Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[UFO Online abducts cows, starts second beta phase]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/29/ufo-online-abducts-cows-starts-second-beta-phase/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/29/ufo-online-abducts-cows-starts-second-beta-phase/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/29/ufo-online-abducts-cows-starts-second-beta-phase/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

UFO Online
Remember kids: Just say no to alien probing! If you're like any of us on the Massively staff, then you're sick of being abducted by intergalactic bullies and dissected for kicks. That's why we're glad that gamigo's fighting back with UFO Online, which is one step closer to launch today.

The publisher announced that UFO Online is beginning its second beta phase following a period of reflection and development after the first. The game's studio, Funatics, has expanded the game to include two new aliens, a better loot system, more complex missions, and more strategic combat. Phase two of the aliens' diabolical plan, er, the studio's approach will also see a better tutorial, performance optimization, and UI improvements that all should make a significant difference for those testing the game.

If smacking down grey-skinned invaders appeals to you, you can apply for the beta on the website and read up on our first impressions of this turn-based tactical MMO.

[Source: gamigo press release]

MassivelyUFO Online abducts cows, starts second beta phase originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aliensbetabeta-testingclosed-betaclosed-beta-phase-twofunaticsgamigophase-twosecond-closed-betaufoufo-onlineuiThu, 29 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MapleStory allies against aliens]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/16/maplestory-allies-against-aliens/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/16/maplestory-allies-against-aliens/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/16/maplestory-allies-against-aliens/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

MapleStory
It's a bad day to be an alien in MapleStory -- and a good day to be a player. Nexon has released its latest major update for the game, Alliance Unbound, and it's placing a bounty on every E.T. and Klingon you can find. Nasty space critters are causing town-demolishing earthquakes in the area, and what's worse is that their technology is somewhat more advanced than swords or clubs.

While a majority of the content for Alliance Unbound is for high-level characters, there's still plenty for lowbies to do as well. The main update quest line opens up at level 15 and offers both a high- and low-level version.

The update has plenty of meat to it in other ways. A gigantic 31-part quest chain has been added to Ellin Forest for level 95s in which players will jump back in time and explore the making of one of the key regions in the game. There's also a nifty and powerful alien socket system that grants players the ability to upgrade weapons. Finally, Nexon's got plenty of new Event Cards and a collection system to keep players busy.

MassivelyMapleStory allies against aliens originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alienaliensalliance-unboundEllin-Forestetevent-cardsf2pfantasyfree-to-playklingonmaplestorynexonnexon-americanexon-koreapatchupdateweapon-modificationFri, 16 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Perfect Ten: Shapeshifters]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/16/the-perfect-ten-shapeshifters/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/16/the-perfect-ten-shapeshifters/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/16/the-perfect-ten-shapeshifters/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Because we are true geeks, last weekend my wife and I went to see X-Men: First Class. Afterward, we got into a discussion about what mutant power we'd pick for ourselves if we had the choice. I was torn between teleportation and quick healing, while my wife wanted to be able to turn into cash to pay off our mortgage. I think one of us is more grounded in the real world than the other.

But the more I think about it, the more I was intrigued with the idea of a shapeshifter. To be anyone would give you unparalleled freedom -- and plenty of chances to get into mischief, too. Come to think of it, it's probably best I'm not granted that particular superpower.

However, plenty of MMOs do give players the chance to shift between their normal forms and something else entirely. While there are far more than 10 examples that the brain trust over here came up with, I'm going to pick out my favorites to highlight.

Continue reading The Perfect Ten: Shapeshifters

MassivelyThe Perfect Ten: Shapeshifters originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adventureraliensanarchy-onlineaoarchetypechronicles-of-spellborncity-of-heroescohcount-choculadervishdruiddruidsdwarfeq2eqiieverquest-2everquest-iifacehuggerfeaturedfurygrim-reaperguild-warsgwkheldiankheldiansleetlichlich-formmoonkinmorphmorphsmysticnecromancerperfect-10perfect-tenpolymorphriftrift-planes-of-telarashapeshiftshapeshiftersshapeshiftingteam-edwardteam-jacobthe-chronicles-of-spellbornthe-countultima-onlineuovampirevampire-formwardenworgenworld-of-warcraftwowThu, 16 Jun 2011 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[PAX East 2011: Delving LotRO dungeons deeply]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/15/pax-east-2011-delving-lotro-dungeons-deeply/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/15/pax-east-2011-delving-lotro-dungeons-deeply/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/15/pax-east-2011-delving-lotro-dungeons-deeply/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Right now, Lord of the Rings Online is in a brief respite between the insanity of PAX East and the upcoming March 21st release date for its next big update, Echoes of the Dead. To say that there's a lot coming with this update is a vast understatement, so it was great to get a sneak peek at the five new instances before they went live.

Earlier this year, players started to get rumblings about a major upcoming event as five mysterious relics popped up all over Middle-earth in Evendim, Forochel, Enedwaith, North Downs and the Trollshaws. By finding all five, players completed a special deed and got the title "Calm Before the Storm," foreshadowing dire events to follow. All anyone could do after that was prepare for an uncertain future.

It turns out that LotRO's players had good reason to prepare, because as of next week, five new dungeons will open their doors for business -- the business of eating adventurers alive and spitting out their bones, that is. Spurned Gaunt-lords have returned to make life for the Free Peoples of Middle-earth harder by transforming the very landscape into their hellish domain, and it's up to you to thwart their schemes.

Hit the jump as we traveled to these new instances at PAX East with LotRO Executive Producer Kate Paiz!

Continue reading PAX East 2011: Delving LotRO dungeons deeply

MassivelyPAX East 2011: Delving LotRO dungeons deeply originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alienscannibalechoes-of-the-deadenedwaithevendimfacehuggersfeaturedforochelgaunt-lordshobbitskate-paizLegbathillfflfglooking-for-fellowshiplooking-for-grouplord-of-the-rings-onlinelost-templelotromaggotsnorth-cottonfarmsnorth-downsOst-Dunhothpaxpax-2011pax-eastpax-east-2011sari-surmaspider-hobbitspidersstoneheightthe-shiretrollshawsturbineturbine-entertainmentTue, 15 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Road to Mordor: A haunted tour of Middle-earth]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/15/the-road-to-mordor-a-haunted-tour-of-middle-earth/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/15/the-road-to-mordor-a-haunted-tour-of-middle-earth/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/15/the-road-to-mordor-a-haunted-tour-of-middle-earth/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Despite what the brochures may tell you, Lord of the Rings Online's Middle-earth isn't all puppy dogs, sparkly rainbows and ice cream wagons. In fact, when you take a moment to stop screenshotting the living daylights out of the Shire, you'll quickly realize just how dark, cold and brutal this world is.

Middle-earth is a realm where good is under siege by evil, and in many places, the evil is winning. You can see this in many places that formerly held beauty, but now are covered with the decor of death: bones, blood, cages, pikes and filth. Evil isn't just Freddy Krueger-style splatter, either -- there are plenty of spots that are haunted by the spectral spirits of the beyond, and if you dare venture into their domain, you should probably have your will made up in advance.

So in honor of one of my favorite holidays -- Halloween -- I want to take you on a haunted tour of Middle-earth, covering some of the most notorious spooky, scary and outright creepy places I've found. Grab your torch and let us push back the darkness together!

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: A haunted tour of Middle-earth

MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: A haunted tour of Middle-earth originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 15 Oct 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>agamauraliensangmarbarrow-downsbarrowscemeterydont-get-me-started-on-how-terrifying-rivendell-isf2pfeaturedfoundations-of-stonefreddy-kruegerfree-to-playfreemiumgreat-smialshalloweenhaunted-househaunted-innhr-gigerjrr-tolkienlord-of-the-ringslord-of-the-rings-onlinelotroold-forestthe-old-foresttom-bombadilturbineFri, 15 Oct 2010 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Ubisoft president speaks about Avatar MMO]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/14/ubisoft-president-speaks-about-avatar-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/14/ubisoft-president-speaks-about-avatar-mmo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/11/14/ubisoft-president-speaks-about-avatar-mmo/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Despite the poor condition of the global economy these days, Ubisoft's president and CEO Yves Guillemot is optimistic about the amazing year that 2009 will bring for video game software sales. As he told investors at a BMO Capital Markets conference, "If we look at this industry, one thing to consider is that when hardware sales are peaking, software sales are peaking 18 months later."

One highlight of Ubisoft's expected growth next year is the release of the Avatar MMO. Now, keep in mind that this isn't an MMO based on the Nickelodeon show Avatar: The Last Airbender. This online game will be based on James Cameron's Avatar feature film set to release in December of 2009, and will most likely release in conjunction with the film. The game (and movie) will be based around a plotline where "a man tries to make his way as a miner by combining with an alien during an interplanetary war in which aliens can manifest themselves by possessing human bodies - avatars." Considering the fact that we've heard next to nothing else about this MMO, it should be interesting to see if it will release before or after the film's release.

MassivelyUbisoft president speaks about Avatar MMO originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aliensavatar-mmojames-cameronsci-fiubisoftFri, 14 Nov 2008 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[PvP touched on for DC Universe Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/30/pvp-touched-on-for-dc-universe-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/30/pvp-touched-on-for-dc-universe-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/30/pvp-touched-on-for-dc-universe-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Studio creative director Chris Cao (aka The Biggest Designer in the Building) has tossed up some initial details on PvP in SOE's upcoming DC Universe Online. It sounds like plans are being drawn up to create a varied and worthwhile system for heroes and villains to duke it out within. We're going to be getting some open world PvP, arena-based PvP and even a system allowing heroes and villains to battle over control of the world itself.

Basic PvP will be over stuff like protecting cops, or trying to beat them down in the case of baddies. Arenas are going ot be instanced content where both sides struggle over things like downed alien spacecraft --- mmm, alien technology. Finally, control over the world wasn't delved into very much. All we know is that strategic points in the world play a role in who controls how much of what.

Chris ends it with a few notes, stressing things like the availability of PvP servers, opt-in PvP and designated zone. He also touches on SOE wanting to make the experience more skill-based in lieu of purely stat-based. So the better fighter should usually win in DC Unvirse Online.

MassivelyPvP touched on for DC Universe Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alienalienschris-caodc-comicsdc-universe-onlinedcuoearthheroespvpsoesony-online-entertainmentspacecraftvillainsThu, 30 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[One Shots: Bellator vs the Aliens]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/06/one-shots-bellator-vs-the-aliens/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/06/one-shots-bellator-vs-the-aliens/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/06/one-shots-bellator-vs-the-aliens/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Heeding our request for groups kicking monster butt, we have this fiery screen full of fury from City of Heroes. With lots of news coming down the wires today about Issue 12, which is now in open beta state on the test realms, we figured it was a good time to visit the City and show off what players are doing there. Matt writes:

Bellator Saxum, a level 50 Tanker, taunts one of the many Arch-Villains that my team had to fight through while doing one of the more challenging high level Task Forces. The rest of the team were: Bad Moon Rising, Maui, Bonfires, Glissah, Incinerator5000, K1tt3n and the villain Executioner Acheron. Good times, good times.

Do you have a great screenshot of you and your friends laying the smack down in your favorite game? If so, we want to see it! Just send those screens to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com. Yours could be next!

Gallery: One Shots

MassivelyOne Shots: Bellator vs the Aliens originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 May 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aliensbellatorcity-of-heroescohcoxncsoftone-shotsscreenshotscreenshotsTue, 06 May 2008 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Do MMOs underrepresent ethnicity?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/12/the-daily-grind-do-mmos-underrepresent-ethnicity/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/12/the-daily-grind-do-mmos-underrepresent-ethnicity/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/12/the-daily-grind-do-mmos-underrepresent-ethnicity/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Part of the fun of fantasy and science fiction MMOs is playing a race substantially different than your own, whether it be orcs or aliens. But when you feel like playing close to your own type, and aren't Caucasian, do you feel underrepresented?

Games like Age of Conan and APB offer some pretty sophisticated character creation tools that allow more accurate rendering of facial morphologies -- epicanthal folds vs. no folds; lip thickness; cheekbone sharpness and angle, etc. Most of the rest simply allow you to change skin color, yet leave the actual skull structure of your characters alone. This is not a deal-breaker by any means, but does it ever bother you?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Do MMOs underrepresent ethnicity? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 12 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaliensapbcaucasianepicanthal-foldsethnicityorcsraceskin-colortdgthe-daily-grindSat, 12 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[TR's hybrid high jinks prove hollow on the whole]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/13/trs-hybrid-high-jinks-prove-hollow-on-the-whole/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/13/trs-hybrid-high-jinks-prove-hollow-on-the-whole/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/13/trs-hybrid-high-jinks-prove-hollow-on-the-whole/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


When the Destination Games crew announced that they would be putting alien hybrids into Tabula Rasa's patch 1.4, I think it took a lot of people by surprise. Since the game launched in early November, the devs have shown a reluctance to acknowledge many of the complaints players have had with the game. One of the more persistent complaints was that there was a lack of depth in the character creation and customization options. Most character models are indistinguishable from each other to begin with, and there is no variety within a specific armor set of a certain level. My level 50 graviton is going to look just like your level 50 graviton, which lends an air of homogeneity to the whole affair.

So it really came as a surprise when all of a sudden, they fulfilled part of our wish and gave us the option of making clones with hybrid DNA - taking on the physical features and stats of one of Tabula Rasa's three most prominent alien races. After having given my new Forean clone a good deal of play time, I've found myself dissatisfied. It's pretty cool being green (and getting the huge bonus to Mind!), but there are so many different things I wish they had done.

Gallery: Tabula Rasa

Continue reading TR's hybrid high jinks prove hollow on the whole

MassivelyTR's hybrid high jinks prove hollow on the whole originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Feb 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alien-hybridsalienscharacter-customizationclonesdestination-gamesexpansionfeaturedforeanhybrid-clonestabula-rasatrWed, 13 Feb 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[24 hours of Tabula Rasa: Hour 16]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/02/tr-giveaway-16/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/02/tr-giveaway-16/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/02/tr-giveaway-16/#commentsFiled under: ,

I can barely remember my short time in the Tabula Rasa beta, but I do remember something about aliens giving you super powers, and being a little unhappy about the fact that even though I had a gun and I was shooting at aliens, I wasn't able to headshot them.

Anyway, it's now 11pm, and time for another one of our TR launch contests. This hour, we've got a hat and two posters to give away, so to enter, just be 18 and in the US (official rules) and put a comment on this post telling us the feature of Tabula Rasa you're most looking forward to. Aliens giving you super powers might be in there, although no headshots probably won't be. Of course, your answer doesn't actually matter (this is a random contest, and we'll randomly choose three winners from all the comments), but if you want to pretend like it does, we won't be bothered. Go hog wild.

This contest shuts off at midnight, so hurry up and get those comments down. And if you miss the deadline, you've got even more chances to play-- our next contest starts when November 3rd, 2007 does (that's in about an hour, in case you don't have a clock handy).

And by the way, did we mention that our iPod contest is actually accepting comments for the whole 24 hours of these mini contests? We didn't? Oh. Well there you go.

Massively24 hours of Tabula Rasa: Hour 16 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 Nov 2007 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aliensgiveawaysmassive-giveawaysncsoftsuper-powerstabula-rasatr-launch-giveawaysFri, 02 Nov 2007 23:00:00 EST