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Massively Speaking Episode 56: E3 impressions

Shawn Schuster — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Podcasts, Culture, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, Interviews (Massively's), Hands-On (Massively's), Massively Speaking

Massively Speaking Episode 56 is back after a brief hiatus while we spent last week at E3. To compensate, Shawn is joined by WoW.com's Mike Schramm for a recap of the best and brightest from the convention. Which game did they like best? Why does it seem like every game will release in 2010? Check out the podcast to find out!

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot us an email to podcast AT massively DOT com. Maybe we'll read your letter on the air!

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Read below the cut for the full show notes.

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Massively Speaking Episode 56: E3 impressions originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: A complete roundup of Massively's coverage

James Egan — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Jumpgate Evolution, MMO Industry, New Titles, The Agency, All Points Bulletin, Global Agenda, Free Realms, Interviews (Massively's), Hands-On (Massively's), Events (Massively's Coverage), Champions Online, Home, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Dragonica Online, RIFT, Final Fantasy XIV

Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009 proved to be a significant event for the gaming industry once again, with a fair amount of news and announcements related to MMOs. Massively was there on the ground for E3 this year and we've been putting up breaking announcements, interviews, and hands-on previews throughout.

Given how much info came out of E3 on Massively, here's a roundup of our coverage, day-by-day. Be sure to check out the rest after the jump as there's plenty more content, plus you'll find E3 galleries for these games as you click through. To cap it all off, we've also put together an E3 2009 wrapup video for you at the end of this post. Read on to see where the MMO industry is headed in the next year and beyond!

Day One

Star Wars: The Old Republic world's first fully-voiced MMO

Final Fantasy XIV announced

Jumpgate Evolution releases E3 trailer

EA to publish All Points Bulletin in 2010

PlayStation Home hits 6.5 million accounts

Trion World Network unveils Heroes of Telara

Massively's day 1 video from the E3 floor

Continue reading E3 2009: A complete roundup of Massively's coverage

E3 2009: A complete roundup of Massively's coverage originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: CrimeCraft producer says game is the next step for Call of Duty, Halo players

Tracey John — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Interviews, New Titles, Crime, Events (Massively's Coverage), CrimeCraft

All Points Bulletin wasn't the only crime-themed MMO I saw at E3 last week. I also got to check out Vogster Entertainment's CrimeCraft. Just before the conference, the developer announced an August 25 release date, a monthly subscription as their business model and an exclusive deal with Best Buy.

On the floor, associate producer Aaron Krasnov laid down what's new in the game, how it's different from APB, the help he got from former Warhammer Online developers and how CrimeCraft is a natural progression for players of Halo and Call of Duty.

Continue reading E3 2009: CrimeCraft producer says game is the next step for Call of Duty, Halo players

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E3 2009: A chat with Cities XL's Alexandre Zambeaux

Shawn Schuster — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Events (Real-World), Game Mechanics, Interviews, New Titles, Interviews (Massively's), Events (Massively's Coverage)

Last week at E3, we had a chance to sit down with Alexandre Zambeaux, Marketing Director for Cities XL developer Monte Cristo Games, for some more info on the current state of the game, and what MMO gamers can expect from such a project. You may remember a pre-beta Q&A we did with the Monte Cristo team a few months ago, and as the game hasn't hit an open beta just yet, it will later this year. The info we got from that initial interview helped carve an idea in our heads of what this whole city-building MMO could possibly be, but now we're happy to offer a few more details.

Even though this meeting was very informal, we took some great info away from Alexandre to relay to you, the readers. Follow along after the jump to find out more about the business model, expandability, gameplay and more.

Continue reading E3 2009: A chat with Cities XL's Alexandre Zambeaux

E3 2009: A chat with Cities XL's Alexandre Zambeaux originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: New classes, prestige classes and more coming to Free Realms

Krystalle Voecks — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game Mechanics, New Titles, Endgame, News Items, Casual, Free Realms

Are you one of the folks who has leveled your classes all the way to max in Free Realms and are kind of wondering what now? Well, if you're the type who loves progression and really building your character up to be better, you're in luck. The folks at SOE are planning to introduce Prestige classes (much like the aforementioned racing ones) that will allow players to level their jobs to 20, and improve them through further play.

Along with this interesting development, they are adding in some new jobs to the game, like the Pro Racing class - and perhaps a new class to go with the Soccer game (Soccer player? Footballer?) since SOE has let us know that they are finally bringing those fenced-off soccer fields into play. Added to these new tidbits will be further expansion on the backstory of Free Realms, which will explain a bit more about the lands and inhabitants of this crazy fun casual MMO, as well as opening up more story-driven quests for players. Sounds like a bunch of exciting news coming in the next few months! We can't wait.

Massively was on the ground in Los Angeles last week and covering all the latest E3 MMO news coming from the convention. Check out our breaking coverage (or all the Joystiq network E3 reporting) and keep your eye on Massively's front page for the latest developments.

E3 2009: New classes, prestige classes and more coming to Free Realms originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: A taste of what's to come in Runes of Magic

Krystalle Voecks — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, New Titles, Patches, News Items, Player Housing, Runes of Magic

We had the chance to sit down and catch up with the guys from Frogster Interactive as well as a few of the Runewaker Entertainment developers at E3. While we knew Elves were coming to Runes of Magic, we didn't have too many details of just precisely how they'd be implemented into the game. As part of our talk, they let me check out the never-before-seen area that the elves will be a part of, as well as showing off some of the new instance content and guild buildings that they're adding to the game.

This next chapter - The Elven Prophecy - will give players the option of playing the elven race (surprise) which starts out in a strange and wonderous new area. Beyond that, they're also working on PvP arenas, destructible guild buildings, and some new epic powers. Along with this sweeping update, the game is being updated with several graphic improvements including updates to things like water, and adding in some incidental sounds and music to start to help close the gap in regards to the dearth of sound issue many have decried Runes of Magic for. If you'd like a preview into some of these areas, be sure to check the gallery below, as well as the newly-released trailer showing off the Elven Prophecy, coming to Runes of Magic this September!

Gallery: E3 2009: Runes of Magic preview

Continue reading E3 2009: A taste of what's to come in Runes of Magic

E3 2009: A taste of what's to come in Runes of Magic originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Fallen Earth lead designer says 'We're not the Fallout MMO'

Tracey John — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, Fallen Earth, Interviews, MMOFPS, Events (Massively's Coverage)

It's a post-apocalyptic world. Civilization has completely collapsed. You find yourself scavenging for food and supplies on a barren American frontier. And the thing you're looking for? Clean water. Just watch out for giant mutants along the way.

No, I didn't just describe a Fallout game. Well, actually I did, but I'm also loosely describing the plot of Fallen Earth. Developed by North Carolina-based studio Fallen Earth LLC, the MMO shooter takes place during the near future in America's Grand Canyon and allows players to switch between third- and first-person views. The game promises over 600 hours of play, extensive character customization, no fixed classes but six factions, and plenty of everything that good MMOs have to offer: an epic, immersive story, voice-over in missions as well as tons of equipment, weapons, vehicles, crafting and PvP.

However, besides all that, there was one main idea that lead designer Lee Hammock wanted me to take away from our demo session at E3: Fallen Earth is not the Fallout MMO. See his explanation why.

Continue reading E3 2009: Fallen Earth lead designer says 'We're not the Fallout MMO'

E3 2009: Fallen Earth lead designer says 'We're not the Fallout MMO' originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: The evolution of Jumpgate Evolution

Mike Schramm — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, Galleries, Video, Jumpgate Evolution, Interviews, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, Hands-On

The last time I personally saw anything about Jumpgate Evolution (Netdevil's re-imagining of the the very early space MMO) was almost two years ago when I spoke with the executive producer. At that time, we had little more than a few screenshots and concept art. Massively has spoken with Peterscheck and covered the game multiple times since then, but when I stepped into Netdevil's little booth at E3 (so little, in fact, that it didn't even have their name on it -- it was labeled with Gazillion Entertainment, their publisher), I didn't have any idea what to expect.

What I found was both surprising and impressive. Way back in that first interview, Peterscheck told me that they were trying to make a space shooter MMO that depended on skill rather than stats, that offered up a fully realized universe for players to explore, and gave some new options for PvP and space combat that we hadn't seen before. Sitting in their booth watching the game get played on three big screens, I saw all that and more. Hit the jump (gate) below for impressions and even a gameplay video from last week's show.

Gallery: Jumpgate Evolution E3 2009

Continue reading E3 2009: The evolution of Jumpgate Evolution

E3 2009: The evolution of Jumpgate Evolution originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Player housing coming to Free Realms

Krystalle Voecks — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: New Titles, News Items, Player Housing, Casual, Free Realms

Now that Free Realms is live - and by anyone's standards, tremendously successful - SOE's Free Realms team (at around 100 people) is busy working on new features and improvements. In September (or October, perhaps) they plan to add in player housing for everyone to enjoy. For those of you who have been pelting them on the forums for a home of your own - your request has been heard! A nice, shiny home in Free Realms should be yours in time for the holidays.

You'll be able to select land, size, and style of house; then really dig in and modify it to make it all your own. The plan is also to create new mini-games involving maintaining your house as well - we're guessing something along the lines of time-management games, perhaps? According to what we've heard, the garage coming out in July will be attached to your house, so you can show off your cars to friends. Neighborhoods will be instanced (currently planned for three buildings per personal plot with no word on neighborhood size) but they expect this will give players a new place to hang out and enjoy their time in Free Realms. There's currently no specifics on what will be available for F2P and paid members, so we'll have to wait and see.

E3 2009: Player housing coming to Free Realms originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Impressions of Heroes of Telara

Krystalle Voecks — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, New Titles, News Items, Opinion, RIFT

To be honest, when the Heroes of Telara trailer first released, much of what we heard was "been there done that" from readers and friends. "Fantasy has been done to death" was another. That's why we were glad to see the game actually in play behind closed doors this last week at the Trion World Network space at E3. While we only saw a pre-alpha copy of the game (and would point out that it's what they used for the trailer) it's certainly raised our interest over the initial impression we had.

In motion, Heroes of Telara actually made some of us of think of an updated, shinier version of Guild Wars in terms of very pretty and highly-detailed stylized (yet somewhat realistic) graphics. As was explained to us by Chris Mancil, the Director of Community Management for Trion, one of the largest things that they feel will set Heroes of Telara apart from many others is that they are working to keep the game server-based. Their plan is to attempt to keep most of the "action" server side as is possible so that they can add new events into the game without having to send along enormous patches to players all the time. All assets will still reside client side, but they'll be able to manipulate game-play by telling the client to modify where things spawn, how things interact, and the like. From little things like different vendors having sales to large zone-wide events, it will allow them to change anything and everything on the fly and make Heroes of Telara feel more like it's taking place in a living, breathing, dynamic world that players will want to "live in, explore, and play."

Gallery: Heroes of Telara core gallery

Gallery: Heroes of Telara concept art

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E3 2009: Impressions of Heroes of Telara originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Racing updates zoom into Free Realms

Krystalle Voecks — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game Mechanics, New Titles, News Items, Casual, Free Realms

If you're one of the many people who really enjoy the Racing game or Demolition Derby in Free Realms, then you're in for a treat. We learned in speaking to Andrew Sites, Senior Producer for Free Realms, that the team at SOE are hard at work on a huge content update specifically geared (no pun intended) towards the fans of the racing games. The update, currently scheduled for July, will include progression for racing players allowing them to become better racers over time until they eventually unlock a prestige class mechanic. This prestige racer class is slated to allow players to hit level 20.

In addition to the prestige class, we'll also see a new garage being added to the game which will allow players to have a special place to store all their cars. The new garage will also allow players to modify them, including changing speed, braking, handling and all those other spiffy mechanics that racing gamers like to pick from in order to build the car of their dreams. As if this weren't enough, in August, all you Free Realms racing fiends will be treated to a Pro-driver class which will grant new cars and tracks. Should be a turbo-charged series of updates!

E3 2009: Racing updates zoom into Free Realms originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Sci-Fi MMO is an "action RPG"

Krystalle Voecks — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items

While visiting with Trion World Network at E3, we were unable to snag any new details on the Sci-Fi MMO beyond this poster - at least any that we can share with you, anyway. (Some of the early concept art flashed across the monitors, and it looks pretty cool if we do say so ourselves.) We did find out that this new MMO is currently codenamed "Channel 3" and is going to be an "MMOARPG", or a massively multiplayer action role-playing game.

Of course, what precisely this means is largely anyone's guess. What makes it more action-based than a normal MMORPG? Will the action be due to the tie-in with the upcoming Sci-Fi series? Will they change their earlier statements and perhaps film action-y parts of the upcoming series in-game? Or is it just going to be buttonmashapolooza, with attacks coming as fast as you're able to faceroll your keyboard? Who knows! We'll keep our eyes peeled and ears to the ground in case the folks at Trion World Entertainment decide to let slip with any more tantalizing tidbits about this upcoming TV/MMO hybrid property. (Well, assuming they also don't catch us taking pictures of the monitors showing off concept art next time. Boooo.)

E3 2009: Sci-Fi MMO is an "action RPG" originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: APB lead designer EJ Moreland on player customization and creativity

Tracey John — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Interviews, New Titles, All Points Bulletin, Crime, Events (Massively's Coverage)

Ever since it was shown at GDC last year, All Points Bulletin has been one game that both MMO and shooter players alike have been following closely. During E3 this past week, Realtime Worlds, the Scotland-based studio headed by Grand Theft Auto creator Dave Jones, announced that the massively multiplayer crime-themed game will be published by Electronic Arts.

After getting a close look at APB's detailed customization options during a demonstration at E3, I spoke with lead designer EJ Moreland, whose past work includes EverQuest II, Star Wars: Galaxies and Ultima Online. During the interview, Moreland talked about the importance of having players feel unique, being compared to Spore and the possibilities in APB's future.

Continue reading E3 2009: APB lead designer EJ Moreland on player customization and creativity

E3 2009: APB lead designer EJ Moreland on player customization and creativity originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 07 Jun 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: APB lead designer EJ Moreland on the term 'MMO' and competing with WoW

Tracey John — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Interviews, New Titles, All Points Bulletin, Crime, Events (Massively's Coverage)

Just from what we saw at E3, we know that Realtime Worlds' All Points Bulletin isn't your typical MMO. After I checked out the crime game's expansive character customization and grilled lead designer EJ Moreland about it, he also talked about a variety of topics, like how the terms "MMO" and "PvP" don't apply to APB, the MMO elements the game has, how some Crackdown fans might be disappointed and, of course, competing with the "800-pound gorilla" that is World of Warcraft.

Continue reading E3 2009: APB lead designer EJ Moreland on the term 'MMO' and competing with WoW

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E3 2009: A look at APB's extensive character customization

Tracey John — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: New Titles, Previews, All Points Bulletin, Crime, Events (Massively's Coverage)

There's been a lot of speculation about All Points Bulletin, the upcoming game from Crackdown developer Realtime Worlds, but at a closed-door demonstration at E3, we were finally able to take a good look at the game with lead designer EJ Moreland. And while many MMOs have detailed character customization, we've never seen anything quite like this.

During the video presentation of the game, Moreland said that the developers were focused on "the three C's" -- creativity, conflict and celebrity. The heart of APB is giving players the maximum flexibility to create what they want. Using the same customization tool that the developers use to make the thousands of NPCs in the game, players can modify their characters in a myriad of ways.

Gallery: E3 2009: APB

Continue reading E3 2009: A look at APB's extensive character customization

E3 2009: A look at APB's extensive character customization originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Massively's day 4 roundup

James Egan — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, Interviews (Massively's), Events (Massively's Coverage), Champions Online, Dragonica Online

Wait a minute, day 4 of E3 2009? Remedial math skills? E3 was only a three-day event, but our own coverage of Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009 is going to last a bit longer. We've still got a number of interviews and previews lined up for you in the coming days, today included, so we hope you'll keep reading this weekend. In the meantime, here are a few highlights of Massively's coverage of E3 2009 from yesterday:

Champions Online interview with Bill Roper on character customization

Torchlight, from creators of Mythos, to morph from single player to MMO

Rohan: Blood Feud to get crafting system in June

Massively's Dragonica Online Impressions

If you'd like to see more, we've got some eye candy after the jump, with galleries for Champions Online, Torchlight, Rohan: Blood Feud, and Dragonica Online.

Continue reading E3 2009: Massively's day 4 roundup

E3 2009: Massively's day 4 roundup originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 06 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Dragonica Online impressions

Elizabeth Harper — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: New Titles, Free-to-Play, Hands-On (Massively's), Events (Massively's Coverage), Dragonica Online

Continuing the somewhat recurring theme at E3 2009 of "what was old is new again," Dragonica Online has taken the traditional 2D side-scroller format and transitioned it to 3D. The resulting environment will be friendly to any of the Night Elves you see endlessly bouncing around World of Warcraft and fans of nostalgic action RPGs like Secret of Mana.

The game sports fast and furious real-time combat, crafting, guilds, dungeon raids, PvP, and a light-hearted atmosphere. It didn't take us long to realize that Dragonica doesn't take itself too seriously. For example, in the demo, we saw an archer battling shark pirates who were wielding swordfish. We're obviously not in Middle Earth here.

Continue reading E3 2009: Dragonica Online impressions

E3 2009: Dragonica Online impressions originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Bill Roper on character themes and customization in Champions Online

James Egan — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, New Titles, Interviews (Massively's), Events (Massively's Coverage), Champions Online

The superhero MMO genre has been ruled by one game and one game alone for the past five years: City of Heroes. NCsoft's title being quite literally the only game in town for superhero fans is about to change, with competitors like DC Universe Online and Champions Online on the way. We have a good idea of what to expect with DCUO given the recognizable characters the game incorporates, but what of Champions Online which is based upon the Champions pen and paper RPG?

We've wondered what Cryptic Studios will do to differentiate Champions Online from the competition; Massively had a chance to sit down with Bill Roper, the game's executive producer, to discuss that question at E3 2009.

Gallery: Champions Online Main Gallery

Continue reading E3 2009: Bill Roper on character themes and customization in Champions Online

E3 2009: Bill Roper on character themes and customization in Champions Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Torchlight will morph from single player game to MMO

Kyle Horner — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Hands-On (Massively's)

Coming from the desginers who made Diablo, Mythos, Mythos II and Fate, we're expecting quite a lot from their new title, Torchlight. This classic Diablo style 2D hack-and-slasher can in every way be considered the spiritual successor to Mythos, and in some ways even more closer to the original Diablo. For instance, Torchlight is a town with another world underneath it -- that and it's going to be a single player RPG before it goes MMO. But rest assured, it will go MMO in a year to a year and a half.

First, we'll discuss features that will exist at singleplayer launch later this year, then we'll cover the new elements planned when the game expands into a massively multiplayer game. Check it all out after the jump along with gameplay footage, complete with Felicia Day of The Guild trying her hand at a beta version of the Action RPG.

Gallery: E3 2009: Torchlight

Continue reading E3 2009: Torchlight will morph from single player game to MMO

E3 2009: Torchlight will morph from single player game to MMO originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Massively's day 3 roundup

James Egan — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Perfect World International, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, All Points Bulletin, Crime, Hands-On (Massively's), Events (Massively's Coverage), Star Wars: The Old Republic

We've completely zerg rushed E3 2009, attending press events, demonstrations and sure, hitting some parties as well. But we've also gone out and interviewed the people behind the games that will be arriving on the MMO scene in the next year and we've got a lot to tell you in the coming days.

As the constant hustle of E3 2009 came to a close yesterday and the swarm of game journos scatters, now is when we really shift into high gear; Massively's content over the next few days will feature loads of info and interviews fresh from E3. We'd say to keep your eyes open for it, but honestly you won't be able to miss it. For now though, here's a quick roundup of yesterday's coverage:

Star Wars: The Old Republic demonstration

Paul Barnett and the Suicide Girls present All Points Bulletin

Ether Saga Online set to go live this month with world bosses

Massively looks at Perfect World International: Age of Spirits

Jade Dynasty at a glance

Dungeon Fighter Online impressions

Still hungry? We've also put together galleries for these MMOs after the jump:

Continue reading E3 2009: Massively's day 3 roundup

E3 2009: Massively's day 3 roundup originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Star Wars: The Old Republic demonstration

Alex Ziebart — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:40:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Events (Massively's Coverage), Star Wars: The Old Republic

The trailer for Star Wars: The Old Republic blew nerds around the world away, and has managed to build some of the greatest hype possible for an MMO in just a few short days. The question has been asked whether or not a trailer which contains absolutely no gameplay footage should be producing that sort of hype, but that trailer wasn't all that we saw of the upcoming MMORPG at E3. A panel dedicated to The Old Republic had much more to say.

The panel opened up with the stage being set: The Old Republic begins 3,000 years before the rise of Darth Vader, 300 years after the events of Knights of the Old Republic, which would give BioWare an excellent opportunity to define and expand upon key events of Star Wars "pre-history."

The entire presentation laid a significant emphasis on story and story elements. Right from the beginning, the developers lay out it: RPGs have four primary elements. Exploration, combat, progression, and story. The story element is the one most overlooked in MMOs, and The Old Republic intends to address that head on. They intend to embrace story right alongside the other RPG elements. It will be a major player, and not something just used to justify the other elements.

Gallery: Star Wars: The Old Republic Screenshots

Continue reading E3 2009: Star Wars: The Old Republic demonstration

E3 2009: Star Wars: The Old Republic demonstration originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Dungeon Fighter Online impressions

Elizabeth Harper — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: New Titles, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Casual, Hands-On (Massively's), Events (Massively's Coverage)

Nexon's upcoming free to play title Dungeon Fighter Online isn't quite like anything we've seen before -- and at the same time, it's a lot like things we've seen before. At first glance, DFO mimics old-school, style-arcade action-adventure games, the sort of thing you might have been pumping quarters into a decade ago.

Not so old-school, however, are the game's MMO features: a persistent, shared world, character advancement, quests, and loot. These aren't features we'd have ever thought of putting together, but we can assure you that the resulting low-rez adventure is fast-paced and fun. Best of all? You won't need a pocket full of quarters to enjoy it.

Gallery: E3 2009: Dungeon Fighter Online

Continue reading E3 2009: Dungeon Fighter Online impressions

E3 2009: Dungeon Fighter Online impressions originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Jade Dynasty at a glance

Seraphina Brennan — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Betas, Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Launches, New Titles, Free-to-Play, Casual

The third game in Perfect World's portfolio, Jade Dynasty, has been riding quietly in closed beta for a while. At this year's E3, however, the Jade Dynasty crew brought out their game and let us here at Massively take it for a test drive. They also hit us with an announcement as well -- Jade Dynasty will be jumping out of closed beta on June 15th, and a European server will be added in on that day as well.

Overall, Jade Dynasty pulls much from Perfect World's other games: Perfect World and Ether Saga Online. The click on map to automatically move feature, cosmetic cash shop, and large amount of in-game quests returns, but a few new features have been added in that make this game a very interesting experience.

Join us after the break as we break down Jade Dynasty's features, a few of which may be controversial for some gamers.

Continue reading E3 2009: Jade Dynasty at a glance

E3 2009: Jade Dynasty at a glance originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: A closer look at Perfect World International: Age of Spirits

Lesley Smith — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Perfect World International, Expansions, Game Mechanics, News Items, Free-to-Play

Freemium MMO Perfect World International, the English-language version of the popular Chinese MMO Perfect World 2, has slowly been taking over the world, having been released in numerous territories including Europe and North America. Well the company behind the game, Perfect World, is at E3 and has been showing off it's newest expansion Age of Spirits, which was announced last month. The game is out now and free-to-play.

Age of Spirits expands the land of Pangu, a realm steeped in Chinese mythology. It adds an elemental twist in the form of genies, tiny fairy-like creatures who hover and offer assistance in battle. Hailing from the Elemental Realm, a world parallel to the Perfect World, they level up as you do and also provide a little more uniqueness to fights. You might know your opponent's class in PVP but you have no idea what kind of genie they might have at their beck and call. Check out a trailer and gallery of brand new screen shots after the jump.

Continue reading E3 2009: A closer look at Perfect World International: Age of Spirits

E3 2009: A closer look at Perfect World International: Age of Spirits originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Ether Saga Online to release major content patch this month, move from beta to live

Seraphina Brennan — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Launches, New Titles, Patches, Free-to-Play, Casual

We had the chance to catch up with Perfect World today at E3, the developers of Ether Saga Online, and we picked up a very interesting piece of news about the game. They've just finished up with a brand new content patch for their game and are getting it set to go live later this month. They also let us check out their new launch trailer, which we've included for your viewing pleasure after the break.

The patch will not only knock Ether Saga out of beta and into the live release, but it will also drastically alter the questing done between the levels of 1 and 45. The amount of "kill X" quests have been reduced, with new gathering and exploration quests taking their place, and all "kill X" quests will never exceed 20 monsters required. The kill 30, kill 40, kill 50, and kill 60 goals have been removed due to player feedback and an attempt to localize the game for North American audiences.

Continue reading E3 2009: Ether Saga Online to release major content patch this month, move from beta to live

E3 2009: Ether Saga Online to release major content patch this month, move from beta to live originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: APB gets the Paul Barnett hype treatment

Shawn Schuster — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Trailers, Video, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, New Titles, All Points Bulletin, Crime

At E3 this entire week, EA is promoting their biggest and brightest new titles at their enormous booth in the LA Convention Center's South Hall. This includes two titles we're excited about: SWTOR and APB. To help promote APB yesterday, EA's Paul Barnett got the crowd hyped up for the game with some free t-shirts and a couple Suicide Girls to help toss them out to the audience.

On top of this, APB's Dave Jones was interviewed by Paul on the stage, and two short trailers were shown. The first one was basically what we saw last year, showcasing the amazing character customization options available in the MMO. Yet, we were also shown some in-game footage with characters created by the APB testing community basically, the new trailer we showed you earlier in the week). You can check out our shaky-cam footage of the event right after the jump below.

Continue reading E3 2009: APB gets the Paul Barnett hype treatment

E3 2009: APB gets the Paul Barnett hype treatment originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Massively's day 2 roundup

James Egan — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, The Agency, News Items, Consoles, Spy, Global Agenda, Free Realms, Hands-On (Massively's), Events (Massively's Coverage), Kids, Final Fantasy XIV

We thought the first day of E3 2009 turned out pretty well, with announcements for Star Wars: The Old Republic, Final Fantasy XIV, and All Points Bulletin. That's in addition to the packed interview schedule we lined up so we'll have plenty more to show you in the coming days. While the Massively team frantically taps their fingertips down into little bloody tater tots to bring you more fresh E3 goodness, have a look at some highlights of what day 2 of E3 2009 brought in MMO news.

Massively's day one video from the E3 floor

In-game footage from The Agency

Platform release info for Final Fantasy XIV

The Dares concert in Free Realms sets Guinness World Record

Hands-on with Global Agenda

Friends fix coming to Free Realms

Want to see more? We've got E3 galleries to flip through for these titles and events after the jump.

Continue reading E3 2009: Massively's day 2 roundup

E3 2009: Massively's day 2 roundup originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Massively's day 1 roundup

James Egan — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Jumpgate Evolution, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, All Points Bulletin, Events (Massively's Coverage), Home, Star Wars: The Old Republic, RIFT, Final Fantasy XIV

E3 2009 is turning out to be quite a show this year and Massively is right in the middle of it all to report on the MMO news. We got a head start on E3 and reported a bit on what's happening before the Expo officially kicked off and it looks like we'll have plenty more to share with you before E3 is over. Here's our recap of day 1 in MMO news from Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009, and be sure to click through to the E3 galleries we've got after the jump.

Star Wars: The Old Republic world's first fully-voiced MMO

Final Fantasy XIV announced

Jumpgate Evolution releases E3 trailer

EA to publish All Points Bulletin in 2010

PlayStation Home hits 6.5 million accounts

Trion World Network unveils Heroes of Telara

Boatloads of screenshots after the jump!

Continue reading E3 2009: Massively's day 1 roundup

E3 2009: Massively's day 1 roundup originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Final Fantasy XIV is not PS3 exclusive, more details revealed

Seraphina Brennan — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, New Titles, Consoles, Interviews (Massively's), Events (Massively's Coverage), Final Fantasy XIV

Today we got to spend some time with the team of Final Fantasy XIV in a seekret Square-Enix press conference at E3 and land some goodies about the game.

While the team was generally tightlipped about what they had planned for their next MMO, the one thing they were very clear about was that PC users will be able to jump into the Final Fantasy experience once more. While the game is currently a console exclusive for the PS3, a Windows version will be releasing at the same time.

In addition, the team did mention that they were still "considering all hardware possibilities" regarding the game. While it's not a full confirmation that the game will be coming to other consoles, it doesn't exactly write out the possibility either. Perhaps the game will be a timed exclusive, much like FFXI has done, rather than a full exclusive, but there is no clear indication that this is the path they will take at this time.

So what else has the team revealed? Follow us after the break and we'll drop the other details we know on FFXIV.

Gallery: E3 2009: Final Fantasy XIV screenshots

Continue reading E3 2009: Final Fantasy XIV is not PS3 exclusive, more details revealed

E3 2009: Final Fantasy XIV is not PS3 exclusive, more details revealed originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Global Agenda hands-on with executive producer Todd Harris

Mike Schramm — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, Classes, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, PvE, Hands-On, Global Agenda

Global Agenda is coming right along nicely -- we last saw the game in action at GDC, and today at E3, executive producer Todd Harris was nice enough to sit down and show us a never-before-seen part of the game: PvE gameplay.

We started off by checking out the character creator, which has come along quite a bit. They've built a very in-depth face creator -- there are about eight or ten different factors to switch between (eyes, mouth, and so on), and for each one, there are seven or eight sliders to adjust and tweak. Which allows for quite a few different variations, as you might imagine. Hair and skin color can also be edited, but Harris told us that body shape will generally be determined by the armor you wear (which is more or less determined by the class you choose).

Gallery: Hi-Rez Studios and Global Agenda Gallery

Massively is on the ground in Los Angeles this week and covering all the latest E3 MMO news coming from the convention. Check out our breaking coverage (or all the Joystiq network E3 reporting) and keep your eye on Massively's front page for the latest developments.

Continue reading E3 2009: Global Agenda hands-on with executive producer Todd Harris

E3 2009: Global Agenda hands-on with executive producer Todd Harris originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Day one video

Shawn Schuster — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video, Culture, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, Massively Meta, Hands-On

While it's technically the first day for most attendees, we've actually been here since Sunday, preparing for the big event. Yet, yesterday marked the first time the show floor was opened and we all got a look at the new E3.

After last year's disappointing showing, the organizers more than made up for it with what is arguably the largest collection of shinies we've seen at any conference in recent years. To pay respect for E3 going back to the way it was, we've compiled this short video of what we saw on Day 1. There's some shaky-cam footage of the show floor, some great MMO screens including never-before-seen shots of Torchlight and DCUO, and of course, an EverQuest booth babe. You can check it out right after the jump, and be sure to look for another compilation video once the convention is over, featuring our favorite moments.

Continue reading E3 2009: Day one video

E3 2009: Day one video originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Free Realms and The Dares set world record concert event

Shawn Schuster — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video, Culture, Events (Real-World), Events (In-Game), MMO Industry, Free-to-Play, Free Realms

Last night at SOE's gigantic E3 booth, attendees were actually a part of history. The Dares -- that youthful pop-punk band that sings the light-heartedly rebellious theme song for Free Realms -- performed a small set for a live concert audience at E3 and simultaneously in the game. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, who awarded the bandmates a plaque after the concert, this is the first time this has been done. Yeah, sorry Second Life fans.

If you're interested in seeing the live performance of "It's Your World", and thereby getting it stuck in your head for the next three weeks, check it out after the jump below. There's also a separate video showing the Guinness World Record reception, as well. Congrats goes out to those guys, although I'm pretty sure they'll never read this.

Continue reading E3 2009: Free Realms and The Dares set world record concert event

E3 2009: Free Realms and The Dares set world record concert event originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Friends fix coming to Free Realms

Krystalle Voecks — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Bugs, Events (Real-World), News Items, Browser, Casual, Free Realms

While there's little doubt that Free Realms is a wonderfully fun, addictive game that more and more old-school MMOers and non-MMOers are enjoying together, it has had some pretty nasty snags since launch. The most glaring of these for social gamers has really been the problem with trying to add someone to your Friends listing. As the mechanic currently works, if you want to add someone to your friends listing in the game to find them later, you must be signed on to the same server at the same time. If you don't happen to know your friends are online, you have no real way to find them. This is leading to players having to hook up on Twitter, via IMs or email, or just by calling one another before they sign in so they can meet up in a particular zone on a particular server to finally be "friends" in Free Realms.

Yesterday, while talking to Andrew Sites from Sony Online Entertainment here at E3, we were told that they'd noticed, while Free Realms is incredibly popular, it's not necessarily as social as they'd like it to be - at least not yet. The friends list problem, they acknowledge, is a good portion of this, as players can't find their friends as easily as they'd intended for them to. As such, they wanted to let us all know that they're currently working on a fix for this particular issue and we should see it rolling out to the live servers within the next few weeks. Good news for those of us who have been frustrated by not being able to play with - or even locate - our friends in Free Realms.

E3 2009: Friends fix coming to Free Realms originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: The Agency in-game footage

Shawn Schuster — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 07:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, New Titles, Previews, The Agency, News Items, Massively Meta, Spy, Interviews (Massively's)

As part of our extensive E3 tour through SOE's newest games, launched and upcoming, we got a fairly good look at some gameplay footage in The Agency. Of course, you know The Agency as the spy MMO that had everyone talking at last year's E3. With this new gameplay footage, you lucky readers (or, viewers) get to see what to expect when the game launches.

Click through after the jump to see the game's lead producer, Lorien Gremore, show us around a bit with combat, stealth, minigames and even a bit of female persuasion tactics*.

* Not from Lorien

Gallery: E3 2009: The Agency

Continue reading E3 2009: The Agency in-game footage

E3 2009: The Agency in-game footage originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Final Fantasy 14 MMO coming exclusively to PS3

Krystalle Voecks — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Consoles

Just a few moments ago, we got the news here that Square Enix will be bringing a new MMORPG to the PlayStation 3 - Final Fantasy 14! As you can imagine, the floor here at the Sony press conference erupted into cheers not only at the statement that not only will the Final Fantasy franchise be coming back to the PlayStation, but that it will also be an exclusive title, not releasing on other consoles. (Kind of a reverse of last year's news, really.)

For a first look (in case you happened to miss the show) enjoy a pile of pictures from the front line of today's announcement!

[Edited to note]: Since there has been some confusion, FFXIV is exclusive to PS3 in terms of console gaming only. FFXIV will be available for PC as well, although system requirements aren't being given at this time.

Gallery: E3 2009: Final Fantasy XIV

E3 2009: Final Fantasy 14 MMO coming exclusively to PS3 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Star Wars: The Old Republic is world's first 'fully-voiced' MMO

Lesley Smith — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, Trailers, Star Wars: The Old Republic

During this afternoon's EA press conference for E3, Bioware and LucasArts announced that the upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic will be the world's first fully voiced MMO featuring 'hundreds of thousands of lines of dialogue'. The announcement came during the concluding minutes of EA's event and featured numerous lightsaber-wielding Jedi mounting the stage, two of whom revealed themselves as representatives of Bioware and LucasArts.

The two companies touted the game as 'the largest voice over project in the history of games and maybe across all areas of entertainment'. As well as premiering a new Jedi versus Sith trailer (which you can see after the jump), they revealed that every class has its own unique storyline.

Continue reading E3 2009: Star Wars: The Old Republic is world's first 'fully-voiced' MMO

E3 2009: Star Wars: The Old Republic is world's first 'fully-voiced' MMO originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: EA and Realtime Worlds partner on All Points Bulletin

James Egan — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, News Items, All Points Bulletin, Crime

We knew that Realtime Worlds, the company behind the urban crime MMO All Points Bulletin would have something to announce and show at E3 2009, we just weren't sure of what to expect. That announcement came today at the Electronic Arts press conference. Imagine our surprise when Realtime Worlds creative director Dave Jones (who you may know as the creator of GTA and Crackdown) appeared on stage to announce that EA will be publishing All Points Bulletin. The announcement was followed up with a rather stunning trailer, depicting all manner of urban badasses. Tattoos. Fast cars. Lots of guns. Criminals and Enforcement fighting for the streets in a vast, open urban environment. The game will accommodate 10,000 players per world, divided into 100 player district maps. If you're a fan of games like GTA and Saint's Row, you will be blown away by All Points Bulletin.

All Points Bulletin has a newly revamped site, with screenshots and a game features page, and now hosts an APB video podcast from the developers. The game is slated for a PC release in early 2010.

Update: Want to see more? Flip through our E3 2009 APB gallery and check out the game trailer below the cut.

Gallery: E3 2009: APB

Continue reading E3 2009: EA and Realtime Worlds partner on All Points Bulletin

E3 2009: EA and Realtime Worlds partner on All Points Bulletin originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Trion World Network unveils fantasy MMO Heroes of Telara

James Egan — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, RIFT

Trion World Network unveiled its first fantasy MMO title Heroes of Telara at E3 2009 today. The announcement was accompanied by the launch of the official Heroes of Telara site, that provides background on the gameplay elements and backstory, as well as screenshots, concept art, and a game trailer. Trion World Network describes Heroes of Telara as a game all about being 'the right hero for the right time' in a world on the brink of disaster. Have a flip through the galleries below and check out the game trailer after the cut for more on what Heroes of Telara will offer.

Gallery: Heroes of Telara core gallery

Gallery: Heroes of Telara concept art

Continue reading E3 2009: Trion World Network unveils fantasy MMO Heroes of Telara

E3 2009: Trion World Network unveils fantasy MMO Heroes of Telara originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Keep up with the Fallen Earth team at E3 via dev-blog

William Dobson — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, Fallen Earth, Culture, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry

The members of the Fallen Earth team that will be attending E3 have decided to share their experiences with those playing along at home, and will do so through their newish blog at IGN. Alec Masters, Ilkor, and Circatrix will post during the expo, and not just about their game -- there will be "behind-the-scenes notes on their personal experiences, meetings and parties and pics of the LA scenery" so you should get a pretty decent impression of what it's like to attend, from the development side of the fence.

Circatrix has started an E3 diary on the blog, before the event has actually kicked off, and unsurprisingly things are already extremely busy in the Fallen Earth camp. It sounds like there will be time for some fun stuff over the next few days too though, so keep checking the blog if you're a fan of the game -- and if that's just not enough insider Fallen Earth coverage for you, the team will also be updating a Twitter feed from the show floor.

Keep up with the Fallen Earth team at E3 via dev-blog originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Runes of Magic update 'Return of the Ice Dwarf Kingdom' coming in June

James Egan — Sat, 30 May 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, News Items, Runes of Magic

Frogster Interactive seems to be off to a good start with their free-to-play MMO Runes of Magic, having exceeded 1 million registered users in under two months since launch. Frogster dropped some info today about the summer content they plan to release: Patch 1.7, "Return of the Ice Dwarf Kingdom" is scheduled to deploy on June 3rd. A key feature of the patch will be new expansion potential of guild castles. Guilds will be able to collect resources and build structures in their castle yard, unlocking more and improved buildings over time. Frogster Interactive states, "All buildings grant the guild special bonuses, from enhanced riding speed through the potential to mine resources up to powerful defensive works, which are in turn tactical elements in the planned guild vs. guild wars."

They've also revisited the "Ruins of the Ice Dwarf Kingdom", a dungeon intended for players between level 35-40, adding a new area more suitable for level 50 players. In addition, Patch 1.7 will introduce Elite skills for players at level 40 and 45 and the update will also bring permanent pets to Runes of Magic. This is Frogster's pre-E3 announcement, but we expect to learn more next week when we meet them at the E3 Expo.

Gallery: Runes of Magic guild castles

Gallery: First Impressions: Runes of Magic

Runes of Magic update 'Return of the Ice Dwarf Kingdom' coming in June originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 30 May 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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