Worth it or not, to me personally, pay-to-play MMOs always felt like a ridiculous proposition. Paying to play a game I already paid for is like paying $5 to bite into a delicious burger I just got at the drive-through. Still, the genre continues to spawn new titles as proven at the 2008 Penny Arcade Expo.
While many MMO titles were on display, two were the most talked-about massively multiplayer role-playing games of the show: Warhammer Online and Aion: The Tower of Eternity. Realizing my limited experience with MMOs in the past, the team at Joystiq tasked me with learning as much as I could about each title and see if they could appeal to a genre newbie willing to jump into the online fray.
You can put down that syringe full of bear hormones – EA's got a much easier (and more affordable!) way of transforming yourself into that most noble of Mother Nature's creatures: simply don Korssar's Helm. You see, the "magical Kislevite helm is imbued with the spirit of the wild North and will magically transform the wearer into a ferocious bear."
There are some caveats however: your ability to live your life as a bear will be limited to the virtual confines of EA Mythic's Warhammer Online MMO (a deal breaker for some, to be sure) and those willing to confine their bearness to WAR will still need to preorder Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 on PC to access the magical helm. Preorder cross-promotion? Clever move, EA. Great to see publishers further incentivizing preorders ... but we're sure there's at least a handful of WAR-heads eager to play as a bear (a bear!) but uninterested in picking up Red Alert 3. In other words: don't throw away those bear hormones just yet.
No, you know what, Multiverse? No. We're not going to do it again. We stood idly by as the announcement of a Firefly MMO had us getting our brown coats out of the closet and breaking up with our girlfriends; a Firefly MMO that, it should be noted, has never materialized in so much as a screenshot. Now you think you can waltz back in with the promise of an MMO based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, another Joss Whedon show? You couldn't even break our hearts with the beloved IP of a different guy?
More proof that this couldn't possibly be real? You'll apparently be able to "play it either as a fully immersive 3D environment or as a Flash-based 2D game." C'mon, that doesn't even make sense! Tell you what, Multiverse: You put an actual, playable build of the game into our hands. Until then, you'll be met with an indifference as cold as your black, dream-crushing hearts.
Of course, if you know Blizzard at all, you know it doesn't really like the whole concept of "release dates" -- the developers prefer to say they'll release the next WoW expansion "when it's ready." But a bunch of retailers have recently pointed their noses at November 4th (with a November 3rd midnight release, so says the sign from an Australian store above), and if that turns out to be true, it's gonna be a busy Election Day. That story and more, all in these highlights from the last week of WoW Insider.
News
1-60 in 20 minutes The Recruit-a-Friend program allows level granting, which lets this Paladin level up to 60 in just a few minutes.
New titles for Wrath Blizzard expands its player title system big time. Want to be a "Grand Master" or an "Ambassador"? Better get started on those achievements.
Skill Mastery: Arcane Barrage Our new look at the various skills coming out of the beta examines the spell that might save the Mage class.
Death Knight solos Onyxia It's been done before, but the new class proves it can down the old dragon, too.
Chilton content to endorse multi-boxing Blizzard has always been on the fence about multiboxing -- it's never really had a problem with it. But here's the first time it will actually support it.
WoW Machinima: The basics Our machinima writer posts an in-depth look at how and where to start with making in-game movies.
While discussion on Warhammer Online is conspicuously lacking, Mythic Entertainment designer Paul Barnett and producers Jeff Hickman and Josh Drescher managed to to venture into some strange, hilarious and very NSFW territory on BigDownload's BigCast PAX special. Listen to the podcast (again, it's NSFW) here.
We were given the opportunity to sit down with the Lead Game Designer for the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath Of The Lich King, whilst attending the Leipzig Game Convention in Germany. Check out what Tom Chilton had to say about the rationale behind level 55 Dark Knights -- and why Warcraft III fans will love Lich King -- in our brief chat below.
What will you be putting in Wrath Of The Lich King to keep current World of Warcraft players coming back for more?
Lich King is more orientated towards existing players, than new ones. We've raised the level cap from 70 to 80, added a new class, new battlerounds, new arenas, etc. Most of these features are for existing players of World of Warcraft.
When a company has one of the most successful MMORPGs games of all time, the last thing anyone there wants to do is throw a wrench into what the customers' rigs can handle. To that end, the Blizzard team explained in a few interviews last week that World of Warcraft's graphical updates will happen over time with expansions. Don't go expecting something like World of Warcraft 2 or a major graphics overhaul, which might hurt the customer base.
In an interview with VideoGamer.com, Blizzard's Rob Chilton explains that "usability" has always been more important to the company than technical prowess. Obviously, Blizzard's judgment on how to run Azeroth, compared to those who yearn for a full-blown graphics overhaul, has paid off in millionbillions for the developer.
Source -- Brack clarifies graphical update plans (WoW Insider) Source -- WoW graphical reboot may never be necessary (VG)
Perhaps the vagaries of reality have finally taken hold and you've done it. You've canceled the WoW account. Now you're back together with the Mrs., you've re-memorized all your kids' names, and you've got something that approximates steady work. Life, it would seem, is perfect. Then you heard the siren call of Wrath of the Lich King and – what is this? – you shut it out. Fine ... be strong.
But can you shut out the opportunity to drive your Sword of a Thousand Truths deep into the spotted fur of Bambi's mother? Sure, you cried during Bambi like everyone else did, but can you really resist transforming sweet, innocent Bambi(na) – spotted in Wrath's Northrend – into the crazy-eyed "Vengeful Bambina"? Blizzard's hoping you can't. But what if the kids see what you've done? You'll lose it all! Again!
It's "The King and I" in the World of Warcraft lately -- the Lich King is everywhere, and this past week we moved even closer to the release of the most popular online game in the world's second expansion. Joystiq's sister site WoW Insider, as usual, has all the angles covered -- if you want the hottest new spoilers, a more casual look at why the expansion is so important, or just to keep up to date on what's in the old game (wait, there's an old game?), we've got you covered.
Wrath cinematic trailer unveiled Blizzard showed the cinematic for the first time at Leipzig. Arthas has left his throne and now he's summoning dragons.
EA Mythic has announced that its MMO treatment of the classic Games Workshop tabletop game, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, has begun its march towards store shelves.
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (best known in the MMO community as WAR) is finished and off to the magical disc-forging factory, preceding a public beta set to begin September 7, for which more than 800,000 players have registered. A very large, metal switch connected to what are surely fortress-like game servers will be flipped to the "fully on" position September 18, which is when the rest of the world will go to WAR.
We've heard of 18-hour bras, but 18-hour boss battles? Ridiculous! A couple weeks back, we reported on a Final Fantasy XII guild that attempted to take down one of the game's new big bads, the Pandemonium Warden, only to succumb to fatigue, hunger, sleep deprivation, and general near-deathness at the 18-hour mark. Square Enix now says it has heard the fan outcry against the idea of such longevity-rich enemies and is fixing things.
"In response to these events, we have determined that further alterations are required to prevent such battles from exceeding a certain predetermined length of time," reads the latest community update from PlayOnline. What will these "alterations" consist of? "Included in the version update scheduled for early September will be modifications to the degree of difficulty of Pandemonium Warden (and associated pets), Absolute Virtue (and associated pets), and Jailer of Love. The aim of these changes is to create battles where a decisive outcome may be reached within a shorter period of time."
Square's statement also reaffirmed the company's continued "commitment to a healthy and wholesome game environment." You know, one where players aren't passing out while playing.
There's a war going on. No, we're not talking about the one between the Armies of Order and the Armies of Destruction depicted in the recently released cinematic trailer for EA's upcoming MMO Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Nope, we're talking about the war being waged on blogs and in forums over which fantasy MMO-themed video is better: this one or the Wrath of the Lich King opening. Since it's a war, you all have to watch both and pick a side. Apathy is not a choice!
Once you finally, finally install the Wrath of the Lich King onto your personal copy of World of Warcraft, what's the first thing you'll bear witness to (besides empty Mountain Dew cans and an empty, empty apartment)? Why, the above video, of course. For your viewing pleasure we present the opening cinematic from Blizzard's upcoming opus.
So, what's it like? C'mon dude, it's a new Blizzard cinematic, do you really want some tubby blogger spoiling it for you? Of course not. Now, get to clicking.
This gigantic, bladed, slashing monstrosity is one of the most coveted weapons in all of the World of Warcraft, spoken of in whispers by some of the most epic characters in the game: the Ashbringer. And it's set to feature pretty prominently in Wrath of the Lich King, the second expansion coming to the biggest game in the world later this year. Joystiq's site covering all things Azeroth, WoW Insider, has the story on this sword and much, much more. Here's our biggest posts from the past week in Warcraft.
Know Your Lore: The Ashbringer Everyone's all giddy about Frostmane finding its way into player hands, but Know Your Lore takes a long look at the other side of the "Awesome Two-Hand Sword" spectrum.
Although it was dangled in front of us like a tantalizing carrot, it looks like you won't be able to get any cross-gaming action between PS3s and PCs out of Sony's upcoming spy MMO, The Agency. Last year, designer Hal Milton told us the developer weas looking at it, but in a recent interview with Eurogamer it looks like he's closed the door on things for good. You can thank Shadowrun for ruining it all.
"PC guys say, 'PS3 guys have aim assist and the controls nerfed for them'. And PS3 guys say, 'PC guys have a mouse and keyboard - it's all easier for them'. Even if it's not true." Not that we're complaining, because Shadowrun made us a bit mental. But this really needs to happen in a fun way sooner or later. Which title is going to be able to nail it down and make it work? Super Mario Crossover Party Platformer 2: Now With More Fun has our money.
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