Be The Gamer

Are you going to be at GamesCom in Cologne, Germany? If you are planning to be in the area from the 19th to the 23rd of August, then you should head on over and check out Frogster Interactive’s booth. Runes of Magic is going to be attending the convention in style, with 23 high end gaming rigs running Chapter II: The Elven Prophecy.

Frogster is also going to be conducting some nice giveaways as well, including a brand new Runes of Magic PC. Beyond the prizes there will be some small scale panels, including concept artist Eva Widermann explaining the concept artwork she did for Elven Prophecy and Runes of Magic guild Nocturnis giving pointers on how to run one of the game’s high end instances.

Excited for more Runes of Magic info? Keep an eye on our site, as we have an upcoming developer’s tour through The Elven Prophecy!

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic

Runes of Magic Chapter II to be shown at GamesCom originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey just a friendly reminder for our European readers, Codemasters Online is running a welcome back week for Lord of the Rings Online starting on Monday. All former subscribers are welcome to come back for a great week of bonus experience and free gameplay. Who can turn down leveling faster and leveling for free?

Don’t worry about fiddling with your account or clicking any “re-activate” links either. Codemasters will turn all of the accounts online on their own, so all you have to do is re-install the game or simply patch up to the latest version, Book 8: The Scourge of Khazad-Dûm. We have lots of information on Book 8, plus we even got a tour of it from Turbine! If you’re not up-to-date, now’s the perfect time to check out all of our coverage!

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Events, in-game, News items

Welcome back week for Lord of the Rings Online Europe starts next Monday originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s not very often that you get the chance to beat developers at their own game. It’s even rarer when you get the chance to beat developers at their own game and win prizes for it. If you want our advice, take the Fallen Earth team up on their current beta contest — Dev Hunt.

Beta testers are going to get the chance to hunt down the Fallen Earth developers and kill them in-game for a shot at some nice prizes, including an Nvidia GTX 260 video card, Logitech G11 keyboard, Razer DeathAdder gaming mice, and Fallen Earth swag. If you’re a beta tester, all you need to do is log into the Grand Canyon Province on August 8th at 12 PM EDT (GMT-4 for those who need time conversions) and start hunting a developer that’s around your level. You get points for being logged in and points if you’re present when a developer dies. The event will last until 3 PM EDT.

Not a beta tester? Not to worry! Fill out the registration form and you can still get in on the developer destruction! Just make sure to register before August 6th, or no developer hunting for you!

Filed under: Betas, Horror, Fallen Earth, Contests, News items

Beat Fallen Earth developers at their own game for sweet, sweet prizes originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yesterday’s “Where Am I?” screenshot contest ended in another win for a lucky (and skilled) Massively reader. This time we improved the rules a bit by having participants email their answers and the winner was chosen randomly from those correct submissions.

So congratulations goes out to Derella for the correct answer this week. The screenshot was taken in Free Realms, right at the gate to the Croaking Vale instance. Only a handful of you got that right, while dozens copied the wrong answer from the comments. The prize this time was a Sony Station Cash card, so we hope Derella spends it wisely! Join us next Thursday for another challenging edition of “Where Am I?”.

Filed under: Screenshots, Contests, Free-to-play, Massively meta, Free Realms, Where Am I

“Where Am I?” contest results from week two originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know, I would be quite amiss if I didn’t take the time to weigh in on the microtransaction and subscription argument that has been going around town lately. It seems to be the buzz on everybody’s lips.

For those of you not in the know as to what I’m talking about, here’s the deal. With the upcoming release of Champions Online, Cryptic is taking a double-edged approach to generating revenue. The game is going to run on a standard subscription package, but it will also let players have the option of buying extra “account options” and costume pieces via Cryptic Points.

Now, some people feel as if this is a perfectly fine way to conduct business, while others find this system to be nothing more than price gouging and unnecessary. How do I feel? Well, jump the break and I’ll give you my feelings on both sides of the argument.

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: Microtransaction mayhem

Filed under: Super-hero, Business models, Culture, MMO industry, New titles, Opinion, Consoles, Champions Online, Anti-Aliased

Anti-Aliased: Microtransaction mayhem originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to Betawatch, Massively’s weekly report on the state of MMO betas. In each installment, we’ll report everything from the latest open betas, closed betas and even alphas in one convenient place. Plus, we’ll make sure to include as much info on each game’s current status, including projected release dates (if known) and links to the sign-up forms to get yourself into that beta you’ve been seeking.

Oh boy, it has been quite a week for beta news. Let’s just start with the announcement that Champions Online will be going to open beta on August 17th. Then there’s the open beta for La Tale on July 30th and CrimeCraft today. On the closed beta side, Alganon, Dawntide, Mortal Online and Dungeon Fighter Online have all entered new phases. After 3 weeks of Titan Online’s website being MIA (and being absent from EYA’s MMO list), we’ve pulled them from their spot in the open beta listing. Check out the complete list after the jump.

Continue reading Betawatch: July 24th – July 31st, 2009

Filed under: Betas, Massively meta, Betawatch

Betawatch: July 24th – July 31st, 2009 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While you can’t help but turn around and hit a fantasy MMO these days, we do have to admit, we’re fond of Runes of Magic when it comes to great free-to-play fantasy games. Today’s glowy screenshot was sent to us by William B. who retouched it a bit before we got it. Even so, it’s a nice view of the outside of Varanas. Here’s what William had to say: I just re-downloaded Runes of Magic again to give it another shot. Upon heading to Varanas for the first time on my new toon I ended up looking towards the town at this spot. It looked and framed so nice that I had to take a screenshot. The image is slightly altered to remove certain aliased areas (as there is no anti-aliasing in the game) [which gives] the town a very bright, fantasy look.

If you’re out wandering in an MMO this weekend, we want to see screenshots of your travels! Feel free to add yourself in the action, or grab a lovely landscape. All are welcome! Just email that image along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com. We’ll post it here for everyone to enjoy and give you the credit!

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, One Shots, Runes of Magic

One Shots: Shoop of magic originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NEW YORK — Step away from the stove, Cooking Mama. Iron Chef Michael Symon wants to teach gamers how to cook with a new videogame.
The Food Network’s upcoming Wii title Cook or Be Cooked!, developed by Red Fly Studio (Mushroom Men) and published by Namco Bandai, features more than 30 recipes taken from the Food [...]

Developers working on The Agency, the upcoming massively multiplayer online shooter for PlayStation 3 and PC, have left Sony Online Entertainment to form a new studio called Detonator Games.
According to the Detonator website, Sony’s Seattle studio director and executive producer Matt Wilson, art director Corey Dangel, and producer John Smith left the company earlier this [...]

There’s a faint bright spot for people making and selling games in a slumping economy: Receipts may be weak at traditional retail outlets, but digital sales of videogames are booming.
Game publisher Valve told IGN that sales across its Steam PC download service saw a whopping 97 percent increase over last year. IGN’s own Direct2Drive performed [...]

After a reportedly successful closed beta, Vogster’s CrimeCraft is opening its beta to anyone interesting in trying the Persistent World Next-Gen Shooter (PWNS) before its launch on August 25th. The closed beta, which began in May, had ended on Monday in anticipation of this new open beta.

The doors open today at 5pm EDT to anyone who downloads the client and signs up at Fileplanet or IGN. If you were already part of the closed beta program, all you’ll need to do is patch up and play. For more information on CrimeCraft, including interviews and event demos, check out our complete coverage.

[Edit: As pointed out in the comments, this open beta is for US and Canada only]

Filed under: Betas, New titles, MMOFPS, CrimeCraft

CrimeCraft open beta starts today originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Who thinks that video games are already on the expensive side? I sure do! I mean, I pay top price for the titles that I really do want, but that does not mean that I wouldn’t be happy if video games were cheaper. Now if only the universe would hear me….
Unfortunately, if [...]

Looks like the Matrix Online is taking it’s last breath today, which is just the way these things go sometimes. It was a niche game, but the idea of playing a video game inside a computer world is still a nifty hall of mirrors. Personally I hope the new TRON movie revitalizes the franchise and puts an MMO on the table. I sure would like to take on the Master Control Program myself someday.

Have a funny story of your own? Submit your tale complete with a screenshot to lemuel@massively.com. The best will be allowed to hack into your brain. Or just put in the comic.

Lemuel Pew is a webcomic artist and MMO player with the attention span of a guppy. Between sketching gamers in cartoon form and inventing a paint-drying MMO, he draws an online comic called Blank It. Feel free to watch his Twitter at your own risk.

Filed under: Comics, Humor, Grinders

Massively webcomic: Grinders – A Backup Plan originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A movie called Gangland will track the fate of videogame developers who set out to to create a realistic virtual crime world, only to find themselves entangled with real-life bad guys. Sounds like a day in the life of a Rockstar Games employee.
Spanish director Nacho Vigalondo (pictured), best known for his mind-bending time-travel thriller Timecrimes, [...]

In the wake of the recent layoffs at SOE, we’re now getting word from Eurogamer that some voluntary departures had happened at the beginning of the month as well. Studio Director and Executive Producer Matt Wilson, Art Director Corey Dangel, and Producer John Smith had all left the Seattle studio to form a new venture called Detonator Games. This Seattle studio is currently producing the upcoming espionage MMO The Agency.

Eurogamer also states that a source “in the Seattle game development community” suggested to them that this means some major changes to The Agency, possibly delaying it beyond its projected 2010 release date. SOE responded to that rumor by saying, “The Agency is not undergoing a reboot of any sorts – that is incorrect. The team in Seattle is still working diligently on this project and we’re looking forward to showing you new content in the future.”

Whether these departures will affect the production of The Agency or not, we’ll just have to wait and see. What we do know for sure is that the game is playable and looks quite good, according to a demo we saw at E3 earlier this year. Best of luck to the SOE Seattle team and to Detonator Games for whatever project they may be developing.

Filed under: MMO industry, New titles, The Agency, Spy

SOE Seattle staff departures shouldn’t affect The Agency originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you, like us, are always looking for a way to save a few dollars in your monthly MMO budget, then you may be glad to hear this news. After all, replacing all those robot minions when they get trashed can be really expensive – or maybe that’s just us. In either case, if you’re an avid City of Heroes or City of Villains, Lineage, or Lineage II player, then you’ll be glad to hear that our friends over at GoGamer have a great sale on NCsoft time cards going on now. (We’d assume they’ll work on Aion as well, considering their site lists these cards as being valid for Auto Assault….)

Right now, you can score two months of prepaid game time for the seriously cheap price of $18.90. While there is a shipping cost, the charge becomes very minor compared to the overall savings when you stock up on multiple cards. Of course, if you don’t really want several months of cheap game time, you could always go in on an order with friends – or just send them to us. We’d gladly take any spare pre-paid time off your hands. Expensive robot minion replacements and all that, you know.

Filed under: Aion, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Lineage, Lineage 2, News items

Score some cheap NCsoft game time originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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