MMO Clerks

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Lord of the Rings Online, Free-to-play, One Shots

One Shots: A happy hunter hostel originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There has been a lot of talk about an Uncharted movie as of late especially when fans learned that Mark Wahlberg was set to play the action hero in the Uncharted series. One fan, even took it straight to David O. Russell the director that is behind the video game’s adaption to the big screen. Like many others he asked the director to reconsider staring Mark Wahlberg as the main hero and instead give the role to Nathan Fillion. Honestly there was a major out cry about this, I remember seeing tweet after tweet how disappointed fans were with the casting. The dust has seemed to settle but it appears that there is a glimmer of hope still, a glimmer that Nathan Fillion might still be a possibility for the movie.

When Joystiq interviewed Justin Richmond the Game’s Director and told him that they along with the masses wanted Nathan Fillion for the role he responded with the following:

Mark Wahlberg isn’t anywhere near to being confirmed to play Nathan Drake either — it’s just Hollywood scuttlebutt, apparently. Still, I dutifully told Richmond that the Joystiq Biomass had chosen, and Nathan Fillion has our vote. Message received, Richmond responded.

Source [/FILM]

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Lore, News items, RIFT

Throughout this month, Trion Worlds has been regularly releasing new information on its upcoming fantasy MMO RIFT. With the NDA having been lifted on the first two rounds of closed beta events, excitement has really started to build for what could potentially be a fun and polished MMO. The game’s third closed beta event is already underway, allowing selected testers to play through the first 20 levels and explore the new Silverwood and Freemarch zones. For anyone who didn’t make it into the third RIFT beta event, Trion has now released several screenshots and pieces of concept art on the Freemarch zone to give us an idea of what we can expect from it.

Freemarch is a zone with a chilling storyline. Home of the Defiant faction, its coasts are ravaged by the slimy monsters that clamber out from dangerous water rifts. Its fertile rolling fields are now ravaged by death rifts, and the once-grand Port Scion is completely overrun with the Deathtouched. “Freemarch is the heart of the Defiant faction,” Trion tells us. “Their wondrous city of Meridian stands by the coast, its back to the mountains, sending out waves of Defiant to keep Freemarch free. Yet every day new rifts open, new monsters emerge, and the laughter of cultists grows ever more confident and shrill. Undead claw their way from their graves to feast on the living and raze farmsteads, turning the heartland black.”

Stay tuned to Massively’s coverage of RIFT for more updates, reveals and impressions from the beta tests.

Trion profiles RIFT’s Freemarch zone originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Podcasts, Culture, Opinion, Humor, Massively Speaking

Massively Speaking Episode 128 returns with Shawn and Rubi discussing the week’s biggest news, including Steam’s holiday sale, the newest Guild Wars prequel novel, the Earthrise release date, our top MMO blogger list, Shawn’s impressions of the Rift and DCUO betas, two listener emails and much more!

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to shawn@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air!

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes.
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[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.
Listen here on the page:

Read below the cut for the full show notes.

Massively Speaking is the official podcast of Massively.com. Hosted by Editor-in-Chief Shawn Schuster and Community Manager Rubi Bayer, Massively Speaking takes on the week’s biggest news and dev interviews with plenty of opinion, rants, and laughs thrown in for good measure. Join us every Wednesday afternoon to listen in and see what we’ll say next!

Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 128

Massively Speaking Episode 128 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Classes, Game mechanics, Patches, Opinion, A Mild-Mannered Reporter

In just a few weeks, it will be the most wonderful time of the year, a time for giving presents to the most important person you can think of. Yes, that’s right, my birthday is quickly approaching, and that puts me in a mind to ask for things that I want. Also there was some other gift-related holiday recently. I can’t keep track of every little thing; I’ve got bigger issues to focus on. You don’t even know.

Now, while I could probably write a thousand words about what I want for presents overall, this is a column about City of Heroes rather than my greed-filled demands. But there are things that I’m hoping we can see in the game over the next year, and so I’m putting together my wish list for 2011 in the city. And who knows — with City of Heroes set to face some stiff competition in the coming year, we might have a fighting chance at some of these…

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The wish list

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The wish list originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you want to play the 3DS, now’s your chance — assuming you’ll be in Japan next week.

Japanese gamers and tourists can get a hands-on look at Nintendo’s latest handheld during Nintendo World 2011, which takes place January 8-10 in a convention center near Tokyo. 32 games will be on display, including playable versions of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 3D, Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. Resident Evil Revelations, Kid Icarus: Uprising and Street Fighter IV 3D help round out the list.

Over half of the games at the show will be available to play. Some of the non-playable demos include Paper Mario and Kingdom Hearts 3D along with Mario Kart and Animal Crossing.

The Nintendo 3DS will launch on February 26 in Japan for 25,000 yen (approximately $300). The U.S. launch date and price are currently unconfirmed, but some analysts speculate that it will set customers back $250.

Nintendo will reveal more details about 3DS at a press event in New York City on January 19. I’ll be reporting both news and impressions from the event, which should feature several of these playable demos.

If you’re craving more information about the 3DS, check out our hands-on preview from E3 2010.

Photo: James Merithew/Wired.com

See Also:

• The Nintendo 3DS Isn’t Just a 3D DS
• Hands On: A Few Stolen Moments With Nintendo’s Stunning 3DS …
• Nintendo 3DS Trailer Reel Packed Full of Big Franchises

If you’ve been following Rift: Planes of Telara and have been as impressed as we are with its beta and just need a little more push before committing to the game, well you’re in luck! Trion Worlds promises to shower you with freebies once you pre-purchase a standard or Collector’s Edition box of this plane-bending MMO.

A standard box pre-order will get you a free mount of your choice: a petrifying Cockatrice Chick, a devious Deep One Spawnling or a spunky Hellhound Pup. You also get an exclusive elemental weapon enchantment depending on which retailer you patronize.

Steam, for example, unlocks a Blazing Sourcestone Rune that imbues flame to your weapon and adds fire resistance to your stats. Other major stores like Amazon, Best Buy, Direct2Drive and Gamestop offer a different elemental weapon enchantment so just shop around based on convenience or your favorite Pokemon. (Pikachu fans, head to Gamestop for your electric fix!)

Meanwhile, when you pre-order the swankier Collector’s Edition box, you stand to get all the perks of the standard box plus more premium swag.

There’s the Ancient Tartagon Mount, a turtle mount that bucks its species’ sluggishness and lets you travel 60% faster at level 20. You’ll also be given a backpack-expanding Collector’s Satchel for storing more items while adventuring, and a Bogling Wastrel pet to serve as a lookout for those dangerous rifts that come out of nowhere.

As a Collector’s Edition owner, you also get customized gaming gear like a free 8GB USB drive and SteelSeries gaming mouse pad etched with Fire Rift art, both of which lets your parental units know they need to blame a new game for your insomnia.

The Rift CE rounds out the freebies with a bonus 17-track soundtrack CD and Telara Chronicles hardbound book, which is basically a compilation of the graphic novel miniseries explaining the story behind the game.

Overkill much? Not really. These Rift Pre-Order and Collector’s Edition freebies, simply try to match the lavish offers we’ve seen in the past (See: Cataclysm CE) But are we still excited for it? Absolutely! It’s not every MMO where you can ride a two-headed turtle and look both comfy and cool.

Filed under: Fantasy, Puzzle, Sci-fi, Culture, PvP, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Mobile, Trading card games, Casual, Virtual worlds, Kids, Free for All, Family, Miscellaneous

So there you are, reading a column from your favorite Massively writer on your shiny new laptop. You might be stuck with your parents and family because of the snow, or you might simply want to find a new MMORPG to play on the device. Perhaps you broke down and bought that cute pink netbook at Target, and now you need something to do with it besides reading your favorite writer of all time?

Don’t worry, because I’ve taken the time to compile and test 25 MMOs that will work wonderfully on your new toy! Yes, there are real MMOs out there that are not dependent on the latest graphics card or six gigs of ram. These are fully realized worlds, complete with chat windows and socializing. I will make a note if the game might have some difficulty on the oldest of hardware — or the least powerful — so keep an eye out for that. Otherwise, download away!

For the record, this is my new toy. I got it for work, but you know the first thing I had to do was try out gaming on it. Click past the cut to see the list!

Continue reading Free for All: Twenty-five free MMOs for that shiny new laptop

Free for All: Twenty-five free MMOs for that shiny new laptop originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Researchers at USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies are currently working on software that will allow gamers to use the Xbox 360’s motion-sensing Kinect controller to play computer games. To demonstrate their Flexible Action and Articulated Skeleton Toolkit (FAAST), they posted a video of a guy playing World of Warcraft on YouTube. Basically, keyboard commands are assigned to various body postures and gestures. Players can swing an arm to use an ability, lean to move, and so on.

According to an article on MSNBC’s In-Game blog, the institute hopes to use this new technology as exercise to help rehabilitate patients who have had a stroke or traumatic brain injury. They also hope to help combat childhood obesity and diabetes.

Check out the video after the jump and let us know what you think in this thread in our WoW general forum.

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, MMO industry, PvP, News items, Runescape, Free-to-play, Browser

Last week, we reported that RuneScape developer Jagex had taken the unusual stance of giving players a say in some major game design decisions — namely, the restoration of the wilderness as an open-PvP area and the revival of free trade. Over 1.2 million names signed the petition in just 24 hours, proving without a doubt that players want the opportunity to vote on the decision. Jagex has now moved onto phase 2 of the referendum, opening a vote to any player with a RuneScape account. If you have an account and want to vote on this important issue, head over to the wilderness referendum page to have your say. Over half a million players have already voted, with about 90% voting yes for the restoration of the wilderness and free trade.

For those old enough to remember the old days of RuneScape before the wilderness and trade restrictions came in, there’s a lot to look forward to if this motion passes. Back when RuneScape was young, the wilderness was an open PvP area full of dangerous challenges and worthwhile rewards. The further a player got into the wilderness, the higher the level difference could be between him and another player for PvP to still be possible. It was a place for gang warfare, battling the game’s toughest creatures and ad-hoc survival challenges.

Several years ago, Jagex took some serious steps to curb the growing RMT and botting problems. Direct trading was heavily restricted, with a block on trades where one player puts up a significantly different value of items or gold than the other player. The auctioneer-style “Grand Exchange” became the only reliable way to trade, but even it has limits on item value. To avoid RMT salesmen bypassing the trade system to deliver gold, limits were placed on the stakes in item duels and PvP was completely removed from the wilderness. The PvP provided by the wilderness was replaced with Bounty Hunter servers and PvP minigames. If this vote passes, all of that will be reversed and players will be free to experience a part of RuneScape’s history that has been lost for years.

Voting underway to restore RuneScape’s wilderness PvP and free trade originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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