Massively

Bungie quashes rumors that Destiny might come to the PlayStation Vita

Elisabeth Cardy — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Launches, New Titles, News Items, Consoles, Rumors, Destiny

Some rumors recently started circulating regarding Bungie's upcoming title, Destiny, and the PlayStation Vita. Bungie confirmed that these rumors are false and that Destiny will not be revealed on the PlayStation Vita (despite some previous vague hints to the contrary in the preorder page's source code).

The rumors started after the release of an image that hinted at a Bungie game coming to PS Vita in 2014 called Destiny of Spirits. Given that Sony trademarked the name Destiny of Spirits, something may still be afoot there.

Destiny officially launches for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation4 some time next year.

Bungie quashes rumors that Destiny might come to the PlayStation Vita originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Phantasy Star Online 2 will be free-to-play on the Vita in Japan

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, Business Models, Game Mechanics, News Items, Free-to-Play, Mobile, Consoles

Japanese audiences will not be hurting for ways to play Phantasy Star Online 2 when it releases next year. Forget consoles or PCs; if you have a PlayStation Vita, you can jump right into the game for free. A fan translation of information presented at this year's Tokyo Game Show confirms that the game will be free-to-play on the Vita.

Of course, there are restrictions to using the free version. Vita players will be limited to only certain shared areas with PC players and will also be unable to play the game in any sort of offline mode. Players will also need to swap memory cards to change accounts, as the free version is tied to the PSN account information stored on a memory card.

Will this be true of the Western version as well? It's unknown, as Sega has yet to officially announce that Phantasy Star Online 2 will be on the Vita in the US. Keep your eyes peeled as the game gets closer to its Japanese release and more information comes out about localization.

Phantasy Star Online 2 will be free-to-play on the Vita in Japan originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

E3 2012: DUST 514 announces Home Space, Vita companion app

Justin Olivetti — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, MMO Industry, Free-to-Play, Mobile, MMOFPS, Events (Massively's Coverage), DUST 514

The firefight's only begun between DUST 514 and the competition, as CCP Games is showing off the many subsidiary features of its upcoming PlayStation 3 MMOFPS at E3 this week. The studio used the Expo as a platform to announce that DUST 514 will have its own dedicated Home Space on the console as well as a tie-in app with the portable PlayStation Vita.

DUST 514's Home Space is intended to be a hangout for up-and-coming mercenaries, and CCP invites all interested players to check out the thematic virtual place over the summer. It will also be one of the best places to snag a beta key: CCP is kicking off DUST 514's Home Space by giving away 10,000 all access keys to the first people who visit.

The studio's also developed a companion app for the PlayStation Vita called DUST 514: Neocom. While the app does not let players fight in the game, it does allow them to experiment with loadouts, customization, market exchanges, and social features.

The premiere beta weekend event for DUST 514 will kick off on June 29th. CCP's released a new trailer for E3 that showcases the game in action, including several in-game shots of tanks, ships, and soldiers blowing stuff up -- check it out after the jump!

[Source: CCP Games press release]

Continue reading E3 2012: DUST 514 announces Home Space, Vita companion app

E3 2012: DUST 514 announces Home Space, Vita companion app originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Phantasy Star Online to be F2P, Android and iOS versions announced

Matt Daniel — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, News Items, Free-to-Play

We know that the Guild Wars 2 beta coverage is all the rage today, but it's certainly not the only sequel worthy of attention. SEGA has announced that its upcoming Phantasy Star Online 2 will utilize a free-to-play business model, which of course means that the title will feature an item shop with microtransactions.

The studio has also revealed that, in addition to partaking of the already-announced PC and PS Vita versions of the game, Android and iOS smartphone owners will be able to get in on the fun as well. While it's not entirely clear how these new versions of the game will work, we do know that they will not allow cross-platform play as the PC and Vita editions will, though they will "share data with the [PC and Vita] versions," reports Andriasang.com. The smartphone versions of the game are planned for release in winter 2012, after the summer release of the PC version but before the spring 2012 launch of the Vita edition.

Phantasy Star Online to be F2P, Android and iOS versions announced originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

DUST 514 Vita version is companion app, not full game

Jef Reahard — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Mobile, MMOFPS, DUST 514, Sandbox

If you were hoping to play a mobile version of CCP's upcoming DUST 514 shooter, you might want to adjust your expectations just a bit. The EVE Online-inspired MMOFPS will be making an appearance on Sony's PlayStation Vita device... but as a companion app rather than a full-blown game.

CCP's Brandon Laurino explained the details to Eurogamer in an interview over the weekend. "At the most basic level, you can do transactions on the market, equip and customize your character, your vehicles, set up strategies with your friends and corporation members -- all of these sort of companion functions on the go," he says.

Laurino also says that the DUST Vita launch date has yet to be determined but that gamers should keep an eye out for further iterations of the app after its initial release. "As we continue to explore what the possibilities are between Vita and PS3, of which there are many, we'll keep updating the app with stuff like that over time," he explained.

DUST 514 Vita version is companion app, not full game originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 05 Mar 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sony, CCP 'negotiating PS3 virtual item policy' for DUST 514

Jef Reahard — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Mobile, Consoles, MMOFPS, DUST 514, Sandbox

DUST 514 is somewhat revolutionary in that it's attempting to tie together two separate games (on two separate platforms) that take place in the same fictional universe. CCP is also innovating on the backend according to a new article at Develop.

The upcoming EVE Online MMOFPS tie-in will establish universal PlayStation Network microtransaction rules according to CCP CEO Hilmar Petursson. Petursson told Develop that the ongoing CCP/Sony negotiations will ultimately result in the establishment of price tiers for virtual items as well as the revenue split between Sony and third-party devs.

CCP is also exploring retail options for DUST 514, despite early reports that the title would only be available as a digital download. Finally, Petursson tells Develop that the PlayStation Vita version of DUST will "give people access to more asynchronous parts of the game." While he doesn't commit one way or the other, it's possible that the portable version of the game will connect to both the PlayStation 3 and PC versions via EVE's universal ISK currency.

Sony, CCP 'negotiating PS3 virtual item policy' for DUST 514 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: All there is to know about DUST 514

Brendan Drain — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, Previews, PvP, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, EVE Evolved, DUST 514, Sandbox

Last week, EVE Online developer CCP Games officially started accepting beta signups for its upcoming MMOFPS DUST 514. This first phase of closed beta tests will be open only to active EVE Online subscribers, giving us an early opportunity to contribute feedback to the game's development ahead of console players. I think that's important because it's our universe that the game will take place in -- literally. DUST 514 players will be connecting to EVE Online's supercluster, so gameplay between the two titles will be intimately linked in realtime.

With the new game's release date set for the summer 2012, EVE players can expect the next big expansion to focus heavily on planetary control and the DUST 514 link. The past month has been flush with new information on DUST's customisable vehicles, drop suits, infantry weapons and more. We've even had a look under the hood at the server architecture that will keep the planet-bound battles fast and furious without lagging out the EVE players smashing each other to bits in orbit.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I gather together all the key information on DUST 514 released this month and discuss what it means for EVE Online players.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: All there is to know about DUST 514

EVE Evolved: All there is to know about DUST 514 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Final Fantasy XI may be ported to PlayStation Vita

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, MMO Industry, Consoles

It's not definite yet, but signs are pointing to a possible port of Final Fantasy XI over to the recently announced PlayStation Vita in the indeterminable future.

Siliconera reports that Square Enix is mulling over a basic port of the aging title to the beefed-up portable platform. While the plans are not definite at this point, it's an intriguing concept especially when you consider Vita's Wi-Fi and 3G capabilities.

Hiromichi Tanaka, former lead designer for Final Fantasy XI and producer for Final Fantasy XIV, says that while a Vita port is a possibility, the difficulties of working with the PlayStation 3 mean that a version on that console doesn't look likely (the PS3 version of XIV is still in limbo).

Final Fantasy XI recently received a dollop of quality-of-life improvements in the July update.

Final Fantasy XI may be ported to PlayStation Vita originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments