Trading Card Games

KingsIsle Entertainment, maker of the very popular card-based freemium title Wizard101, announced today that it will be releasing a brand-new mega-bundle pre-paid card to stores across the country. Here's how the cards work: Players pay a set amount and receive a card with a code that, once redeemed in-game, can add all sorts of gold, goodies, and other options. The new card features a new flying carpet mount, a massive sultan's palace complete with a mirage, 5000 crowns to be used in the cash shop, and several other fun items. It's no wonder the cards have become one of the best-selling cards at Gamestop -- they offer an all-in-one package that is easy to pick up.

Canadians worried about getting their hands on these cards can rest easy -- KingsIsle is pushing the cards into major Canadian retailers this fall. Concerned players who have been "surprisingly vocal" about the lack of card access will also get the chance to own exclusive pets available only in their area. This move will bring Wizard101's combined retail presence to over 50,000 stores. Not bad -- not bad at all.

So, what's next for the freemium giant? Well, KingsIsle just partnered with Gameforge to bring the game overseas. Interesting things happen when you have to port a fully voice-acted game like Wizard101 to a place like Germany. The UI and map has to be tweaked to allow room for the longer written language, and everything needs to be localized. There are also cultural differences to consider, and the cash shop can be received differently than here in the U.S.

The new game cards will be offered for $39, but the items included are valued at over $100.

There was a lot of game news to come out of PAX East this past weekend, and KingsIsle definitely arrived with some very big announcements. Wizard101 fans can look forward to a brand-new world called Wintertusk, which completes the epic storyline of Grizzleheim. Both high- and low-level players will have new places to explore and quests to complete. Highlights include brand-new areas for high-level Wizards to discover and explore, new spells, level 58 class pets for each primary school, a revamped underwater introduction zone for lower-level characters (continuing the story of the Crab King), and the ephemeral "more."

Massively had the chance to talk with KingsIsle Vice President Fred Howard about Wizard101 and the rapid growth of MMOs aimed at younger players. Read on for his thoughts on player security, the importance of story, and a curious Crab King with a penchant for rock.

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For those who might not know, it was decided last week that my Wizard101 character was to be a boy from the school of Death. On top of that, he was ordered to get around town by using a pair of beautiful white wings. I heard a few comments in different places about how the wings would not look cool with a Death student or about how a horse mount or broom was better. I held fast and nabbed a pair of the white, fluttering back pieces. I had to obey orders!

Once I made my character and put the wings on, though, I looked completely metal. For those younger players who might not understand what that means, Google "Dio" and watch a few videos. Avoid Slayer -- your parents would not like that. (Note: If you come across a band called Queensryche, that's not metal.) Anyway, my white wings only accentuated my dark intentions. It was a fantastic choice.

But what else did I do over this last week besides wait for the vote to end? Well, click past the cut and I'll let you know.

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Well, it was an epic battle. Little did I know that, in an effort to promote a random assortment of high-quality free-to-play and indie games, I would come up with the formula for the destruction of the entire universe. Over the last few days, readers cast their votes (and their nasty comments) in the hopes that I would take a look at their favorite game for well over a month. After all, it would expose everything that is good (and bad!) about their game and might draw in many more new players. Not to brag, but a lot of eyes are drawn to our lovely little site here.

Each game I chose was nestled alongside a mortal enemy. Wizard101 had MapleStory to tackle. Puzzle Pirates had Zentia. My planning only lead to mass chaos as the giant of the bunch, MapleStory, barely opened an eyelid. Then, out of nowhere, Anarchy Online swooped in and punched everyone in the eye. It looked like the 10-year-old masterpiece of sandboxy goodness would win for the oldies in the bunch! (The AO community's passion for the game inspired me to cover it in my other column, Rise and Shiny, for the week of January 16th.) Where was Shadowtale? At the time of this writing, the game boasted literally thousands of players on at one time. Yet they barely pulled in a handful of votes. Pirates of the Burning Sea seemed to give up early, as evidenced by forum posts. (I was following all the games' forums.)

In the end, Wizard101 pulled it off. While I knew the game had the numbers, I wasn't sure that it could herd all of the cats together in time. It did teach me one thing, though: Don't mess with the tweens.

Join me past the cut for the next vote and for some information about Wizard101.

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So there you are, reading a column from your favorite Massively writer on your shiny new laptop. You might be stuck with your parents and family because of the snow, or you might simply want to find a new MMORPG to play on the device. Perhaps you broke down and bought that cute pink netbook at Target, and now you need something to do with it besides reading your favorite writer of all time?

Don't worry, because I've taken the time to compile and test 25 MMOs that will work wonderfully on your new toy! Yes, there are real MMOs out there that are not dependent on the latest graphics card or six gigs of ram. These are fully realized worlds, complete with chat windows and socializing. I will make a note if the game might have some difficulty on the oldest of hardware -- or the least powerful -- so keep an eye out for that. Otherwise, download away!

For the record, this is my new toy. I got it for work, but you know the first thing I had to do was try out gaming on it. Click past the cut to see the list!

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If you're a player of Wizard101, the surprisingly deep card-based MMO from Kingsisle Entertainment, then you were probably surprised when gardening made an appearance on the test server last week. I know I heard a gasp of surprise as my wife logged in to take a look! It seems as though players will now be able to grow their own plants, complete with their own personalities and faces.

Well, things were still a bit foggy so we decided to fire off a few questions (with the help of our friend Fallon at Diary of a Wizard) in the hopes that our thumbs would become a little greener. Thankfully, Fred Howard, V.P. of marketing at Kingsisle, was able to answer them all. Join us past the cut for the full interview!

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This week, I decided it's time to dump the bag. My characters often accumulate items at such a rapid rate that my bags quickly resemble those of a typical teenager at the mall. Any time I resign myself to plunking down at the bank to sort my inventory, I end up shocked at some of the stuff I bring home. However, there are some items in EverQuest II that are lifesavers, and others that can really be handy in a pinch. Let's take a look at a few items that you should never leave home without.

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It has been nearly eight months since Star Wars Galaxies has seen a new Trading Card Game expansion, but this week, Sony Online Entertainment has announced the seventh expansion: The Price of Victory. In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Empire Strikes Back, this expansion includes gameplay scenarios, and of course, loot cards that revolve around the second movie release in the Star Wars saga.

After the crushing blow to Imperial morale with the destruction of the Death Star, the Empire strikes back hard by weeding out Rebel insurgents galaxy-wide. The Price of Victory features 10 brand-new story-arc scenarios, which delve deep into the story of the Empire's revenge. The new and unique 175 playing cards are all highly detailed and inspired by the Empire Strikes Back. Then, of course, there are the loot cards inspired by Episode V. They include cards for the tauntaun armor statue, the cloud car vehicle, and the Cloud City-inspired player house.

You can catch more information about this new expansion on the official Star Wars Galaxies website or by visiting the Trading Card Game forum. So what is the price of victory? $2.99 a pack.

The fans of Star Wars Galaxies are stalwart. Despite all the trouble the game has gone through, it features one of the most active communities in the Sony Online Entertainment library of MMOs. The developers have noticed this and have continued to work diligently on new content for the loyal players.

Recently, we took the opportunity to ask SWG's current Producer Tony "Teesquared" Tyson some questions about the present and future of the title. He answered all our inquiries about holiday events, future updates, the Galactic Civil War, and the Trading Card Game. Some exciting things are coming!

Follow us after the break to find out what future holds in a galaxy far, far away...

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Nanovor: Evolution, by Smith and Tinker, has the ability to allow a player to experience in-depth combat and collecting or pick-em-up battles on the fly. It has also been created with the purpose of running in a browser window or (soon) on an iPhone or iPad. What you end up with is a perfect game for someone who spent a good deal of his week feeling ill, like I did. Playing the game was almost relaxing, rather than nail-biting or stressful.

Were there intense moments? Yes, like the time I played someone several levels above me. Generally, however, the game provides an environment for fun on the go. The few criticisms I have heard about the game -- that it's grindy, "pay-to-win" or made only for children -- are completely valid but a little out of place. Nanovor: Evolution, like Vindictus or LOCO, isn't trying to be an open-world, non-instanced groupathon. What Smith and Tinker does is provide an easy opportunity for fun and action, while skirting the edge of the definition for "MMORPG."

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Smith and Tinker is a company that is building products for today's "roaming audience," such as 2009's collectible-monster game Nanovor. Essentially, tweens battled microscopic silicon-based monsters that lived deep within their PCs. While it garnered much attention, Smith and Tinker decided it was time for a re-do. Now, we have Nanovor Evolution, a newly rendered 3-D multi-platform version of the game that offers "every player complete gaming satisfaction anywhere and everywhere, and by evolving our Nanovor digital collective game and future titles onto multiple platforms, we are on track to making that a reality."

The new version runs within a browser, with future versions available on iPhone and iPad. After our discussion, I decided to a look at the game myself. True to the company's word, it loaded and ran within my browser and looked great. I walked through an animated tutorial, customized my avatar, learned the basics of combat, and was introduced to the public area -- a square for players to chat safely and challenge each other to matches. Really, it's a miniature version of many full-scale MMORPGs, built to be played on many different devices and while on-the-go.

Take a look after the jump to catch a glimpse at the action!

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Massively has taken a swing at Marvel's Super Hero Squad Online several times in the last few months, now. So, on our trip to PAX, the boy-in-grown-up-shoes, Jay Minn, could not wait to show us the newly announced PvP portion of this dynamic game. Minn, who is the Director of Games for The Amazing Society, turned in to a giddy imp and directed me to a computer station that had a burning Human Torch on the screen, all prepared to fight some bad guys. Even though PvE wasn't what I was there to cover that day, Minn just had to show me anyway. "Click on a bad guy," he told me, "and good things just happen." I obliged; the Torch lit up and chased some bad guys away! At that point, we were told we had to move on to the PvP portion of the demonstration. Marketing people can be such spoil-sports sometimes.

The giddy grin returned to Minn's face as he gave me instructions on how to get into the online card game. In the lower right-hand corner simply sat an icon that looked like fanned-out cards. As part of the demo I was able to pick my opponent, and since I just love seeing the Ol' Canucklehead Wolverine get beaten down, I picked him for my enemy. And who is the best Marvel superhero? Spider-Man, of course. I had to choose him as my character.

Hero up with me after the break to find out the details of my adventure through this shiny and lively online card game.

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We've got two quick questions for you: Are you a Marvel fan, and are you going to PAX this weekend? If you leaped up from your chair screaming, "YES! YES! A THOUSAND TIMES YES!" then cut back on your caffeine intake and get thee to Gazillion's booth (#3433) in the exhibition hall for a special treat. Not only will the company be showing off Super Hero Squad Online, but it'll be hosting a special PvP tournament for awesome prizes.

At the tournament, players will get their hands on the collectible card battle system, where they can build their own customized decks and strike out at lesser heroes who stand in their way. In SHSO, these cards can be earned through quests and mini-games, or purchased via microtransactions. Gazillion has three Alienware prize packages for the winners of the tournament, including keyboards, headsets and a monitor.

This unique PvP system could be an effort to recall the joy of collecting toys and cards. Visitors to Gazillion's booth will also be able to play other aspects of the Marvel MMO, sign up for the beta, and shake hands with the developers.

They're not quite Three Wolf Moon, but the folks over at Dire Wolf Digital have their own special brand of magic waiting in the wings. Formed by several Sony Online Entertainment veterans, including Scott Martins, Paul Dennan, Ryan Anderson and Bruce Mitchener, Dire Wolf Digital will focus on creating online trading card games (TCGs). The SOE vets have several TCGs under their belt, including Legends of Norrath and the Free Realms TCG.

What's interesting for MMO fans is that Dire Wolf Digital is working on a project in conjunction with an upcoming MMORPG. Per the press page: "The company is currently producing a trading card game based on an upcoming massively-multiplayer online game, and is in pre-production on additional social and strategy game projects for 2011."

Of course, we have no idea what this upcoming MMO is, but the talent involved makes Dire Wolf Digital worth watching. Considering that the team has previously worked on several TCGs for SOE and elsewhere, it certainly appears to have the pedigree necessary to succeed in the field.

KingsIsle Entertainment, makers of the popular kid-friendly MMO Wizard 101, recently invited Massively to their studio for a tour. It just so happens that we brought Leesha Darkheart, head of the Ravenwood Radio fancast, with us. After all, who else would take the second shift during the drive? Needless to say, they didn't show us just a basic glance. We were able to take nice, long looks into the inner-workings of a large and growing studio, from sound design to character concept.

While this wasn't the first time we had visited the studios, both Leesha and I were slightly taken aback at how the studio had grown, basically doubling in size and "still at it", according to J. Todd Coleman, VP and creative director of KingsIsle. One look at their packed art room would be enough to convince anyone that they are at a "period of pretty rapid growth." We were able to watch as an artist stripped down a character to its bare bones, then as an animator worked hard to give life to another model. We even got to hear how sound can make or break a gaming experience. Next, we were invited to sit down with J. Todd Coleman and VP of development, Josef Hall, for fan questions, talk of the need for careful cash-shop practices, and even off-the-record discussions about Han Solo's quick-draw ability.

So join us after the jump for some exclusive concept art for the newest expansion, and some details from the interview.

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