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Shin Megami Tensei transferred to Atlus in North America

Jef Reahard — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, Miscellaneous

If you're a fan of the venerable Shin Megami Tensei RPG franchise, you might be pleased to know that Atlus is taking over publishing duties on the Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine online title from California-based Aeria Games.

Gamasutra reports that Atlus views the forthcoming April move as a "homecoming" for the game, which was originally released in 2007. Prior to the move, Atlus managed the Japanese servers while Aeria handled the North American operations. Gamasutra says that "all characters and player data will be carried over automatically, although there will be a short period of downtime while this occurs."

Shin Megami Tensei transferred to Atlus in North America originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Free for All: Five popular cash-shop item types

Beau Hindman — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Real-Life, Business Models, Culture, Economy, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Browser, Casual, Free for All

Over the next few weeks, I would like to take a look at cash shops. Despite many good experiences I have had with them, even my referring to a cash shop can conjure up not-so-happy images for many players. For myself, a cash shop gives me a sense similar to a visit to a toy store -- a toy store where everything is dirt cheap. Good cash shops can not only make you want to spend money, but give you an item or experience that was well worth your cash.

Before getting into the heavy-lifting topics, I will go over five of my favorite cash-shop item "types." Bear in mind that there is always some game that features some variant of each of these types. Also remember that there are always more categories, but that these represent what I think are the most popular and make the most money. Feel free to suggest any categories that you think do something similar, or correct me where you think I'm wrong.

Continue reading Free for All: Five popular cash-shop item types

Free for All: Five popular cash-shop item types originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rise and Shiny recap: Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online

Beau Hindman — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Galleries, Screenshots, Video, Events (In-Game), Reviews, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Humor, Post-Apocalyptic, Rise and Shiny

Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online (longest. name. ever.) is perfect for Rise and Shiny: it is unusual, makes some people uncomfortable, free-to-play, and more "indie" than "AAA." I've played it off and on since its release but never found the time or desire to really push into it. After all, the combat in the game takes patience and knowledge, something that requires, well, patience and knowledge. Over the last week I decided to dive right in, changing my normal procedure of blindly downloading, playing, and socializing. I broke my habit of ignoring the wiki and the information from the playerbase, and I have decided to actually immerse myself into a week-long college course on whatever game it is I am playing at the time.

The effort paid off big. The combat became more enjoyable, and the game made more sense. I met some very nice community members, and even found myself wanting to go through an epic hour-and-a-half dungeon experience. The game is not without its frustrating moments, of course. Starting out can feel like a pretty overwhelming experience. While there is a great beginning tutorial to help players understand the complicated combat system, many areas of the game require information that is so hidden that you must simply look it up in a wiki.

Continue reading Rise and Shiny recap: Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online

Rise and Shiny recap: Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A look at Aeria Games and their social network

Beau Hindman — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, Screenshots, Free-to-Play, Browser, Dream of Mirror Online, Casual

When I was asked to do a write up about Aeria games, I smiled. Not only do some of my favorite FTP games come from the developer, but I have always liked how they present their products. While social networks are anything but brand new and uncommon, Aeria does theirs in a way that makes you want to play their games and to dive into their world.

I decided to take a broad look at the two major areas: First, I wanted to try out the social network area of their site. It's standard stuff, really, but works well and is fun to fill out. I also wanted to try out some of their mini-games that are hosted on the site itself. Next I wanted to look at one of their games, Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online. There are a total of 16 titles to choose from, so I decided to go with one that I had enjoyed the most. It's been fun so far, and I'm glad I am going to be able to shine a little light on one of my favorite publishers!

Continue reading A look at Aeria Games and their social network

A look at Aeria Games and their social network originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 10 Apr 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorbikes, alchemy, and demon friend quests now in Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine

James Egan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Patches, Crafting, PvP, Quests, PvE, Free-to-Play

Demon Busters in Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online are now enjoying a fresh content update, which includes motorbikes courtesy of the Shinjuku Babel mechanics. This new mode of transportation in the game allows players to travel between zones quickly and in first person perspective. Atlus has also introduced alchemy, a crafting system where players can create new objects with unusual properties. Runes that boost abilities for your demons or potions that augment your own abilities are a few possibilities with the new item mixing system. They've also released more PvE content in the form of demon friend quests, provided your friendships with the infernal powers-that-be are at the appropriate levels.

Perhaps the biggest content addition to Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online is the Team Battle system. The title's publisher Aeria Games writes: "Gather your allies and friends to crush your enemies in fast-paced, high intenseity group versus group combat for glory and god-like gear. Choose to fight solo in sided matches against other solo players, or combine your strength with others to demolish the competition in team versus team battle."

Motorbikes, alchemy, and demon friend quests now in Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Atlus Games launches online gaming and anime portal

James Egan — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play

Fans of RPGs like the Persona series and those already playing Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online should be familiar with Atlus Games. The company is branching out into online interaction via a new web portal that's a home for their upcoming (summer release) MMO title Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent as well as having a heavy focus on anime. In fact, users can draw live on the site and collaborate with others in this fashion.

We've known that a web portal for MMOs and anime was something on horizon but it became official with yesterday's press release and the launch of the Atlus Online portal. Along with the rest of the wired (and wireless) world, Atlus Online is also on Twitter.

Atlus Games launches online gaming and anime portal originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aeria Games: "If you don't have fun playing, we'll give you a refund"

James Egan — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Last Chaos, Business Models, News Items, Free-to-Play, Dream of Mirror Online, Stone Age 2

There aren't many MMO publishers out there who would actually offer refunds for gamers who don't have fun in their titles, but this is exactly what Aeria Games is doing. We did a double take when hearing about this but it's legit. Superman0X is a USA Gamemaster for Aeria Games, and has declared "April is Fun Month at Aeria... GUARANTEED".

That's a bold statement. But what does it mean for players of the various Aeria Games MMOs? Superman0X writes, "We are so sure you will have fun we are going to put our AP [Aeria Points] where our mouth is. If any player does not have fun we will refund all their AP purchases for the entire month up to 5000AP." Players who didn't enjoy themselves in April will have a window of opportunity to request a refund from May 1st to May 10th . You can check out the full details in the announcement but we're guessing Aeria has a lot of faith in their titles if they'd even consider making such an offer.

Aeria Games: "If you don't have fun playing, we'll give you a refund" originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WRUP: Wait, don't we write about MMOs? edition

Elizabeth Harper — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion

During the day, of course, everyone piles into the Massively offices in their suits and ties, all prepared to settle into the daily grind of MMO writing. But at night? We enjoy slaughtering the undead as much as anyone -- and since a zombie MMO hasn't risen to fill that void in our hearts, we keep running back to Left 4 Dead.

Brendan Drain: I'll be taking it easy this weekend and working on my university masters project, which happens to be a game. If I get time I'll play some EVE and maybe check out the new expansion stuff on the test server.
Brooke Pilley: I'll be playing Warhammer Online and a bit of BattleForge beta. :)
Colin Brennan: This week it's going to be battleground premades in World of Warcraft, followed by a helping of Mabinogi and Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine. Past that, it's my mother's birthday, so I'm not going to be around the computer too much. Happy Birthday Mom!
Dan O'Halloran: I'm poking my head back into EverQuest 2 after a year's absence hoping I haven't been deguilded. Also going to continue my trek towards Moria in Lord of the Rings Online as well as working on my baby Hunter in World of Warcraft.
James Egan: I'm meeting up with some friends for Halo 3 and Left 4 Dead, fueled by copious amounts of Jim Beam and Coke. On the MMO side I'm definitely going to spend a little time in EVE, probably exploring more trade possibilities.
Kyle Horner: I'm taking a weekend break from MMOs and getting my game-on with Steam. It's Dawn of War 2 and Team Fortress 2 for me this weekend, with a strong possibility of some Left 4 Dead zombie action.
Lemuel Pew: Getting the last of the Spring Fling badges in City of Heroes before the event closes on the 22nd.
Krystalle Voecks: I'm going to be boring and do some much needed studying for class, so pretty much almost no gaming for me. Although I'll probably play some Left 4 Dead with Kyle so he can laugh at my crappy FPS skillz.

That's what the Massively team is getting into this weekend -- but what are you playing?

WRUP: Wait, don't we write about MMOs? edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 21 Feb 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Demons ready for summoning, Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine goes open beta

Kyle Horner — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, New Titles, News Items

Do you wish there was an MMO that allowed you to summon demonic minions under your control in order to restore a post-apocalyptic Tokyo? Well thankfully for you, Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine has entered open beta! Now all your world-saving via demonic pet needs can be addressed thanks to Aeria Games' and their hard work.

For anyone whose played Persona 3 or the more recently released Persona 4, an MMO set in the world of SMT is a very interesting proposition. The game has all the demon fusing and combat from the other games (beyond even the Persona series) but it's all done in real-time instead of through turn-based combat. We're curious to see how this handles, as our guess is that it's likely more of a quasi-real-time ala standard MMO design in games like World of Warcraft.

Demons ready for summoning, Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine goes open beta originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 30 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine beta keys now available

Seraphina Brennan — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:00:00 EST

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

If you've played Persona 3 or Digital Devil Saga, then you're already familiar with Atlus Games's Shin Megami Tensei line. While the laurels of that line lie in the many single player games, the Shin Megami Tensei series is going into the MMO realm with the new game, Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine.

Imagine is being carried in the US region by Aeria Games, the people behind Shaiya and Dream of Mirror Online, and they've just started their beta test via Filefront. Just simply click on the link and you'll be given a key and a download link to the client. The game will be free to play, and supported by a microtransaction system.

Also, as a small side note, Aeria is currently having trouble with the ImagineUpdate.exe file. If you download the client, run the ImagineClient.exe file without running the launcher shortcut. Otherwise, if the launcher is run, you corrupt the installation and have to re-install.

Otherwise, happy demon hunting!

[Thanks Tony!]

Update: Aeria Games has gotten the launcher back to normal. Double click it and run it to update properly!

Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine beta keys now available originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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