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PlanetSide 2 info coming tomorrow

Jef Reahard — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, PlanetSide, MMO industry, New titles, News items, MMOFPS

Look lively PlanetSide 2 fans. Your long, dark winter is almost over and spring is coming in the form of a major new announcement on July 7th. That's tomorrow if you're counting at home, and Sony Online Entertainment has even provided a helpful countdown timer on the new PlanetSide 2 website to assist in said counting.

There's also a new Facebook page with a cryptic teaser for "classified information incoming," so mark your calendars and set your alarms for 7:00 p.m. PDT tomorrow.

Is SOE getting ready to drop a release date in the laps of eager sci-fi MMOFPS fans? Are there gameplay feature reveals in our immediate future? We're not sure at this point, but we are sure that tomorrow can't come fast enough.

PlanetSide 2 info coming tomorrow originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE's Incarna countdown kicks off

Jef Reahard — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items

This has got to be a tough week for stick-in-the-mud EVE Online vets who are convinced that an expanding New Eden is a bad thing. First it was yesterday's official Dust 514 E3 reveal (consoles, platform exclusivity, and shooters, oh my!), and today we've got an official countdown clock to the EVE version of dress-up... er, Incarna.

Yes, the long-awaited walking-in-stations/ambulation/EVE-with-legs update is less than two weeks away, and CCP has prepared a new section of its official EVE website devoted to all things Incarna.

The new portal has a good bit of info on the expansion, including a new video dev blog featuring Team BFF and its commitment to improving and expanding EVE's minutia. If you're newly interested in EVE, Incarna, or really anything to do with New Eden, head to the new site and have a look at the video after the cut.

Continue reading EVE's Incarna countdown kicks off

EVE's Incarna countdown kicks off originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Planetside comic marks imminent countdown

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 12 May 2010 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, PlanetSide, Events, in-game, MMOFPS

The clock is still ticking. In less than a week, something happens in the world of Planetside. Something what? We honestly have no idea, although the quickly-ticking countdown clock on Planetside's website teases the mind. We've been watching this clock for a little while now, and the only hint that SOE will give about it is that it is "anniversary related."

Planetside recently posted a new comic as part of this countdown, where a mysterious figure cackles over obtaining nanites in preparation for converting them. Into what? We still have no idea! It won't stop players from speculating, of course. Stay tuned, as we'll find out when the countdown hits zero in about a week.

New Planetside comic marks imminent countdown originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 May 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BioWare countdown breeds speculation on Star Wars: The Old Republic

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Rumors, Star Wars: The Old Republic

It's a sure thing that if you put a countdown on your site, gamers will start speculating rampantly as to what it means. BioWare has apparently decided to get in on some of that action, with their pages for the company, Dragon Age: Origins, and the Mass Effect franchise all displaying the same cryptic countdown. At the time of the above screenshot, it's going to hit zero on March 29th at roughly noon EST. The question, of course, is only half-answered by doing the math -- because the real question isn't just "when," but also "what?"

Fans of the hotly-anticipated Star Wars: The Old Republic have been speculating up a storm that it ties to an announcement for the game, perhaps the start of beta or even more news on launch. Careful digging from forum members Ianril and Zechio have uncovered a potential launch site for the game, which is currently devoid of content but certainly looks legitimate enough. Short of the company coming out and saying what it's for, we won't know for sure until noon on Monday, but those who can't wait to test the game (possibly after our GDC impressions) might have good reason to hope for the best.

[ Thanks to everyone who sent this in! ]

Update: Attempting to log into the new "launch" page with a BioWare account will return the error, "No game servers are currently available for play." Could this be the actual game servers, or perhaps servers for some other type of promotional game? Speculation continues...

Update 2: BioWare's PR has responded to Joystiq's Ben Gilbert with the following statement: "The announcement is more community focused and won't be a game announcement. Unfortunately we can't share the details with the press."

BioWare countdown breeds speculation on Star Wars: The Old Republic originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Love counts down to the launch of beta, account holders play free

Seraphina Brennan — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, News items, Virtual worlds, Love

While everyone's off enjoying the holidays, there's no rest for Eskil Steenberg. The one man of the one-man-MMO team is working hard though the holidays, putting together 26 major new features for the introduction of the Love beta test.

While the features are secret, Eskil is updating his Twitter account with information on the new features as he completes them. Once all 26 items are done, Eskil will be updating Love and sending the game into beta. Currently the features look quite interesting -- such as new specialized settlements, sound pathing for the game, letting the game's AI use teleporter guns, a new building type (prisons), and something that is only referred to as "armageddon." Whatever the heck armageddeon is, it sounds awesome.

Continue reading Love counts down to the launch of beta, account holders play free

Love counts down to the launch of beta, account holders play free originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The winner of the Mark Jacobs Award for Corporate Community Achievement is...

Seraphina Brennan — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, Humor

Yes, you didn't blink when you read the title. Of course, the award was made by Alex Litel of "Bell, Game, and Candle" at GameSetWatch and it's meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but it really shows how connected Jacobs is with all of the Warhammer Online hype.

Litel's article showcases the many press release quotes that just make you tilt your head in confusion and wonder why exactly someone wrote that for marketing purposes. Quotes such as Cliffy B calling the original Gears of War "...just a tease, an appetizer to Gears of War characters and new style of gameplay" just to ramp up marketing for Gears of War 2.

Litel inserted the Mark Jacobs award because he thought it would be unfair to include Mark Jacob's quotes in with the other quotes he gathered. With all of the passion Mark puts behind his marketing promises, including Jacobs's quotes would turn the article into a countdown of Mark Jacobs moments. So, the quotes were left out, but the spirit of Jacobs remained alive and well.

If you want to see all 50 quotes, and which quote got the coveted award, head on over to GameSetWatch and check out Litel's article. We certainly got a few chuckles out of it.

The winner of the Mark Jacobs Award for Corporate Community Achievement is... originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cryptic officially announces Star Trek Online

Elizabeth Harper — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Galleries, New titles, Star Trek Online

We may have spoiled Cryptic's little surprise, but even though we were pretty sure we knew what this whole countdown business was about, when midnight pacific time rolled around, we headed over to Cryptic's website to see what would happen next. We were immediately met by errors saying the server failed to respond as geeks world-wide attempted to do the same thing, but when we finally got through, we received the exciting launch message above and the count-down link had been swapped for a banner linking to the Star Trek Online homepage. For those of you concerned by the thought of your favorite sci-fi franchise being shoddily moved to MMO territory (and, come on, if you're Star Trek fans you must be used to the name being a bit abused), we were reassured by Jack Emmert's letter to the community:

There are few other fictional backgrounds that fit the MMORPG medium so well. After all, Star Trek was never about a single character, ship or even planet; Star Trek was always about an entire universe. And MMORPGs are uniquely suited to create such a thing and allow players to explore every inch. Admittedly, Star Trek has its challenges. We want to make a game that best captures the real essence of Star Trek. We see Star Trek as much about exploration as combat. As much about the variety of alien civilizations as it is about the core Vulcans, Klingons, Humans, etc. It's going to be an exciting ride over the coming months as we begin to unveil STO. I can't wait.

For those of you who can't get enough STO news, on August 10th Cryptic will be unveiling the first gameplay footage at the Official Star Trek Convention in Vegas (if you aren't going to be there, never fear -- they'll stream it on the web, too!) and there are new forums packed full of fans for you to geek out with.

Gallery: Star Trek Online Gallery

Cryptic officially announces Star Trek Online originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What do you want from STO?

Elizabeth Harper — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Star Trek Online, The Daily Grind

We were as giddy as any fanboy (or fangirl!) to discover that Star Trek Online was alive and well -- and in Cryptic Studios' capable hands. However, like any fanboy (or fangirl), we're never satisfied with the information we have... we always want to know more! What classes will we be able to play? What races will we be able to play? Will we be able to pilot our own starships? Will we be able to meet Kirk or Picard? What will space combat be like? What planets will be available? And, above all, when can we play it? So today, as Cryptic's not-so-mysterious countdown winds down, we ask you: what features do you hope to find in STO?

The Daily Grind: What do you want from STO? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WAR Europe's countdown not what we'd hoped

Chris Chester — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, New titles, Warhammer Online

When an ominous countdown appeared on Warhammer Online's European site last Friday, speculation surged that the Mythic team might be on the verge a major announcement. Are we finally going to see a release date set in stone instead of mud? Are they going to announce the open beta that we've all been waiting for so long? Is the NDA finally going to be lifted? Left to their own devices, WAR fanatics are liable to start expecting all sorts of things.

Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is far less exciting. No, as Mark Jacobs indicated in an overtly *hint hint* forum post, players should be able to read the writing on the wall and figure out what the countdown is for. To start, it's only on the European site, so it couldn't be something like a global release date or NDA lift. Second of all, photos of the European Collector's Edition were leaked last week. Third, developers have been talking rather openly about the content of the CE on fan forums. Without explicitly saying it, Jacobs indicated that the announcement would be the details of the Collector's Edition. Not as exciting as a release date, but what can you do?

WAR Europe's countdown not what we'd hoped originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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