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Japanese Theme MOBA Onigiri: Pandemonium Screenshots

admin — Sat, 18 May 2013 16:51:17 +0000

Onigiri: Pandemonium is a newly announced 3D MOBA developed by Japanese studio, CyberStep. Featuring a real-time action combat system, Onigiri: Pandemonium makes players slay or play along side Japanese-themed ghosts and demons.

CyberStep has opened the English teaser website and planned to launch the translated versions of Onigiri across the world in 2013. The game will adopt p2p charging mode. Take a look at some new screenshots below.

MMOsite Gaming News

Around Azeroth: The last island in the world

admin — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:57:00 +0000

by Elizabeth Wachowski May 18th 2013 at 10:00AM

Submitter Taedran of Guilty as Charged on Silvermoon (US-A) recently sent me … quite a few screenshots. As in literally several hundred. I think that’s considered justification for homicide in Texas. Anyway, several of Taedran’s pictures featured zoomed-out high-definition pictures of certain zones in the game. This one features the isolated (and unvisitable, except for newbie goblins) Lost Isles. It seems like a paradise. Why did we ever leave?

Want to see your own screenshot here? Send it to aroundazeroth@wowinsider.com. We strongly prefer full-sized pictures with no UI or names showing. Include “Azeroth” in the subject line to ensure your submission dodges email spam filters; if you’d like to be credited, also include your name, guild and realm.

Tags: around azeroth, around-azeroth, AroundAzeroth, featured, screen-shots, screenshots, world-of-warcraft-pictures, world-of-warcraft-screenshots, wow-screen-shots, wow-screenshot, wow-screenshots, wow-ss

Filed under: Around Azeroth

WoW Insider

Top 9 F2P Browser Games

admin — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:53:45 +0000

Top 9 F2P Browser Games

What is up world, JamesBl0nde and BakermanBrad here with another top list for ya. We are showing off 9 of the best browser games that are out there today. With browser games getting better and better when it comes to quality of gameplay and graphics, we figured it was time to let you know what our favorites are. Also, we want to let you guys know that we have a forum post up for you to help out in deciding what our future top lists will be. So let us know what you think in the comments below or on the forum right here.

MMO Hut

The Daily Grind: Are you still excited to try RIFT’s free-to-play option?

admin — Sat, 18 May 2013 12:52:50 +0000

If you’d missed it, RIFT recently announced that the game will go free-to-play on June 12th. Obviously, the hope is to bring in a variety of new players, but the circumstances surrounding the announcement can result in a bit of whiplash when deciding whether or not to count yourself among those getting into the game.

On the one hand, RIFT is making humble promises about the item shop… but on the other hand, the development team also promised the game would never go free-to-play. Trion Worlds did just get hit by layoffs, but it’s been said those layoffs don’t affect RIFT‘s staff. It’s long had consistent updates, but those updates have dropped off sharply this year.

Is trying the game out a good idea? A bad one? Today, we ask our readers to decide. Carefully weighing all the evidence, are you still excited to try RIFT‘s free-to-play option? Or do you think you’ll be giving it a pass?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today’s Daily Grind!

Massively

New Action Combat MOBA Skara Begins Kickstarter Campaign

admin — Sat, 18 May 2013 08:52:35 +0000

“Imagine an experience with the action of Street Fighter inside a story and land like World of Warcraft, all blended into a fast-paced Call of Duty style arena.” That’s how 8 Bit Studios describes its newest MOBA Kickstarter project entitled Skara: The Blade Remains.

Skara looks to be high on the action with combat based on actual attack directions and multiplayer combos. This Kickstarter campaign has just begun, but offers some exciting rewards, including a digital copy of the game as low as the £15 tier.

Check out the project page and the informative video.

Source: Massively.com

MMOsite Gaming News

Storyboard: The way it was for three years

admin — Sat, 18 May 2013 06:53:21 +0000

Roleplaying is the same as it ever was. People are still shoehorning in lore characters into backstories, someone is a sparkly magic vampire, and you can still turn a corner in a tavern to find two people with a decided lack of gear or public shame. (In Second Life, that corner is the one you turn to download the game.) But I’ve had three years of talking about it, so it’s at least a little different than it was.

I don’t know if I’d go so far as to say it’s better.

Every year I like to take a look back at the past year, talk about what worked well, what didn’t work at all, and what I’d like to do in the future. So it is for this year, complete with a nice big surprise down at the end there. Regular readers may be less surprised, but you can just bear with me.

Where I went right

This past year held some of my all-time favorite columns. Questions to ask about your character. In praise of stereotypes. Being the problem player (and its close cousin about no one getting your character). Plot skeletons. Playing to the medium. Dark pasts. Hobbies. Some of them generated a bit of discussion or cries of contradiction, but I look back at those and others and nod at myself in satisfaction. When I was on, it went well.

Some of these were personal pieces, in a way, written as responses to situations I’d encountered over the year that I felt wouldn’t benefit from my arguing a point at the moment. (It’s also nice to calcify certain ideas that I can point to a reference in the future.) Others were just thoughts that I’d mulled over for three years that came together beautifully. There wasn’t a cohesive theme to them, however, just several individual pieces that hit important topics, most of which don’t seem to get covered all that often.

Where I went wrong

I’m just going to go right ahead and say that I had two attempts at making a meta-series this year, and I’m not happy with either of them — mildly unhappy in one case; very unhappy in the other.

The RIFT project wound up being five weeks of columns that didn’t really establish anything. It provided absolutely no new conclusions, offered no new insights, and generally didn’t do much either than filling space for a while, at least as I judge it after the fact. It was entertaining to read at the time, I hope, which is its one saving grace. Lesson learned: Going in with a project to see what happens doesn’t produce anything approaching a solid narrative or a point of interest.

Meanwhile, the abortive series on profession discussions was obviously meant to bookend the archetype discussions from the first year, but while those generated discussion, these seemed to stymie it. I don’t actually know why, although I wish I did. My guess is that there wasn’t enough to separate the two concepts easily, and I wound up tackling the concepts in such broad strokes that the whole thing didn’t work.

But wait, there’s more! I also made a concentrated push this year to be more topical, with… varying degrees of success. Writing about Guild Wars 2 was thematic, but it sure didn’t make for a great column.

Looking ahead

There are two major lessons that seem obvious, and the first one is that my two attempts at running meta-series did not work. Recapturing what did work is not a good idea, nor is tying a project to the column a great idea. So I need to try a different technique this year.

More than that, however, I feel this year involved a lot of swinging for the fences with mixed results. When I hit, I hit hard; the misses flopped pretty badly. I’d like to get the column into a more steady groove this year.

This means two things for me. First of all, there are some big blank spaces that almost never get covered regarding roleplaying, concepts and the like that matter but just don’t get any discussion. There aren’t guides, there aren’t suggestions, and there isn’t even acknowledgement within the community. Some of those fields are ripe for discussion.

But the other major area I can look to is going back and revising things that I’ve already worked on. After three years, I’m a much better writer, and I’ve acquired even more experience to draw upon when it comes to explaining how RP can work. The columns on villainy were my first stab at revisiting a topic and doing a better job the second time around, and I think it came out pretty well. No one screamed murder about me covering something I’d addressed before, either. I don’t like writing columns that I’ve already written, but there are some examples that I think could benefit from a new and more mature approach.

Oh, and I still need to revise that header graphic. After three years, I have grown to hate it.

And now, the library!

I’ve written about a lot of stuff over the past three years, and some of it’s perpetually useful. Not all of it, but the vast majority of it. Unfortunately, since it comes out in the form of a weekly column, the organization is lacking. Especially since I like to not run two parts of the same column back-to-back because I am a horrible human being.

So let’s make that easier: Introducing the Storyboard Library.

If the goal here isn’t immediately obvious, let me spell it out: I’m aiming at having an easy-to-access central listing of all the useful Storyboard articles in a single place, organized by topics and rough themes. It’s not perfect at the moment, but that’s one of the bright sides of having it in a static place, so I can refine the layout and get it just right over time. And it also makes an easy way to tell at a glance what has or hasn’t been covered.

Needless to say, I’m pretty excited about it.

Feedback regarding the year behind us, the year to come, or the Library can be left in the comments below or mailed to eliot@massively.com, just like always. Next week, I want to jump into the fourth year of the column with something nice and meaty: stupidity.

Every Friday, Eliot Lefebvre fills a column up with excellent advice on investing money, writing award-winning novels, and being elected to public office. Then he removes all of that, and you’re left with
Massively

Warspear Online

admin — Sat, 18 May 2013 04:53:48 +0000

Warspear Online is an innovative, cross-platform MMORPG designed for your mobile phone. Communicate with others through various channels, and create a unique character through with to adventure in the world. Equip a variety of weapons and armor to give a unique look, and protect the clan. With various classes to choose, and five distinct factions, Warspear Online offers a true MMORPG experience.

Publisher: Aigrind
Playerbase: ??
Graphics: Medium
Type: MMORPG
EXP Rate: ??
PvP: Yes
Filesize: ??

Pros: +Classic RPG feel. +Designed for mobility. +Characters are very customizable.

Cons: -Somewhat generic gameplay. -Style may not appeal to some. -Limited information available.

Overview

Warspear Online Overview

Warspear Online is an MMORPG that looks a lot like classic 16-bit RPGs. You create a character from one of five different clans, and each clan has three different classes to choose from. Various quests await you to do, rewarding money, experience, and items. Weapons and armor show on your character, giving you a good deal of customization. Additionally, you can change how your character looks on a whim.

Warspear Online Screenshots

Warspear Online Featured Video

Videos

Warspear Online Videos

Warspear Online 3.0 Official Trailer

MMO Hut

Towers of Mystoria

admin — Sat, 18 May 2013 03:56:04 +0000

Towers of Mystoria is an addictive free-to-play strategy game that just hit the scene on Facebook. The game is the first seamlessly combined tower-offense and tower-defense, blending many of the popular concepts from typical strategy and tower-defense titles to present a rich, diversified, tactical gameplay in a casual, cute style.

Towers of Mystoria is set in the fantasy realm of Mystoria, a beautiful land that boasts diversified landscapes from dark woodlands to dangerous mountains to icy tundra but suffers from the constant harassment of the goblin hordes. Serving for the King, you will help defend the land and the people while initiating attacks to eliminate the annoying creatures.

Building a camp and exploring the world map are the two major components of the game and connected closely to support one another. You will develop your camp to gain various units and resources that are needed in the war; and you go outside for war where you slay enemies to collect drops and spoils that in turn can be used in the camp or to boost its development.

Resources and units are the center in the camp. You need resources to maintain the development and upgrading of the camp, and you can’t go to war unless you get the many units unlocked and trained. There are 14 different units in total, each unlocked in its own specific building and taking long time to be brought to the next higher level by research. Initially, you can only have 2 of each type of unit, which can be increased only when you upgrade the unit-specific buildings. And you have to train the unlocked units frequently, because you can’t return unscathed from a battle even if you win – the casualty of units is the cost of victory.

Every project – build, train, research, produce, etc. – in the camp takes time, generally long, to complete. While waiting, you can lead your available units to the world map, pushing back the invading goblins or take out the dotting bases of the enemy. So, making through the numerous nodes on the map, you set off on the quest of defense sometimes and of offense in other time.

In the typical tower-defense mode, you can take up to four unit types (with another two slots unlockable by using Rubies, the premium currency) to the battlefield and position them on the designated spots out of a few available options. The unit type, positioning, attack range, enemy types and the timing of repair or upgrading towers – all of these are factors that should be taken into account to fight a tactical battle and triumph. When ready, you can hit the Start button with nothing else to do but watch the waves of goblins to drop dead under your smart plan or break your firepower passing through to the end of the map to reduce your Lives and then finally announce your defeat. When it comes to the tower-offense, it is relatively easier than the offense as you dispatch several units to slay enemies blocking the way and reach to the end of their map to win.

Besides dispatching units, you have several extra help with great power that can even turn the tide of the battle for you in emergency. Once you unlock and train the magic-series units, you will get powerful spells to cast which usually unleash area-of-effect to rid a group of enemies in the midst of a battle. And once you constructed the Alchemy building in your camp, you can use collected materials (drops of the various goblin in death) to create several special stones that, once placed to the battlefield near your fighting units, can power-up your units within range in a particular way –make them attack faster, expand their attack range, cast a shield over them or something the like – for a limited period.

There are two currency in the game, Gold and Rubies. Gold is the soft currency that can be earned a lot from different aspects and spent in great amount as well. You can harvest them from your Great Hall in the camp, win them by destroying enemies in battle and gain them by completion of quests or level-up. Meanwhile, you need a lot of gold in almost every project in the camp – even removing a blocking twig (for more space) consumes a lot gold – and in the battlefield when you place, repair and upgrade towers. As to Rubies, you can only gain one with per level up; if you want more, you have to purchase them with real world cash. As usual, they are of great help offering a bundle of advantages from quickened game pace to easy access to hard-gained items in the game.

Towers of Mystoria is similar to Under Siege, another tower-defense title on Facebook, in the core concepts, but differs from it and other tower-defense titles in the artwork, game structure and diversify of in-game missions and gaming modes. It has a reasonable game pace, challenging levels and rich content that can keep mid-core players entertained for a long time.

Play Free MMORPG, MMO Games, Browser Games and Mobile Games

Betawatch: May 11 – 17, 2013

admin — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:52:15 +0000

Early access for Marvel Heroes is just around the corner, if you consider 11 days to be a corner. It’ll be a chance for everyone to get started on the process of hitting the level cap… or at least getting halfway there before grinding dailies. Your mileage may vary. DUST 514 finally ended its testing earlier this week, meaning that you can go be obliterated by an orbital strike right now if you own a PS3.
Elsewhere in the testing world, Anno Online quietly went into open beta (keep an eye out for our own Beau Hindman’s look at the game later this month). There are games preparing for a beta in the future, as well, and more information about popular titles still in beta. It’s been a quiet week otherwise.

That doesn’t mean there isn’t a list past the break. There’s always a list. As always, if you see something odd on there, feel free to let us know in the comments.

Massively considers a game to be in open testing if it has open, public signups and plans for a server wipe before its official launch. Self-described “open beta” MMOs that have soft-launched with functioning real-money cash shops will not be listed.

Anno Online (Ubisoft): Announcement, Signup
Arcane Saga (Netmarble): Announcement, Signup
Broken Realm (R2Games): Announcement, Signup
City of Steam (Mechanist): Announcement, Signup, /r/
DK Online (Aeria): Announcement, Signup
Heroes & Generals (Reto-Moto): Signup
Lunaria Story (R2Games): Signup
Salem (Paradox Interactive): Announcement, Signup, /r/
Scarlet Blade (Aeria Games): Announcement, Signup
SmashMuck Champions (Kis Studios): Announcement, Signup, /r/
SMITE (Hi-Rez): Announcement, Signup, /r/
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Online (CyberTime Systems): Announcement, Signup, /r/ (Russian-only)
Taikodom (Gamersfirst): Announcement, Signup
The Aurora World (Aurora Interactive): Announcement
UFO Online (gamigo): Announcement, Signup

We consider an MMO to be in closed testing if it features either future test signups or an ongoing semi-private beta/alpha that cannot immediately and freely be accessed by the general public. Some are restricted by NDAs.

Age of Wulin (gPotato): Announcement, Signup (Asia, EU)
Born to Fire (Aeria): Announcement, Signup
Bounty Hounds Online (Wicked Interactive): Announcement, Signup
Dota 2 (Valve): Announcement, Signup, /r/
Dragon Born (KoramGame): Announcement, Signup
Dragon Crusade (Aeria): Announcement, Signup
Dragon’s Prophet (Sony Online Entertainment): Announcement, Signup
Earthrise: First Impact (SilentFuture): Announcement, Signup (testing starts “soon”)
Eldevin (Hunted Cow Studios): Announcement, Signup
End of Nations (Trion): Announcement, Signup, /r/ (beta on hold)
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (Square-Enix): Announcement, Signup
Firefall (Red 5 Studios): Announcement, Signup, /r/ (open beta starts 7/9/13)
Grecca (Banbox): Announcement, Signup (in “open” alpha)
Infinite Crisis (Turbine): Announcement, Signup
Ingress (Google): Announcement, Signup
Legend of Edda: Vengeance (GamesCampus): Signup
Lime Odyssey (Aeria Games): Announcement, Signup
Line of Defense (3000AD): Announcement, Signup
Living After War (Alaplaya): Announcement, Signup
Maestia (Gravity Interactive): Announcement, Signup
Marvel Heroes (Gazillion): Announcement, Signup (launching 6/4/13)
Origins of Malu (Burning Dog): Announcement
Otherland (gamigo): Announcement, Signup, /r/ (development in limbo, possibly canceled)
Renaissance Heroes (ChangYou): Announcement, Signup, /r/
Starlight Story (Aeria): Announcement, Signup
Starlite (Project Whitecard): Announcement, Signup (fka Astronaut: Moon, Mars, and Beyond)
The Elder Scrolls Online (Zenimax): Announcement, Signup
The Missing Ink (RedBedlam): Announcement, Signup
he Mummy Online (Bigpoint): Announcement, Signup
The Repopulation (Above and Beyond): Announcement, Signup, /r/
The War Z (Hammerpoint): Announcement, Signup
Traveller AR (Ingz): Announcement, Signup (beta on hold)
Universal Monsters Online (Bigpoint): Announcement, Signup
Venus Rising (FoxySoft): Announcement (fka Orgia Romanus; adult MMO, possibly NSFW)
Warface (Crytek/Trion Worlds): Announcement, Signup
WildStar (Carbine/NCsoft): Announcement, Signup
World Alpha (World Alpha): Announcement, Signup
World of Warplanes (Wargaming.net): Announcement, Signup, /r/
Xulu Universe (Xulu): Announcement, Signup (testing on hiatus)

Subreddit links helpfully provided by Steven Eyerman!

Betawatch is Massively’s weekly report on the latest MMO alphas, betas, and other games still meandering toward an official launch. From ArcheAge to
Massively

EA’s New MOBA Dawngate Debuts

admin — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:51:09 +0000

As the heat of League of Legends and Dota 2 burning in the game industry, MOBA has become a synonym of popular games. Here is a new MOBA named Dawngate coming along from EA, get to know about this fantasy MOBA built from the ground up to look and feel familiar while offering a whole new way to experience MOBA gameplay.

Dawngate is waystone’s first game which empowers you to forge the champions you love for the roles you want in a competitive arena, shaped by ever-evolving, community-driven content and story. The new website of Dawngate is also announced and interested players can register for the beta in the official website. Dawngate features the empowered gameplay: a well-balanced, flexible meta and you can master a new moba in Dawngate.

MMOsite Gaming News