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Not So Massively: 50,000 play Pokemon together, Heroes of the Storm leak, and PoE's Sacrifice of the Vaal

Brendan Drain — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, Expansions, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, Patches, PvP, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries, Not So Massively, Sandbox, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III, Star Citizen, Infinite Crisis, Path of Exile

A bizarre experiment is currently taking place on Twitch.tv as thousands of gamers have tuned into a stream of Pokemon Red/Blue that puts the viewer in control. Almost five million people have tuned into the stream so far, with hundreds competing to control the game via chat. League of Legends revealed plans for its upcoming Hexakill featured game mode that turns Summoner's Rift into a 6v6 battle. Leaked screenshots of the Heroes of the Storm client surfaced this week, giving previously unknown details on unrevealed characters that will be in the upcoming MOBA. Infinite Crisis expanded its roster of super-heroes with the addition of Star Sapphire, and turn-based MOBA Arena of Heroes has now been released for Android devices.

Blizzard's Wyatt Cheng told fans of Diablo III's Wizard class that he's been experimenting with decreasing the Arcane power on Crit stat to better balance resource generation. Changes will not apply retroactively but will apply to all gear dropped after the Loot 2.0 patch. Path of Exile's Sacrifice of the Vall mini-expansion was revealed in a teaser ahead of the March 5th release date. And Star Citizen sent five more players through to the second round of the Next Great Starship contest; Chris Roberts answered 10 fan questions in another Ten for the Chairman video.

Continue reading Not So Massively: 50,000 play Pokemon together, Heroes of the Storm leak, and PoE's Sacrifice of the Vaal

Not So Massively: 50,000 play Pokemon together, Heroes of the Storm leak, and PoE's Sacrifice of the Vaal originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Feb 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively: Elite's Alpha 2.0, Star Citizen hits $38m, PoE's first expansion, and MOBA news

Brendan Drain — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Video, Business Models, Culture, Expansions, Game Mechanics, Patches, PvP, Endgame, News Items, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries, Miscellaneous, Not So Massively, Sandbox, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Elite: Dangerous, Path of Exile

Elite: Dangerous released the second phase of its alpha testing this week, giving early adopters the chance to smash each other to bits or play co-operative horde-style missions. Star Citizen hit the $38 million crowdfunding mark to unlock a solar system with an interesting oceanic planet where terraforming is banned, and it showcased the talents of its modders in episode 1.2 of The Next Great Starship.

Turn-based MOBA Arena of Heroes asked for votes on its Greenlight campaign to help the game secure a free-to-play release on Steam. SMITE revealed the deadly and barely-dressed Greek goddess Nemesis in a new god reveal video. League of Legends made a change its ladder system that allows highly skilled players to actually skip the promotion series matches, and week four of the Legends Championship Series ended with further upsets for European team Fnatic.

Blizzard revealed that Diablo III's sales have topped 15 million worldwide on all platforms, putting console sale figures at somewhere below three million units. We also discovered that items dropped before Reaper of Souls will not be enchantable when the expansion hits, and several legendary and set items will be exclusive to Torment mode. And Path of Exile announced that its first mini-expansion will land in March and has promised teasers with more info all this month.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Elite's Alpha 2.0, Star Citizen hits $38m, PoE's first expansion, and MOBA news

Not So Massively: Elite's Alpha 2.0, Star Citizen hits $38m, PoE's first expansion, and MOBA news originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Feb 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively: Star Citizen design contest, Dota 2's New Bloom, and LoL tournament controversy

Brendan Drain — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Video, Business Models, Events (In-Game), Expansions, Game Mechanics, New Titles, PvP, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries, Miscellaneous, Not So Massively, Sandbox, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III, Star Citizen, Elite: Dangerous, Path of Exile

The first round of Star Citizen's Next Great Starship competition got underway this week, pitting 24 teams of artists and technical wizards against each other for a chance to get their ship design in the game and win the $30,000 top prize. The latest Elite: Dangerous newsletter clarified that there are three major alpha stages coming and that each stage will proceed onto the next only when developers consider it ready.

The League of Legends Championship Series is off to a great start with Gambit breaking Fnatic's undefeated winning streak in the EU circuit. On the smaller end of the competitive scene, Razer has come under fire for allegedly unfairly disqualifying a team in its own $1,000 tournament. Dota 2's New Bloom update has introduced a hilarious new game mode that lets players trade skills with each other and added a clever new feature that lets players jump into recorded games and take control of them.

Third-person MOBA SMITE introduced its first limited edition skin and has pledged to add $5 from each purchase to the prize pool of its upcoming launch tournament. Turn-based MOBA Arena of Heroes hit version 1.44 this week and got its official release on iPhone and Linux. Diablo III showed off the contents of its Reaper of Souls expansion collector's edition box, and a new Path of Exile video shows content update 1.0.6's awesome new summoning spells in action.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Star Citizen design contest, Dota 2's New Bloom, and LoL tournament controversy

Not So Massively: Star Citizen design contest, Dota 2's New Bloom, and LoL tournament controversy originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 03 Feb 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively: Novus AEterno's kickstarter, LoL's Yasuo spotlight, and Elite's first alpha test

Brendan Drain — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Video, EVE Online, Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, Patches, PvP, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Mobile, Casual, MMORTS, Dev Diaries, Not So Massively, Sandbox, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Elite: Dangerous, Path of Exile

If you've ever wanted an MMO that's part Homeworld and part EVE Online, check out upcoming single-shard MMORTS Novus AEterno. The game recently smashed its $75,000 US goal on Kickstarter and has managed to bypass Steam Greenlight to secure a Q1 2014 PC release. Previously kickstarted sci-fi sandbox Elite: Dangerous has now entered alpha testing with the release of an impressive-looking singleplayer combat test.

League of Legends released a spotlight video on new champion Yasuo, who features an insane critical hit chance, a spammable knock-up ability, and a wind wall that blocks all projectiles and spells. Dota 2's annual Frostivus celebrations were taken over this year by the interesting new Wraith Night co-op horde game mode. SMITE developer Hi-Rez Studios offered to help players hit by YouTube's recent automated copyright sweep by providing written permission to use its game footage, and old character Kali got a complete revamp.

Mobile MOBA Arena of Heroes is now officially out of beta with the release of its first version for the iPad. Diablo III's Reaper of Souls closed beta has now officially begun and test versions of the new loot system and paragon patch are now on the public test realm. And Path of Exile fans won't have long to wait for the big PvP update, as it should be starting after content update 1.0.4 on December 22nd.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Novus AEterno's kickstarter, LoL's Yasuo spotlight, and Elite's first alpha test

Not So Massively: Novus AEterno's kickstarter, LoL's Yasuo spotlight, and Elite's first alpha test originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Dec 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively: Star Citizen expands alpha, D3's Mystic revealed, and Path of Exile launches

Brendan Drain — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Video, Business Models, Expansions, Game Mechanics, Guilds, Launches, New Titles, Patches, PvP, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Browser, Consoles, Dev Diaries, Miscellaneous, Not So Massively, Sandbox, MOBA, Diablo III, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Path of Exile

Star Citizen smashed through the $24 million and $25 million crowdfunding barriers this week, unlocking public transportation and expanding the game's upcoming alpha test. Designs for Diablo III's upcoming Mystic artisan were revealed, and it was confirmed that the she will be part of the Reaper of Souls expansion. Path of Exile saw a remarkably smooth launch day, with only minor lag and just a few bugs for Steam users.

Blizzard may have run into yet another naming blunder with Heroes of the Storm, as this week it emerged that a Finnish RPG published in July bears the same name. Third-person MOBA SMITE re-introduced Chinese god Sun Wukong this week, compete with shapeshifting abilities, an extendable staff, and a flying cloud. Firefall developer Red 5 Studios revealed details of what players can expect to be released in the next few months, and its parent company The9 has signed a $24 million US investment deal that values the game at $100 million. And Arena of Heroes is offering fans the chance to win an Ouya console and controller in a competition that will end in just a few days.

Continue reading Not So Massively: Star Citizen expands alpha, D3's Mystic revealed, and Path of Exile launches

Not So Massively: Star Citizen expands alpha, D3's Mystic revealed, and Path of Exile launches originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Oct 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMObility: Perfect World's new mobile lineup

Beau Hindman — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, New Titles, Previews, PvP, PvE, Free-to-Play, Mobile, Casual, Miscellaneous, MMObility, MOBA

When I first heard that Perfect World was finally moving into the mobile space, I was excited and a bit worried. The gaming giant publishes a wide variety of games but tends to stick with classic, three-dimensional, client-based MMOs and has even rescued or bought out a few "Western" titles. If you want a publisher with a ton of different F2P games to play, Perfect World is a solid one.

So how will it tackle the mobile world? Will it offer as much variety as it does with its other games? Will these mobile games be MMOs or pseudo-MMOs that are attached to social networks? I was able to snag some answers from Fabian Pierre Nicolas, General Manager of Mobile for Perfect World Entertainment.

Continue reading MMObility: Perfect World's new mobile lineup

MMObility: Perfect World's new mobile lineup originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Sep 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Perfect World Entertainment expands into the mobile market

MJ Guthrie — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO Industry, News Items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Mobile, Champions Online, Neverwinter

You know Perfect World Entertainment as the publisher of such MMORPGs as Neverwinter, Star Trek Online, and Champions Online. All client-based games on the PC, these free-to-play titles fetter players to their gaming rigs. Today, the company announces it's breaking free from those PC bonds and expanding into mobile gaming as both developer and publisher for new titles. The new games will focus on the core genres of action RPG, strategy, TCG, MMORPG, and MOBA games.

While looking forward to partnering with more talented development studios around the world, PWE already has a portfolio of mobile games lined up: the trading card game Elemental Kingdoms from China-based iFree Studio; the RPG adventure game The Null Society from San Francisco-based Agent Disco; the turn-based multiplayer game BombBuds from Seattle-based Fugazo; and the MOBA Arena of Heroes from Austin-based Sneaky Games.

For a deeper look at this new direction for the publisher, be on the lookout for our exclusive interview with PWE this Friday in MMObility.

[Source: Perfect World Entertainment press release]

Perfect World Entertainment expands into the mobile market originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Sep 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively: PAX Prime, MOBA tournaments, and Star Citizen hits $17m

Brendan Drain — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, Bugs, Business Models, Events (Real-World), Expansions, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, PvP, News Items, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Mobile, Dev Diaries, Not So Massively, Sandbox, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Path of Exile, Buy-to-Play

It's PAX Prime week, and that means it's time for competitive MOBA tournaments! League of Legends led the pack with its North American Regional Playoffs to determine which team will represent the region in the world championship. Third-person MOBA SMITE ran a full stage event for its $20,000 5x5 North American Invitational Tournament and showed off new character Zhong Kui for the first time. Dota 2 fans were outraged to find that the game was no longer available on the freeplay computers, prompting accusations of its being purposely uninstalled to promote competing games.

Guardians of Middle-Earth launched on Steam this week to a deluge of complaints, negative feedback, and refund requests after it emerged that the game's peer-to-peer networking isn't working well on PC. Sneaky Games announced its intention to release console MOBA Arena of Heroes on the OUYA crowdfunded console, and developers looked at the game's upcoming Patch 1.4.

Star Citizen's showing at PAX and recent release of the hangar module have helped push the game's crowdfunding tally over the $17 million mark, making it all but certain that the team will reach the ultimate $20 million goal. Diablo III officially launches on PS3 and XBox 360 tomorrow, and developers revealed that a PS4 version is already in the works. And Path of Exile's developers passed on PAX Prime this year and instead worked on the next update, which introduces the Endless Ledge event and a strange new Empower support gem.

Continue reading Not So Massively: PAX Prime, MOBA tournaments, and Star Citizen hits $17m

Not So Massively: PAX Prime, MOBA tournaments, and Star Citizen hits $17m originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Sep 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Betawatch: June 22 - 28, 2013

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, MMO Industry, News Items, Opinion, Betawatch, Miscellaneous

This week has been pretty quiet for games going into or leaving beta, but EverQuest has started testing its Heart of Fear update, which apparently involves players riding on giant disembodied hands used as mounts. So that makes everything bright and wonderful within the world again because you can't say that isn't hopelessly awesome.

Beyond that, MU Rebirth is allowing signups for its closed test. Arena of Heroes has opened up for everyone who enjoys cross-platform MOBA play. Firefall is readying the last bit of its pre-open beta, WildStar is teasing us with patch notes, and Final Fantasy XIV is getting more beta teasers. It's a pretty normal week, in other words.

But there's also a huge list of games past the cut! Is that normal? Yes, yes it is, even if it might be missing a few games that we've removed (like Broken Realm, The Mummy Online, Lunaria Story, Scarlet Blade, Smite, Aurora World, Born to Fire, Dragon Crusade, Living After War, Maestia, Traveller AR, and Xulu Universe) for various reasons. Take a look for more games in testing, and if you notice something that's crept into launch without calling it that, by all means let us know in the comments.

Continue reading Betawatch: June 22 - 28, 2013

Betawatch: June 22 - 28, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 28 Jun 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Betawatch: June 15 - 21, 2013

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 21 Jun 2013 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, News Items, Betawatch, Miscellaneous

This week, the biggest beta news is that Black Desert Online's beta testing has been slightly delayed as the developers put a final bit of polish on the game. Of course, that's just for the game's Korean beta, and considering how long it's taking ArcheAge to come over it's probably safe to bet on not seeing Black Desert Online for a while.

Beyond that, Neverwinter launched again (but this time for real, you guys) and Final Fantasy XIV rolled out a beta version of the community site in addition to the game's beta. Turn-based MOBA Arena of Heroes also found the time to hit open beta, so if you feel like something with a bit slower action there's that option.

And, of course, we've got a whole list of games in testing just past the cut. Check it out, and if there's something egregious that we missed, feel free to point that out in the comments.

Continue reading Betawatch: June 15 - 21, 2013

Betawatch: June 15 - 21, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 21 Jun 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Turn-based MOBA Arena of Heroes enters open beta

Mike Foster — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, Mobile, MOBA

If your primary complaint about MOBAs is that they move too quickly, Arena of Heroes might be something that lands a bit more in your comfort zone. Developed by Sneaky Games, Arena of Heroes is a turn-based, tactical MOBA that focuses more on strategy than on twitch-clicking hard skills.

Essentially, you and another player square off in an arena (duh), each controlling a team of four heroes in a battle for supremacy. It's your basic MOBA fare, but with a smaller battle zone and a slower, more deliberate pace. You and your opponent receive two minutes each to make your moves, or you can try the game's asynchronous mode and play several games simultaneously, with up to two days being allotted for turns.

Arena of Heroes has officially shifted into open beta, so you're free to check it out at your leisure. You can also read our hands-on with the game for a more detailed look at its inner workings.

The free-to-play game will launch on PC, Mac, iOS, and, at some point, Ouya and Android.

[Thanks to Venova for the tip]

Turn-based MOBA Arena of Heroes enters open beta originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hands-on with Arena of Heroes' turn-based gameplay

Gavin Townsley — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, Classes, Game Mechanics, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Mobile, Hands-On, Casual, First Impressions, MOBA

During the last week, I've witnessed two excellent unions: My good friend married his college sweetheart, and a MOBA reached out to the ranks of turn-based gaming. Sure, the former had an open bar, but no amount of free booze can quench my desire for something new within the MOBA genre. Enter Arena of Heroes, a new turn-based free-to-play MOBA that can be played on PC, Mac, iPad, and eventually, on Ouya, iOS, and Android.

I spent the morning with Sneaky Games CEO David Godwin and Zattikka Director of Product Alexandra Tinsman to find out why this game will make me bring my iPad everywhere I go.

Continue reading Hands-on with Arena of Heroes' turn-based gameplay

Hands-on with Arena of Heroes' turn-based gameplay originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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