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Dragon Nest reveals its newest character, Kali

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 03 May 2013 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Classes, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, Dragon Nest

Here's the problem with having a destined hero -- no matter how specific you make the criteria for being the chosen one, there's always the chance you'll wind up with the chosen two or four or whatever. That's the case in Dragon Nest, where the new character Kali is a second prophet in addition to the prophet Rose. While Rose seemed to be the chosen one, Kali wields the same amount of power, albeit in a very different fashion.

As demonstrated in the preview video, Kali revels in dark magic and spirit attacks, mixing up large magical attacks flowing melee strikes. She's advertised as moving quickly between targets, and certainly seems built for speed and multi-target abilities over single hits or durability. But you don't have to take our word for it, as you can check out some of Kali's moves for yourself in the video embedded just past the break.

[Source: Nexon press release]

Continue reading Dragon Nest reveals its newest character, Kali

Dragon Nest reveals its newest character, Kali originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Should games periodically update their tutorials?

Eliot Lefebvre — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Lore, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

As I began playing Star Trek Online for the first time in years, it occurred to me that the tutorial quests were still very familiar. This is not entirely surprising; outside of a handful of extra help windows, they're the same basic tutorial quests that existed in the game back when it launched.

On the one hand, this is perfectly reasonable. Updating a bunch of tutorial quests that are there just to ease you into the feel of a new game would just be fixing something that's not broken. At the same time, when the game presents its tutorial as part of a story, it's odd when the tutorial no longer reflects the overall setting of the game. And if you've played the tutorial before, it's a bit disheartening to do so a second (or third or fourth...) time.

So what do you think? Should games periodically update their tutorials? Or should a tutorial be upgraded only to be more straightforward rather than changing with the times?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

The Daily Grind: Should games periodically update their tutorials? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 10 Mar 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively Exclusive: Blacklight: Retribution shows off the end of the world, part 1

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, Patches, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS

If you're a fan of Perfect World Entertainment's competitive MMO shooter Blacklight: Retribution, you're in for the end of the world. The game's latest update, World's End, is coming after the end of this week's scheduled maintenance, and it's a big one, complete with new playable characters, new specialized assault robots, and new maps to shoot your way through.

Chronos, the new hero, is meant to act as a group's computer specialist, with an innate ability to hack control nodes faster. He comes equipped with an auto-turret and HRV decoy by default, allowing him to place traps or simply defend himself while hacking. These skills will be put to good use in the new maps, Decay and Trench, with the former featuring close-quarter alleyway combat and the latter giving plenty of mid-range sniping spots.

Take a look at the official launch trailer just past the update screenshot gallery, and stay tuned this week for more previews leading up to the patch launch!

[Source: PWE press release]

Gallery: Blacklight: Retribution screenshots

Continue reading Massively Exclusive: Blacklight: Retribution shows off the end of the world, part 1

Massively Exclusive: Blacklight: Retribution shows off the end of the world, part 1 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Do you start over when you return to an old game?

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

So you've decided to return to a game that you played in the past. A fine choice, really. But that leaves you with an interesting dilemma. You could log in on your existing character, but that would mean re-learning things, trying to figure out where you had left off, and all of that. Or you could just wipe the slate clean and start over, kicking yourself back into the earliest stages to re-learn the game from the ground up.

On the one hand, your high-level character in Star Trek Online or Guild Wars or whatever game you're returning to might very well have benefits that are difficult to replicate. On the other hand, it's possible that a lot has changed since the last time you played, and it might be easiest to restart from the ground level. So which do you generally prefer? Do you like to restart after a long absence, or do you pick up where you left off and muddle through anything you might have forgotten?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

The Daily Grind: Do you start over when you return to an old game? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Dec 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Too many choices

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Classes, Game Mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-Play, A Mild-Mannered Reporter

We've gotten a lot of new powersets in City of Heroes ever since the game went free-to-play. This is something that I've talked about before: There's rather uncomfortable cycle during which a new set is released full of bugs, but it gets played for a month before the next set comes out and you stop thinking about the old one. And that's definitely a potential problem, but with the release of the new Water Blast set, I'm thinking that there's a much more coherent one in mind.

Specifically, I'm thinking for the first time that maybe there's something to the old issue of being locked into a power set after character creation.

Don't get me wrong -- I don't think Water Blast is overpowered or underpowered. It actually looks like it makes better use of a new mechanic than did the last big ranged set. But we now have an absolute surfeit of options for playing a Blaster, and as the game gets more and more endgame-heavy, I'm starting to wonder how long it will be before players get tired. We're seeing a different sort of power creep here: We just have too many choices for a new character.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Too many choices

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Too many choices originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Jul 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: When do you alt?

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

We know that some of you love to roll alts and some of you just play one character until the end time. This question is not about that. No, today we want something that's much more fundamental but yet subtly more important -- when do you make those alts? When do you click back over to character creation and start fresh?

For some players, it's a matter of boredom. Some players make new characters based on roleplaying demands. Some just love to roll new characters on a regular basis whenever one character hits an important milestone. And for some of us, it's just a matter of whenever the whim strikes, whether or not that whim makes a lot of sense at the time.

If you don't make alts, of course, your answer is "almost never." But if you do, we ask you -- when do you make your new characters? What motivates you to start again from the bottom on a regular basis? When is it time to make another character?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

The Daily Grind: When do you alt? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Atlantica Online unveils Sheriff Christine

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Classes, Patches, Previews, News Items, Free-to-Play, Atlantica Online

Atlantica Online has given us a rather appealing bit of information -- a new mercenary is moseying into town tomorrow. And true to form, she's promising to bring some interesting new wrinkles to the gameplay for anyone interested in laying down the law. Sheriff Christine is the latest addition to the game, offering players a variety of abilities to help control the flow of battle and interactions with the enemy party, using stuns and control-like abilities to turn the tide.

Among her arsenal of stuns and control abilities is her new Arrest ability, which freezes an enemy unit for two turns. She also brings area damage into play with her Revolver Rush skill, or single-target damage with her self-buffing skill Steady Stance. We've also been given a few exclusive screenshots of Christine in action, so check them out in our small gallery, and keep your eyes open for Christine's full launch in Atlantica Online tomorrow.

Gallery: Atlantica Online's Sherriff Christine

Atlantica Online unveils Sheriff Christine originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Impressions: City of Heroes Going Rogue

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Expansions, Game Mechanics, Launches, Opinion, First Impressions

To hear the team talk about it, Going Rogue isn't simply an expansion for City of Heroes but a full-on reboot of the game in general. It's hard to see how, on some level; outside of the new powersets and a new starting area, not much is visibly being added with the expansion. But sitting down and playing through the starting area and the game's opening suddenly feels like an entirely different experience. It's not a new game -- but it feels like a leap forward from where the game had been just a few days before.

I didn't get nearly as much time with the Going Rogue beta as I would have liked, and I'll be the first to admit that I'm biased when it comes to City of Heroes. But even with those standards set, I was impressed right away with how the game has been revamped from the start -- and what these revamps mean for the game as a whole and moving forward. Click on past the cut for the first impressions of the latest expansion, which launches today. (Coincidental, yes?)

Gallery: First Impressions: City of Heroes Going Rogue gallery

Continue reading First Impressions: City of Heroes Going Rogue

First Impressions: City of Heroes Going Rogue originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shannon Posniewki talks level cap and mid-level content for Champions Online

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 06 May 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Interviews, Endgame, Opinion, Champions Online

There are ways that the current Champions Online Executive Producer, Shannon Posniewki, doesn't follower in the footsteps of predecessor Bill Roper. But much like Roper, Posniewki loves talking about the game, and almost always has something interesting to say as a result. In a recent interview, he talked about some of the issues of the game's present and future that are doubtlessly on the minds of many players, not the least of which is the level cap.

Unfortunately for players who just can't get enough leveling, the cap is staying put for now -- the team likes it right where it is. However, they also recognize how popular it is to move a new character to max level and then start rolling up alts, and are looking into ways to make doing so more rewarding. They also want to buff out mid-range content a bit, with possibilities of something in the 20-30 range.

Adventure packs, the first of which is due out in June, will help expand the content by being repeatable and runnable by any hero above Level 11. Champions Online players might not be hitting Level 70 any time soon, but it looks like they'll have plenty to make up for it.

Shannon Posniewki talks level cap and mid-level content for Champions Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 May 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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