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PlanetSide 2 unveils the Mechanized Assault Exo-Suit

Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, Previews, News items, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2

Screenshot -- PlanetSide 2
Heads up, PlanetSide 2 fans; today, Sony Online Entertainment has released some new battlefield intel for you on the game's "most heavy-duty class": the Mechanized Assault Exo-Suit, or MAX. PlanetSide 2's MAX suit "serves as a mobile weapons platform, capable of unleashing a serious beating," and will prove incredibly valuable to players in the field.

Thanks to the game's modular weapons system, MAX suits can be customized to deal with specific threats, or they can be outfitted with a more generic loadout to provide all-around support on the warzones. Each faction's version of the MAX suit will come with abilities specific to that faction. Add to that a nice, hefty layer of armor plating, and you've got a force to be reckoned with in any battlefield situation. For a first look at the formidable exosuits, check out the gallery below.

[Source: Sony Online Entertainment press release]

Gallery: PlanetSide 2

The Firing Line: Epic SOE memories on PlanetSide's ninth anniversary

Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, PlanetSide, Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, News items, Opinion, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2, Sandbox, The Firing Line, Anniversary

The Firing Line - Epic SOE memories on PlanetSide's ninth anniversary
So PlanetSide is nine years old this week (nine!), and Sony Online Entertainment is journeying down memory lane to look back at its ground-breaking MMOFPS. The firm is of course hard at work on the sequel, but some of the devs have taken a time-out to share their favorite memories with us.

Though the word "epic" is overused in MMO discourse, it's a recurring theme here. Due to the size, scope, and sheer ambition on display in the original PlanetSide, it's actually appropriate too. While you're reminiscing with the devs, take a stroll through our side-by-side gallery that compares vehicles and equipment from the original PlanetSide with their counterparts in PlanetSide 2.

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Project Copernicus 'racial' screens leak from 38 Studios

Betas, Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Classes, Previews

Copernicus
While 38 Studios remains in dire straits, fans are getting a bittersweet treat of Project Copernicus reveals. It's sweet because we've been dying to see more information on this game, but bitter because its fate is still up in the air.

Today fan site 38 Watch posted a trio of official-looking screens straight from Copernicus' world. In the screens, three races are revealed: the human-looking Almain, the dwarven Dverga, and the orcish Jottun. The game's art style and lush color palette are on full display, opting for more of a stylized than realistic approach.

We recently heard that Project Copernicus has a possible June 2013 launch window and got our first look at the game in a flyby video. You can scope out the new screens in the gallery below.

Choose My Adventure: The last mile

Super-hero, Galleries, Screenshots, City of Heroes, Opinion, Free-to-play, Choose My Adventure

Choose My Adventure road trip
You haven't steered me wrong. At least, not yet.

I am pretty sure there is that nagging worry at the back of the Massively writers' minds when they give themselves over to the masses for Choose My Adventure. Sure, there is an element of mystery and excitement, but what if... just what if the majority manifests an evil streak and sends you careening over an embankment to your virtual doom? Or banishes you to tasks that would make you want to lobotomize yourself with your mouse -- things like run Death From Below repeatedly? Thankfully, you all spared me from such torture. And with this week's tour of the Mission Architect system in City of Heroes, you definitely steered me right -- this is my favorite aspect of the game yet!

I am glad to say that my trust in you all has not been unfounded, and I will speak on your behalf to the others. The fact is, I have enjoyed our little road trip immensely and am sad it must come to an end. So let's take one last cruise through City of Heroes together before you drive off into the sunset with Eliot.

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DDO expansion screens show off dryads, werewolves

Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Expansions, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play

Dungeons and Dragons Online - dryads
Want the latest Dungeons and Dragons Online expansion screenshots? We've got them for you in our gallery below, and they focus on dryads and werewolf monsters from the forthcoming Menace of the Underdark patch. The shots are set in the Eveningstar region of the Forgotten Realms, which players will initially encounter after porting over from DDO's original Eberron locale.

Menace of the Underdark will add quite a bit of new content to DDO, including a new Druid class, epic destinies, and an old familiar campaign setting. The expansion is now available for pre-order on Turbine's website. It launches on June 25th.

[Source: Turbine press release]

Flameseeker Chronicles: Touring the Snowden Drifts

Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Lore, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Races, Flameseeker Chronicles

Guild Wars 2
I pretty much went all Norn for the stress test last week. Alone (like a true Norn), I ventured to the highest, loneliest peaks of Snowden Drifts, swam in the darkest ice caves, and faced the largest metric crap-ton of Sons of Svanir imaginable.

As my Necromancer slid what felt like the nine hundredth Son off of her dagger blades, I took the time to look around soak up the view; there's nothing quite like rallying three times in a fight against a whole passel of renegade Norn to make a girl really appreciate the scenery.

Say what you will (and this being the Internet, many folks do) about whether or not having to zone between maps is, like, the ultimate sign that the game isn't truly "massively multiplayer," but each and every map we've seen so far in Guild Wars 2 is packed to the brim with excitement.

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Wings Over Atreia: Touring Tiamaranta

Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Aion, Expansions, PvP, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-play, Allods Online, Wings Over Atreia, Guides

Wings Over Atreia
If the eeriness of the truce between the Elyos and the Asmodians in Aion's new land of Sarpan wigs you out and makes you long for a good old-fashioned tussle, you can always head on over to Tiamaranta. Although the entire zone is not open for PvP, all four corners and the center are cordoned off for your opponent-bashing pleasure. In fact, Tiamaranta's Eye is often hopping as both sides contest mobs and try to land one of the bosses.

But even if you aren't in the mood for a bloody round of patty-cake, there is plenty of PvE and exploring to be had in this ecologically diverse land with a variety of new mobs to see (and dispatch) and new tasks to accomplish. Not able to make the trip yourself right now? Join Wings over Atreia's guided tour and get a taste of Tiamaranta.

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Aeria Games unveils new multiplayer shooter, Born to Fire

Betas, Real life, Galleries, New titles, PvP, War

Born to Fire image
Aeria Games, with numerous free-to-play titles already under its belt, just unveiled a new multiplayer first-person shooter called Born to Fire. This character-driven game is set following the Cold War, when rules of engagement are thrown out the window and the world is a free-fire zone.

Director of Publishing Tom Nichols describes the game: "In Born to Fire, players step in the boots of five distinct classes of elite operatives engaged in a global firefight for domination. With the instant gratification of one-click matchmaking and the in-depth analysis provided by elaborate replay tools, Born to Fire represents a new class of character-driven, highly customizable MMOFPS that's easy to get into but nearly impossible to fully master."

The five classes available for play are Rifleman, Duelist, Ranger, Heavy-Hitter, or Warden; each comes with unique backstory, tactics, and a fully customizable arsenal.

Sign-ups for closed beta are going on now! Players can keep informed of the latest news, updates, and contests by "liking" Born To Fire's Facebook page. Also, be sure to check out the screenshots and artwork in the attached gallery.

Gallery: Born to Fire

  • Born to Fire


[Source: Areia Games press release]

One Shots: Lone wolf

Galleries, Screenshots, Massively Meta, One Shots, Miscellaneous

One Shots
Long-time Massively follower but first-time One Shots contributor Ilix sent along today's highlighted screenshot of Fallen Earth, which we think is quite timely, given the PvP revamp soon headed to everyone's favorite post-apocalyptic sandbox. He writes in,
Fallen Earth is my top hard-RP MMO. Ilix, after three decades of isolation, attempted to fit in with a player-run town. But he was too rough-edged, too guarded, and still isolated in his mind, and he could not find joy among others. After several days trying to force himself back into what remains of humanity in the blasted terrain of the apocalypse, he admitted to himself that he could never return because he was too quick to anger, and he wandered off back into the desert. Irradiated scorpions haunt the land he wandered into, so he finds rest on the blade of a ruined helicopter's rotor, just out of reach of stingers. This shot defines the dual beauty and harshness of the life he resigns himself to.
Ilix's gorgeous sunset is tucked behind the break along with two other One Shots shots!

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Choose My Adventure: Cruisin' with the gang in City of Heroes

Super-hero, Galleries, Polls, City of Heroes, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Choose My Adventure

Choose My Adventure City of Heroes
You've experienced it, right? That magic moment on any trip of significant length when you've been living and breathing the locale long enough that the place starts to feel more familiar and you settle in, that time when you feel less like a tourist and more like a local. After the last few weeks traveling with you all, I have hit that moment in City of Heroes. While I still may not be able to tell one inspiration from another by sight, I can find my way around the 'hood and know the skyline when zipping about -- well, at least in Atlas Park. Oh, and I found a Mexican restaurant! It's almost like a second home now.

It was upon reaching this comfort zone that City of Heroes got better for me; this past week has been more fun than the previous ones during this Choose My Adventure road trip. (And yes, I'd even call the torture of the expansive character creation fun. Exhausting, but fun!) What transpired this week? Buckle up and step on the gas to see.

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New MOBA SmashMuck Champions fights its way into closed beta this month

Betas, Galleries, Screenshots, Trailers, Video, New titles, News items, MOBA

Screenshot -- SmashMuck Champions
Watch out, MOBA fans: A new challenger has appeared! Indie game developer Kiz Studios announced in a press release today that its upcoming MOBA title, SmashMuck Champions, is set to enter closed beta this month. Of course, if you're anything like us, you're probably wondering what the heck a SmashMuck Champions is.

According to the game's official site, the title is "a free-to-play action/strategy game featuring online multiplayer combat" in which players "build and train their own SmashMuck teams... to do battle in the toughest sport on Planet Muck." Gameplay-wise, the game seems to be your standard MOBA with a few not-so-standard twists. The addition of persistent champion gear plus interesting new mechanics such as stat-boosting training routines aim to put a new spin on the old formula. But hey, you don't have to take our word for it. The game will be entering closed beta testing on May 27th, so if you're a MOBA fan looking for a new thrill, just head on over to the game's official site and sign up for yourself. Oh, and while you're at it, don't forget to check out the game's latest official trailer after the cut.

[Source: Kiz Studios press release]

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One Shots: Woodland critters

Galleries, Screenshots, A Tale in the Desert, EverQuest II, MMO industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, One Shots, RIFT, TERA, Miscellaneous

One Shots
TERA isn't quite two weeks old, but it's already offering up some spectacular views. Kromic on the Dragonfall server paused while riding on his mount to take this shot. He writes in,
While doing some exploring on my trusty steed in TERA, I found a great view of the capital city Velika.
His screenshot is just after the cut, along with three more images of woodland critters doing their duty to spice up our MMO scenery.

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MechWarrior Online unleashes a torrent of new screenshots, plus new teaser trailer

Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, Trailers, Video, News items, Free-to-play, MechWarrior Online

Screenshot -- MechWarrior Online
Piranha Games has spent the last few weeks inundating us with information on the various gameplay mechanics and customization options that players can expect from its upcoming free-to-play 'bot-battling title, MechWarrior Online, but today the studio has unleashed a deluge of screenshots and a new video that shows what the game's really about: big robots and even bigger explosions. Also, lots of lasers. Pew pew!

The screenshots showcase a variety of 'Mechs -- including the first in-game screens of the Dragon -- going at it with everything from lasers to long-range missiles and everything in between, plus there are quite a few showing off the game's MechLab customization features. The video, meanwhile, gives players yet another look at the game's combat, which, judging by the number of lasers flying around, could double as a (potentially fatal) light show. But enough words; go on and click through the gallery below and feast your eyes on all the giant robot goodness.

[Source: Piranha Games press release]

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Hands-on with The Secret World's Templar experience

Betas, Fantasy, Horror, Galleries, Screenshots, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Previews, Opinion, Hands-on, The Secret World, Massively Hands-on, First Impressions

The Secret World - Don't mind this hollow earth portal
Believing in The Secret World takes a certain of amount of... faith. And I'm not just talking about Funcom's less-than-stellar reputation when it comes to bug-free MMO launches. No, the very foundation of this particular title rests on a narrative about things unseen, and that cryptic, otherworldly esoterica informed every moment of my time spent in the press beta over the last couple of days.

The basic premise, of course, is that everything is true. Every myth, legend, and spook story that our rational minds scoff at has a place in this particular riff on reality.

The Secret World is also quite heretical when it comes to gameplay. It eschews the tried and true class-based approach for a complex grimoire of a skill system featuring an ability wheel made of hieroglyphs and higher math (or so it first appears). To come right to the point, though, I bought into the game almost immediately.

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Lord of the Rings Online's Update 7 features new high-level skirmish

Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Lord of the Rings Online, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play

Lord of the Rings Online - Update 7 skirmish
Turbine's been pumping out a bunch of screenshots for its Dungeons and Dragons Online expansion lately, so it's only natural that Lord of the Rings Online gets equal treatment. While Update 7 isn't a full-blown expansion, it is a pretty significant content drop that is focused on revamping Moria and Fornost.

Today's gallery features a look at the update's new skirmish, which pits players against a sorceress named Gwyllion at the southern end of the Misty Mountains. The Storm on Methedras instance supports one to 12 players and is designed for levels 70 to 75.

[Source: Turbine press release]

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