Virtual World News
Filed under: Culture, Humor, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous
I think this is quite applicable to the MMO community, as I see countless examples of people who just can't separate the stuff from the stuff. Everything, for some people, is a matter of utmost importance and worthy of a spontaneous riot on the same level as everything else. There are no degrees of importance; a mild nerf to a player's class is equally demanding of a 10-paragraph rant as a studio going back on its word just to screw players.
Not everything is life or death. A sign of maturity is learning to pick your battles and to mellow out the rest of the time. Let's see if we can take some steps together toward that goal.
Continue reading The Soapbox: The stuff from the stuff
The Soapbox: The stuff from the stuff originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Feb 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Neverwinter
Fire giants abound, and there's also the ancient primordial who caused Mount Hotenow's eruption in the first place. Cryptic's new dev diary expands on that setup, as does the new preview video that we've embedded for you after the break.
Continue reading Cryptic reveals Neverwinter's Mount Hotenow zone, new video
Cryptic reveals Neverwinter's Mount Hotenow zone, new video originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Announcement
Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, News items, Free-to-play, Star Wars: The Old Republic
There are two important caveats to this, however. The first is that it applies only to those living in Germany, France, Taiwan, South Korea, Brazil, Turkey, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Hungary, Spain, Australia, and The Netherlands. The second is that the one and only option is to buy 450 Cartel Coins at a time through this method.
At least now some players have the option to hang up on their mothers because there's a currency emergency and a spiffy new outfit needs to be purchased.
SWTOR allows some players to buy Cartel Coins by phone originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: New billing option
Filed under: Fantasy, News items, Free-to-play, Wizard101, Family
[Source: KingsIsle Entertainment press release]
Wizard101 comes to Mac originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Feb 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Wizard101 official site
Filed under: Horror, Sci-fi, Hellgate: London, Jukebox Heroes, Music
Ironically, the sound is what remained with me long after my days in that game were through. It's no surprise, as the composing duo of Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan have tackled many other high-profile video game projects together, such as Prototype, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3.
This score is pretty easy to get a hold of these days (try Amazon). It's a solid pick that has a few great tracks, as long as you're willing to tolerate darker themes.
Continue reading Jukebox Heroes: Hellgate London's soundtrack
Jukebox Heroes: Hellgate London's soundtrack originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Feb 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Lore, Opinion, Free-to-play, Roleplaying, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon
Hutts. In Star Wars: The Old Republic, Nem'ro is the central figure to both the Bounty Hunter and the Imperial Agent storylines for the first 10 levels. On the Republic side, you run into an overarching story on Nar Shaddaa involving Bareesh the Hutt and Republic Ambassador Averdon, one that pits you against warring criminal organizations. These gargantuan blobs are central to both the Republic and Imperial stories on Quesh and the endgame operation for Karagga's Palace. And now, the first SWTOR expansion will center around the Hutts and the planet of Makeb.
Hutts. Where did they come from? How did they come to power? Are they different in TOR than they are in the movies? Let's take a moment to explore these criminal overlords.
Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Making a deal with the Hutts in SWTOR
Hyperspace Beacon: Making a deal with the Hutts in SWTOR originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Feb 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Sci-fi, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Daily Grind, Star Wars: The Old Republic
On the other hand, I'm a sandbox and virtual world junkie, and it's my opinion that BioWare didn't set out to make a proper MMORPG as much as it set out to marry an MMO business model with single-player mechanics.
All that aside, TOR is one of those games that I keep track of, and every so often I'll play for a couple of hours on the chance that I'll enjoy it a little better than I did the last time. What about you, Massively readers? Do you return to MMOs you're not crazy about in the hopes you'll find something to like?
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 retry MMOs you didn't like the first time? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 11 Feb 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, PvP
Hailan Rising is a PvP-focused MMO that boasts "no levels" and the ability to learn any skill from any class. Last year we interviewed the developers about their particular approach which makes for a good read if you want to get caught up on the concept of the title.
There is no word as to when the closed beta will commence.
[Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
Hailan Rising begins beta sign-ups originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 11 Feb 2013 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
- Source: Hailan Rising beta signups
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Screenshots, New titles, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Massively Hands-on, First Impressions, Neverwinter
We first heard rumblings of a Neverwinter MMO in 2010 and got to see a live demo of it at E3 2011, just before Perfect World Entertainment took over Cryptic Studios. It was a very early build, but I was so excited to see a comprehensive drag-and-drop dungeon builder that seemed to work beautifully. Even during the demo, I was daydreaming about what I could do with this thing and the adventures I could have with my friends.
Of course, that all changed when Cryptic announced a complete overhaul to the original incarnation of the game. Luckily for us, this meant that the dungeon-creating RPG was turning into a full-fledged MMO.
Continue reading First impressions of Neverwinter's beta
First impressions of Neverwinter's beta originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 11 Feb 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Massively Meta, Livestream, Miscellaneous, The Stream Team
Forget about love, promises, chocolate, and heartbreak (OK, maybe not chocolate) by watching your favorite games played by your favorite hosts on Massively TV. Heck you can even join them in-game. And remember, whatever else happens this week, there are candy conversation hearts and The Stream Team!
Continue reading The Stream Team: Heartbreak Hotel edition, February 11 - 17, 2013
The Stream Team: Heartbreak Hotel edition, February 11 - 17, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 11 Feb 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.