Archives for Mar 15th, 2013
SimCity GM: 'In many ways, we built an MMO'
SimCity has not had the smoothest of launches. Players were (understandably) frustrated by connection woes, most of which seemed to be due to the always-online component of the game. In an interview with Polygon, developers framed the always-online component as an integral part of the game stru...
CABAL Online patches Rising Force
There's a new sheriff of Patch Town, and its name is Rising Force. CABAL Online recently added a massive update to the game that includes a new PvP setting, a challenging dungeon, and a skill overhaul. Rising Force introduced a 1v1 ranked PvP system that works cross-servers. If this is your ki...
Betawatch: March 9 - 15, 2013
If you can't get enough of dragons, you'll be happy to know that Dragon's Prophet will bring you all the dragons you could want when it starts closed beta next Tuesday. Seriously, it's like non-stop dragons. You can even check out the classes and starter areas now to get a little lead time on you...
Vindictus introduces PvP changes, new clothing, and the deadly Cross Gun
You know what sucks about crossbows? They're so slow. Sure, they make a nice thrum as you fire off a bolt at whoever is about to die a pointy death, but then there's the whole reloading process and it's really just not quite action-combaty enough, is it? Vindictus is sorting this appalling defi...
Priston Tale 2 shutting down on March 25th
It's never easy to say goodbye to a game you enjoy. Priston Tale 2 has enjoyed a decent lifespan for a small free-to-play title, but after three years of operation, the game is shutting down on March 25th. According to the official shutdown announcement, the game simply hasn't attracted enough of...
Tracy Hickman tapped for writing duties on Shroud of the Avatar
If you were a fan of fantasy games in the 1980s, you know Richard Garriott from the Ultima series. (Our younger readers are more familiar with him as someone who went to space.) Odds are good that you were also familiar with Tracy Hickman, co-author of the popular Dragonlance novels during the '8...
Second Wind Roundtable: Torchlight II
Welcome to the first ever installment of this "roundtable" edition of Second Wind, where the best and brightest (or barring that, whoever's available) here at Massively get together for an evening to act stupid in video games and then talk about it. For our first trip down the rabbit hole, Bree, ...
MMO Burnout: Do yourself a favor and play Sleeping Dogs
This week I thought I'd travel to Hong Kong as an undercover cop, infiltrate the Triads, enter a few street races, sing some karaoke, and generally kung fu fight my way through another jewel of an open-world sandbox actioner. You're welcome to come with me, but you'll need a copy of Sleeping D...
EverQuest's 14th anniversary celebration begins early
Hey there, EverQuest! You're looking mighty fine for a 14-year-old game. What's that, you say? You want us to come party with you? And you're willing to start a little early? Indeed, tomorrow is EverQuest's 14th anniversary, and SOE is kicking off the celebrations a day early. New anniversary ...
A door to the Marvel world: David Brevik talks Marvel Heroes
Marvel Heroes is an upcoming action RPG that allows players to sling web justice as Spider-Man or just throw a stress-relieving tantrum as the Hulk. Whatever your favorite alter-ego, the upcoming free-to-play game hopes to be a refreshing addition to the isometric genre. At a recent press even...
New Neverwinter trailer introduces the Jewel of the North
The Forgotten Realms campaign setting has plenty of memorable locales, but few of them rival the city of Neverwinter in terms of iconography and fictional history. Neverwinter is the kind of city that you name a game after, in fact. Possibly even two games if you want to get technical about it. ...
Some Assembly Required: There's no crafting in Star Wars!
The other week I posted a Leaderboard inviting people to vote for their favorite Star Wars MMO. The comments featured a number of both predictable and surprising insights, but one line of thought in particular stood out to me. There are apparently some folks out there who think that Star Wars is no...
Storyboard: Profession discussion - The Merchant
People want stuff. It's a given. Part of this is because in the earliest days of human history having a sharpened stick was the difference between eating and starving, but part of it is just the way that we've structured our societies. And a lot of the things that people want are things that they...
MMObility: The community portal of Grepolis might just be a model for the industry
Innogames' hit browser-based game Grepolis has been receiving some pretty exciting updates lately. It's one of my favorite MMORTS titles because it's simple to learn and can be played on practically any schedule, so I've really been enjoying the updates that have added music and sound effects, ho...
Pathfinder dev blog details the building of Fort Inevitable
If you're looking for a little insight into the creative process behind Goblinworks' crowdfunded Pathfinder MMO, look no further than the latest dev blog by designer Rich Baker. After a brief intro by producer Ryan Dancey, Baker delves into the nuts and bolts of building Fort Inevitable, which wi...
ArenaNet devs weigh in on Guild Wars 2 state-of-the-game video
Guild Wars 2 Guru has partnered with ArenaNet to bring you a lengthy state-of-the-game video. The clip features Guild Wars 2 devs Tyler Bearce, Johnathan Sharp, and Karl McClain and it runs for a good hour-and-a-half. Topics include Spirit Watch, profession balance, tournaments and matchmaking...
The Daily Grind: Do you still play your first MMO?
With Brad McQuaid's return to EverQuest in the news this week, nostalgia has invaded our comment section. The most veteran of our MMO commenters mused about the days of meditating into spellbooks, losing levels on death, embarking on corpse runs, and waiting on the boat. No one even mentioned cam...
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Massively Speaking Episode 331: The long goodbye
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