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Soul Captor Online announced

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, New titles, Free-to-play

There's a new cel-shaded sheriff coming to town, and the only question is whether the place will be big enough for a contender this cute and cuddly. Gamania is trumpeting the upcoming arrival of Soul Captor Online, a free-to-play title that revolves around the acquisition and manipulation of monster souls.

In Soul Captor Online, players will be accompianied by an Anima, a customized spirit creature that will help them in their journeys. When the player and Anima defeat a monster, the monster's soul can be sucked out to be used for buffs, enchantments, and even mounts.

The revealed classes so far in Soul Captor are a diverse bunch: Warrior, Priest, Shaman, and of course, the Onmyoji (mage). There is a pair of unannounced classes hiding in the shadows as well.

Currently, Soul Captor is accepting sign-ups for beta. Check out the tongue-in-cheek trailer after the jump and let us know what you think!

Continue reading Soul Captor Online announced

Soul Captor Online announced originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rise and Shiny recap: Monster Forest

Beau Hindman — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Casual, Humor, Rise and Shiny, Livestream

Monster Forest, brought to us by Asiasoft, is a deceptive little game. First of all, it feels so freshly translated that there are still bits of foreign language clinging to quest text and character speech. But the sheer amount of little games and systems involved makes me feel like I am revisiting Mabinogi for the first time. If you took a collectible pet game, a farming system, turn-based combat, a stock market, and several other major systems and wrapped them in a cartoony skin, you would get Monster Forest. Heck, we did get Monster Forest.

Also, the GMs from Asiasoft are insane. Now, I am fully aware of the cultural differences between West and East. I respect them and always remember to avoid applying any stereotypes to any one group. But let's face it, North American game developers would never ask their GMs to dress up like the person in this video to film a game guide. It just wouldn't happen, unless the North American crew was attempting to be silly. To the lady in the video, this is just another day at the office.

Anyway, let's find out some more details -- click past the cut!

Continue reading Rise and Shiny recap: Monster Forest

Rise and Shiny recap: Monster Forest originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Captain's Log: Five features STO should "borrow" from other MMOs

Ryan Greene — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Captain's Log

Hi, everybody! (Hi, Dr. Nick!) Thanks for tuning in to another edition of Captain's Log, where we laud and lament the finer points of Star Trek Online each and every Thursday. Last week sure was fun, wasn't it? Nothing gets the comments pumping like defending the work of Cryptic Studios, amirite?

This week, I feel like having a little more fun. These are exciting times for MMO-lovers, and I admit my eye -- and my playing time -- have gone a-wanderin' of late. So I got to thinking this week about which features from other MMOs I would most like to see implemented in STO. Keep reading, because I'm going to tell them to you! And then I'm going to demand that you suggest your own features in the comments!

Continue reading Captain's Log: Five features STO should "borrow" from other MMOs

Captain's Log: Five features STO should "borrow" from other MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lost Pages of Taborea: Gotta catch 'em all

Jeremy Stratton — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic, Lost Pages of Taborea, Guides

What an incredible expansion Chapter III: The Elder Kingdoms is turning out to be! In addition to the awesomeness of the new two-seated mounts and the new instance, Runes of Magic also received surprisingly large new gameplay features. Yes, I'm talking about the new pet system that seemed to be overshadowed during the advertising of The Warnorken Castle, but is no less exciting than Warnorken Arena, for which the patch was named.

The pet system is so large in scope that it renewed the initial wonder and excitement I had when I first logged in to RoM and saw all the uniquely deep elements it began with. Finding, naming, and caring for pets is an entire game unto itself that bleeds into -- and feeds -- other aspects of RoM as well. It's Pokemon meets Digimon meets MMO, and it's delivered to you by the Easter Bunny. Hop past the jump to reveal all the inner workings of this awesome new system.

Continue reading Lost Pages of Taborea: Gotta catch 'em all

Lost Pages of Taborea: Gotta catch 'em all originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trickster Online's Spring Poppuri Olympics flings out prizes

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Trickster Online

They all laughed at you when you told them you were playing a 2D sprite-based MMORPG with characters cuter than The Smurfs, Rainbow Brite and Pokémon all rolled into one. Now you have the chance to wave a brand-new iPod touch in their faces and crow "Who's laughing now? Who's laughing now?" as they fall to their knees and scream to the sky.

Ntreev's Trickster Online continues to roll out special events and contests for its playerbase, as it just announced their Spring Poppuri Olympics, which starts March 18th and runs through April 7th. Players can net some snazzy prizes through this event, including an in-game pet, an iPod Touch 32G, an autographed 2010 World Cup soccer ball, and more.

To win, players are tasked to drill for special "Poppuri Boxes" hidden across Caballa Island. If you are level 40 and find at least 200 of these boxes, you will be eligible to win the goodies. "We love to watch the fierce drilling spirit of our players during these Poppuri events," said Chris Lee, CEO of Ntreev USA. "Players will be rewarded nicely with some fabulous prizes for this exciting event and we hope to deliver more events in the future with even greater in-game and real-world prizes."

Since Trickster Online is a free-to-play title, there's no reason why you shouldn't head on over to their website, and check it out to see if it's up your alley. And with the lure of a free iPod touch, there's no time like the present!

Trickster Online's Spring Poppuri Olympics flings out prizes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Digital Continuum: Free Realms is missing one key class

Kyle Horner — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: News items, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Digital Continuum, Free Realms

There are a lot of Jobs in Free Realms, but of all the job types available there's one in particular that's nowhere to be seen. Why SOE hasn't done everything within their power to launch with a monster battler job is beyond me. Maybe legal can't decide on whether or not to include berets as a costume option.

Moreover, when will it be added, if such a thing ever occurs? Surely the developers would be crazy to design a free-to-play "Mommy can I borrow your credit card?" online game without considering the power of capturing, leveling, evolving and battling monsters.

Continue reading The Digital Continuum: Free Realms is missing one key class

The Digital Continuum: Free Realms is missing one key class originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Childhood memory MMOs

Krystalle Voecks — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind

The sheer amount of "oh how COOL" and squeeing when we first heard about the LEGO MMO was pretty heavy around the virtual Massively offices. While it wasn't entirely universal, many of us fondly remember playing with Legos for hours in our youth. (Hell, some of us haven't stopped playing with them.) Then we heard that the people behind Pokemon won't consider doing an MMO, which made some of us sad - that was from our youth too. Since then we've dreamed up all manner of childhood MMOs behind the scenes; from ones based on Voltron and Gundam, to trying to recreate worlds from young-adult reading like Harry Potter. This morning we thought we'd toss this question out to you - what childhood memory would you like to see developed into an MMO? From young to old, there must have been something you thought was a fantastic toy to play with, or world to imagine - can you see it developed into an MMO? What childhood memory MMO would you make if you could?

The Daily Grind: Childhood memory MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMO! Pokemon does not choose you

Krystalle Voecks — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Opinion

If you've been waiting for a Pokemon MMO to come out, we're afraid we've got some bad news for you. In an interview with What They Play, Pokemon series director Junichi Masuda confirmed that they're not considering going in the MMO direction at this time. As he stated in the interview, "Trading is a core concept of Pokemon. So when you're trading, you meet with a friend and decide which one you want and which one they want. I would like to emphasize real-world communication. You don't see each other online."

That said, we've heard rumblings from some of our readers about Ether Saga, which appears to be based on a pet-collecting and fighting system - although we'd note we haven't played it and can't judge just how similar the two might be in practice. Perhaps the creators of Pokemon will reconsider their no-MMO decision down the road. Sure, you may not see people face-to-face when it comes to online gaming, but handled properly, MMOs can be a great way to meet new people and potentially make friends you wouldn't have met otherwise.

[via GamesIndustry]

MMO! Pokemon does not choose you originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kendra Bancroft/Madeleine Blaustein passes away

Tateru Nino — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, News items, Second Life, Virtual worlds

It is with some regret that we note the passing of a notable, veteran Second Life user, the vivacious and witty Kendra Bancroft, better known in some circles as popular children's television and video-game English voice actress, Madeleine Blaustein.

Maddie joined Second Life in June 2004 and under the name Kendra Bancroft was a long time friend and compatriot of the well-known (if slightly infamous) Ulrika Zugzwang. She participated in Second Life politics, experimental democracy, protests, parties and virtual construction.

Maddie also gave unique voice to a variety of well-known cartoon, anime and video-game characters, such as Pokemon's Meowth, and Sartorius from Yi-Gi-Oh GX. She was, however, perhaps most notable for her building, vivacious wit, and her loyalty to her friends.

Maddie died in her sleep on 11 December, after a brief (but unspecified) illness at the age of 48.

Are you a part of the most widely-known collaborative virtual environment or keeping a close eye on it? Massively's Second Life coverage keeps you in the loop.

Kendra Bancroft/Madeleine Blaustein passes away originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Frogster will drown you in new MMOs ... if you live in Europe

Brenda Holloway — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Historical, Real life, Sports, Galleries, Expansions, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Chronicles of Spellborn, Casual, Stone Age 2, Bounty Bay Online, Runes of Magic

Frogster, noted European and Asian MMO publisher, has released a flying voidship-load of information about their upcoming MMOs for the European market.

Long awaited fantasy MMO The Chronicles of Spellborn is still due out late this year, with open beta to begin in October. We've been following this game closely for some time, but it looks like the rumored US publisher (given their prior relationship, perhaps Aeria Games) is not yet ready to announce North American release dates for the game. The World of Warcraft-ish Asian Import Runes of Magic, newly rescored and tuned toward Western tastes, will enter closed beta in September, for a European release about two months later. Isometric pet-raising, caveman-themed MMO StoneAge 2, already in open beta in North America, will be entering European closed beta in August ahead of a fall release. Next week, Frogster will release more information on its latest MMO, soccer-themed Kickster (formerly Kick Off). And they want us to keep an eye out for an expansion to the Bounty Bay Online pirate MMO.

Assuming you live in Europe, which ones should you particularly keep your eye on? If you bought a Gameboy just to play Pokemon, you might really enjoy StoneAge 2. If a subscription fee is keeping you from playing World of Warcraft, Runes of Magic might just be different enough to get you interested, and it will be free to play. If you liked Age of Conan's innovative combat system but couldn't get into the world of Hyboria, Spellborn's unique setting and combat system combined with its lush visuals might sell you.

Check out screenshots from each of these games in the gallery below.

Gallery: Frogster Fall Releases

Frogster will drown you in new MMOs ... if you live in Europe originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mudkips not included

James Egan — Sun, 25 May 2008 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Kids

What do you get when you cross Pokémon with the Chinese literary classic 'Journey to the West' ? This hybrid is Pocketpet Journey West, a quirky little title that could only come from Asia. The game is being developed by Perfect World, whose focus is on the Chinese online gaming market, although they've licensed their games to operators in ten other countries so far. No definitive announcement has been made as to whether Pocketpet Journey West is coming to North American or European markets, but Perfect World stated their intent to bring more of their titles to overseas markets.

Pocketpet Journey West is a game almost entirely based around pets. Players can capture and tame monsters, boost their pet's attributes, and trade those pets with other players. Perhaps the oddest feature of the pet system is that two pets can be merged into one, with customized or enhanced abilities. When a player isn't gene-splicing their beloved little (and not-so-little) companions, they can take to the skies and cloud surf. Sounds like a wonderfully bizarre title, and one that Massively will keep an eye on in the future. If they do have a release outside of China, Pocketpet Journey West might be the answer to at least one Massively writer's hopes for an MMO sugar fix.

Mudkips not included originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 May 2008 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nnooo.com pitches Pokemon MMO; own name gives the answer

Akela Talamasca — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, News items, Opinion

Question: What's the difference between John Q. Public saying they "have a neat idea" for a Pokémon MMO and the maker of casual Wii title Pop saying the same thing? Answer: a foot in the door, and little else. That hasn't stopped nnooo.com from pitching the idea to Nintendo via their website, along with ideas for games based on the Battlestar Galactica, James Bond, and X-Men franchises. We're not saying they don't have the talent to back this claim, but a casual title is a far cry from a polished MMO -- and possibly Nintendo's first one, at that.

Even assuming this pitch had a chance to be taken seriously by Nintendo, it's highly unlikely the company would let a third-party develop it, judging by their existing Pokémon line's history. You know, if we're calling dibs, we've already pitched two of these ideas ourselves. Hmm ... Massively Games ... has a nice ring, doesn't it?

[Via NintendoLife]

Nnooo.com pitches Pokemon MMO; own name gives the answer originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 May 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Games that could be MMOs: Pok�mon

Akela Talamasca — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Classes, Culture, Game mechanics, PvP, Opinion, Races, Academic

The Pokémon brand is one of the largest and most successful franchises the gaming world has ever spawned. There are no less than 10 videogames, 1 trading card game, 12 movies, an animated series, 10 soundtrack CDs, a bunch of manga -- but no official MMO.

Why this hasn't already happened is beyond the imagination of this blogger. C'mon, a world in which thousands, if not millions of wanna-be Pokémon trainers are working hard to be number one, constantly pitting their captive critters against each other, and every iteration of the game franchise is only one-on-one? This isn't rocket science; it's not even science fair volcano science. But if we were to imagine a Pokémon MMO, it would look something like this:

Continue reading Games that could be MMOs: Pok�mon

Games that could be MMOs: Pok�mon originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Impressions: Mabinogi

Akela Talamasca — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Culture, Game mechanics, New titles, Crafting, Tips and tricks, Quests, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Humor, Mabinogi, Massively Hands-on, First Impressions

Mabinogi is an engaging MMO by Nexon, the makers of Maple Story, Audition, and Kart Rider. The name is derived from the Mabinogion, a collection of old Welsh stories. In that sense, it's well-named; Mabinogi is billed as 'your fantasy life', and much of what happens in the game follows a gentle, pastoral atmosphere -- even the combat, to a certain degree. We had the chance to check this out, now that it's in open beta, and here's what we found. Keep in mind that this is not a guide -- we have no insider knowledge to report. This is merely a record of our opinions and experience playing this game for the first few hours. Excelsior!

Gallery: First Impressions: Mabinogi

Continue reading First Impressions: Mabinogi

First Impressions: Mabinogi originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rappelz reaches 50,000 European users in under a month

Akela Talamasca — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, Launches, Leveling, Rappelz, News items, Free-to-play

Warcry brings us the news that Rappelz, made by the fine folks at Gala Networks (who also made Flyff), has attracted over 50,000 active users in the less-than-one month since the game has debuted French and German versions. Two new servers have opened to accommodate the influx of new accounts: the French Kentauros, and the German Bastet, both named after in-game creatures.

To further celebrate the success of the launch, Gala has increased the experience gain to 1.5 until March 18th. Rappelz's gameplay features a system by which you may capture and tame creatures to fight alongside you in combat. Hmm. Do we also gotta catch 'em all? Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, I choose you!

Rappelz reaches 50,000 European users in under a month originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC08 Highlights: Freaky Creatures, Habbo and Love

Dan O'Halloran — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 12:57:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Galleries, Screenshots, Business models, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, Previews, PvP, Reviews, News items, Habbo Hotel, Hands-on, Casual, Massively highlights, Virtual worlds, Freaky Creatures, Love

Freaky Creatures

"This is like Pokémon, but far, far cooler."

Drive to toy store. Buy cool monster action figure. Discover flash drive buried in packaging. Use it to upload a digital version of your creature and then pit that bad boy in head-to-head combat against other players and their pet arsenal online. That, my friends, is Freaky Creatures. Don't pretend you're not drooling to learn more.

Gallery: GDC08: Freaky Creatures

Continue reading GDC08 Highlights: Freaky Creatures, Habbo and Love

GDC08 Highlights: Freaky Creatures, Habbo and Love originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 02 Mar 2008 12:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC08: Abandon Interactive's Freaky Creatures

Akela Talamasca — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 04:45:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Sci-fi, Galleries, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, Opinion, Mobile, Hands-on, Casual, Massively Hands-on, Massively Event Coverage

Today (and by 'today', of course, I'm talking 'earlier Tuesday', whereas for many of you reading this as it goes live, it'll be Wednesday already) I saw a vibrant new MMO called Freaky Creatures. By the end of my session with the creative team, I said this, and I quote: "You guys will hear this a lot from now on, so let me be the first: this is like Pokémon, but far, far cooler."

And it is. Freaky Creatures has a lot going for it, and it sounds like they're getting it all right. Given that the game has been in development for over 5 years now, Abandon Interactive has had the advantage of watching many an MMO rise and fall, and they're making sure they don't make the same mistakes. Read on, O Intrepid One, and lemme 'splain some things to you.

Gallery: GDC08: Freaky Creatures

Continue reading GDC08: Abandon Interactive's Freaky Creatures

GDC08: Abandon Interactive's Freaky Creatures originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 20 Feb 2008 04:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is it okay to kill animals for money and experience?

Akela Talamasca — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Leveling, PvE, Opinion

The time-honored tradition of starting out as a noob fighter, taking down the local wildlife to level up, has probably not been the subject of too much consideration. After all, you gotta kill something, right? Well, actually, that's another discussion completely. Now, I'm not one to trot out the 'Won't someone think of the children?' complaint, but this is a topic that's been on my mind ever since Pokémon arrived on our shores.

Sure, we can all tell the difference between reality and a videogame. And the average game wolf critter is no substitute for the real thing, of course. But it's a casual element that's easily rectifiable, and at some level, the message is clear: it's okay to kill animals for fun. At least with humanoids, there's provable intent to cause harm. With animals, you're just treading on their territory, and you should leave. I'm under no illusions about where my meat comes from, but this isn't about survival. Gaming or not, this is poaching.

Now, I can appreciate that this is a silly argument to some extent, but as game designers (and I include myself in that category, having worked in the industry previously), we ought to be able to develop ways to level up that don't involve predation. It sets a bad example, at this stage of MMO development history it's lazy, and there's no real excuse to use animals in place of people. A warrior should practice his combat skills on opponents who behave like he does, not on creatures with their own innocent agendas.

Is it okay to kill animals for money and experience? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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