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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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Neo Steam lets in the soul reapers

Seraphina Brennan — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Contests, Events, in-game, News items, Neo Steam

It's October, and that means all of the spooky Halloween events are coming out of the woodwork. But how many of them are offering you a pair of steampunk goggles for completing them? Well, only one right now -- Neo Steam.

Atlus is throwing open the doors to the Underworld, and all sorts of creepy-crawlies are invading their fantasy steampunk MMO. Defeating these event monsters will get you souls to trade in to special soul reapers to claim pumpkin seeds and pumpkin pie for recovery purposes, but the big 250 soul turn in will get you a special pumpkin hat (as seen above) to commemorate the event.

However, some monsters will drop event tickets, which enters your account in for a chance to win a pair of handcrafted steampunk goggles. So, what are you waiting for, an invitation? Kill stuff, get loots!

Neo Steam lets in the soul reapers originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So that's how they localize a game...

Seraphina Brennan — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Culture, MMO industry

If you thought localization was just a developer running everything through an auto-translator and shoving the game out the door, you're pretty far off according to Atlus U.S.A. The team over at the company that produces some of the best game localizations in the business have written a very insightful post into why game localization takes so long.

Atlus doesn't just take a game and throw it through a quick translation process. There's the weeks of the translators playing the original game to get a feel for it, then the weeks of the actual translation, the weeks of re-programming to make the new text, voice-overs, and graphics line up. Then you have the weeks of testing to remove bugs and finally the packaging and shipping process. On a good game release, you're looking at around three and a half months for the localization. For MMOs, you're looking at something much more intensive thanks to the amount of text involved.

Interested in the full process? Check out Atlus's production diary number 12 for the full rundown.

So that's how they localize a game... originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Neo Steam editor Jason Ruper on bringing steampunk to MMOs

James Egan — Sat, 30 May 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Classes, Interviews, Free-to-play, Neo Steam

One of the upcoming free-to-play titles that Massively had a chance to see this month is Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent from Atlus. Our hands-on gallery feature is a good introduction to the look and feel of the game world, but now that Neo Steam is in open beta, we're expecting more info about the game to be forthcoming.

We came across a ZAM interview with Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent lead editor Jason Ruper, conducted by Andrew "Tamat" Beegle. Ruper gives some background on the game's setting and lore, saying, "The game has a lush, fantasy-steampunk setting, and everything -- from the machine wasteyards and polluted rivers to the rickety vehicles and the ancient ruins from before the shattering -- contributes to this setting and reminds you that your nation is in a state of reconstruction as well as in the middle of a cold war."

Continue reading Neo Steam editor Jason Ruper on bringing steampunk to MMOs

Neo Steam editor Jason Ruper on bringing steampunk to MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 30 May 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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Atlus Online to launch online games portal with new localization of Neo Steam

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Launches, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play

Atlus is planning to launch their online games portal with a bang, announcing the hybrid steampunk-fantasy MMO Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent as their first game.

If Neo Steam sounds familar, it should. GameNetworks has already had an English version of the game running for a few months. However, with HanbitSoft changing the rights over to Atlus, GameNetworks has discontinued service for their version of Neo Steam.

Neo Steam will be undergoing an extensive localization process, common to most Atlus Games, to make sure all of the dialogue is written properly and game features are tweaked to support the English language. The game will also be undergoing other updates, including graphical and content updates. Simply put, this will not be the exact same version of the game that has already been released to English speaking audiences.

Interested users and previous Neo Steam players will be very interested to hear that signing up for early access to the Atlus Online portal will also let users sign up for the beta of the newly localized Neo Steam. Signing up also allows instant access to their forums, so you can talk and mingle with your fellow neo steamers to your heart's content!

Atlus Online to launch online games portal with new localization of Neo Steam originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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