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The Daily Grind: Are there too many new MMOs?

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 03 May 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Launches, New titles, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

There was a time not too long ago (although about a decade in internet time) when new MMOs were a rare event, the sort of launch that happened irregularly at best and promised to whisk you away for quite some time. Of course, a cursory glance would make it clear that this is no longer the case -- Betawatch is filled with titles in various stages of testing, and despite having already seen a high-profile title launch this year, we're due for at least one or two more before the year is out.

It's not a bad thing to have choices, of course, but we've gone from having a small sub-genre to having a veritable explosion of different MMOs on the market, from Ultima Online being the golden standard to having both Global Agenda and Mortal Online fit comfortably beneath the same aegis. Do you feel as if there's too much on the market at the moment and too many new games in development? Or do you hope we continue to see the same diversity of product, if not even more?

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: Are there too many new MMOs? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 May 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Impressions: Divine Souls

Beau Hindman — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, First Impressions, Divine Souls

Divine Souls, published by Outspark, reminds me of Vindictus in far too many ways. I only question which came first and whether more fighting games like the two are coming in the future. While I have had a lot of love for Vindictus since its release, I also have had enough issues with it that I had to stop playing it much at all. While I will save that for another article, I can use the popular Nexon release to illustrate what is wrong and right about Divine Souls. More of Massively's readers are probably familiar with Vindictus, so that will be a good point of comparison.

Think of Divine Souls as Vindictus' uglier little cousin. Granted, Vindictus is a supermodel, so that makes Divine Souls just an average beautiful person, but it should still be noted. Also, both games pit players against hordes of enemies -- massive swarms of baddies that die in spectacular ways. Well, spectacular when you see them for the first few times. After that it becomes pretty repetitive.

Join me past the cut and let's talk about what I liked and didn't like about Divine Souls. Don't worry, there are no baddies to jump you.

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First Impressions: Divine Souls originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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King of Kings 3 shows off its world-class menagerie

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, New titles, Previews, News items, Free-to-play

King of Kings 3 recently launched amidst some rather elaborate promises the game may or may not be able to follow up on. (The verdict is out on whether or not it truly is the answer to all our dreams, for instance.) But gamigo's most recent game promises a fair bit of love for a longstanding player favorite: pets. We have a small preview gallery showing off a sample of the variety of pets available in the game, ranging from small helper fairies to class-specific helper pets.

There are three basic categories of pets: imamus, class pets, and mounts. Imamus boost both the character's leveling rate and regeneration rate while serving as a remote vendor for unwanted items. Mounts come in a wide variety of flavors while offering players unspecified buffs, and class pets serve as a boon for several classes -- Sword Mages can conjure an animated sword as a companion, while Bishops get a guardian angel. If the description of the pets of King of Kings 3 interests you, take a peek at the gallery for some samples of the companions in action.

Gallery: King of Kings 3

King of Kings 3 shows off its world-class menagerie originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 24 Nov 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What makes you optimistic?

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind

Being negative about the industry these days seems to be the norm, and it's kind of understandable. APB managed to set a record for being the fastest MMO death ever, Final Fantasy XIV launched to massively mixed opinions, and not everyone is really on board for the coming Cataclysm. It's very easy to look to next year and assume that more promises will be broken, that coming titles won't live up to the hype, and that everything is doom and gloom for the forseeable future.

Despite all of that, however, there are reasons to be just a bit more optimistic. There has to be something that inspires you to at least adjust your opinion ever-so-slightly upward, that maybe things won't turn out as bad as your nervousness might indicate. Whether it's an upcoming title, patches or expansions that are handled well, or even just a humble move by developers, what makes you hopeful for the future of MMOs?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of our 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 The Daily Grind!

The Daily Grind: What makes you optimistic? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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City of Heroes celebrates the official Going Rogue launch with a new trailer

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Trailers, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Expansions, Launches, News items

In case you've managed to miss the news, the latest expansion for City of Heroes has launched today. Well, technically it launched yesterday, but that was for customers who had pre-purchased via the NCsoft store. Today remains the official launch of Going Rogue, and to both commemorate the occasion and drum up more interest, Paragon Studios has released an official launch trailer for the expansion. And if you've somehow missed all of the ramp-up to the launch, well, now would be the perfect time to catch up.

Going Rogue is a pretty big expansion for the game's core, and the video (embedded past the cut) shows off the many new elements while also highlighting the familiar City of Heroes engine. Featuring the option to switch between heroic and villainous factions as well as a revamped starting experience, it's the perfect time for a new player to jump on. And if you get in that mood after seeing the trailer, well, we do have a contest running at the moment...

Continue reading City of Heroes celebrates the official Going Rogue launch with a new trailer

City of Heroes celebrates the official Going Rogue launch with a new trailer originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fallen Earth companion app released on Blackberry

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fallen Earth, Launches, News items, Mobile, Post-Apocalyptic

Fallen Earth has been pushing its mobile app with quite a bit of vigor ever since it was released on both the iPhone and the Droid a few weeks ago. And it's with good cause -- the app allows for players to take care of a number of more tedious play elements while on the go, freeing up in-game time for more exciting endeavors. While the functionality of the software hasn't been expanded, the user base certainly has, as the mobile companion is now available for Blackberry phones and devices as well.

Available via Blackberry App World for $2.99, the ported release offers all the functionality of the original Fallen Earth application. That means players can browse the auction house, check in on the world map, keep track of crafting, and interact with both friends and clan members. For a full picture of the features, players are encouraged to check out the official release and FAQ for the prior versions, which apply equally for the latest release. Whether you're wandering as much as your favorite clone or just want to browse auctions at work, the expanded potential user base is a good thing for the game's players.

Fallen Earth companion app released on Blackberry originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Exclusive interview with Aion Producer Brian Knox

Brooke Pilley — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Interviews, New titles

We submitted a few questions to NCsoft back when players were taking their first baby steps into the strange and lush world of Atreia. Things have obviously been a bit hectic these past couple weeks but Aion Producer Brian Knox took some time out today to answer them for us. Thanks Brian!

We've heard a lot about "westernizing" or "culturalizing" Aion for North American and European audiences. Can you please explain the full breadth of this term? Are we talking about language translation, story rewrites, and lowered experience curves here?

Westernizing Aion is about making the game culturally relevant to our market. This includes going above and beyond basic translation and delving into the story behind the text and making sure that it is presented in a way our players will understand. For us it isn't so much about changing things with Aion but shining the spotlight on the area that is most appealing to our audience. Aion is a huge game with a ton choices and features for users all over the world to enjoy; making sure we point those parts out is a huge part of the culturalization

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Exclusive interview with Aion Producer Brian Knox originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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September is a crazy month for MMOs!

Brooke Pilley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, New titles, Opinion

September 2009 really is quite a month for new MMO releases, as Syp points out. Players will be able to dive into the worlds of Aion, Champions Online, Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited (barring any unfortunate legal wrangling), and Fallen Earth. While we're at it, we might as well include CrimeCraft, which launched a couple days ago too. Remember the days when you might see 1-2 new MMOs per year, staggered six months apart from each other? As the genre grows, it seems unlikely that we'll see those days again. Since we're huge MMO fans at Massively, we think that's quite awesome!

We're curious to know how you think the month of September will play out. Will this month be full of cut-throat competition with only one or two strong titles coming out on top? Are these MMOs even targeted to the same crowds? We actually feel each title is going after a slightly different audience, which may result in everyone being a winner. Do you plan on trying one of them? Two? All? None!? What's your gaming strategy coming up to September? Taking a quick look at Betawatch tells us that there may be a couple more MMOs launching in 2009 as well.

September is a crazy month for MMOs! originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Disney Fantasy Online becoming a reality in Spring 2009

Alexis Kassan — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: New titles, News items, Kids

Last we heard, Disney was interested, but not planning, to come up with their own themed MMO. Now we are told that Mickey and friends are heading to China to star in a new game in Spring 2009 - this from the news that NetDragon and Disney have teamed up to launch Disney Fantasy Online. The Disney cast of characters are set to play NPCs in a game of high adventure and romance where players can quest and level their way through campaigns.

The dynamic sounds similar to that of Hello Kitty Online, where players are able to farm, build, and raise pets in a themed environment without actually being the well-known characters. According to NetDragon, additional expansions and content will be released often to keep the game fresh. No word yet on whether/when DFO might be available outside of China, but we will stay on top of it for you.

Disney Fantasy Online becoming a reality in Spring 2009 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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