Apr 30 2009
Enterbrain, publisher of Japanese gaming mag Famitsu, has polled its readers as to why they don’t buy the Xbox 360. You know, the reasons why.
Here is the breakdown:
• Worried about its future…
Original post by Brian Ashcraft
Apr 30 2009
A World of Warcraft subscriber has accidentally been given a powerful in-game item normally reserved for internal testing. And what’d he do with it? Why, he used it.
Yes, instead of doing the right…
Original post by Luke Plunkett
Apr 30 2009
Face it, when you’re playing on a console with a controller, typing is tough. Japanese PS3 exclusive White Knight Chronicles has players do just that.
The American version may not.
Tsubasa Inaba,…
Original post by Brian Ashcraft
Apr 30 2009
Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Guides
Codemasters have posted a Hero’s guide to Forochel over on the European Lord of the Rings Online forum. Forochel was added to the game last year as part of book 13 of volume one and has content for players in their mid to late 40s. Although this zone has been around for a while now the changed leveling curve speeds up the rate at which players will encounter this content.
The guide details the major locations of the zone, the beasts and quests available to the player and includes the book itself, Doom of the Last King, which brings Angmars’s attention to Forochel.
LOTRO: Hero’s Guide to Forochel originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Original post by Jon Shute
Apr 30 2009
Filed under: Fantasy, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic
Free-to-play MMO Runes of Magic is prompting players to get green-fingered with their brand new plant system. While currently being tested, it is due to be implemented in an upcoming patch. Basically, players will be able to plant seeds in colourful pots (no boring visit to the garden centre required). Seeds can be purchased from the Item Shop or found left behind after slaughtering your foes, we assume some enemies must be stashing seeds in their pockets which fall out when they expire.
The plants must be watered regularly — they will shrivel up and die if you forget — and can take up to a week to grow. You can fertilise them with magical runes which will help determine what the plant will yield. This can be anything from more seeds and runes to the rarest of crafting items.
It’s certainly an interesting mechanic and [...]
Original post by Lesley Smith
Apr 30 2009
Filed under: At a glance, MMO industry, Reviews, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Anti-Aliased
Times are tough, the wallet is tight, and you still need a game to play. But what free games can you wrap your hands around that just don’t suck, right? That seems to be the trouble with free to play games — many selections all with very low quality.
But the market is not as bad as you might think. There are certainly some gems out there in the free to play market, just waiting for you to wrap your hands around them and play. Finding them however, hasn’t always been easy, until now.
With the recommendations of my colleagues here at Massively, and my own personal experience, I’ve complied a list of 5 free to play games that are worthy of your play time. In advance, however, I wish to apologize to Chronicles of Spellborn, Wizard 101, and FusionFall. All [...]
Original post by Colin Brennan
Apr 30 2009
Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, Game mechanics, Patches, PvP, Opinion
MMO developer Aventurine makes no bones about Darkfall being an aggressive, PvP-centric game — one that we’ve seen no small amount of debate over among Massively’s readers. However, like all new MMOs (and some old), there are still some kinks Aventurine is working out with Darkfall. This week’s patch brought significant changes to the game, which are detailed in the official patch notes, but MMORPG.com’s Darkfall Correspondent Megan Clark has written her expanded take on the changes and what they mean for the gameplay experience. Clark breaks down the April 24th patch changes as “The Good, the Bad and the Mundane.”
As to the ‘good’, Clark points out improvements in sorting out friend from foe, crafting and trade enhancements (with greater protection when trading outside of one’s own clan), and new quest lines added. The ‘bad’, as Clark sees it, is a 45-minute [...]
Original post by James Egan
Apr 30 2009
Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Casual, Kids, Wizard101
The picture for massively multiplayer games aimed at a younger demographic is decidedly bright. Titles like Cartoon Network’s FusionFall and Wizard101 from KingsIsle Entertainment have already attracted millions of players, though in the case of FusionFall, having your own TV network to promote it can’t hurt those registered member numbers.
Not to be outdone, the last word we had on the number of Wizard101 subscribers placed it at over 1 million accounts, but today’s press announcement confirms the figure at double that initial estimate — Wizard101 has now hit the 2 million unique user mark. That number is likely to grow with KingsIsle Entertainment’s other announcement — beginning today, Wizard101 prepaid gift cards can be found in 7-Eleven stores throughout the U.S., in $10 denominations.
Wizard101 hits 2 million unique user mark originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:30:00 EST. [...]
Original post by James Egan
Apr 30 2009
Filed under: Launches, MMO industry, Casual, Free Realms, Massively Interviews, Kids
Free Realms has launched, the floodgates have been opened and the servers have multiplied like little fluffy bunnies. Despite a slight delay, the launch’s feedback has been predominantly positive. Not only is this rare for an MMO launch these days, considering the factors, but it’s also a testament to the team involved.
We took this opportunity, not even 2 days after launch, to sit down with the game’s Creative Director, Laralyn McWilliams, to discuss the big event and how players have reacted so far. Plus, we talk a bit about the future of the game and what types of features we can expect to see coming soon. Follow along after the cut below for our complete interview with Free Realms!
Continue reading Massively’s post-launch interview with Free Realms
Massively’s post-launch interview with Free Realms originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 [...]
Original post by Shawn Schuster
Apr 30 2009
Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Launches, Ultima Online
Publishing giant Electronic Arts have announced that the latest expansion for Ultima Online will be released this summer. Stygian Abyss is the eighth expansion pack for the game and promises a slew of new content to explore as well as a new playable race: the Gargoyles.
The Gargoyles have a slew of racial abilities including the ability to fly, which in turn unlocks special Gargoyle-only areas. However, players will also be excited to hear they’ve not been forgotten. There are a host of new lands and dungeons to discover from Ter Mur and the Gargoyle homeland to the Stygian Abyss dungeon itself.
EA are touting the Stygian Abyss as ‘the largest dungeon area ever introduced to Ultima Online‘ which ‘will contain new boss monsters of unparalleled difficulty including the Medusa, Primeval Lich and the Stygian Dragon, as well as Player vs. Player zones where adventurers will [...]
Original post by Lesley Smith