and nigh-unbeatable. He has a combination of two elements that contribute to this: He's easy to play and hard to counter. An inexperienced player can get a lot of success by being a huge bully as Tryndamere. I find this to be unacceptable! Tryndamere's rage is hardly endless, and dealing with him is one of the best early matchups to learn. Once you know how to deal with his tricks, he's much weaker, and you can walk all over him. People who rely on Tryndamere's gimmicks to win games will be stopped cold once you've mastered the counters. Continue reading The Summoner's Guidebook: Stopping the endless rage in League of Legends The Summoner's Guidebook: Stopping the endless rage in League of Legends originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jun 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Storm Legion will include RIFT for free Posted: 21 Jun 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, News items, RIFT, Promotions RIFT is gearing up for its first expansion later this year, but the staff at Trion Worlds doesn't want to lock out people who've never tried the base game. That's why you don't have to worry about buying an expensive expansion on top of a main game: Storm Legion will apparently include the full version of RIFT along with it, allowing new players to pick up the expansion and experience both the core game and the additions without restriction. Of course, this sounds like less of a deal if you already own RIFT, but you're covered there as well, as existing players can expect a price discount on purchasing the expansion. So if you want to enjoy the increased level cap, better crafting, and new souls, you won't have to pay full retail price for the experience. It's a good deal for existing fans and new players alike -- and one that may help encourage more players to give Storm Legion a shot. Storm Legion will include RIFT for free originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jun 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: RIFT's first expansion Storm Legion includes full original game

Anarchy Online celebrates its 11th birthday Posted: 21 Jun 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Anarchy Online, Events, in-game, Free-to-play, Anniversary Has it really been 11 years since Anarchy Online burst onto the scene with one of the smoothest launches of all time? It must be -- Funcom is throwing a birthday bash for its faithful players. There will be two birthday celebrations, one on the Atlantean server on Friday, June 22nd, at 1:00 p.m. EDT and one on Rimor on Monday, June 25th, at 1:00 p.m. EDT. Both in-game celebrations will be marked by spawning events, special mobs, and in-game items. If you're down with the party scene, the community will be throwing a monster rave to end all raves. Funcom hinted at a few of the surprises, including new costumes, action figures, vehicles, and the love of a duck and a cake. The studio will be handing out a free jet pack for all players who log in during the celebration. Anarchy Online celebrates its 11th birthday originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jun 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: 11th birthday celebration

Star Wars: The Old Republic talks adaptive gear, augment tables Posted: 21 Jun 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Patches, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Crafting Star Wars: The Old Republic's upcoming patch 1.3 looks like it's going to be bringing a bunch of fun goodies for the crafters in its playerbase. BioWare has posted a new update on the SWTOR official site to give players a look at some of the changes coming in the patch. For starters, we have the new adaptive gear weight system. When a character or companion is equipped with a piece of social armor with the adaptive armor weight, that character will automatically "use it to maximum effect, gaining the benefits of the highest armor weight [the character] can equip." The big crafting-related feature hitting in 1.3, however, is the addition of augment tables. BioWare has noticed that crafted items with augment slots (which are created only through a critical crafting success) are almost disproportionately powerful due to their "exceptional stat potential", which the devs say is "indicative of a systemic inequity between different types of items." Augment tables, which will be accessible through the current item modification stations, aim to fix this by allowing players to add augment slots to existing items without having to rely on a critical crafting success. Players can acquire additional slots by paying a flat cost of credits at an item modification station or by using an augment kit crafted by Armormechs, Synthweavers, and Armstechs. The full system is a little too complex to delve into in this post, however, so if the idea of augment tables piqued your interest, head on over to the full post to read more. Star Wars: The Old Republic talks adaptive gear, augment tables originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jun 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Star Wars: The Old Republic -- Crew Skills and Items in Game Update 1.3

The Guild Counsel: Nerfed to heck - now what? Posted: 21 Jun 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Classes, Game mechanics, Guilds, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous You can run the best guild, have the smoothest guild atmosphere, and progress like a champion but still end up losing members through no fault of your own. Why? Nerfed classes. Classes are a double-edged sword because on one hand, they allow people to feel needed and unique. I tank, you heal, Bobby does DPS, and the group is a lot weaker if one of us is missing. On the other hand, class balance is rarely achieved, so there's always that red-headed stepchild class that no one really needs, the one who feels like the proverbial fifth wheel. If you're a guild leader whose member has suddenly gone from "OP" to "nerfed to oblivion," then what, if anything, should you do? Let's take a look in this week's Guild Counsel. Continue reading The Guild Counsel: Nerfed to heck - now what? The Guild Counsel: Nerfed to heck - now what? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jun 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Diablo III forces digital consumers to wait up to 72 hours to access full game Posted: 21 Jun 2012 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business models, MMO industry, Diablo III Chalk this up to another great moment in customer service history. With Diablo III's 1.0.3 patch came an interesting change that's hurting those who purchased the title as a digital download. Blizzard's made it so that only a small part of the game is accessible for up to 72 hours following its purchase, after which the rest of the game will unlock. Digital download customers are now restricted to the starter edition section of the game: part of Act 1, a level cap of 13, no auction house access, and limited interaction with other players. These restrictions do not apply to those who purchased the retail box of the game. A Blizzard employee explained the unlock delay in a forum post: "Outside of the issue that we fixed, digital purchases do require a review period before they kick over from Starter to Full editions. We apologize for the inconvenience, but it is a necessary step to combat fraud and other malicious activities that can weaken everyone's play experience. The delay is no longer than three days, and is often much quicker than that. Hang tight." This follows this morning's news that the South Korean government is twisting Blizzard's arm to make the studio issue refunds for dissatisfied customers. [Thanks to Marc for the tip!] Diablo III forces digital consumers to wait up to 72 hours to access full game originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: D3 forum post #1, D3 forum post #2 Via: Joystiq

Ask Massively: You guys have strong opinions on gaming laptops edition Posted: 21 Jun 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Culture, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Opinion, Humor, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous I really didn't expect the sheer volume of comments last week about getting or not getting a gaming laptop. That's my own fault for using a picture of a laptop as the header, I suppose. For the record, I bought a laptop, an Asus X54C as pictured above, to replace my netbook. Any games that I can run on that machine are essentially a bonus. I'm looking to replace my desktop, which is my preferred platform for gaming for several reasons. But I do appreciate all of the feedback! That was then, this is now, and now is all about a new set of answers in Ask Massively. This week, we're talking about the old standby of internet games, the games that were viral before "viral" was a thing: ARGs. If you've got a question for a future installment of the column, mail it 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: You guys have strong opinions on gaming laptops edition Ask Massively: You guys have strong opinions on gaming laptops edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

New Heroes & Generals trailer shows gameplay, community Posted: 21 Jun 2012 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Historical, Trailers, Video, Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, War, Free-to-play, Browser We told you earlier this week about Heroes & Generals, the new World War II strategy/shooter mashup from Reto-Moto. Today the devs have a released a new promotional trailer called Come Out to Play, which is a tongue-in-cheek mixture of real-world footage and clips from the game. Reto-Moto invited a few of H&G's most active community members to pal around with the dev team at various locations near the firm's Copenhagen studio. The new trailer is the result, and Reto-Moto says it's a nod to the fact that the game really is built with its community in mind. "We wish to create a living and breathing game universe, where we deliver the setting and the scene, but the real star is the community who plays out all the active roles in a persistent war and helps us tweak the experience into the game that they want to play," says game director Jacob Andersen. [Source: Reto-Moto press release] Continue reading New Heroes & Generals trailer shows gameplay, community New Heroes & Generals trailer shows gameplay, community originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jun 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

ArcheAge to feature extensive maritime gameplay, housing Posted: 21 Jun 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, ArcheAge, Sandbox, Housing Fan site ArcheAge Source has unearthed a new interview with ArcheAge creator Jake Song. The translation from the original Korean is a little rough, but there are still plenty of fascinating nuggets awaiting the patient reader. The forthcoming beta phase will see the existing game world "complemented by huge expanses of ocean." This isn't just for show, as Song says that eventually "oceans will allow players to find new employment, for example extraction, preparation, and delivery of seafood." Sea battles are also mentioned, as are "player-built maritime residences." How this relates to the previously announced underwater gameplay isn't clear, nor is it a given that we'll see all of this in CBT5, but ArcheAge's sprawling open world certainly looks to be putting the "massively" back into massively multiplayer. There's more to the interview, including bits on action combat and a clarification on Song's previous remarks regarding console games. Hit the link below for the full translation. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!] ArcheAge to feature extensive maritime gameplay, housing originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jun 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Translated interview

Another Guild Wars 2 stress test is coming this Wednesday Posted: 21 Jun 2012 11:15 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Events, in-game, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Guild Wars 2, Free-to-play Can't get enough Guild Wars 2 news? Well, ArenaNet has just announced that it will be conducting a stress test toward the middle of next week. Specifically, you're invited to try to crash the servers on Wednesday, June 27th, from 1:00 p.m. EDT to 5:00 p.m. EDT. The invitation is restricted to players who have pre-purchased the game, and ArenaNet says that it wants "to gather additional data on how [the servers] operate under load" before the next beta weekend event. If you've played during a previous testing phase, your characters will be waiting for you since the devs aren't wiping data for the stress test. More info is yours for the reading at the official GW2 website. Another Guild Wars 2 stress test is coming this Wednesday originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jun 2012 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: ArenaNet Blog

The Perfect Ten: MMO Jukebox Posted: 21 Jun 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Anarchy Online, EVE Online, Guild Wars, Lord of the Rings Online, Pirates of the Burning Sea, Culture, Runes of Magic, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous, WildStar Earlier this year, I got to expose my musically nerdy side to you all in a one-two shot of MMO theme song countdowns. The truth is that I'm just a huge sucker for video game music, and as such, I've collected a wide range of MMO scores to bolster my MP3 player. I know that we players tend to be pretty vocal about turning off MMO music at some point, usually due to extreme repetition. Unfortunately, that seems to leave a bad association with this music in our minds, and I don't feel that reputation is deserved. MMO scores can be just as good -- if not better -- than their counterparts in film or other video games. So I've decided that every so often I'm going to devote a full Perfect Ten to sharing my favorite MMO music. I'm always open to suggestions, of course, so if you know of a track that you feel really should be in the next list, send me an email or leave it in the comments! Continue reading The Perfect Ten: MMO Jukebox The Perfect Ten: MMO Jukebox originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jun 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

You are subscribed to email updates from Massively To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

MMORPG News

---

• SMITE: Closed Beta Giveaway #8
• MapleStory: Jett Revealed in New Trailer
• Dragon Nest: Tinkerer Class Revealed
• Guild Wars 2: Stress Test on June 27th
• Flyff: Gold Version to Launch July 11
• Firefall: Tournament on Wheels on Its Way

SMITE: Closed Beta Giveaway #8 Posted: 21 Jun 2012 03:25 PM PDT MMORPG.com and Hi-Rez Studios have partnered up to give out 100 keys for the closed beta of their upcoming MOBA, SMITE!

MapleStory: Jett Revealed in New Trailer Posted: 21 Jun 2012 01:55 PM PDT Nexon is ready to reveal more information about the next character set to hit MapleStory. "Players waiting for the upcoming release of MapleStory's gun-wielding space bounty hunter, Jett, will enjoy the newest Renegades update teaser trailer released today. For the very first time, players will get to see what Jett looks like and preview gameplay as the space bounty hunter in the third Jett trailer.

Dragon Nest: Tinkerer Class Revealed Posted: 21 Jun 2012 01:50 PM PDT Nexon has released a new trailer featuring the new Tinkerer class that will be included in Dragon Nest. Bearing missiles, cannons, chemical attacks or robot bodyguards, the new Tinkerer Class brings new ways to bash enemies. The Tinkerer gives players a variety of weapons include rapid fire cannons, bubble blasters and Alfred the Robot Bodyguard, who fights alongside the Tinkerer, carrying identical stats. Check it out!

Guild Wars 2: Stress Test on June 27th Posted: 21 Jun 2012 11:09 AM PDT The Arena.Net blog has been updated with an invitation to players to help the team stress test the Guild Wars 2 servers on June 27th. The test will run from 10:00 a.m. PDT (11 MDT, 12 CDT, 1 EDT) that day.

Flyff: Gold Version to Launch July 11 Posted: 21 Jun 2012 10:42 AM PDT Flyff players have a lot to look forward to with the approach of July and the arrival of the "blinged" up version of the game. The team has lots of new features for players to try out including the weapon transformation system.

Firefall: Tournament on Wheels on Its Way Posted: 21 Jun 2012 09:59 AM PDT Red 5 Studios has announced that it will be attending this year's Anime Expo 2012 in Los Angeles. Devs will be bringing its "Mobile Gaming Unit" to the show which is basically a 48' long gaming space for players to check out Firefall.

You are subscribed to email updates from MMORPG.COM News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

General gaming

---

• Women In Disguise
• Booth Babe: The Inside Story
• OP-ED: Diablo III Unfairly Tests New Players' Patience With 72-Hour Approval Period
• What Catherine Got Wrong
• Quantum Conundrum Review: Portal Minus Polish
• Sex Ed 101 for Video Games
• OP-ED: Mainstream Gaming and the Male Gaze

Women In Disguise Posted: 21 Jun 2012 08:03 PM PDT Feature Share it: Tweet 1UP COVER STORY 1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF JUNE 18 | GENDER, SEXUALITY, AND VIDEO GAMES Women In Disguise Cover Story: How games handle heroines posing as heroes. I t happens sometimes in video games. A fully armored warrior joins a quest, a villain looms imposingly at a level's end, or an annoying sidekick chirps unwanted tutorials in the player's ear. They're all apparently male characters. Then comes the revelation: the anonymous hero, the fearsome boss, or the boyish tagalong is, in fact, a woman. It's a thoroughly worn plot device, and it was already frayed well before video games even existed. When it comes to women posing as men, the games industry portrays them with the same scattered, often misguided treatment it shows for women in general. Some are mere gimmicks, some are plot twists, and some are downright offensive. On occasion, a game takes the cliché in a relatively intriguing direction, perhaps without even trying. For the most part, games take one of three major paths when women disguise as men. In fact, some aren't even disguised.

Booth Babe: The Inside Story Posted: 21 Jun 2012 02:44 PM PDT Feature Share it: Tweet 1UP COVER STORY 1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF JUNE 18 | GENDER, SEXUALITY, AND VIDEO GAMES Booth Babe: The Inside Story Cover Story: Are E3 booth babes a blight on the industry? We go to the source: The women themselves. L ike energy drinks, over-priced lunch menus, and endless pamphlets, booth babes have always been a staple of the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Often tall and always svelte, these paragons of feminine beauty are a part of many a marketing companies' armaments: A sultry if not always respected means to an end. Gaming's female demographic may be on the rise, but for now video games remain predominantly a man's world. And little grabs male attention like a shapely derriere artfully framed in skin-tight black leather. At least, that's what the PR specialists are probably telling their clients. I can't think of a better explanation for some of the outfits on the show floor this year. Though there weren't any pretty girls chained to consoles this time around, there was also no shortage of well-endowed women in questionable attire, something that may explain the age restrictions for E3 attendees. ("Mom? That lady isn't wearing any pants.")

OP-ED: Diablo III Unfairly Tests New Players' Patience With 72-Hour Approval Period Posted: 21 Jun 2012 01:42 PM PDT Blizzard has drawn the ire of gamers a number of times with Diablo III, whether it be over its art style, its always-online requirement (resulting in many being unable to play because of errors), or the ability to spend real-world money on high-end gear that other players might spend countless hours trying to obtain. With the release of the game's most recent patch, yet another item can be added to that list of debatable offenses, as those who purchase a digital copy of the game will be forced to wait up to three days to access content beyond what is provided in a glorified demo. Diablo III's Starter Edition is a fine way of allowing people to try out the game before purchasing it. It is not, however, what you would expect to be stuck with for any length of time after handing over $60. This isn't a bug or anything of the sort; as laid out on the official forums, this is intentionality functionality implemented as part of the 1.0.3 patch. "As of patch 1.0.3, when purchasing a digital version of Diablo III through the online store or your Battle.net Account, players are restricted to the Starter Edition for the first 72 hours (sometimes less)," reads the post. It goes on to detail what restrictions this puts in place until players can have their accounts approved: Matchmaking only with other Starter Edition players, no auction house access, no global play, and most problematically, a level cap of 13 and access to content only leading up to Act I's first big boss, the Skeleton King.

What Catherine Got Wrong Posted: 21 Jun 2012 01:06 PM PDT Feature Share it: Tweet 1UP COVER STORY 1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF JUNE 18 | GENDER, SEXUALITY, AND VIDEO GAMES What Catherine Got Wrong Cover Story: A few details missing from Atlus' unflinching look at relationships. Note to concerned readers: this piece might mention things you don't want to know about Catherine. L ast summer, Catherine showed that you can mix a puzzle game with an unflinching look at interpersonal relationships and end up with a pretty fantastic product -- our own Jeremy Parish gave it an A in his review. And though the game features a succubus as one of its female leads and a demon as its principal antagonist, Catherine grounds itself with the bittersweet and veracious ramblings of half-drunk, aging men; Vincent's nightly barroom excursions stood as the game's highlight, as these encounters had the player gradually getting to know a very flawed but likable cast of characters over the course of nine chapters. So, with Catherine's emphasis on player honestly with touchy subjects like infidelity, it's only natural that the few plot omissions feel strangely absent.

Quantum Conundrum Review: Portal Minus Polish Posted: 21 Jun 2012 12:57 PM PDT In 2007, Portal surprised the pants off of an unsuspecting public who thought Half Life 2: Episode 2 would stand out as the highlight of Valve's curiously named The Orange Box. This student-project-turned-retail-release offered interesting mechanics previously dabbled with in games like Prey, and its impeccable level design and dark, original humor made it one of the best gaming experiences of the aughts.

Sex Ed 101 for Video Games Posted: 21 Jun 2012 12:01 PM PDT Feature Share it: Tweet 1UP COVER STORY 1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF JUNE 18 | GENDER, SEXUALITY, AND VIDEO GAMES Sex Ed 101 for Video Games Cover Story: Learning to build a better game from film, music, and literature. I 'm a whole lot younger than the medium of video games, but I'm confident that I have the ability to discuss the birds and the bees in a slightly more mature manner without giggling and pointing at the sight of an exposed breast. Sadly, the same can't be said of a vast majority of games, which may be growing in terms of narrative and presentation, but still remain in a stunted state of arrested development when it comes to anything sexual. Too many video games deal with sex and sexuality by using the same tact as a soft-core porno, only with slightly better music. Having the camera nearly molest an anatomically incorrect digitized facsimile of a female isn't sexy; it's just kind of pathetic. I can't help but feel like many video game developers, publishers, journalists, and even the characters themselves could use a thorough lesson in how great art deals with the vast concept of sexuality in intelligent and mature ways. This lesson could very easily resemble an introductory college course that focuses not on the titillating, but on the thought-provoking. If our medium as a whole were to enroll in Sex Ed 101, a three credit course that focused on how to maturely covey the various facets of sexuality, it would be wise to take a good look at how other forms of art tackle the subject. Specifically, how three masters of their craft were able to take topics once considered verboten, and weave them in so tightly with their own respective art.

OP-ED: Mainstream Gaming and the Male Gaze Posted: 21 Jun 2012 08:00 AM PDT Feature Share it: Tweet 1UP COVER STORY 1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF JUNE 18 | GENDER, SEXUALITY, AND VIDEO GAMES OP-ED: Mainstream Gaming and the Male Gaze Cover Story: Men, women, and chainsaws meet interactivity. Are games the next frontier for how we view how men view things? (This article delves into critical theory and games. It doesn't "tl;dr" well. The opinions in this op-ed are my own, and only my own. They do not represent the opinions of my employer or my employer's publishing partners. While the temptation may be there to label the thoughts in this piece differently, please respect my opinion, and more importantly, respect the opinion of those smarter than me who disagree by properly labeling this piece as opinions from one individual. Finally, there are far more educated experts on feminism than myself, so any errors are mine alone.) T he fact that gaming is debated as art is evidence that, even at its best, games are "low" art. We do not share the history of music, the dedicated critical language developed over the last decade for film, nor do we have the accessibility of the printed page. We are also an inherently commercial art. It requires both a large, addressable market, and targeted marketing, for a game to survive. That is not to say we can't learn from other types of art. Specifically, narrative gaming shares a great deal with film in both structure and composition. We share the idea of a script, a camera, and in many cases, traditional three act structure.

You are subscribed to email updates from 1UP RSS feed To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

MMORPG Reviews

---

• Rift: Conquest is going to be launched the next week
• Brand new systems are coming to Flyff
• ARGO Online has presented a new expansion
• Heroes & Generals has released a new video titled “Come Out to Play”
• Maestia – Rise of Keledus has received a new guild system
• Eredan is celebrating a gift pack giveaway for the first 1000 new registrations
• We are celebrating a Closed Beta Pack giveaway for Pockie Ninja II Social
• BasketDudes is going to celebrate a Triple Experience Weekend from Friday 22 to Sunday 24
• Gravity Interactive has started the annual summer festival of ROSE Online

Rift: Conquest is going to be launched the next week Posted: 21 Jun 2012 10:01 AM PDT Trion World has announced that the 9th massive update of Rift, named Conquest, launches next week. Adding a host of new features including three-faction PvP, a new raid Sliver, and a mentoring system that allows high level Ascended to play with their low level friends, Rift: Conquest continues Trion's commitment to ongoing improvement and integration [...]

Brand new systems are coming to Flyff Posted: 21 Jun 2012 09:08 AM PDT Sweeping changes will take over Flyff Gold on July 11. Some of the new systems are going to reinvent the MMORPG, from the brand new Weapon Transformation and Consignment Marketplace to the renovated Guild Siege rewards and in-game social client. Take Flyff's extensive character customization to the next level by transferring the best stats onto [...]

ARGO Online has presented a new expansion Posted: 21 Jun 2012 08:19 AM PDT The free-to-play fantasy and steampunk MMORPG ARGO Online is about to provide additional high level content. A new arena system that will allow cross-faction as well as internal PvP battles is part of the planned expansion. Besides a new continent, a higher character level cap and additional high level content, the upcoming content patch will [...]

Heroes & Generals has released a new video titled “Come Out to Play” Posted: 21 Jun 2012 07:36 AM PDT The MMOFPS Heroes & Generals, has released a new video titled "Come Out to Play". By splicing live action and in-game sequences together, the video celebrates H&G's innovative combined online FPS and strategic campaign in an authentic World War II setting. As a true testament to our open door development model, where developers work with [...]

Maestia – Rise of Keledus has received a new guild system Posted: 21 Jun 2012 06:03 AM PDT The free-to-play fantasy MMORPG Maestia – Rise of Keledus has received a revised guild system. The new patch brings a variety of new features to player associations, including expanded functionality. In addition, the statue system honors the best Maestia players. In the new bank, Maestia guilds can for the first time distribute gold reserves among [...]

Eredan is celebrating a gift pack giveaway for the first 1000 new registrations Posted: 21 Jun 2012 04:34 AM PDT Eredan with FreeMMORPGratis and MMOreviews is celebrating a registration event. Register now for Eredan here and win a item pack with a value of 8€. You will receive the gift pack after you have registered a new account. Pack gift Content: - A Premium Booster Contains 13 cards chosen at random amongst all the Acts [...]

We are celebrating a Closed Beta Pack giveaway for Pockie Ninja II Social Posted: 21 Jun 2012 03:32 AM PDT NGames with FREE MMORPG and MMO Reviews is celebrating a Closed Beta Pack giveaway for Pockie Ninja II Social. Activation Duration:  From July 4th to July 9th Gift Pack Contents: 1. 7-Day VIP 2. Chakra+50 x 10 3. 50,000 Ryo 4. Ninja Bag x 30 5. Altar Stone x 10 6. EXP Pill A x [...]

BasketDudes is going to celebrate a Triple Experience Weekend from Friday 22 to Sunday 24 Posted: 21 Jun 2012 02:36 AM PDT BasketDudes is going to celebrate a Triple Experience Weekend from Friday 22 to Sunday 24. This event is a great chance for BasketDudes' users to increase the experience they get after each match by a factor of 3. This will allow them to level up their team much faster and to get a good competitive [...]

Gravity Interactive has started the annual summer festival of ROSE Online Posted: 21 Jun 2012 01:37 AM PDT Gravity Interactive, is heading down to the coast for the annual summer festival in ROSE Online. Starting now and running until July 17th, players can grab their swim trunks and snorkels for some of the best summer events yet in ROSE. This year, Anzhelika in Luna is fed up with her snowy planes and demands [...]

You are subscribed to email updates from MMORPG Reviews To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610