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Super-hero

Meet the newest Infinite Crisis champions: Nightmare Batman and Wonder Woman

Super-hero, Video, News Items, Free-to-Play, MOBA

Meet the newest Infinite Crisis champions Nightmare Batman and Wonder Woman
You know what your problem is? You've been getting too much sleep. Don't worry, Infinite Crisis has got your back. The team introduced two new champions today, one of which is Nightmare Batman. Living up to his name, Nightmare Batman is pretty much the scariest thing we've seen all week. He's described as a "feral hunter" who ravages his opponents and whose life skill is "eternal hunger."

It's not all creepy claw-feet and soulless eyes, though: Infinite Crisis is also bringing in Wonder Woman. She's armed with godlike regeneration, a golden lasso, and an inherent tanky je ne sais quoi.

Skip below the cut to check out the champions' intro videos.

[Source: WB Games press release]

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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: A super month in super news

Super-hero, MMO Industry, News Items, Opinion, Marvel Heroes, Champions Online, A Mild-Mannered Reporter

For the record, I was disappointed by the 4/1 jokes this year.
Having spent the last couple of weeks systematically irritating the makers of every superheroic MMO currently on the market, I think now seems like a perfect time to go trawling for recent news and views. Especially since I am writing this on April 1st to meet my deadline, so there's a day-long moratorium on any real news being posted. (That Kickstarter of ours is very real, though. You need to give us money right now.)

Of course, the big news was a completely unexpected announcement that came out right after PAX East concluded: Another challenger is entering the arena, and it's something no one could have seen coming without insider information. Meanwhile, Marvel Heroes announced its launch date days after I had speculated on what that might be, and Champions Online is gearing up to kick off another event. So let's get talking about all the superhero news that's been going down since the last roundup.

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PAX East 2013: Hands-on with Marvel Heroes

Betas, Super-hero, Galleries, Screenshots, Business Models, Classes, Events (Real-World), Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, Previews, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Marvel Heroes, Hands-On, Hands-On (Massively's), Events (Massively's Coverage)

PAX East 2013  Handson with Marvel Heroes
Gazillion Entertainment made a splash at PAX East, arriving with the big announcement that Marvel Heroes will be launching on June 4th. In addition, the team gave new details about endgame content, PvP, and special "ultimate powers" for each hero.

During the convention, Massively had a chance to sit down with VP of marketing Leo Olebe and CEO David Brevik to get a look at the state of the game, including some brand-new content that the devs have just added to Marvel Heroes. What did we see during our hands-on with the game? Let's just say that rampaging dinosaurs and "Hulk Smash" were but the tip of the iceberg.

Gallery: Marvel Heroes

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GDC 2013: DCUO's Andersen talks housing, hints at league version

Super-hero, Free-to-Play, Interviews (Massively's), Events (Massively's Coverage), DC Universe Online, Housing

GDC 2013 DCUO's Jens Andersen talks decorating, hints at league housing
We first learned about DC Universe Online's housing system last fall at SOE Live, where we got the scoop on the personal lairs coming in the Home Turf DLC from creative director Jens Andersen. At that time, he also shared his vision of expanding to include league housing sometime in the future.

While sitting down with Andersen for a chat at GDC yesterday, the conversation turned to the now two-month-old housing system. The discussion included how the community was utilizing this unique blend of housing and PvP duels. Andersen then shared some tips for decorating with an eye towards battles; he also hinted that league housing may be slated for making an appearance in one of the game's upcoming DLCs.

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The Daily Grind: What would get you to try a genre you don't like?

Super-hero, MMO Industry, News Items, Opinion, Free-to-Play, The Daily Grind, MOBA

Infinite Crisis Batman art
I don't particularly like MOBAs. PvP in general doesn't do it for me, and e-sports are closer to unintentional comedy than to actual sports that I play and watch. That said, I'll very likely play Infinite Crisis at some point simply because I'm a fan of DC Comics.

Yeah, I'm a sucker for certain IPs, and marrying one of them to various game genres guarantees that I'll give you my money. I suspect that I'm not alone here, otherwise companies like Turbine would spend more time developing original products. What about you, Massively folk? If not IPs, is there anything else that would make you try a game in a genre that you dislike?

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!

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: So what's the deal with Champions Online?

Super-hero, Culture, MMO Industry, Endgame, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Champions Online, A Mild-Mannered Reporter

It's improved a lot from the game which I preordered and then un-preordered, but still.
Let's be honest here. Champions Online is not in a good state.

A couple of weeks back I wrote about how expecting a limited-time event to flesh out the game's endgame is silly to say the least, and I stand by that. But there are two issues under discussion here, and the second is "does the game need more content?" The answer, right now, is an emphatic yes. An event isn't the place to go looking for that content necessarily, but this is still a pretty significant problem, and the game certainly doesn't look as if it's fast approaching its fourth year of operation (and it is).

So what happened? It's no secret that the game launched to some pretty poor reception, but that doesn't account for the way that the game has been managed since then, especially when its free-to-play conversion has by all indications been reasonably successful. So why is it that after nearly half the lifespan of City of Heroes it still feels like a game that just recently launched?

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GDC 2013: Hands-on with Infinite Crisis

Super-hero, Game Mechanics, Interviews, New Titles, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Events (Massively's Coverage), MOBA, Infinite Crisis

GDC 2013  Handson with Infinite Crisis
We just learned of Infinite Crisis' existence on Monday, but don't expect a long wait to get your hands on the game's various DC Comics characters. The new title is well beyond the here's-an-idea-for-you stage -- in fact, it's already playable!

So what did this MOBA noob think of the game? Does it do justice to the Justice League? When is beta going to happen so others can get in on the action? And how on earth did Turbine keep Infinite Crisis a secret so far into its development? After my play session I sat down with Creative Director Cardell Kerr to discuss some of these burning questions.

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Turbine Entertainment unveils Infinite Crisis, a DC Universe MOBA

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

It's a good start, but I'm hoping we see Red Son Superman.
Ready to unleash your own Crisis on Infinite Earths? Warner Bros. Interactive, Turbine Entertainment, and DC Comics are teaming up to let you do just that with the upcoming Infinite Crisis, a MOBA set against the backdrop of the DC multiverse. If you ever wanted to know who would win in a matchup between normal Batman and steampunk Batman, you'll have the opportunity to find out here.

Infinite Crisis isn't in beta yet, but the launch trailer (embedded past the break) makes it clear that there are already several alternate versions of iconic heroes planned for inclusion. Players can also look forward to destructible environments, major events, and even an overall story arc. If you're worried about breaking your wallet, the game is already planning on launching as a free-to-play title, so everyone can jump in for all of the DC-related antics. You can sign up for beta testing now on the official site.

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Exclusive: Champions Online challenges players to take on the Forum Malvanum

Super-hero, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, Interviews, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, Interviews (Massively's), Champions Online

Wait, how will you get wheel spikes on this?
Champions Online players have just braved a full-scale invasion in the appropriately named Lemurian Invasion event. So now the superheroes of Millennium City get to take a long weekend and possibly head to the beach, right? Hardly. A new challenge approaches in the form of the upcoming Forum Malvanum event, throwing heroes into a pitched arena battle run by a mysterious alien race. But it's not quite what you might think.

The aliens behind these gladiatorial games have been running challenges across the galaxy for quite some time, and they've now invited Earth's champions to participate. Should the heroes emerge victorious, they'll reap the rewards of galaxy-spanning wealth and power. Not that you can expect the games of an intergalactic race obsessed with bloodsports to be particularly fair...

Leaving aside the perpetual nightmare that is a superhero's life, this even promises to offer several additions for players. Aside from the almost mandatory new lockbox, the event will contain new content including an arena showdown and a mission focused around a high-speed race. We also had a chance to sit down and ask producer Tom Edwards a few more questions about the upcoming event. Read on!

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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: What's the problem with Marvel Heroes?

Super-hero, Game Mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Marvel Heroes, A Mild-Mannered Reporter

I got nothin' on this header.  Just read some of the later alt text.
Marvel Heroes is going to release soon. Maybe. Probably? It's hard to say. We have a release window for the game but not a large amount of evidence that the game is actually moving toward that release window; there are beta updates but no clear signs that the game's open beta will be coming soon. That's a bit duplicitous for people already asked to purchase the game's high-end item packs, but that's a strategy employed by more than a couple of games now, so I'm not going to be too harsh about that.

Or maybe I am, seeing as how the game is asking you to spend a lot of money sight unseen when it has some pretty stiff competition out already. I'm increasingly of the mind that Marvel Heroes is taking a hard sell and making it endlessly harder by launching into the teeth of other games without a solid strategy. Worse yet, it might be far too late for the game to change anything for the better in a significant fashion.

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Champions Online dev blog goes behind-the-scenes of the Lemurian Invasion

Super-hero, Events (In-Game), News Items, Free-to-Play, Champions Online

Champions Online's Lemurian Invasion
Last week, Champions Online's Lemurian Invasion event hit the live servers, and since then players have been valiantly fighting to defend the world against the alien forces. But as the latest Champions devblog notes, "an invasion force like the Lemurians doesn't come out of nowhere." With that in mind, Cryptic has released a brand-new devblog that takes players behind the curtain for a look at the making of the Lemurian invasion. In the post, Champions Online's new Live Producer, Tom "Lord Gar" Edwards, takes players on a brief tour of the process behind creating a live event.

Edwards details all of the hard work that went into the Lemurian Invasion, from the event's initial conception to 3-D models, animations, and playtesting. But perhaps more importantly, he takes a few paragraphs to talk about the future: "[In] the first half 2013, [Cryptic's] plan is to release several story arcs of a similar scale to the Lemurian invasion." He adds that "each arc will have a lockbox, some smaller missions, and then a larger mission at the end." According to Edwards, each mission will " have its own themed rewards and new items [that will] sometimes focus on character improvements, and some on vehicles." Champions' next arc will involve "gladiatorial combat" and will focus on the aforementioned character improvements.

Edwards promises that more info is coming soon. Until then, how about heading over to the Champions Online devblog for all the tasty Lemurian Invasion details?

[Thanks to Matixzun for the tip!]

A door to the Marvel world: David Brevik talks Marvel Heroes

Betas, Super-hero, Galleries, Screenshots, Classes, Events (Real-World), Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, Interviews, Lore, MMO Industry, Previews, PvP, PvE, Free-to-Play, Marvel Heroes, Interviews (Massively's), Events (Massively's Coverage)

Massively Interview 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 event in San Francisco, I sat down with David Brevik, President and CEO of Gazillion Entertainment, to scope out the influence of Diablo vs. the Marvel Universe and whether we'll see the PvP fans are hoping for.

Gallery: Marvel Heroes

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Ask Cryptic and ye shall receive -- Champions Online answers, that is

Super-hero, Game Mechanics, News Items, Free-to-Play, Champions Online, Community Q&A

Ask Cryptic and ye shall receive  Champions Online answers, that is
At the end of February, Champions Online posted an "Ask Cryptic" thread, inviting players to query devs about anything on their minds. And plenty did, filling 14 pages with burning questions such as will past events like Nighthawk ever return, can we get vehicle vs. vehicle battlegrounds, and have you tried bacon jerky? Producer Tom Edwards and the Champion's dev team answered these -- yes, good idea, and "Why would you do this to me?" respectively -- along with many others.

Although not all questions could be individually addressed, Edwards touched on as many as possible. Want to hear about land vehicles (yes, they are coming), adjusted lockbox drop rates, or the plans for a story arc throughout 2013? Then check out the full answer session on the official site.

Hands-on with Marvel Heroes' combat, events, and crafting

Super-hero, Economy, Events (Real-World), Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, Previews, PvE, Opinion, Marvel Heroes, Hands-On, Interviews (Massively's), Hands-On (Massively's), Events (Massively's Coverage), Crafting

Handson with Marvel Heroes
This has been a hard year on mice. Diablo III, Torchlight 2, Path of Exile, and now another click-fest is in the works: Marvel Heroes. This new free-to-play addition to the isometric family will put you in the shoes of classic heroes such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, Storm, Wolverine, and many more from the Marvel roster. Just when my index finger was starting to forgive me!

To better understand how much danger my mouse and finger were in, I traveled down to Gazillion Entertainment for some hands-on time with a few of my favorite comic wonders. Is Marvel Heroes is bringing more than just tights to the table?

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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Champions Online, Lemurian events, and you

Super-hero, Culture, Events (In-Game), Endgame, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Champions Online, A Mild-Mannered Reporter

Sometimes I just can't seem to stop stirring the pot.
Every so often, I'm told that I don't understand an issue under discussion, and it's entirely true. There are a lot of issues out there, and the best I can do is get some of the information, form an opinion, and then change that opinion based upon new information. So I do my best, but I'm going to be wrong sometimes.

Other times I'm told I don't understand an issue when I actually do, and the problem is that the issue under discussion is not the most relevant issue.

So let's talk a little bit more about Champions Online and the Lemurian Invasion. If you haven't been paying attention, this spawned a little bit of controversy among the playerbase and more when I said that the people raising a stink were wrong. They still are, even if they're also right about an unconnected issue I only brushed against before.

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