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Neverwinter Days: The allure of bite-sized gaming
March 06, 2013

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Neverwinter Days The allure of bitesized gaming
Before we get into the really hectic period of the pre- and post-launch frenzy, I wanted to take a week to discuss both why I'm looking forward to playing Neverwinter and why I decided to take on a column covering the game.

Oddly enough, I've only been following this title very casually since its first announcement. Sometimes I get swept up in all of the pre-launch hype, and sometimes it just passes me by. In this case, I've dipped my toes into the waters of interest from time to time and found it pleasingly warm. Yet it's kind of a no-brainer to be interested in this game for me because I do love Cryptic's titles and free-to-play philosophy (especially for Star Trek Online) and also because I'm at the right point in my life to appreciate some bite-sized gaming.

Bite-sized gaming? Is that just vernacular for "fun size" candy bars that are neither filling nor sized for a party? Nay, I say to you. It's just a good alternative to have in a gaming diet.

Continue reading Neverwinter Days: The allure of bite-sized gaming

MassivelyNeverwinter Days: The allure of bite-sized gaming originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Mar 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Choose My Adventure: Interfering in Star Trek Online
    March 06, 2013

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    Seriously, the Ambassador is an ugly, ugly ship. I cannot stress this enough.
    The voters have spoken! While Allods Online and EverQuest II both had communities with plenty of passion, in the end the poll went to Star Trek Online. This means that this round of Choose My Adventure will feature a first for me after all.

    Usually when I run these polls, the winning game is one that I haven't played. In this case, the winner is not only a game that I've played extensively but one I'm very fond of despite my long absence.

    But I'm getting ahead of myself. It's time for a brief and not perfectly accurate recap of the game's history, followed by a set of polls and a couple of things I'm doing differently this time around. One of those things is not the bonus polls, if you were wondering. So if you've somehow missed the story so far, what's the deal with Star Trek Online?

    Continue reading Choose My Adventure: Interfering in Star Trek Online

    MassivelyChoose My Adventure: Interfering in Star Trek Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Mar 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      The Daily Grind: Do you have an emotional reaction to old characters?
      March 05, 2013

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      Why green? Because I like green.
      When I booted up Star Trek Online again, the first thing I had to do was look up my character from the game's launch. Seeing her on the screen again brought back a lot of old memories. Some of that has to do with the simple reality of roleplaying, but beyond even that there was a sense of familiarity. This was a setting and game I enjoyed, and seeing a familiar character was a little like coming home again.

      For some people, characters are just the tools they use to interact with the game. For others, characters are an emotional link, even if they don't really roleplay. Seeing your first character brings back a rush of memories, whether that character is in Ultima Online or Star Wars: The Old Republic. So do you have an emotional reaction to old characters? Or do you not really look back to what you've played in the past, focusing instead on the present?

      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!

      MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Do you have an emotional reaction to old characters? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Mar 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Core Online videos detail avatar creation, PvE, PvP
        March 05, 2013

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        Core Online - Giant sword dude
        Last year we told you about Core Online, an upcoming fantasy MMO and the latest in a long line of slickly visualized Asian imports. Today, Steparu.com gives us a longer look via a hands-on report and a series of gameplay videos.

        Character creation is extremely detailed, though it's worth noting that the game's classes are gender-locked. Core features traditional tab targeting, a mixture of open-world maps and instancing, and massive server-vs.-server-vs. server PvP. Steparu ultimately concludes that the game needs work, citing wonky animations and the lack of any differentiating features as major concerns. You can check out a trio of gameplay and character creation videos after the cut.

        Continue reading Core Online videos detail avatar creation, PvE, PvP

        MassivelyCore Online videos detail avatar creation, PvE, PvP originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Mar 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Star Citizen base character model teased
        March 05, 2013

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        Star Citizen - Base human male head
        Cloud Imperium has given us our first real glimpse of Star Citizen's avatars. The game's website features an early look at the human male head model that will serve as the starting point for character customization.

        But wait, Star Citizen is a space flight simulator, isn't it? Well, yes, but players will also have a fully customizable avatar for use in boarding actions and bipedal combat as well as a hangar full of ships. Cloud Imperium says that more character details will surface later this week.

        MassivelyStar Citizen base character model teased originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR consolidates comms
        March 05, 2013

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        Hyperspace Beacon SWTOR consolidates comms
        Star Wars: The Old Republic's Rise of the Hutt Cartel hit the public test server last week, prompting a lot of players to rush to see the latest changes to this Star Wars MMORPG. Unfortunately, the majority of content slated to come out with this expansion has not been released publicly -- namely, the new planet of Makeb. Fortunately, we did get a sneak peek into the new gear progression as well as the Scum and Villainy operation.

        Gear progression is a common subject for this column and with good reason. Although there is skill involved when playing SWTOR, gear is the great equalizer. As in many themepark MMOs, a player's gear greatly determines whether or not he can defeat specific instances or bosses. Because of this, how a player earns gear and which gear happens to be the best at any given moment becomes top priority when new content comes out. With an additional five levels being added with Rise of the Hutt Cartel, gear becomes especially important. Let's examine how everything breaks down.

        Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR consolidates comms

        MassivelyHyperspace Beacon: SWTOR consolidates comms originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Mar 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          Massively Speaking Episode 239: Countdown to terror
          March 05, 2013

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          Massively Speaking Episode 239
          Sunrise, sunset. Some games reach new heights and some crash to the ground. Some questions go unanswered while some developers never stop talking. Some game futures are uncertain while some look more promising by the day. It's another week of MMO news, and some of it is more of the same and some of it is genuinely surprising.

          Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air!

          Get the podcast:
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          Listen here on the page:



          Read below the cut for the full show notes.

          Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 239: Countdown to terror

          MassivelyMassively Speaking Episode 239: Countdown to terror originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Mar 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            ArenaNet not currently working on Guild Wars 2 expansions or sequels
            March 05, 2013

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            Guild Wars 2 Mesmer art
            ArenaNet isn't going to develop a traditional expansion for Guild Wars 2 any time soon. "Expansions are definitely something that we'll potentially look at in the future," game director Colin Johanson told IGN. "We don't have a timetable on it. We're open to it, but I think our major focus as a studio is making the living world concept as strong as we possibly can for the players that we've got."

            When the possibility of Guild Wars 3 was broached, Johanson deemed it unlikely, at least for now. "We want to be able to have teams that are literally developing new, innovative features that change the way that you play our game and grow that experience so it literally feels like you don't leave Guild Wars 2," he explained. "Guild Wars 2 becomes Guild Wars 2.5 or Guild Wars 3 and it continues to grow."

            MassivelyArenaNet not currently working on Guild Wars 2 expansions or sequels originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Mar 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            WoW's 5.2 Thunder King patch lands today
            March 05, 2013

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            WoW's 5.2 Thunder King patch lands today
            Are you a World of Warcraft player? Then what are you doing reading this news article? The game's 5.2 patch is here, which means that you should either be downloading the Thunder King content or logging in! If you can't do either one of those, you can read the patch notes, the developer commentary on said patch notes, and the 5.2 class overviews straight from the horse's mouth.

            Major patch highlights include a new zone, a new raid, server-wide events, new factions, and new world bosses.

            MassivelyWoW's 5.2 Thunder King patch lands today originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Mar 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            Icy dangers revealed in Neverwinter's Icespire Peak trailer
            March 05, 2013

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            Icy dangers revealed in Neverwinter's Icespire Peak trailer
            Is it Neverwinter or always winter? According to the newest trailer released by Perfect World, the lands of the upcoming free-to-play fantasy game based on the Dungeons & Dragons franchise could be plunged into eternal winter unless brave adventurers step in to help. Touching on Dwarven lore, this video reveals the Icespire Peak, an adventure zone where players will fight to thwart the frost giants who have seized control of Winterforge and aim to expand their frozen empire.

            Watch as the action heats up when adventurers face off against their frozen foes in the trailer after the cut. And don't forget to check out the beta action live as Massively TV brings you six hours of Neverwinter livestreams on Friday and Saturday.

            [Source: Perfect World press release]

            Continue reading Icy dangers revealed in Neverwinter's Icespire Peak trailer

            MassivelyIcy dangers revealed in Neverwinter's Icespire Peak trailer originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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