Archives for Jun 12th, 2013
E3 2013: Snail Games' Black Gold and Age of Wushu
Snail Games showcased two new MMOs today at E3: Black Gold and Age of Wushu. The two games have more than their parent in common; Black Gold utilizes the Age of Wushu engine. Set in a fantastical steampunk world, Black Gold is a mish-mash of colorful fantasy elements and grunge-ridden steampunk inv...
Choose My Adventure: Firefalling
Well folks, it was an epic battle. The communities of Firefall and Fallen Earth rolled out in force to support their favorite game in last week's Choose My Adventure poll, and the contest came right down to the wire with thousands of votes pouring in from both sides. Most impressively, despite the ...
E3 2013: DayZ shows off its standalone gameplay
Do you like zombies? Wait, that's a silly question, don't answer that. They're horrible undead abominations, of course you don't like them. But do you like shooting them? If so, you'll be happy to see the brand-new footage of DayZ's standalone client just past the break, because this is a game all ...
WildStar gets the band together for a game jam
You don't get into a video game career to make huge stacks of money, you do it because you love games. That means that the idea of Game Jams can actually make sense. What's a Game Jam? Well, it's the event on display in the latest WildStar Wednesday, and it's also a way for the Carbine Studios team...
ArcheAge going F2P in Korea on July 3
We still haven't gotten any inkling from XLGAMES or Trion regarding ArcheAge's western business model. A freemium model of some sort is probably a safe bet, though, particularly now that the Korean version of the game -- which launched as a subscription-only title -- is gearing up for a F2P switch....
E3 2013: The secrets of TUG's universe
Over a heaping smorgasboard of food yesterday, I was given a healthy dose of the logical functions of the universe. The universe of TUG, that is, and the professor of the hour was Peter Salinas, Nerd Kingdom founder and expert in just about everything science. At this year's E3, Massively got to te...
E3 2013: Bethesda talks next-gen consoles, endgame, and character skills in The Elder Scrolls Online
E3 is the time and place for game creators to show their work, and Bethesda is no exception. The company offered a quick presentation of The Elder Scrolls Online, which consisted of a short introduction video followed by a brief play session. In the video, Bethesda confirmed what we already knew: t...
E3 2013: Prime World tones down gender issues
The MOBA-slash-city builder known as Prime World was an important stop during our grand E3 tour this year. We've been interested in hearing Nival's been preparing this Russian hit for a larger audience since seeing it in action in March. The game is currently in closed beta testing for a North Amer...
E3 2013: Final Fantasy XIV shows off PS3 UI
E3 is proving to be an exciting time for Final Fantasy XIV fans, especially considering that the title has been confirmed for the PlayStation 4 next year. One of the new videos that's coming out of the convention is a dev tour of the new UI developed for the PlayStation 3 version. While the deve...
E3 2013: Previewing Defiance's new DLC
Defiance broke my heart around this time last year. E3 2012 was the first and last time we saw players from Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC all playing the same game together. I personally haven't played the game since then, but I've kept up with the game news, except for the show. No spoilers in t...
Age of Wushu forecasts weather system
What's life without a little weather to keep things interesting and give socially awkward people something to talk about around the water cooler? While many MMOs have given up on including weather systems, Age of Wushu kindly disagrees. The title is preparing to roll out dynamic weather in a forthc...
E3 2013: Hands-on with steampunkish Black Gold
The folks over at Snail Games had several computers set up at E3 this year to allow the press to play their next MMO, Black Gold. The concept is simple but relatively uncommon: steampunk vs. fantasy. I guess you can say RIFT tried its hand at the trope with its Defiants and Guardians showdown, but ...
E3 2013: Not so wild about WildStar
WildStar's promising players the moon, but are gamers just star-struck? I know I personally wasn't paying too much attention to the game until the recent video about paths. I'm not against the graphics, I think themeparks can be fun, and I've put up with PvE vs. PvP stats for about a decade and a h...
Neverwinter Days: A one-month evaluation
It's been a little over a month since Neverwinter soft-launched as a no-wipe open beta. Perhaps some folks are holding off until the "official" launch to play it, but I wager that most anyone who is interested in this game is already leveling up like mad. I always think that the one-month mark i...
E3 2013: Hands-on with The Elder Scrolls Online
I was kind of new, so I figured I'd practice on some sheep first. A little blood, some meat, some fat. Interesting, but kind of simple. I understood some of the basics on how to move and fight, but I figured I should check out the town. Now, I'm kind of old and ugly, so when the dog came at me, I f...
E3 2013: Trion's role in bringing ArcheAge to the West
ArcheAge has finally officially arrived at E3. I've personally been following this game for about two years. I've written about it on multiple websites and had a chance to play a closed beta for the Korean version. However, I'm also critical about the game (or just a pessimist), so hopefully I can ...
Free for All: My very own top ten list of MMO pet peeves
I couldn't just sit back and let Justin Olivetti have all the fun, could I? When he published The Perfect Ten: My gaming pet peeves, I swept my fist to the sky and screamed "Sypsterrrr!" Literally a week earlier I had jotted down an idea for a similar column. I mean jotted down because I keep yello...
RIFT is now completely free for everyone
The game that once denounced free-to-play has gone free-to-play. Trion Worlds' RIFT can now be enjoyed with "no trials, no tricks, and no traps" for anyone who wants to explore the game. "The aim is to keep free and paid players on the same level - this is not pay-to-win," said Creative Director...
MMO Family: Study challenges common views on digital media, video games, and family
When it comes to video games and parenting, there are two scenarios that often emerge. The first is that parents, children, and video games are a contentious mix. Parents and children often clash over things like playtime, game content, and the rising cost of devices needed to play. What results is...
New screenshots released for Black Desert
Fantasy sandbox MMO Black Desert has graced the internet with 13 new screenshots showing off the game's gorgeous environments, characters, creatures, and more. As discovered and translated by Steparu, these screenshots originally appeared on the Korean gaming news site inven.co.kr. Steparu says ...
The Daily Grind: Do other players exist in the game?
First things first: Nobody's suggesting that you're hallucinating all of the other players in what is actually a single-player game. While that might make for an interesting albeit quite specific movie, that's not the scenario I'm contemplating today. Instead, I started wondering if, within the ...
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