Star Wars: The Old Republic “I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing”
Posted by AwesomesaurusRex on 9.14.2009
George Lucas is
well known to whore his own IP’s out like Heidi Fleiss but this time I
think we’re looking at something worth even Kevin Smith’s attention.
Star
Wars: The Old Republic is so far a much different incarnation of the
much lamented Star Wars Galaxies. Star Wars: The Old Republic is a fun,
shiny looking incarnation of the Star Wars universe with all the things
you only wish you saw in the movies but where denied because Jar Jar
Binks ruined everything and kills koala bears, unicorns and rainbows.
Even the trailer for this game makes me wish this was a full Star Wars movie:
Imagine if changing your role in a MMO was as easy as picking up a
different weapon? That's the plan for Final Fantasy XIV, according to
numerous interviews with the game's development team. This is a far cry
from Final Fantasy XI -- Square Enix's current online flagship -- but a
welcome change, according to the reactions of fans on popular message
boards.
“Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in,” Don Michael Corleone.
BlizzCon was, of course, an even tailor made for the unwashed and basement virgins to ogle the booth-babes, but as always, Blizzard was able to drop some big bombshells and none was bigger than the next expansion for World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.
It’s no secret that I am one of the millions of WoW haters out there – this game is so care-bear and broken I wouldn’t play it if it were free – but that doesn’t mean that the game isn’t getting some interesting additions. To wit:
Resurrection of old content – Deathwing has returned.
Flying mounts will be usable in Azeroth.
Level cap increased to 85.
Three new high-level zones.
New race professions such as gnome priests and blood-elf warriors.
New playable races – the goblins for the Horde and worgen for the Alliance.
New secondary profession is archaeology.
Is it enough to bring back a bloke from beta such as myself? That, my friend, is a good question that is nearly impossible to answer. In truth I am fascinated with the idea of the WoW story being afflicted with enormous upheaval and I am interested in seeing where the story can go from there. The Deathwing was one of my favorite stories within the WoW universe and I am glad to see it resurrected. Plus, there seems to be much ado over Blizzard “toughening up” the game, with some of the dev’s going so far as to make the grind to 85 a real chore.
We’ll see. I knew people who maxxed out to 80 in Northrend in less than a week. The truth is, it is going to take a lot more than this to suck me back into WoW.
Let’s just say, however, that I am willing to be convinced.
China Downs Blizzard – WORLD FIRST?
Posted by AwesomesaurasRex on 7.15.09
Listen – some of you knew this day would come.
Others were hoping.
Me? Well, I’ll finally be able to farm mats for my blacksmithing trinket seeing as how 4,000,000 Night Elf Hunter’s are about to be D/C’d.
Evidently Blizzard has violated the terms of use AKA existing laws with the Peoples Republic of China. The regulatory policy in effect states that a “foreign enterprise” such as Blizzard is not allowed to operate MMO’s within China as a single company or joint venture – something Blizzard is currently undertaking with NetEase which obtained in April 16.
When Ninja Hookers Attack!: New Champions Online screens show combat.
Posted by AwesomesaurasRex on 6.20.09
Do These Look Like Champions?
Cryptic Studios just released some new screenshots from their forthcoming MMO, Champions Online and from what I’ve seen, I’m willing to admit that I’m impressed.
With City of Heroes and the upcoming D.C. Universe Online, I imagine the genre is going to be crowded with people wearing their underwear outside spandex, but the following images look promising.
Look out, Vana'diel... the era of Eorzea cometh!!!
Posted by 8-Bit on 06.12.09
The MMO universe was turned upside down last week when Square Enix announced plans to release Final Fantasy XIV in 2010.
Nobody knew the announcement was coming when a surprise trailer was played during Sony’s planned press conference. The game was first rumored to be a Playstation 3 exclusive, but SE officials clarified that the game will be launched on the PC as well. The game may eventually be playable on other platforms such as the Xbox 360, SE officials said.
This is great news to all fans of the Final Fantasy series – well, almost everyone. There are sure to be some die-hard Final Fantasy XI fans who are now wondering what’s to become of Vana’diel, their beloved virtual world.
This just in: Worlds.com patents stupidity! They gun B rich!
Posted by AwesomesaurasRex on 05.18.09
Worlds.com CEO Thom Kidrin has launched a legal assault on NC Soft, the MMO publisher behind fan fav’s such as Guild Wars and City of Heroes, claiming that the company violated its patent on a “scalable virtual world chat client-server system.”
Really Thom? Really?
I don't really need to point out this massive pile of fail. But I will anyway, because this is simply too good to pass up. What's next? Patents on shirts? Breathing? Dirt? Maybe I could buy a patent on all companies named Worlds.com...
MOAR!!1!
EvE Online: Improving With Age
You can't say that about most MMOs, but EvE Online's got it going on with its new expansion pack titled "Apocrypha."
Posted by AwesomesaurasRex on 05.04.09
EvE is one of those games you think about getting into but you thing twice about when you read up on it -- and visit the community like I did. The place reads like if the forum trolls at Something Awful woke up one day, all did a hit of acid, then beat their keyboard with a flaming kitten.
Regardless if the more unsavory human cockroaches continue to infest the deeper recesses of space, I have to say -- EvE Online: Apocrypha has turned me around on the game.
Suck it, Pandemonium Warden! And to Absolute Virtue: watch your back, because you're next.
Posted by 8-Bit on 02.16.09
Pandemonium Warden, a deadly endgame boss that survived an 18-hour onslaught five months ago, is undefeated no more.
The linkshell “Apathy” on the Remora server took down Pandemonium Warden, surviving all 10 of the monster’s forms – including its final form in which is summons all avatars and uses astral flow, arguably the most powerful AoE attack in the game.
That leaves the infamous notorious monster Absolute Virtue as the game’s only truly undefeated mob.
Look ma, no hands! Seriously. If this isn't one step closer to us living inside The Matrix, I don't know what is. Still, it looks like fun.
Posted by 8-Bit on 01.02.09
During the past quarter-century, gamers have used a variety of devices to control their characters on screen. We've used track balls, joysticks,game pads, power gloves, wireless guns and Wii remotes.
Now, a revolutionary new controller that's controlled by players' brain waves (yes, it's true -- gamers have brain waves) is poised to be released sometime in 2009.
Arthas the Lich King, "chilling" in Northrend. Your final boss and nemesis in Blizzard's latest expansion.
Posted by AwesomesaurusRex on 01.09.09
The first expansion of World of Warcraft, titled Burning Crusade, drew both praise and criticism for its strong sci-fi undertones. In the latest incarnation of the wildly popular MMO, Blizzard opted to get back to its roots with Wrath of the Lich King -- a fantasy-based story with enough new content to make you scream "PHAT LEWTZ!!!"
The Wrath of the Lich King brings it all back to the lore of the third Warcraft game, the Frozen Throne, and you see it throughout the new zones that creates a physical, tenable connection between the game that set up this expac and a return to actual storytelling.
Warcraft Kiddies, meet Zug Gobsmasher. He's not here to hook up with Jana Proudmore. He's part of Warhammer Online and he's not here to be your little green buddy. He's here to break your face and juggle your kittens.
Posted by AwesomesaurusRex on 01.04.09
Heads up, WoW fanbois: a new challenger has arrived.
Many MMOs have tried and failed to beat World of Warcraft, an epic game that seems to pick up new subscribers like an avalanche picks up snow. Enter Warhammer Online, a beautifully designed game with rich RPG history and a permanently devoted fanbase.
WoW has long been the undisputed king of the hill – until now.
Q: What is a gamer? A: Someone like Bill Gates, Bitches.
It's fun being a founding member of one of the world's fastest-growing hobbies. Yet even as video games move more into the mainstream, I keep hearing the same, tired stereotypes used to describe gamers -- and it's pissing me off.
Posted by 8-Bit on 01.02.09
Ok, let me guess: You see a pimple-faced teenage boy gaming it up in his mom’s basement. He’s probably pasty white and grossly overweight. I’m guessing he has the appearance of someone who hasn’t bathed in awhile. There may be Hot Pockets wrappers nearby. And in extreme cases, you may imagine the aroma of urine.
This description may have been more credible around 15 years ago. The truth is that we gamers have grown up with the video game industry.
Yes, they both want you. But not in the way you are hoping. They are Dark Elves and are more interested in making a coat out of your skin, much like my ex girlfriend.
Posted by AwesomesaurusRex on 12.27.08
What you have realize about Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is that it is the product of decades of loving care.
Games Workshop which started Warhammer Fantasy Battles and Warhammer 40,000 in the early 1980s was way before its time. The game began as something played on a tabletop with miniatures you painted and played against another army. This was a winning concept and their tabletop gaming empire grew to the success it is today.
They did not care to go big on an MMO. They did not want to go big on an MMO.
So when the news began to circulate on Warhammer Online, my fingertips began to tingle. Now months into the game, Warhammer Online does not disappoint.
Real players don't usually look this happy while grinding away to level 75, yet this aging MMO still has plenty to smile about -- and the improvements keep on coming.
Posted by 8-Bit on 12.20.08
Do you want a game with lore and legends just a few easy quests away? Do you want five toons at maximum level after a few months of playtime? A game in which endgame isn't frustrating and rewards are plentiful? If so, do not buy Final Fantasy XI.
But if you want a game that is as challenging as it is captivating, with a realistic world and several compelling stories -- a game worthy of carrying the Final Fantasy name -- then you'll feel right at home in Vana'diel.
Hunter? Check. Broken English? Check. Farming out mobs? Check. Moral ambiguity? Absolutely. It is estimated that more than 100,000 Chinese are currently employed in the lucrative gold farming business in World of Warcraft alone.
Posted by AwesomesaurusRex on 12.12.08 Gold buyers, spammers and gold sellers.
Like 'em or hate 'em (who could possibly love them?), everyone has an opinion. Truth is, the population of gold buyers is larger than you'd think. In fact, even the admins of unspecified MMO news sites may have bought gold in the past.
Want to know the truth about spammers and gold buyers? Click the link and read; and if you're gonna hate, don't hate the player.
Hogwarts in Cyberspace?Yes, it’s true. Rumors are abound that the Harry Potter franchise – the most popular book-and-movie combo of all time – is on pace to become a MMORPG. We’re not sure if a Harry Potter MMO would have the same staying power as WoW, but when you consider how much money the franchise has pulled in, why not retell the story MMO-style? (Source: www.massively.com)
Patents threaten virtual worlds
A pair of patents filed in 2001 and 2007 appear to lay claim to some of the basic functions of MMORPGs -- and that has some folks in the gaming industry worried. The patents, designated as 6,219,045 and 7,181,690 with the US Patent and Trademarks Office, regard the "scaleable virtual world client-server chat system" and "system and method for enabling users to interact in a virtual space." Worlds.com, which holds the patents, recently filed a patent-infringement lawsuit against City of Heroes publisher NCsoft. (Source: www.massively.com)
More MMORPGs heading to consoles?
Move over, Final Fantasy XI. Other MMORPG companies are apparently considering porting their products onto gaming consoles. With current-generation gaming consoles having strong online functionality, the temptation has never been greater for popular PC titles to make home console debuts. The downside is that tying a game to a console can hinder the technology and size of future updates; PS2 limitations are often cited as the cause of development difficulties in FFXI. (Source: mmorpg.qj.net)
Worlds.com CEO Thom Kidrin has launched a legal assault on NC Soft, the MMO publisher behind fan fav’s such as Guild Wars and City of Heroes, claiming that the company violated its patent on a “scalable virtual world chat client-server system.”
EvE is one of those games you think about getting into but you thing twice about when you read up on it -- and visit the community like I did. The place reads like if the forum trolls at Something Awful woke up one day, all did a hit of acid, then beat their keyboard with a flaming kitten.
Pandemonium Warden, a deadly endgame boss that survived an 18-hour onslaught five months ago, is undefeated no more.
During the past quarter-century, gamers have used a variety of devices to control their characters on screen. We've used track balls, joysticks,game pads, power gloves, wireless guns and Wii remotes.
The first expansion of World of Warcraft, titled Burning Crusade, drew both praise and criticism for its strong sci-fi undertones. In the latest incarnation of the wildly popular MMO, Blizzard opted to get back to its roots with Wrath of the Lich King -- a fantasy-based story with enough new content to make you scream "PHAT LEWTZ!!!" 
Ok, let me guess: You see a pimple-faced teenage boy gaming it up in his mom’s basement. He’s probably pasty white and grossly overweight. I’m guessing he has the appearance of someone who hasn’t bathed in awhile. There may be Hot Pockets wrappers nearby. And in extreme cases, you may imagine the aroma of urine.
What you have realize about Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is that it is the product of decades of loving care.
Real players don't usually look this happy while grinding away to level 75, yet this aging MMO still has plenty to smile about -- and the improvements keep on coming.
Do you want a game with lore and legends just a few easy quests away? Do you want five toons at maximum level after a few months of playtime? A game in which endgame isn't frustrating and rewards are plentiful? If so, do not buy Final Fantasy XI.
Gold buyers, spammers and gold sellers.
Yes, it’s true. Rumors are abound that the Harry Potter franchise – the most popular book-and-movie combo of all time – is on pace to become a MMORPG. We’re not sure if a Harry Potter MMO would have the same staying power as WoW, but when you consider how much money the franchise has pulled in, why not retell the story MMO-style? (Source: www.massively.com)
A pair of patents filed in 2001 and 2007 appear to lay claim to some of the basic functions of MMORPGs -- and that has some folks in the gaming industry worried. The patents, designated as 6,219,045 and 7,181,690 with the US Patent and Trademarks Office, regard the "scaleable virtual world client-server chat system" and "system and method for enabling users to interact in a virtual space." Worlds.com, which holds the patents, recently filed a patent-infringement lawsuit against City of Heroes publisher NCsoft. (Source: www.massively.com)
Move over, Final Fantasy XI. Other MMORPG companies are apparently considering porting their products onto gaming consoles. With current-generation gaming consoles having strong online functionality, the temptation has never been greater for popular PC titles to make home console debuts. The downside is that tying a game to a console can hinder the technology and size of future updates; PS2 limitations are often cited as the cause of development difficulties in FFXI. (Source: mmorpg.qj.net)