Filed under: Events, real-world

Fallen Earth screenshot contest winners announced

by Eliot Lefebvre Nov 20th 2009 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, Fallen Earth, Contests, Culture, Events, real-world

It's a beautiful day in the badlands, with the sun shining down on you unprotected in the wilderness, surrounded by horrible creatures and with only a few dozen bullets left before you are completely defenseless. What's not to be thankful for? Fallen Earth might not seem like the most appropriate setting for a Thanksgiving celebration, but the game recently held a screenshot contest for either what the player's character is thankful for or a "traditional" celebration in the wasteland. Yesterday, the winners were announced, with the top entries all receiving special in-game food that offers buffs and the essential proper nutrition for surviving the hostile environment. The first-place winner also receives a Fallen Earth t-shirt.

A small gallery is also available, with the three winners and the honorable mention available for viewing. It's not every game where appropriate holiday celebration includes heavily-armed men standing on a farm surrounded by corpses, but it works for Fallen Earth and should provide the game's players with some appropriate chuckles. Or, given the context, perhaps "inappropriate" is more apt.

Final Fantasy XIV support page located

by Eliot Lefebvre Nov 18th 2009 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, real-world, New titles, Consoles, Rumors, Final Fantasy XIV

Sometimes new information comes from the strangest sources. Apparently, when Square-Enix made their last update to the Final Fantasy XIV with two new jobs revealed, they added a little something unexpected. Not what would have been expected, either -- it was the support site for the game. Since the game is yet to be released or even have a finalized date published, said site contains only a handful of questions, which largely contain no new information... but there are at least two interesting pieces to be gleaned from the site, one minor and one slightly larger.

The smaller piece of information is the list of supported platforms for the game: Windows PC and Playstation 3. That isn't exactly new information, but it's confirmed. The slightly larger tidbit is the confirmation that Japanese releases of Final Fantasy XIII will contain a code to obtain an exclusive in-game item for Final Fantasy XIV. The answer specifies that plans to include said code in the North American or European releases have yet to be decided... which could mean anything. Will the item be exclusive to Japanese players to compensate for the game having a global launch instead of one in Japan first a la Final Fantasy XI? Will the item be cosmetic or have some game impact? Will there be different items based on region? No answers are yet forthcoming, but it should be an interesting tidbit for fans looking forward hungrily to the game's release some time in 2010.

NCSoft asks Aion players to fly their fan flags in public

by Rubi Bayer Nov 14th 2009 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Culture, Events, real-world

NCsoft and the Aion staff have been spending a lot of time lately working to get the Aion community involved and engaged in ways beyond just playing the game. They began with the Eye on Community feature, brought out Aion apparel, and now NCsoft gives you Aion Around the World.

The Aion team is enjoying the international popularity of their game and want to see it in action. Community Manager Andrew "Tamat" Beegle explains "to highlight the global phenomenon that Aion has become, we want to see pictures of our community members in public locations. We're looking for pictures of our players participating in exciting activities or showcasing Aion-themed merchandise, art, or cosplay."

Tamat and two other Aion team members Ayase and Amboss illustrated the idea by cleverly getting themselves into one photo while 5,000 miles apart. (We anticipate someone taking the idea a step farther by doing the same thing with their entire guild.) Aion will be featuring the pictures on their site for the next few months, so get to work on those wings, grab your camera, and send your photos to the Aion Community email. Have fun!

Mission Architect contest launched in City of Heroes

by Eliot Lefebvre Nov 12th 2009 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Contests, Events, real-world, News items

If you like creating content, the Mission Architect system in City of Heroes offers a lot of venues for your creativity, and it's certainly one of the most-touted features of the game. Now, you might be able to get more than just the joy of having other people play through your creation as a prize. There's a new contest on the official site that promises to be the first in a series, allowing a lucky designer to receive a special title and possibly even the coveted Designer's Choice award for their mission.

Sound like your sort of contest? There's a single catch -- you have to work within a given theme. In this case, the mission arc has to involve a hero doing evil for the greater good. That's a theme so ripe for exploration that we're all but certain several people came up with mission arcs just reading the line, so if you're firing on all cylinders take a look at the official rules and then get cracking. The contest ends on December 7th, plenty of time for crafting whatever story you think is best -- and considering City of Heroes: Going Rogue will be out before we know it, the submissions may wind up being more appropriate than you think. Considering that... well, who knows what winning might do for your future? Best to get to work.

Pumpkin contest winners for Final Fantasy XI

by Eliot Lefebvre Nov 8th 2009 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Contests, Fan art, Events, real-world, News items

As Halloween fades into a memory of candy, costumes, and cheaply-made outdoor decorations, the MMOsphere slowly closes its doors on the various holiday events. Final Fantasy XI's pumpkin-carving contest on Allakhazam has finally drawn to a close, with the votes in and tallied and the winners determined. And if you doubt that there's a great deal of talent and originality on display with the contest, the excellently-rendered San d'Orian knight charging into battle above wasn't the winner -- they placed fourth.

Third place went to a rendition of the title image for this year's Halloween event, while second place went to Final Fantasy XI's resident mad professor herself. First place went -- quite deservedly -- to this hauntingly well-rendered image of a tonberry in the darkness. The official announcement includes a tally of the votes, but that might not be quite as exciting to casual observers as a gallery of all the entries. Congratulations to the winners, and here's hoping that next year brings still more pumpkin-carving fun for FFXI.

Welcome to Massively's third year!

by Shawn Schuster Nov 2nd 2009 at 6:30PM

Filed under: Events, real-world, News items, Massively meta, Massively Event Coverage

Massively.com officially turns two years old today, and while that may be quite young for an MMO news site, we'd like to think we've really made a name for ourselves in that time. Starting out as the secret love child of Second Life Insider, WoW Insider (now WoW.com) and the rest of the Joystiq network, we've come a long way in our 730 days.

As we fondly reminisce about the good times we've had, we thought it would be best to not only compile our own favorite content, but also reach out to our readers for their own favorites. After all, without you, we would be nothing. Literally. No, seriously, we love you all. Even Graill and Mr. Angry!

So we reached out to our Twitter followers earlier today to grab a few opinions and combine them with our own. Follow along in the gallery below for our showcase of best content, and feel free to add your favorites in the comments below.

Gallery: Two years of Massively features

ArenaNet grants wish to heart transplant patient

by Rubi Bayer Nov 1st 2009 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Culture, Events, real-world, Guild Wars 2

Emily is a high school junior diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, who is having a pretty good 2009 in spite of that. She received a heart transplant earlier this year, as well as a little pick-me-up from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Emily became a Guild Wars fan last year while waiting for her heart transplant and during her recovery afterward. She spent a lot of time in Tyria while living in the hospital.

Just last week Make-A-Wish arranged for Emily to travel to Seattle and visit the ArenaNet offices, making her the envy of a few million fans. She spent her morning touring the offices, meeting the staff, learning about what they do, and even meeting with the section heads to discuss her likes and dislikes about Guild Wars. After lunch, time to spend a few hours playing Guild Wars 2 with the ArenaNet team. That's right, Emily got an up close and personal look at the game, giving feedback and making suggestions from a fan's point of view. The best part came at the end: "They pulled us aside and asked if she could stay a couple of extra hours. They convened a group of their eight senior designers and Emily, and they asked Emily to help them design an "Event" for the game."

So when we finally get our hands on GW2, there will be a little something from Emily in there. Congratulations from Massively, Emily, and we wish you continued health.

Interplay's in-house lawyer corrects Fallout MMO injunction rumors

by Rubi Bayer Oct 30th 2009 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items

Interplay and Bethesda are continuing to tussle in court over the proposed Fallout MMO, and you may have heard news earlier this week about Interplay's triumph over Bethesda in regards to a preliminary injunction. Well, don't get too excited just yet, because unfortunately it looks like reports got misinterpreted.

Interplay's in-house lawyer jumped in today to correct the rumors that have been flying around for the past few days at various Fallout fansites. Read what he had to say after the jump.

Gallery: Fallout MMO Concepts

City of Heroes: Going Rogue information revealed at Hero-Con

by Rubi Bayer Oct 29th 2009 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Events, real-world, Expansions

City of Heroes teased fans for most of October, promising big information on Going Rogue for those attending HeroCon, and they didn't disappoint. The welcome address last Saturday lived up to expectations in a big way. The community relations team presented nearly an hour of information, screenshots, and video covering the high points of Going Rogue.

They began with the all-important process of transforming your hero to a villain, or vice versa. Rather than pushing a button or purchasing the transformation from the store, players will be able to stay in character and experience the fall from grace or redemption of their character as they work through a series of moral missions.

New powersets (Demon Summoning and Dual Pistols), signature characters and enemy groups were introduced to the crowd, as well as some cool new costume pieces. An extensive look at Praetoria came in the form of a first look at the eye-popping graphics upgrade as well.

All of the exciting new information begs the big question: When? Going Rogue is aiming for a release in Q2 2010, with beta coming in five waves in early 2010. After seeing the information from Hero-Con, we're as excited as you are for this expansion and will be letting you know as soon as more specific information is available. For the time being, check out the City of Heroes forums for an extensive (and impressive) rundown of all the current Going Rogue information.

Extra Life raises over $150,000

by Rubi Bayer Oct 27th 2009 at 8:00PM

Filed under: Culture, Events, real-world, News items

A little over a week ago, we told you about Beau Turkey (from Spouse Aggro) and his participation in Extra Life, the gaming marathon created by Sarcastic Gamer and the Texas Children's Hospital to raise money for the Texas Children's Cancer Center. He easily achieved his goal of $192 -- raising $270 -- but he was one of many, many people who pitched in their time and money to help out. Thanks to Beau and all the others who helped out, Extra Life hit quite a milestone.

Yesterday they announced that they had raised over $150,000 -- an amount well over last year's total which will see 100% going to the Cancer center (Check out the header for a running total). Extra Life has designated this Saturday as "make up day," when participants can finish up their full 24 hours, if they couldn't make it before. Of course, the site will remain open for donations until then as well.

We applaud Beau, Sarcastic Gamer, and all of you who participated. Thank you!

Spread the word on Heroes of Bestia to play

by Eliot Lefebvre Oct 23rd 2009 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Events, real-world, Forums, Launches, New titles, Free-to-play

IGG Inc., source of several free-to-play games, is gearing up for the alpha test of its upcoming browser-based RTS/RPG game Heroes of Bestia, and it's giving fans a chance to take part in the alpha. Certainly sounds exciting... but that reaction might cool a bit when it becomes clear that in order to get in on said alpha test, they want you to spam forums. The alpha test officially begins on October 26th, and in order to receive a pass into the game, "all you have to do is simply post a thread in another forum (except the IGG forums)." Make three posts, and you get your access.

To be fair, the offer specifically states that any posts violating the rules of the forum in question will be grounds for immediate disqualification, but this is still something of a dodgy advertising tactic. It's not exactly without precedent, however, and judging the entire game on those merits would be rather unfair, wouldn't it? Take a look at the official forums, and if it looks interesting, you still have some time to be eligible for your slot in the upcoming alpha test.

Hello Kitty officially middle-aged, celebrates in Hello Kitty Online

by James Egan Oct 23rd 2009 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Betas, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, Free-to-play, Hello Kitty Online, Kids

She may have thrown out her back last week raking up hearts and stars in her back yard, but that's not going to stop Hello Kitty from celebrating her 35th birthday in Hello Kitty Online. Masters of all things cute and cuddly Sanrio Digital announced details of the virtual birthday party commemorating Hello Kitty's middle age milestone. Although Hello Kitty was born on the first of November, the festivities are already underway in Hello Kitty Online and will continue through the cultural icon's actual birthday.

HKO players can earn tokens by completing birthday quests and playing mini-games. Those tokens can be exchanged for limited edition birthday items in-game. Any players who unlock at least four of the limited edition items gain access to a November 1st birthday bash held in (HKO virtual) London. Those festivities aren't just for the players who rack up the most virtual swag, as birthday celebrations will also be held in game locales like Florapolis and Paris.

GameX coverage begins tomorrow!

by Seraphina Brennan Oct 22nd 2009 at 8:00PM

Filed under: Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items, Massively Event Coverage

GameX, the Northeastern video game industry summit and expo, is starting tomorrow! As we said earlier this week, we'll be there, getting face time with guests, visiting Mythic Entertainment and Hi-Rez Studios, and getting you information on some of your favorite titles.

In addition to our coverage here on the site, we'll be updating our Twitter account with things we see at the expo and pictures! Now instead of running to us every five minutes for your Massively fix, you can get updates, pictures, and more from us in the form of tweets! If you're not currently following @massively, or if you're not on Twitter, now is the time to both sign up and add us to your follow list!

Hero-Con full schedule announced

by Rubi Bayer Oct 22nd 2009 at 7:00PM

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Culture, Events, real-world

Hero-Con begins in just a few days, and it's time to start planning what you're going to do while you're there. The full event schedule, as well as a list of panels and workshops was released on the official site yesterday.

Fans can kick off the event Friday with Board Games and Bevs With the Devs, then enjoy the rest of the weekend as well: participate in the live mission event as well as the costume and trivia contests, get a sneak peek at Going Rogue, and do some shopping.

The panel and workshop schedule is guaranteed to force some tough choices. Everything is covered, from breaking into the industry to art design to game mechanics. On the lighter side, there are panels on player-run activities, a look at some Going Rogue characters, and several more that promise fun. Whatever your interest, Hero-Con seems to offer a panel for it.

If you've not purchased tickets yet, they are still available -- check the official site for more details.

Champions Online devchat Thursday: Blood Moon

by Rubi Bayer Oct 20th 2009 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Super-hero, Events, real-world, News items, Champions Online

There is a lot of excitement about the upcoming Blood Moon event in Champions Online, and we've seen enough information this month to make us very anxious for the 27th. We're about to get more, and this time it's all about what you want to know. This Thursday's Champions Online devchat will be all about Blood Moon: zombies and brains, werewolves and hunters.

The majority of the questions will be pulled from the devchat question thread in the forums, so if you've got one, that's the place to ask it. (As one forum poster pointed out, it wouldn't be the worst idea to check out the Blood Moon wiki first and see what's already been answered.) If your forum question doesn't get answered during the chat, you'll have a second chance when they open it up to questions from the audience at the end.

The devchat will be this Thursday (the 22nd) in their IRC chatroom at 4:30 PM PDT. Enjoy!