The new ParentDish: helping raise kids of all ages

Age of Conan beta guide: The priests

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Age of Conan, New titles, Massively Hands-on


Continuing our examination of the spellcasting classes in Age of Conan, today we're going to investigate the situation with the priest archetype. As with all of the archetypes in AoC, there are three choices when it comes to the priests: Bear Shaman, Tempest of Set, and Priest of Mitra. We'll give a rundown of the three of these during the early stages of the game, go over some of their class-defining spells, and stack them up in head-to-head comparisons after the break.

Continue reading Age of Conan beta guide: The priests


Age of Conan beta guide: The mages

Filed under: Age of Conan, New titles, Massively Hands-on


We've given you some hands-on impressions from our time with Age of Conan's mages from the Gamespot PvP weekend, but over the past few days we've had a chance to play these classes in the beta proper. Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen (and very trying) performance issues that were out of our control, our finely crafted plans of digging deep into these classes were viciously assassinated like a Necromancer in Age of Conan's PvP.

That didn't stop us from prying further information on the Herald of Xotli, Demonologist and Necromancer classes. So if you'd like the expanded low-down on these magic-manipulating mages, read on!

Continue reading Age of Conan beta guide: The mages


Massively's state of the game: Age of Conan beta

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Age of Conan, Previews, Massively Hands-on

How do you convey the beginning of a journey in words? Journeys are important in so many ways. Not only are they meaningful for the travelers, but for the people that they meet on the way. Age of Conan is just setting out on its own journey into the world of retail and public launch. Open Beta begins today, and within just a few weeks we'll be entering Hyborea en-masse, slaughtering picts and saving women.

The question hangs in the air ... is it any good? Has the wait been worth it? Today along with some information on the game's tutorial elements, a bit of class knowledge, and a slew of screenshots and videos, Massively would like to offer you a view on the state of the game. These views are based a week's worth of play at low levels - enough to make a few observations, but nothing like a 'review'. At the very least we can prepare you for what you'll experience in the Open Beta, and likely in the first days of retail as well.

Read on for our view on where the game is today, and how we think launch is going to go 'tomorrow'.

Continue reading Massively's state of the game: Age of Conan beta


Hands-on with Age of Conan's priests

Filed under: Age of Conan, New titles, Massively Hands-on


A lot of things about Age of Conan are different from your average MMO, but some things are also similar. The healing classes in the game are a prime example of this, as each of the three classes rely on the whack-a-mole gameplay style while adding in some new choices. In other words, they all heal, but they all deal damage in different ways. I didn't realize how different each of AoC's healers truly were until I was able to sit down with them for a couple of days last weekend.

Over the course of the recent PvP weekend I did just that: fiddled around with the healing classes in Age of Conan. While I normally don't play the healer class in MMOs, I've dabbled in the selfless class archetype known as the healer. Because of this, I know how the healing gig typically goes in MMOs, but when I started playing the healers in AoC I found myself a bit surprised.

Continue reading Hands-on with Age of Conan's priests


World of Warcraft
Massively hands-on with LotRO's Book 13 gallery

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, Lord of the Rings Online, Patches, Previews, PvP, Hands-on, Massively Hands-on


Before the Lord of the Rings Online team rolls out their first expansion, there are still two more free content patches coming down the pike. The first one of those two is Book 13, Doom of the Last King being released later this week. It introduces not only a new part of Middle-earth, Forochel, but also a healing class to Player vs Monster Play, the Orc Defiler, and the first Hobby in the game, Fishing.

Click on the first image below to join us for a walkthrough of Forochel, meet the ice people of the area, the Lossoth and get a look at the new features and monsters coming to the game. And after you're done, don't miss the video of our tour we posted a few days back.

Hands-on in PvP with Age of Conan's mages

Filed under: Age of Conan, New titles, Massively Hands-on


Players interested in running around Age of Conan casting magic left and right will be happy to know that in the world of Hyboria mages are quite impressive.

Some players will be slightly unhappy to hear that there is no straight-up archetypical magic user in AoC. There is no class that basically shoots fireballs while standing around like a glass window just waiting to be shattered into a million little pieces.

That doesn't mean certain classes couldn't be tweaked to play similarly to a more traditional MMO magic caster, but for better or worse you're going to have to use pets when you play a magic class in AoC. Well, unless you're planning on being a Herald of Xolti -- in that scenario you'll be using lots of demonic strength and magic.

Continue reading Hands-on in PvP with Age of Conan's mages


World of Warcraft
Massively goes hands-on with LotRO Book 13 video

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Lord of the Rings Online, Patches, Previews, Hands-on, Massively Hands-on


We could write reams of text that describe in loving detail all the features that await you in Lord of the Rings Online's Book 13 content patch. We could lay out screenshot after screenshot that could perfectly capture the chilly northlands that are being introduced, the eerie agent of Angmar who is tearing apart the land or the monstrous beasts that roam the wintry tundra.

Or you can just click after the jump and watch a video that sums it up in less than 5 minutes. Plus, glimpses of Fishing, new trophies and new environmental effects.

Don't worry you lovers of words and pictures, a write up is coming your way in the next day or two complete with a gallery of shiny shots to accompany the purple prose.

Continue reading Massively goes hands-on with LotRO Book 13 video


World of Warcraft
Raiding LU 44 Preview: Do You Feel the Hate?

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, EverQuest II, Previews, Endgame, Massively Hands-on

Coming this Tuesday, April 8th, along with the rest of EQ2's Live Update 44 is the Shard of Hate. It follows last year's Shard of Fear and Estate of Unrest free, nostalgia-drenched content updates. Unlike those other two, though, the Shard of Hate is a raid zone. EQ2 lead designer Akil "Lyndro" Hooper was kind enough to take some time out of his day to show us around the spite-filled roads and alleys of this small, deadly fragment of Innoruuk's demesne.

You'll find the portal to the Shard of Hate in the dark elf section of Nektulos Forest -- go all the way east, then head north. You may see the Avatar of Hate lurking nearby, but he'll let you in. It's safe to zone in, but don't move around much; patrols come close to the zone in.



World of WarcraftWorld of WarcraftWorld of WarcraftWorld of WarcraftWorld of Warcraft
Massively Spring Event coverage in pictures (and a video)

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Video, EverQuest II, Final Fantasy XI, Lord of the Rings Online, Events, in-game, Guides, Quests, Pirates of the Caribbean Online, Second Life, Massively highlights, Massively Hands-on

Springtime brought many events to our favorite MMOs and Massively was there to report on them. From St. Patricks Day to Easter to April Fools, there was no end to seasonal fare. Click the images below to take a tour of the pictures and places of Spring 2008 in MMOs.

Easter


More event coverage after the jump.

Continue reading Massively Spring Event coverage in pictures (and a video)


World of Warcraft
Bristlebane's Day told in pictures

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, EverQuest II, Events, in-game, Humor, Massively Hands-on


It's Bristlebane's Day in Everquest II until April 2!

The god of tricks and pranks has a special job for someone (maybe you!). Look for Blat Berisen outside the gates of your home city... The gods are sending evil thoughts into his brain, and only you can retrieve the tinfoil cap he needs to block them out. Will you accept the challenge?

Check out our exclusive gallery for hints to help the quest along -- including amazing shots of the tin cap itself!

First Impressions: Mabinogi

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Culture, Game mechanics, New titles, Crafting, Tips and tricks, Quests, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Humor, Mabinogi, Massively Hands-on, First Impressions


Mabinogi is an engaging MMO by Nexon, the makers of Maple Story, Audition, and Kart Rider. The name is derived from the Mabinogion, a collection of old Welsh stories. In that sense, it's well-named; Mabinogi is billed as 'your fantasy life', and much of what happens in the game follows a gentle, pastoral atmosphere -- even the combat, to a certain degree. We had the chance to check this out, now that it's in open beta, and here's what we found. Keep in mind that this is not a guide -- we have no insider knowledge to report. This is merely a record of our opinions and experience playing this game for the first few hours. Excelsior!

Continue reading First Impressions: Mabinogi


A video and screenshot tour of FFXI's Wings of the Goddess expansion

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Classes, Culture, Expansions, Game mechanics, New titles, Endgame, Hands-on, Massively Hands-on

Late last week we had the opportunity to get a hands-on look at the most recent expansion to the venerable MMO title Final Fantasy XI. Wings of the Goddess was released to excited Taru Tarus and enthusiastic Galkas in November of last year, but the new content is still being explored by the several hundred-thousand strong playerbase. Featuring two new jobs and an intriguing story arc that ties the present of Vana'diel to its war-torn past, Wings is easily the most ambitious project the Square/Enix development team has delivered to the online space. While it hasn't been as well received as some previous expansions, it's nonetheless a watershed moment in the game's history.

The reason? The FFXI developers are reaching out to the community, both inside and out of the game. Don't play Final Fantasy XI? Don't worry – we haven't in a while either. That's why we went on this tour, to experience the newest and greatest the gameworld had to offer. While talking to the developers was great, nothing can compare with seeing the sights and trying out the two new classes firsthand ... and did we ever come back with spoils! We have descriptions of playstyles for both of the new classes, details on the newest Campaign-style collaborative combat gameplay, dozens of screenshots, half a dozen videos, and one very special cinema featuring a certain cat that might be very familiar indeed ...

Continue reading A video and screenshot tour of FFXI's Wings of the Goddess expansion


First Impressions: Jumpgate Evolution

Filed under: Sci-fi, Jumpgate, Jumpgate Evolution, New titles, Previews, Hands-on, Massively Hands-on, First Impressions, Massively Event Coverage



At Codemasters' Connect08, we had the chance to sit down for a few minutes with upcoming space MMO Jumpgate Evolution and take it for a wee test drive. "Space MMO?" I hear you cry, "Let me guess, it's spaceships flying around shooting at each other and enemies?"

In a nutshell, that's exactly what Jumpgate Evolution is. You pilot a spaceship. You shoot stuff. You get a better spaceship. Repeat. But, as with many MMOs that can be distilled to an equally dull one-line summary, there's far more to the game than that. Read on for our gameplay impressions (bearing in mind this is an alpha pre-release, not the final shipped product).

Continue reading First Impressions: Jumpgate Evolution


GDC08: When Love came to town

Filed under: At a glance, Galleries, Video, Business models, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Previews, MMOFPS, Massively Interviews, Massively Hands-on, Massively Event Coverage, Love

Every once in a while you have one of those unique experiences where you catch a glimpse of inspirational human intelligence. We were lucky enough to have such an experience at GDC in the hour we spent with Eskil Steenberg, the gifted programmer behind the fledgling one-man MMO project, Love. Once you get past the stage of incredulity at the idea that anyone would even attempt to create a massive game as a solo effort in the age of WoW-sized development and content teams, you start to get a window into exactly why this work in progress is unusual, preciously unique and extremely exciting.

Starting with a caveat: Love is not yet in production (indeed, there's no solid guarantee it ever will be), nor is it glossy and polished like most of the blockbuster AAA titles we feature in our list of core titles -- but the latter tends to work in its favor. It's not like any MMO you've ever seen; what we saw shimmering and dancing on Steenberg's laptop was otherworldly, breathing, and dreamy -- more reminiscent of a Van Gogh painting or of Waking Life than of any massive game we've ever played. The video embedded after the break is somewhat crude, having been shot off a laptop display (and occasionally featuring a reflection of Eskil himself, which you can decide for yourself whether it enhances or detracts from the experience), but captures the essence of the strange world in motion with its breathtaking landscape and day/night cycling as you wander about the planet.

Continue reading GDC08: When Love came to town


Next Page »

Massively Features

Featured Galleries


follow massively at http://twitter.com
    News
    Academic rss feed
    At a glance rss feed
    Betas rss feed
    Bugs rss feed
    Business models rss feed
    Classes rss feed
    Contests rss feed
    Crafting rss feed
    Culture rss feed
    Economy rss feed
    Education rss feed
    Endgame rss feed
    Events, in-game rss feed
    Events, real-world rss feed
    Expansions rss feed
    Exploits rss feed
    Forums rss feed
    Game mechanics rss feed
    Guilds rss feed
    Hands-on rss feed
    Humor rss feed
    Interviews rss feed
    Launches rss feed
    Legal rss feed
    Lore rss feed
    Machinima rss feed
    Maps rss feed
    Massively highlights rss feed
    Massively meta&n