Massively

MapleStory exclusive cartoon: New Leaf Saga

Larry Everett — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, MapleStory, News Items, Humor

The goofy creators at Nexon have put together a video to help you noobs understand the mechanics of their side-scrolling MMO MapleStory. This third episode of the New Leaf Saga follows the adventures of a girl trying to find her place in the world. Where does she belong? What class should she play?

Of course, the first place to turn for the answer would be her friends. Each friend wants the girl to play the same class he or she did -- well, except the thief; he wants to steal her purse. But we come to find out there are far more classes in MapleStory than she has friends. Our new adventurer asks a very important question: "How many classes are there?" For the answer to that question, step past the break and watch the Massively Exclusive video: Classy.

(Let me know if you notice the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time sound effect, too.)

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MapleStory exclusive cartoon: New Leaf Saga originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rise and Shiny recap: MilMo

Beau Hindman — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Events (In-Game), Previews, Free-to-Play, Browser, Hands-On, Casual, Kids, Family, Rise and Shiny

If there's one thing I think many developers need to learn, it's to keep games accessible. No, I'm not talking about making a game "easy" -- I'm talking about making it available to as many different players as possible. This means making a game that can run on many different PC setups and does not require a degree of some sort to play. Yes, there is a time and a place for uber-realistic, theory-crafting, nerdy-wonderland games, but bear in mind that good design does not automatically translate into complicated design.

As I played through MilMo this week, I realized how much potential this new generation of browser-based games has. The new engines, Unity in particular, give developers the ability to make beautiful games that can be accessed directly through the browser. I was surprised to find a good-looking "kid's game" that presented plenty of challenge and fun for kids of all ages (including 36-year-old game writers like myself).

Read on for more details.

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Rise and Shiny recap: MilMo originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 05 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rise and Shiny recap: Hello Kitty Online

Beau Hindman — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Events (In-Game), Reviews, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Casual, Hello Kitty Online, Kids, Family, Rise and Shiny

Each week Rise and Shiny asks you to download and try a different free-to-play game, chosen by me, Beau Hindman. Some of the games will be far out of your gaming comfort zone, and some will pleasantly surprise you. We will meet each Tuesday and Friday night at 8 PM Central time, followed by this column the Saturday after. I welcome any suggestions for games, either in the comments or at beau at massively dot com.

This week I asked my readers to man (or woman) up and download Hello Kitty Online by Sanrio Digital. I'm a firm believer in the old saying "Looks can be deceiving" and have tried to keep that in mind as I look for games. After all, what is the difference between fluffy pink and white bunnies and giant robots that throw hissy fits? In fact, if I were to ask my readers what makes up the difference between a game like Hello Kitty Online and a game like Lord of the Rings Online, they might only shrug and say "C'mon, Beau, you can see the difference."

Remember, though, that we can still pull emotions out of cartoon characters just like we can out of more realistic ones, and it has been shown that many moviegoers actually feel more connected to stylized characters over super-realistic representations. I wonder if Hello Kitty Online can inspire the same strong emotions that a hardcore raider feels?

Continue reading Rise and Shiny recap: Hello Kitty Online

Rise and Shiny recap: Hello Kitty Online originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 19 Jun 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Exclusive: FusionFall free to play launch details

Beau Hindman — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Screenshots, News Items, Free-to-Play, Browser, Casual, MMOFPS, FusionFall

Near the end of last year, Cartoon Network, the developers of FusionFall, announced that the game would move from a freemium/velvet rope type of pricing structure to a completely free-to-play model. While the fans waited, the developers were a bit silent as to when the new version would be released. Well, wait no more. We have received the official date, along with some exclusive shots of new characters and the new armor that subscribers would receive for being loyal to the game!

If you haven't tried it yet, FusionFall is a browser based first-person style shooter that mixes elements of platforming, social gaming, and fashion. Think of Tabula Rasa's combat system, complete with its "soft lock" mechanism, and add tons of your favorite Cartoon Network characters. It makes for a very fun, actiony and surprisingly deep experience. Join me after the jump for an exclusive look at new characters and new armor!

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Exclusive: FusionFall free to play launch details originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tom and Jerry and Ben 10 coming to the MMO realm

James Egan — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO Industry, New Titles, Casual, Kids

We've written a bit about the Cartoon Network MMO FusionFall of late, which enjoys a great deal of popularity with younger MMO gamers. Now it looks like two other cartoons will be coming to the MMO space: Tom and Jerry and Ben 10. Tom and Jerry is going massively multiplayer (for Asia in 2010) through TurnOut Ventures Limited, a joint venture between Turner Entertainment Holdings Asia Pacific Limited and Outblaze Investments Limited.

Hong Kong-based Typhoon Games (who are developing Hello Kitty Online) is developing the Tom and Jerry MMO. A look at the TurnOut Ventures product page also shows they're working on Ben 10 Omniverse. Both massively multiplayer titles are being built on the Unity game engine, for PC and Mac compatibility. There's no announcement at this time for North American or European releases of either title.

[Via Kotaku]

Tom and Jerry and Ben 10 coming to the MMO realm originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Battlefield Heroes stealths into second beta

Kyle Horner — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Battlefield Heroes

As of today, February 11th, the second beta test for Battlefield Heroes has tip-toed out into the hands of old and new testers alike. And while there isn't any information about additions to this beta, we're certain that DICE hasn't just been lazing about all these months having tea parties.

Now that things are officially back in action, we expect to be hearing more about the game in the coming months. Hopefully, official launch day isn't too far off as spring slowly creeps up behind us draped in ninja garb. Pretty soon we'll be sitting on plane wings and gunning down our cartoony adversaries with unreasonably-sized mini-guns. At least, assuming this version of the beta is the last one.

Battlefield Heroes stealths into second beta originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anti-Aliased: Who decided brown was such an awesome color? pt. 2

Seraphina Brennan — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, MMO Industry, Opinion, Anti-Aliased

BrownQuest 2 ended up proving that too much of something was bad -- horribly, horribly bad. BrownQuest 2 could barely run on most systems because no one could handle the "extremely, super cool, melt your face" graphics and ended up sitting on the shelves that holiday season. The new rationale about the game was that it had future-proofed itself, lying in wait for computers to exist to run it at its graphical peak.

That peak came, and no one rushed to buy the game. People came in and people left, and the game didn't turn out to be the huge blockbuster it was anticipated to be. And now, 4 years later, I turn on my computer and run BrownQuest 2 at maximum graphics easily, and I'm just not fully impressed. Are they good graphics? Sure they are. Are they so amazing that they make me run around my room screaming so loud that I can drown out Lewis Black? (NSFW) No, not really.

So, with all of that in mind, let's turn to something more relevant. Let's turn to World of Warcraft. Say what you will about the game, but I think we can all agree that the game design of WoW is solid. It's not the holy grail, but it's certainly good enough to make 11 million people play it. Now ask yourself the question: "Would WoW be as popular and as good if it sported the extreme graphics EverQuest 2 did?"

If you're hijacking my brainwaves, you know the answer already. Of course WoW wouldn't be popular if the graphic requirements were through the roof. Even if it was an amazing game, no one would be playing it because no one would be able to run it. In these times, we can't afford to go running off and upgrading our video cards just because we want to play that one game, *cough*Crysis*cough*.

And is World of Warcraft a beautiful game? Of course it is! The vistas, the sunsets, the snow, the shattered landscapes. And for being so "cartoony" it can still pull off some really imposing places, like Blackrock Mountain, Hellfire Peninsula, Netherstorm, Icecrown Glacier, and many others. Certainly, the graphics have improved in the latest expansion, but the other areas of the game just don't scream "I'm dated" as loudly as "realistic" games can.

Say what you want about graphics that don't push the edge of technology, use bright colors, and attempt to engage us in veritable water-colored landscapes. The truth is these things make sure that the game still looks good and appealing to us years down the line, they let the tone and aristry of the game shine through in ways that realistic graphics cannot, and they make sure that you can still play with your friends without spending wads of cash to upgrade your rig.

Because, in the end, isn't that what a massively multiplayer game is about? Playing and enjoying the world with other people at your side?

Colin Brennan is the weekly writer of Anti-Aliased who believes games need to grasp the imagination, not your video card. When he's not writing here for Massively, he's over running Epic Loot For All! with his insane roommates. If you want to message him, send him an e-mail at colin.brennan AT weblogsinc DOT com.

Anti-Aliased: Who decided brown was such an awesome color? pt. 2 originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anti-Aliased: Who decided brown was such an awesome color?

Seraphina Brennan — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, MMO Industry, Opinion, Anti-Aliased

Pet peeve time, ladies and gentlemen. I despise the realism movement in video games. Sure, I love seeing more accurate graphics and more realistic environments -- that's the nice part. I get to use my nice computer to explore amazing landscapes and take part in some beautiful interactions.

But, whoever wrote the equation "Brown + Grass + Bland Colors = Realism" needs to have their head checked. With all of this amazing technology, we've seemed to have forgotten the magic of what games stand for. But what really gets me is the culture that's springing around this phenomenon. Apparently "toony" games aren't welcome here anymore. So I need to ask the question: "Who decided brown was an awesome color?"

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: Who decided brown was such an awesome color?

Anti-Aliased: Who decided brown was such an awesome color? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lost. The Monster. Reward: Cuteness.

Seraphina Brennan — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, New Titles, Previews, Free-to-Play, Browser, Education, Kids, Moshi Monsters

Do you like cuteness? Do you like monsters? Do you like puzzles?

If you said yes to all three, then do we have the multiplayer game for you! As we reported earlier, Mind Candy, the crazy developers behind the super-huge alternate reality game Perplex City, have been working on something for the children. Their result is Moshi Monsters, a cross between a Tamagotchi, Brain Age, and sheer attitude.

The picture to the right is Smigglesnuff. Smigglesnuff likes two things: the word "miasma" and choptastic moves. Oh, sure, she enjoys the tickles I give her, but don't mess with her unless you want your face re-arranged. Go visit her if you want to find out for yourself.

Continue reading Lost. The Monster. Reward: Cuteness.

Lost. The Monster. Reward: Cuteness. originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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