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The Stream Team: Human Popsicles edition, January 13 - 19, 2014

MJ Guthrie — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Polls, MMO Industry, Massively Meta, Livestream, Miscellaneous, The Stream Team

Snow sharks one week, polar vortexes the next: What happened to just raining cats and dogs? The weather is a zoo!

Maybe you were in a part of the country that didn't turn people into popsicles this past week; if so, count yourself lucky. Many of us couldn't leave our houses and were forced to game furiously to keep warm! Wait... maybe we were actually the lucky ones! Either way, we accepted our lot -- as trying as it was -- and found additional ways to add to our warmth. Did you know that good, hearty belly laughs at the antics of the The Stream Team can raise your core temperature? It's true! So if you find yourself needing to stay warm this week, tune into Massively TV and test it out for yourself.

Continue reading The Stream Team: Human Popsicles edition, January 13 - 19, 2014

The Stream Team: Human Popsicles edition, January 13 - 19, 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 13 Jan 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rise and Shiny: Genia Brain Storm

Beau Hindman — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Screenshots, Video, Game Mechanics, Interviews, PvP, Hands-On, Rise and Shiny, Livestream

I love it when I come across a game that surprises me. I usually load up MMOs well before I commit to writing about them just to test out whether or not it's worthwhile. I've covered too many duds to know that if I don't check the game out, I could be stuck with a game that literally doesn't work.

So I signed up for a free Brain Storm account, picked out where my city should be located (based on a real-world map), and started the tutorial. At first I thought that an MMO that is essentially one part quiz-show, one part MMORTS, and one part SimCity-ish builder would come off as hokey and much too easy.

But I was wrong on a lot of fronts. This game is clever, clean, and a lot of fun.

Continue reading Rise and Shiny: Genia Brain Storm

Rise and Shiny: Genia Brain Storm originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 12 Jan 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Stream Team: Wracking our brains in Brain Storm

Beau Hindman — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Real-Life, Sci-Fi, Video, New Titles, Previews, Opinion, Browser, Hands-On, Casual, MMORTS, Livestream, Miscellaneous, The Stream Team

Join us as we explore Brain Storm, an interesting quiz-based, browser-based MMORTS. Yes, it's a real thing and so far looks pretty cool, so join Massively's Beau Hindman in the chat room and ask your curious questions!

Game: Brain Storm
Host: Beau
Date: Monday, January 6th, 2013
Time: 4:00 p.m. EST

Enjoy our Steam Team video below.

Continue reading The Stream Team: Wracking our brains in Brain Storm

The Stream Team: Wracking our brains in Brain Storm originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 06 Jan 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Stream Team: Snow shark edition, January 6 - 12, 2014

MJ Guthrie — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Massively Meta, Livestream, Miscellaneous, The Stream Team

What do you do when Mother Nature decides to dump enough snow on you to recreate a life-size replica of The Wall? Most of us would hunker down at our desks and dive into the sunnier realms of our favorite virtual worlds. We're gamers; that's what we do. But I've since learned that there are those who actually go out in that powdery white stuff and do something constructive -- and I don't just mean shoveling (which is pretty much how I've spent this whole new year so far).

Thanks to just such people, I have now experienced the Snow Shark. And I want one! If you haven't seen one yourself, you simply haven't lived yet. Now I am inspired to go do something with the foot of snow right outside my door, but what would I make? I may not be able to top a Snow Shark (who can?!), but I'm sure to get plenty of inspiration watching this week's Stream Team escapades on Massively TV.

Continue reading The Stream Team: Snow shark edition, January 6 - 12, 2014

The Stream Team: Snow shark edition, January 6 - 12, 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 06 Jan 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rise and Shiny revisit: Istaria

Beau Hindman — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Video, Expansions, Game Mechanics, Patches, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Casual, Rise and Shiny, Livestream, Anniversaries

At this point it's a sure thing for me to revisit Istaria, the old-school MMO by Virtrium, every single year. I look forward to it each time even though the game always feels basically the same. I don't want to imply that the game doesn't change at all. In fact, the indie developer team that works to run the game should be proud of the frequency of communications and patches. Around seven patches (large and small) were applied to the game in the month of December alone. On the surface, however, the game largely plays the same way and features the same systems that it always has. That doesn't mean I am familiar with them all or have come anywhere near mastering them all, but it's a comfort to know that the game remains familiar to those who are returning after some time away.

The team added a larger patch in December called Crystalshaper. The game also turned 10 years old, a feat in itself. I thought that now would be a perfect time to take another look at it, and I even ran a livestream of the game, co-hosted by Lead Designer Jason Murdick.

Continue reading Rise and Shiny revisit: Istaria

Rise and Shiny revisit: Istaria originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Jan 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Genia: Brain Storm seeks beta testers for knowledge-centric gameplay

Justin Olivetti — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, New Titles, Free-to-Play, MMORTS

Would you play an MMO that was more about using your brain than your virtual brawn? Would you be fine with said game resetting every month? If you answered "yes" to these two questions and don't make a habit of talking out loud to a computer monitor, then Genia: Brain Storm wants you for beta testing.

Genia: Brain Storm challenges players to collectively work on constructive projects using real-world knowledge while delaying the opposition as much as possible. It looks like it's an isometric free-to-play MMORTS that will hold 5,000 players per game and will end every 30 days to allow for a fresh start.

"If you want to achieve ultimate victory, you must team up and put your collective knowledge and discoveries to work," the website proclaims. "Not only does this add a clever new dimension to your game, it also sharpens your mind, making your hours of fun time well-spent."

Genia Inc. has been working on this title for four years and is seeking testers for its upcoming closed beta. If you're interested, just head over to the company's website to apply.

Genia: Brain Storm seeks beta testers for knowledge-centric gameplay originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Apr 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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