MMO News Roundup 08.28.09
Posted by HCG Dreadsorrow | Filed under MMO News Roundup, News, Trailers
There is a very long walkthrough of Star Wars The Old Republic up on IGN. The video is broken up into 4 parts of somewhere between 5 and 6 minutes each. In the presentation that Bioware produced for GC2009, you get to see the bounty hunter, smuggler, and sith warrior classes in action. You also get a good look at the planet Hutta as well. The presentation provides a glimpse into just what playing a fully voiced MMO will be like, along with different members of the party deciding the course of the conversation and the action. This is well worth skipping that meeting on s**t that no one at your work cares about. Watch the videos by clicking here, and revel in what looks like a very heartfelt apology to Star Wars fans everywhere. Dreadsorrow is pleased, and will likely grace this game with his presence.
Coming out of Blizzcon ‘09, there is a lot more news than the Ozzy appearance. WoW Production Director J. Brack and Diablo 3 Game Director Jay Wilson had a brief gab session with The Escapist about their titles that you might have heard of by now. There are some nuggets worth clicking this link to read. So you should do that, or all of my efforts in this paragraph have been for naught.
Tags: Atari, BioWare, Blizzcon, Champions Online, Eric Lam, Evony, MMO, MMO News Roundup, MMORPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Turbine, World of Warcraft
MMO News Roundup - 6-9-09
Posted by HCG Dreadsorrow | Filed under MMO News Roundup, News, Rumors
Kotaku has a nice selection of screenshots up for Final Fantasy XIV Online. Yes, very pretty, but it’s not worth the cost of upgrading my aging PC, and I’m not shelling out for a PS3 for any reason. So I’m gonna give this one a big NO. But if you want to look at some very nice images of what is sure top be as tiresome a grindfest as the previous online FF game, then click here.
There is a rumor that Atari’s Cryptic Studios was developing an MMO based on Neverwinter Nights, aimed to go live in 2011. Click here for the article on Variety. Personally I don’t see the point of a Neverwinter Nights MMO. The whole allure of Neverwinter Nights and its sequel was that it had that awesome toolset for users to get their hands dirty building their own content. I used the tools from both games, and they were extremely easy to use and get something of good quality. Plus, the community of both games was so huge and prolific, It would take you literally years to play through all the campaigns people have crafted to share freely online. Not only that, but these games are to only ones made, to my knowledge, that allow players to actually build a persistent world right out of the box. That being said, I will repeat my earlier statement. What is the point of making an MMO out of this license? Time will tell I suppose, providing the rumor is true.
Tags: Atari, Cryptic, Dungeons & Dragons Online, Final Fantasy XIV Online, Guild Wars 2, MMO, MMO News Roundup, MMORPG, Neverwinter Nights, Neverwinter Nights 2, Turbine
MMO News Roundup - 6-2-09
Posted by HCG Dreadsorrow | Filed under MMO News Roundup, News
I totally forgot E3 was going on, so wrapped up I have been in the news about that singer on ‘Britain’s Got Talent” or something like that. Yeah, totally forgot alllll about E3. Yeah, as if.
Other than the unfortunate likelihood that I will be forced to listen to Morgan Webb’s snotty voice and shitty ‘733t ‘tude, E3 is some of the rare stuff that can get my interest that does not involve spaceflight, supercoliders, a newly discovered archaeological site, or Japanese art with tentacles. This E3 is certainly not disappointing so far.
I am very interested in Microsoft’s “Natal” revealed yesterday, and similarly disappointed in the failure (so far) in the showing off of any MMOs on the 360 platform. But in any event, there is enough MMO news coming out to almost make Sony and Wii fanboys forget how marginalized their platforms are becoming. So here are some juicy MMO nuggets to sink your fangs into. Well there is the whole Final Fantasy thing being a PS3 exclusive. Well, they can have it. FF==YAWN
Tags: APB, E3 2009, Heroes of Telara, Jumpgate Evolution, Microsoft, MMO, MMO News Roundup, MMORPG, Natal, NetDevil, Realtime Worlds, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Trion World Network
MMO News Roundup - 5-27-09
Posted by HCG Dreadsorrow | Filed under MMO News Roundup, News
Funcom’s Age Of Conan is doing what most MMOs do on their anniversaries, which means they are having a celebration. This particular one takes the form of “The King’s Seal” contest. Except instead of putting something in the actual game, Funcom thought it would be a good idea to hide easter eggs in the form of “Royal Seals” among the content of various MMO news websites dealing with Age of Conan. If you find all of them, plus some special ones, then you can win a lifetime subscription for the game. Yes, you might not only win a subscription to a shitty, bug laden, content-sparse MMO, but a LIFETIME subscription no less. So, that will be good for what, another three months or so? Click here if you must.
Massively.com has some news up that both potential competing cloud gaming services have wussed out of E3. Gaikai has their balloon knots in a twist over some patent filings, but that’s not nearly the epic bullshit as what OnLive is shoveling. OnLive is claiming that their service that they call “The Future of Video Games”, doesn’t “fit in with the retail-orientation of E3″. I’ll just give you the link to the official OnLive blog and let you read the bullshit for yourself. So OnLive and Gaikai, put up or shut up. As of now, I place you on an equal level as the Segway Human Transporter. Until I see something substantive, your stuff is vaporware. Click here for the coverage on Massively.com.
Tags: Age of Conan, Atlus, Funcom, Gaikai, Jumpgate Evolution, MMO, MMO News Roundup, MMORPG, Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent, NetDevil, OnLive
MMO News Roundup - 5-6-09
Posted by HCG Dreadsorrow | Filed under MMO News Roundup, News
Normally I don’t give a crap who is suing who over what. This time however, I am going to make an exception because of the inordinate level of douchbaggery involved. NCsoft decided to terminate Richard Garriott, and hosed him over pretty good. Click here to read the nasty details. And the cherry on top of the prick sundae that NCsoft served up to the epic game designer? They waited until he was in quarantine after returning to Earth from his space flight, during which he gave a lot of high-profile publicity for now defunct NCsoft MMO, Tabula Rasa.
Of course everyone knows how annually new words are added to the English language dictionary. What you might not know, is how huge the English language really is. Well, I’ll tell you. Next month, the English language will officially get its 1,000,000th word. The average English speaker, on the other hand, only has a functional vocabulary of around 14,000 words. So what the frak (hint hint) does this have to do with MMOs? Well, one of the words in contention for being the magical one millionth official word in the English language is…… NOOB! Yes, ‘noob’, previously resigned only to the realm of niche vernacular, is poised to become a legitimate word to use on school papers, research grant applications, NASA scientific papers, Supreme Court decisions, even bills before Congress. Who knows? Maybe you’ll even hear it during the next presidential state of the union speech. Click here for the details, as well as some of the other candidate words. You noob.
Tags: CCP, EVE Online, Heroes of Telara, MMO, MMO News Roundup, MMORPG, NCsoft, Richard Garriott, Tabula Rasa, Trion World Network
MMO News Roundup - 4-29-09
Posted by HCG Dreadsorrow | Filed under MMO News Roundup, News
Well, I finally got around to reinstalling the client for City of Heroes just so I could try out the mission architect tool and review it. I intended to simply grab a free-trial account so I didn’t have to pay my precious few $$$, but NNNNOOOOOOoooooo…. the mission architect tool is not available to trial accounts, not even to simply play missions other people have made. Of course, there is no mention of this limitation ANYWHERE that I could find in any FAQ or documentation, so I had to suck it up and reactivate my old account. So now as time permits, I am trying out the new features and will report on them later. But gotta tell you Cryptic, you already have a strike against you. In any event, here’s something you can enjoy right now: Samuraiko Productions has released a video featuring the in-game history of City of Heroes, and it is pretty cool. Watch the video by clicking this. Please bear in mind, children who have never known a world without a 360 or PS3, City of Heroes is running on a 5-year-old engine.
Speaking of superhero MMOs, DC Universe Online continues to look uber, releasing a swath of new screenshots. These new ones feature a certain Doomsday character. Looking positively nasty for our delight. But aside from mister spikey, the game environs look positively gorgeous. So head on over there by clicking here, and spend some time oogling the lovely screenshots.
The grandpappy of all MMOs, Ultima Online, just keeps chuggin’ after twelve years of operation. And what better way to celebrate their continued success than with yet another expansion? Well, the Stygian Abyss was hardly a secret, so the official announcement comes as no surprise at all. Check out the official website for all the features, screenies, etc by clicking here. It’s too bad that EA owns this one. As far as EA goes, anything they release for the PC is an automatic FAIL in my opinion, that is unless they are finally willing to allow me to disable their f*****g DRM on Battle for Middle Earth, and play the game that I f*****g PAID FOR YOU DONKEYFUCKERS.
Tags: City of Heroes, Cryptic, DC Universe Online, Electronic Arts, MMO, MMO News Roundup, MMORPG, Ultima Online
MMO News Roundup - 4-21-09
Posted by HCG Dreadsorrow | Filed under MMO News Roundup, News
If you have been waiting eagerly for more information on Jumpgate Evolution, then earlier today was a watershed moment that will be surpassed only when the game goes live. Massively has up a virtual smorgasbord of yummy screenshots and details on every ship type in the game. Click here to see the goodness.
There is a new video out for Champions Online. In addition to showing off some of the gorgeous cityscapes we will get to play in, but we get to see a new travel power. And that new travel power is…Swinging! Yes, virtual superheroes will be able to use various forms of swinging to navigate their way through the game world like that one guy, what’s his name? Boy-spider or something? Anyway, click here to see the video. It’s pretty sweet.
Tags: Champions Online, City of Heroes, Cryptic, Jumpgate Evolution, Mission Architect tool, MMO, MMO News Roundup, MMORPG, Shadowbane, Ubisoft
MMO News Roundup - 4-8-09
Posted by HCG Dreadsorrow | Filed under MMO News Roundup, News
The rumors of the death of Stargate Worlds has been, well, a bit exaggerated. Stargate series executive producer Brad Wright has dissed on Cheyenne Mountain, the developer of the Stargate MMO, by basically pronouncing the project dead. Not so fast, says the development team. They claim to have the funds to continue development, and are working out deals to take the entire project through deployment. Click here to read the official mission briefing. Then gear up and fall in to the gate room. Hopefully we will get a go for the mission very soon. JAFFA KREE!
Another day, another bundle of goodness from the team behind Star Trek Online. Here are some new screenies for your delight. Personally I get a little tribble in my shorts over the Vor’cha. I can’t wait to smack some Romulan pigs around with one of those. Click here to gaze at the little beauties. But since there are only 3 new screens, here is a new devblog posted over at MMORPG.com.
Let’s go for the sci-fi MMO hat trick today. Here’s some goodies on an emerging contender for your valuable play time. Black Prophecy, by German developer Reakktor Media, is looking pretty sweet. The new community forums have opened, and a wonderful gameplay video has been released. Watch the video, the whole video, seriously. The first, maybe two-thirds is BORING. But then the combat begins. Frakking awesome looking combat, and the capital ships are truly huge and give an epic feel to the whole thing. Click here to go and delight in the goodness. Looks like I might have to dust off that old joystick for this one.
Happy days, happy days. The long-awaited mission architect tool for City of Heroes is now live. This I have got to see. Without a doubt, the most dynamic tool available in any MMO for user-generated content, the mission architect tool will make the already excellent game a lot more uber. Players can now create missions for super-powered players with everything from the environment, to mission storyline, dialogue, characters, objectives, and all theminutia that make a ho-hum mission into one which makes you pee into that empty can of Redbull because you don’t want to leave your machine. Builders will even be able to test the mission solo, or with others. If your mission scores high enough with players and developers alike, you can earn some sweet-ass rewards for all your troubles. Perhaps it is time for Brainchomper the super-zombie to re-emerge from the grave, and plague the virtuous heroes of Paragon City. Click here for details on the mission architect tool.
Tags: Black Prophecy, Cheyenne Mountain, City of Heroes, Cryptic, MMO, MMO News Roundup, MMORPG, Reakktor Media, Star Trek Online, Stargate Worlds
MMO News Roundup - 3-31-09
Posted by HCG Dreadsorrow | Filed under MMO News Roundup, News
Well huzzahs all around, the glorious day is almost here. Sanrio Digital has announced that they are partnering with US publisher Aeria Games & Entertainment Inc to bring Hello Kitty Online to North America. This is hardly something to pry you away from games with an average age above 8, but it is significant. As I have mentioned in the past, This is one to keep your eyes on, even if you never play it, because of the fact of its close integration of in-game elements with net-based social networking applications. This structure is likely to be a model for the future of MMOs as they become ever closer to true virtual worlds with every generation. Click here for the official announcement.
Cryptic has revealed another new vessel being introduced with Star Trek Online. The Federation Heavy Escort vessel, the Oslo Class, will serve as a new ship of the line in the remote reaches of space, as well as the front line of battle. It features the latest technology that Starfleet has to offer, as well as cushions for the weaklings to soften their bodies. Click here to see the latest ship to dare challenge the mighty Klingons.
Tags: Aeria Games, BioWare, Cryptic, Gazillion Entertainment, Hello Kitty Online, MMO, MMO News Roundup, MMORPG, NetDevil, Sanrio, Star Trek Online, Star Wars: The Old Republic
MMO News Roundup - 3-19-09
Posted by HCG Dreadsorrow | Filed under MMO News Roundup, News
City of Heroes has the long-awaited mission editor in open beta on their test server. So if you are the type who denounces the missions in the superhero MMO as crap, now is the time to put up or shut up. Get your ass on to test the builder, and create some content for other players so that the rest of us can see whether you know what you are talking about, or are just full of s**t. Click here for the lowdown on the CoH Architect, and how the player-created missions will be rated by players and devs alike.
The new MMO, Runes of Magic, should be launched by the time you read this. This free-to-play MMO looks amazingly familiar to me in its style, but I have yet to experience the gameplay. The price is right however, so what the hell? Log your ass in if you already are signed up. And if not, head on over to Massively.com for a nice first impressions overview of the game just put up, along with a gallery of screenshots. Click here to view the preview. I have to say, I am surprised to see this level of depth in a f2p MMO. This one might be worth the trouble to at least take a look at.
Tags: Cheyenne Mountain, City of Heroes, Entropia Universe, MMO, MMO News Roundup, MMORPG, Runes of Magic, Stargate Worlds
MMO News Roundup - 3-9-09
Posted by HCG Dreadsorrow | Filed under MMO News Roundup, News
Tomorrow the EVE Online expansion Apocrypha goes live. While I have no particular interest in the game any more (as I have often stated) I played long enough to know the drill for any patch day, let alone a major one. Set a long skill, log off, and fire up your console for a couple of days. Times like this are an excellent opportunity to knock a few days off of that ‘battleship 5′ you’ve been thinking about. Click here to see a brief write-up on the expansion and a couple of trailers.
OK, I know this is probably a lot of hype without anything particularly concrete, but I so very much like the sound of this I simply had to share. A new developer has opened shop in Austin (where else), and this new developer is named Thriller New Media. The summary mission statement of the new kid on the block is “Thriller New Media Fuses Online Military Games with Social Networking”. Yeah, I felt it too. Although I suppose it could be some sort of unholy bastard child of Facebook and Call of Duty, From reading the ooo-ra propaganda on their site, I think it will be a lot more robust than than. Look forward to a new project or two to be announced soon. Unless that is, unless it already has been and I’ve just been too wrapped up in my own s**t to catch it. Click here to see the site of the new guys.
Tags: Apocrypha, Change4Life, EVE Online, MMO, MMO News Roundup, MMORPG, Mysteries of Westgate Expansion Pack, Neverwinter Nights 2, Thriller New Media
MMO News Roundup - 3-5-09
Posted by HCG Dreadsorrow | Filed under MMO News Roundup, News
So I found a couple of contests that you can use to try to win a beta slot. Make sure you put a lot of time and effort into doing for free what developers would otherwise have to pay a professional to do. First, is a contest for a slot in the upcoming Global Agenda beta. This contest involves building a fan site. If you build the best fan site, you win a beta slot. So let me get this straight you folks at Hi-Rez Studios. If I spend my time and effort to build you a fan site, which I will pay to host, and generate free buzz for your game and drive more traffic to your site, then you might bless me with the honor of playing your game a few weeks earlier than most others. Am I pretty much in the ballpark? Yeah, this is not going to happen this century, so bu-bye. I wouldn’t even do this for Turbine with LOTRO, that is unless they let me play Gandalf in the game. Click here to be exploited.
OK, the second of the two contests today is along the same lines as doing the work that would normally have to be paid for, but this one is a lot less obnoxious. In fact, if you’re the type of person that is taken to writing Star Trek fan fiction, then this might be right up your alley. You can win a beta slot in Star Trek Online, by simply accessing that fertile holodeck in your brain, and writing up some stuff about this picture right here:
So put on your lucky “I Grok Spock” shirt, head on over to the contest page by clicking here, and write up some juicy backstory for these spikey-green dudes. Especially the one on the right. Rawr, yeah I’d tap that.
Tags: Global Agenda, Hi-Rez Studios, John Smedley, MMO, MMO News Roundup, MMORPG, Sony Online Entertainment, Star Trek Online, Warhammer Online
