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Obsidian and Allods team up to create Skyforge

MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items

Obsidian and Allods team up to create Skyforge
If you've ever been curious about what would happen if you mixed the Allods Online team with Obsidian Entertainment, wonder no more! The two forces announced their partnership at the Russian Game Developers Convention where they unveiled their upcoming MMORPG, Skyforge. The game is planned to release for the PC in 2014.

More details are available from the devs themselves in the video after the break, if you speak Russian. For those who don't, you can catch a few snippits of game video between the interviews and a stretch coming just before the seven minute mark.

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Stick and Rudder: Why all the love for Roberts and Star Citizen?

Sci-Fi, Culture, Game Mechanics, Lore, MMO Industry, New Titles, Opinion, Roleplaying, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Stick and Rudder, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play

Stick and Rudder - Why all the love for Roberts and Star Citizen?
I was talking with a gaming buddy recently who missed the whole space sim experience in the 1990s. He's a Star Wars fan and a real-life pilot pushing 40, so it surprised me to learn that he'd never heard of Wing Commander, Freespace, X-Wing, and the like. My jaw really hit the floor as our conversation turned to current games and I began to evangelize about Star Citizen and Chris Roberts.

"Who's Chris Roberts?" he asked, with a straight face.

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Yes, that is a car in ArcheAge

Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, ArcheAge, Sandbox

Yep, that's a car in ArcheAge
This not-sure-if-serious moment is brought to you by XLGAMES. The Korean MMO maker, presumably hard at work collaborating with Trion to westernize its ArcheAge sandbox opus (right guys... guys?), has published what can only be termed a curious gameplay video to its official YouTube channel.

The clip features car racing and a number of spiffy looking hot rods, which normally wouldn't raise any eyebrows if they weren't located smack dab in the middle of a feudalized high fantasy world that, up until now, has featured sailing ships, horses, and low-tech gliders as its primary forms of transportation. It's hard to tell what's under the hood on these babies -- maybe it's some sort of steampunkish propulsion system -- but one thing's for sure: We can't make this stuff up.

Have yourself a look-see after the cut.

[Thanks Dengar!]

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TUG tech video shows off in-house engine

Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding

TUG concept art
Recently Nerd Kingdom promised more demonstrations of the tech behind its new TUG MMO hopeful. The company has made good with a new video that shows off the in-house engine, and lead programmer Brandon Nelson starts things off with an interesting tidbit about the game's contouring algorithm. "An algorithm like dual contouring gives us the ability to have the same quality of terrain that other games have, but not have to have them generated by level designers," Nelson explains.

There's quite a lot of additional info packed into the clip's six-minute running time, all of which you can see for yourself after the break. You can also learn more about TUG via the project's Kickstarter site.

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Gaslight Joker spotlighted in new Infinite Crisis gameplay vid

Betas, Super-hero, Video, Classes, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, MOBA, Infinite Crisis

Infinite Crisis - Gaslight Joker art
Looking for a beefy enforcer who can dominate close-range combat in Infinite Crisis? Look no further than Gaslight Joker, the newest champion spotlighted in Turbine's ongoing DC-centric MOBA video reveals.

Turbine says its laughing butcher can throw hams at enemies with the Shower of Filth skill, sending them running in fear and debuffing them for good measure. The video touches on a number of other Gaslight Joker skills, too, both passive and active, and it shows off a good bit of Infinite Crisis gameplay footage in the process. See for yourself after the cut.

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Tamriel Infinium: Elder Scrolls Online's factional divides

Fantasy, Video, Classes, New Titles, Races, Roleplaying, The Elder Scrolls Online, MMORPG, Tamriel Infinium

Tamriel Infinium ESO factional divides
The Elder Scrolls Online's Tamriel hosts many races that are generally segregated from each other. Nords of Skyrim usually stick to their northern frosty mountains. Argonians settle in their Black Marsh. Khajiit rest in Elsweyr. But we know from playing other Elder Scrolls games that individuals of all races most definitely move around the map, mostly adventurers like our possible TESO characters. It is very possible from a canon perspective that my Redguard will wander through Morrowind. Unlike other faction-based MMOs, TESO has an interesting plan for those players with wanderlust.

For today's column, I've found a community member who explains some of the implications of factional divides for us. I'm also interested in how you will personally handle some of these factional issues.

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MMOTCG HEX doubles Kickstarter goal with 3 weeks left

Fantasy, MMO Industry, New Titles, Trading Card Games, Miscellaneous, Crowdfunding

MMOTDG HEX doubles Kickstarter goal with 3 weeks left
HEX: Shards of Fate, the MMO trading card game that we first introduced last week, is doing fairly well in its current Kickstarter campaign. How well, you ask? So far the company has raised over $600,000 of the game's $300,000 goal with 21 days still to go! That's thanks to almost 5,000 backers so far.

While these numbers are impressive one week into the campaign, it should be no surprise considering the talent working on this MMOTDG. Cryptozoic Entertainment is a veteran studio that has developed and published several other trading card and board games for The Walking Dead, Lord of the Rings, DC Comics, World of Warcraft, and more.

With the game already funded at this point, it's still worth checking out the game's reward tiers and stretch goals to see if it's something you might be interested in supporting. You have only 21 more days!

[Thanks for the tip, Sounder!]

Marvel Heroes rolls out first episode of Chronicles of Doom motion comic series

Super-hero, Video, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Marvel Heroes

Marvel Heroes rolls out first episode of 'Chronicles of Doom' motion comic series
When Marvel Heroes launches on June 4th, it will begin a super story that finds Doctor Doom wielding a fair share of power. But what about the story behind that story? To reveal just how Doctor Doom rose to power, Gazillion is releasing a short series of motion comics entitled "Chronicles of Doom." Penned by Brian Michael Bendis, well-known for his work creating the Ultimate Marvel Universe, the adventure begins with the villain infiltrating the sanctuary of the Fantastic Four. Watch the first installment of the four-part series after the break.

[Source: Gazillion Entertainment press release]

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New action combat MOBA Skara begins Kickstarter campaign

Video, MMO Industry, New Titles, Miscellaneous, MOBA, Crowdfunding

New action combat MOBA begins Kickstarter campaign
"Imagine an experience with the action of Street Fighter inside a story and land like World of Warcraft, all blended into a fast-paced Call of Duty style arena." That's how 8 Bit Studios describes its newest MOBA Kickstarter project entitled Skara: The Blade Remains.

Skara looks to be high on the action with combat based on actual attack directions and multiplayer combos. This Kickstarter campaign has just begun, but offers some exciting rewards, including a digital copy of the game as low as the £15 tier.

Check out the project page and the informative video -- featuring some pretty sweet dev facial hair -- just after the jump.

[Thanks to Alex for the tip!]

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Bungie quashes rumors that Destiny might come to the PlayStation Vita

Launches, New Titles, News Items, Consoles, Rumors, Destiny

Bungie squashes rumors that Destiny might come to the PlayStation Vita
Some rumors recently started circulating regarding Bungie's upcoming title, Destiny, and the PlayStation Vita. Bungie confirmed that these rumors are false and that Destiny will not be revealed on the PlayStation Vita (despite some previous vague hints to the contrary in the preorder page's source code).

The rumors started after the release of an image that hinted at a Bungie game coming to PS Vita in 2014 called Destiny of Spirits. Given that Sony trademarked the name Destiny of Spirits, something may still be afoot there.

Destiny officially launches for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation4 some time next year.

ArcheAge Chinese beta trailer impresses

Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, ArcheAge

ArcheAge hang-gliders are badass
How's your Chinese? Mine's not very good either, but I imagine that the narrator for the new ArcheAge trailer is just saying the Mandarin word for badass over and over again for the duration of the clip's two-minute-and-29-second running time.

That's because everything in the clip is indeed badass, from the location fly-throughs to the mounts to the boat construction to the combat. The trailer is being released to build excitement for ArcheAge's Chinese beta phase, which is less than a week away. I'd say it's doing a pretty fine job of it, wouldn't you agree? Click past the cut to have a look.

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Hi-Rez reveals SMITE's Isis, the Goddess of Magic

Betas, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, MOBA

HiRez reveals SMITE's Isis, the Goddess of Magic
Ready for the latest SMITE character reveal? Isis is here, and Hi-Rez has published a blog post and a gameplay video heralding her arrival. The Goddess of Magic is a sceptre-wielding mage -- no surprise there -- who relies on her Funeral Rites passive ability and spiffy attacks like Wing Gust and Spirit Ball.

Hi-Rez has also tweaked SMITE's level system in the latest patch. God leveling earns you worshippers after every victory, which in turn translate to God Rank for a given avatar. The devs have also changed the old player level to something called Beta level. If you reach Beta level 30 prior to SMITE's official release, you'll get a free Ymir Cocadeamon skin. There's more info on all the changes at the SMITE website, and don't forget the Isis trailer after the cut.

[Thanks Don!]

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Massively's DUST 514 launch impressions

Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Game Mechanics, Launches, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Consoles, First Impressions, DUST 514, Sandbox

DUST 514 - Dropship and merc troops
Playing EVE on my couch is bizarre. I know, technically it's called DUST 514, but let's be serious. DUST is basically the beginnings of a massive EVE Online expansion if you subscribe to the notion that EVE is a virtual world as opposed to merely a strategy game featuring internet spaceships and internet drama.

I've played EVE in some strange places prior to this. In an airport terminal, for example. On my toilet, even (yes, nature occasionally calls in the middle of a fleet fight and thank God for laptops). But DUST marks the first -- OK, technically the second -- time I've ever played in New Eden with a controller.

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Star Citizen concept art shows off Orion III colony

Sci-Fi, Lore, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play

Star Citizen - Armitage concept art
This time of night I've only got one thing on my mind, and that's dinner. Seriously, the Massively graveyard shift makes my stomach rumble. Fortunately Cloud Imperium is here to fill it up with some sweet, sweet Star Citizen concept art.

The main course is a trio of gorgeous images from the former colony world of Orion III. Armitage, as the world was also called, was "the site of the farthest human colony from Earth... and one of the first targets of the Vanduul menace."

After you've dined on the establishing aerial artwork, it's time for dessert in the form of some early sketches for specific planetary locations. Feast your eyes at the official Star Citizen website.

Vostok gearing up for Survarium alpha invites

Betas, Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, Post-Apocalyptic

Vostok gearing up for Survarium alpha invites
Vostok's Survarium, a spiritual sequel to the STALKER series, is getting ready to send out alpha invites. A dev diary posted yesterday on the game's official forums says that the first wave will welcome 1,000 testers into the post-apocalyptic MMO shooter's fold. Vostok says that of those 1,000 testers, no less than 200 of them will be stressing the game's servers around the clock.

The dev diary also outlines what testers can expect from the early stages of the project. The alpha, for example, is "team-based PvP combat mode only," and even this is necessarily scaled down in order to ensure that key components like shooting, movement, and synchronization are working properly.

You can register for the Survarium alpha at the game's official website.

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