General gaming

General gaming


Cover Story: Community in Games

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 03:01 PM PDT

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1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF AUGUST 27 | COMMUNITY IN GAMES

Cover Story: Community in Games

This week, 1UP celebrates you, and all forms of digital societies.

The general sense of comradery that video games are capable of creating is uncanny. Whether it's four friends gathered around the warm glow of a Nintendo 64, anonymous online avatars inhabiting a digital space to discuss a long-forgotten series, or a massive festival like PAX designed to celebrate and cherish all-things gaming, our medium has its own special way of welcoming fans with open arms.

The editors here at 1UP have been quite happy with our recent shift to weekly cover stories, and a big part of that can be attributed to the phenomenal discussions that have stemmed from our various topics. Between the spirited debates regarding The Essential 100, the amazing memories shared around the Super Mario series, and the healthy dialogue created over the topic of gender and sexuality and gaming, we truly feel like 1UP is synonymous with the word community, and that's something that we're definitely embracing.

Mega Man: A Community With Blues

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 02:58 PM PDT

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1UP COVER STORY

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1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF AUGUST 27 | COMMUNITY IN GAMES

Mega Man: A Community With Blues

Cover Story: Mega Man's fallen on hard times, but that's only brought the remnants of the community closer together.

W

hen online communication stumbled out of Usenet, rubbed its eyes, and beheld the World Wide Web for the first time, video game-related communities likewise began migrating to web browsers. The '90s were still relatively new, and the earliest hosting services--Angelfire, Dragonfire, Geocities, Tripod, and others--made it possible for us to build primitive homages to our 8 and- 16-bit heroes. Gamers were still a young and fragmented group, and we had a lot to say about Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, Final Fantasy, and Mega Man.

The Mega Man franchise had seen a steady trickle of games since 1987, so the Blue Bomber's fans already had a pile of content to play with by the time they took to the Internet. A busy game release schedule has kept the online Mega Man fan community alive, though tiny two-meg pages labeled The Mega Man X Homepage and Maverick Hunter Headquarters have given way to Wikis and Facebook communities (one major exception being The Mega Man Homepage, which has stood as solid as a Gutsdozer since 1994).

Leon's Saga and Resident Evil 6 Show Surprising Signs of Life in the Latest Demo

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 01:12 PM PDT

Within the first hour of playing Resident Evil 6, it's hard to fight off an intrepid sense of boredom. A lot of the blame could be pinned on the early tutorial stages -- a section of simple set pieces which hold the player's hand in all the wrong ways. In one early section of RE6, Leon carried his injured partner, Helena Harper, away from danger and into the safety of an abandoned building somewhere in the zombie-infested town of Tall Oaks. On paper, that last sentence should sound like a setup for a harrowing situation, one where the payer should feel a rush of anxiety, as they pick up their partner and pull them to safety. But we live in a world where tutorials suck the life out of sequences like this, and much like a zombie, the player simply follows the directions as indicated and plays along.

Thankfully, after about an hour or so, the Leon campaign of RE6 picks up the pieces and sets you loose inside an infected city beset with monsters. It's at this point that the game really starts to shine, as the duo of Leon and Helena tread a path toward the downtown area of Tall Oaks in search of answers behind the recent viral outbreak.

Rock Band Blitz Review: A Stay of Execution

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 08:59 AM PDT

Remember Rock Band? You know, the late '00s phenomenon that filled our hearts with song, and our living rooms with cheap plastic? (Guitar Hero fans, some of this applies to you as well.) Though you might have disposed of your instruments via Craig's List (or an open flame) months ago, odds are, your console's hard drive still contains a king's ransom of now-unplayable DLC; this is the danger that comes with an easy-to-access storefront in a game typically played by groups of drunks quickly losing their good judgment.

The answer to this distinctly first-world problem can be found in Harmonix's Rock Band Blitz, which ostensibly exists as a means to zap some new life into your dormant DLC. If you've played former Harmonix rhythm games Frequency and Amplitude, Blitz should look very familiar -- though it doesn't play exactly the same. Instead of forcing you to stick to a single track based on whatever instrument you happen to be holding, Blitz pays homage to Harmonix's earliest projects by allowing you to switch between tracks on the fly with the single push of a button. And since each of these tracks has been reduced to two "note tunnels" apiece, the focus on pure perfection has been replaced with planning strategic combos in what amounts to the thinking man's version of Rock Band.

MMORPG News

MMORPG News


Wakfu: Krosmaster Arena Announced

Posted: 28 Aug 2012 07:26 AM PDT

Krosmaster Arena Announced

Both DOFUS and Wakfu players will be able to take one another on in a competitive PvP atmosphere with the announcement of Krosmaster Arena. Players from both games will be able to enter the arena without leaving their game clients. Krosmaster Arena is anticipated to be released in late 2012.

Guild Wars 2: Worth the Wait

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 03:11 PM PDT

Worth the Wait

Guild Wars 2 has finally launched. In our latest column devoted to ArenaNet's newest game, we take a look at whether or not it has all been worth it. See what we've got to say before weighing in on the conversation in the comments.

MechWarrior Online: River City Revealed

Posted: 28 Aug 2012 06:25 AM PDT

River City Revealed

The MechWarrior Online team has released a new zone preview video. This time, River City stands in the spotlight. According to the dev team, River City is an ideal urban location for mechs of all flavors. Check it out!

Knight Age: Open Beta Begins

Posted: 28 Aug 2012 06:23 AM PDT

Open Beta Begins

Knight Age has officially entered its open beta phase of development. The team behind the game has announced that characters created during the open beta will transition into the retail launch. In addition, the number of mounts has now doubled.

Guild Wars 2: Guild Wars 2 Launch Edition

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 03:00 PM PDT

Guild Wars 2 Launch Edition

The day has finally come when the gaming world gets to get into Guild Wars 2 to see if it can and will live up to the promise it seems to embody. We've been hanging out during the head start and have The List today that details some of what we've seen, both good and bad. See what you think!

General: GDC Online Audience Award Voting Begins

Posted: 26 Aug 2012 08:26 PM PDT

GDC Online Audience Award Voting Begins

From August 27th to September 14th, fans can head to the Game Developers' Conference Online site to vote for their favorite persistent online worlds. The votes will be tallied and awards handed out on October 10th so head over and vote today!

General: Min Kim Named CEO of Nexon America

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 04:56 PM PDT

Min Kim Named CEO of Nexon America

Beginning on September 1, 2012, Min Kim has been named as the new Chief Executive Officer of Nexon America. He will be replacing Daniel Kim who is headed back to Korea and a new job with Nexon. Mr. Kim has been instrumental in the growth of Nexon's interests in the Americas.

Firefall: Spotlighting the Awesomeness

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 01:03 PM PDT

Spotlighting the Awesomeness

During Gamescom, we had our team check out Red 5 Studios' Firefall to see why it is that many hardcore testers are "filled with sunshine and unicorns" due to the latest update. It's an amazing transformation. Read on!

Guild Wars 2: Guild Head for All Your GW2 Info

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 12:45 PM PDT

Guild Head for All Your GW2 Info

The good folks at ZAM have sent word that Guildhead is now available with a host of nifty features and databases for all your Guild Wars 2 information needs. Resources include a skill calculator, an interactive world map and much more.

General: MMOFTW: Argon Queen, Rohan Delay, GW2 & PAX Prime!

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 12:47 PM PDT

MMOFTW: Argon Queen, Rohan Delay, GW2 & PAX Prime!

In this week's MMOFTW, we cover everything from TERA's Argon Queen to LotRO's delay, the head start of Guild Wars 2, and of course: PAX PRIME 2012!

Grand Chase: Hungry Pets Revolt Trailer

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 11:29 AM PDT

Hungry Pets Revolt Trailer

The Grand Chase team has sent out a brand new trailer showing off a pet rebellion. During the event, players are charged with defending the Queen's Buffet against all comers. Check it out!

Guild Wars 2: It Never Takes Long - Level 80 Crafter Spotted

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 09:04 AM PDT

It Never Takes Long - Level 80 Crafter Spotted

MMO Culture has spotted the first level 80 character in Guild Wars 2. According to the report, a player named "Surfeuze" hit the level cap through crafting only. Materials were supplied by guild mates. It never takes long, does it?

Continent of the Ninth Seal: All the Normal Fantasy Trappings

Posted: 25 Aug 2012 08:50 PM PDT

All the Normal Fantasy Trappings

Webzen's Continent of the Ninth Seal, or C9, is an action MMO that has generated a lot of interest from some quarters. We've been putting C9 through the wringer to see how it measures up to the rest of the 2012 crop of MMOs. See what we discovered!

Guild Wars 2: Head Start - Day One

Posted: 25 Aug 2012 08:36 PM PDT

Head Start - Day One

As most everyone on the gaming planet knows, the head start for those who pre-purchased Guild Wars 2 started this past weekend. Pokket was one of the lucky ones who jumped in when she could. She's got her first day impressions to share. Check it out!

Digimon Masters Online: Celebrating Its First Anniversary

Posted: 26 Aug 2012 08:32 AM PDT

Celebrating Its First Anniversary

Joymax is inviting all Digimon Masters Online players to check out the events surrounding the game's first anniversary. The team has all sorts of special surprises including events and contests, "such as a chance of winning a special Digi-Egg or gathering delicious birthday cakes to celebrate."

Requiem: Memento Mori: Coming to Facebook in September

Posted: 26 Aug 2012 08:50 AM PDT

Coming to Facebook in September

Requiem is coming to Facebook in all of its glory. Requiem will not be 'just another Facebook game' but will give players the same in-game experience they enjoy with the stand alone client.

Sevencore: Open Beta Coming September 6th

Posted: 26 Aug 2012 08:04 AM PDT

Open Beta Coming September 6th

gPotato and the Sevencore development team have announced that the open beta will officially kick off on September 6th. Devs promise that new levels, regions, mounts and much more will be included, all based on player feedback during the closed beta phase of development.

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