Filed under: New titles

Allods Online set to enter open beta on February 16th

by Rubi Bayer Feb 9th 2010 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New titles, News items, Allods Online

Allods Online surprised us last November, seeming to come out of nowhere and offering an extensive, polished game even in beta. The game has been cycling through several rounds of closed beta since then, adding more content with each round and allowing beta testers to further explore their world.

Fans of the game who didn't manage to score a closed beta key during that time have something to be happy about today: open beta for Allods Online in Europe and North America will begin next Tuesday, February 16th. Not only that, but all characters created during the open beta will not be deleted.

If you're curious about the game, check out our previous coverage and prepare yourself for the awesomeness the right way.

[Thanks Kane!]

LEGO Universe begins beta signups

by Rubi Bayer Feb 9th 2010 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Betas, New titles, News items, LEGO Universe

It was a bit quiet on the LEGO Universe front for most of 2009, with a reveal of screenshots, and a bit of development news here and there, but not much else.

January 2010 changed all of that, with a big reveal at CES that gave us a trailer full of zombie pirate awesome, and some actual alpha footage of the game. This quick progression from screenshots and interviews to trailers and gameplay footage led to the natural assumption that more was going to come quickly, and we were right: signups for the LEGO Universe beta began today, just a short while ago.

Don't tell us that it's a kids game and you're entirely too grown-up for it -- we know better. Nobody outgrows LEGO. Now go sign up for the beta, you know you want to. Signups can be made here, and we hope to see you in the beta. (Yes, we're signing up too. We told you: nobody outgrows LEGO.)

[Thanks to Dennis for the tip!]

Zodiac Online enters open beta February 10th

by Rubi Bayer Feb 7th 2010 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New titles, Free-to-play, Zodiac Online

Zodiac Online, the free-to-play offering from Ingle Games, entered closed beta early last November. Since then the folks at Ingle Games have been hard at work refining things, fixing bugs, and just generally preparing to move to the next phase.

That next phase will arrive in just a few short days: open beta begins February tenth. The game predictably revolves around the Chinese zodiac, challenging you to assist the twelve creatures of the zodiac to defeat the forces of evil.

If you fall in the "make love, not war" camp, never fear. There is another side to Zodiac Online that says "give fate a chance and let it turn into a romance." This game has a fate system based on astrology that will give you a heads up when a player is nearby that you are particularly compatible with -- or particularly incompatible with -- so you can follow up if you're so inclined.

Check out the Zodiac Online site for more information and to register for open beta!

Massively's mystery beta key giveaway

by Shawn Schuster Feb 6th 2010 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Betas, New titles, Giveaways

A mystery beta? How does that work?

We've been given 100 keys for the early closed beta on an upcoming game that hasn't even been officially announced yet. As excited as we are about this, we still have to tiptoe around any hints that might give it away. So let's just call this the first in a projected series of games that includes both single-player and online aspects. It's described as both cooperative and competitive, covering a new genre for games.

Sound like something you might want to help test? Simply leave a comment to this post before Sunday, February 7, 2010 at 7pm EST and 100 random winners will be chosen from the entries. You'll then be contacted with further instructions on how to download and access the game. Best of luck!

[Comment are now closed, winners to be contacted by Monday]

Massively's Aika closed beta key giveaway: Round two

by Shawn Schuster Feb 5th 2010 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New titles, PvP, Giveaways, Aika

With the speed at which our beta keys vanished in last week's giveaway, the good people at Aika Online were happy to give us 5,000 more keys for the Massively readers to get their hands on. As we mentioned last week, Aika is a large-scale PvP-centric MMO where nations fight against each other with castle sieges and customized battlegrounds. All of this while supporting 2,000 players in the same battle.

If you didn't get your chance to grab a key last week, head on over to our giveaway page for a shiny new code. From there, you can register at aika.gpotato.com and download the client straight from the website. At the rate this game is gaining popularity, you can bet we'll be checking this one out ourselves, with our first impressions coming soon.

Warhammer 40k MMO to be fully revealed this summer

by Rubi Bayer Feb 4th 2010 at 10:30AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, real-world, New titles, News items, Warhammer 40k

Have you been looking forward to the Warhammer 40K MMO for what feels like forever? The people at THQ have been offering up small pieces of information since they announced the game a few years ago -- last April we finally got a release year of 2012, and just in December we were given some beautiful concept art.

Now we've been given even better news. THQ plans to "fully unveil" Warhammer 40K this summer at E3. The Electronic Entertainment Expo will be at the Los Angeles Convention Center this year, from June 15th-17th, and if you were thinking of attending, this is a very good reason to hop off the fence.

THQ has kept the game largely under wraps for now, but the developers are pretty excited. Team member Joe Madureira promises large scale combat, tons of customization, and great-looking characters.

June suddenly seems a lot farther away, but we'll keep a close eye out for more news on the game until then!

Community Q&A: Ask Allods Online

by Shawn Schuster Feb 4th 2010 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, Free-to-play, Allods Online, Community Q&A

Allods Online has just announced an extension to its fourth closed beta testing, with an open beta looming on the horizon. We've been giving the game some healthy coverage since it entered the early beta stages, and we're always excited to interact with the developers and publishers whenever we can. But now it's your turn!

As with our previous Community Q&As, we want to hear from our readers on the pressing questions you have for the developers. Whether you've been enjoying your time in the game or not, we want to know what you'd like answered. So if you'd like your question considered, simply leave a question as a comment on this post by Monday, February 8th at 8am EST. Or, if you'd feel more comfortable with email, send one off to me at shawn at massively dot com. We'll gather up the questions and send the best off to the Allods team for the answers. Once we get the answers back, we'll post them here for all to see. Please remember to keep your questions respectful and your criticisms constructive. Beyond that, have at it!

Unboxing the Star Trek Online Collector's Edition

by Krystalle Voecks Feb 2nd 2010 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Star Trek Online, Hands-on, Massively Hands-on

Today, we launch into Star Trek Online! Our ongoing mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before. Well OK, not since beta, anyway. Still, it's always exciting to hold a shiny new MMO box in your hands -- made even nicer when you're a huge Star Trek fan and have managed to get your hands on the Collector's Edition.

Curious as to what came in this shiny metallic box now that you've checked out all of our launch day coverage? Well, travel along with us as we put it into warp and set off for a gallery look in the package.

Gallery: Star Trek Online Collector's Edition unboxing

Mortal Online releases new game trailer

by Rubi Bayer Feb 2nd 2010 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, New titles, News items, Mortal Online

Mortal Online's open beta began yesterday, but closed beta players have been enjoying the game for a while now, right along with the development team.

The Mortal Online team has been collecting game footage from closed beta and working on a game trailer for the past few weeks. They're drawing the suspense out by showing it to fans in parts, and part one was released today. They do warn us that it's not super polished, as it was created using the then-current build of the game, but it's still a great look at the world of Nave.

You'll see a fair amount of players, as the video is composed entirely of in-game footage from beta, and Mortal Online sent out a big thank you to all the players who participated in the production. Take a look at part one of the trailer after the jump, and we'll keep an eye out for the next two parts!

Global Agenda multiplayer Conquest Mode launches today

by Rubi Bayer Feb 2nd 2010 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Launches, New titles, PvP, News items, Global Agenda

Global Agenda launched yesterday, to the delight of many fans -- including our very own Shawn and Sera. However, that was just the beginning of the launch week festivities.

Conquest mode launches today, offering all players free access until March 3rd of this year. This is a great opportunity to explore this massively multiplayer feature, take part in some Agency vs. Agency battles, and see if it's for you or not. The first zones opened today at 12pm US Eastern time, with two open zones (Obelisk and Echelon) in the UK and three (Sovereign, Citadel and Warlord) in the United States.

Because the workings of Conquest can feel a bit intimidating and overwhelming to new players, particularly with so much else to learn, Global Agenda is helping players make the most of their free time by offering the developer video diary we showed you earlier in the week with an overview of Conquest. Take a look at it to gain some helpful tips before you dive in, and be sure to check out the new exclusive AvA screenshots in our gallery!

Gallery: Hi-Rez Studios and Global Agenda Gallery

Unboxing the Global Agenda Collector's Edition

by Shawn Schuster Feb 1st 2010 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Hands-on, Spy, Global Agenda, Massively Hands-on

Today's the day that Global Agenda has officially launched, and if you're still waiting for more information about this game before making that box purchase, we can help. Not only did we show you a round-up this morning of our complete coverage on the game, but now we want to show you what's in the physical retail box, also referred to as the Collector's Edition. That's assuming people remember how to go buy physical boxes in stores, right?

Follow along through the unboxing gallery below for a piece-by-piece tour of the Global Agenda Collector's Edition box contents.

Gallery: Global Agenda Collector's Edition unboxing

The Digital Continuum: The 'Next Big Thing' in MMOs

by Kyle Horner Feb 1st 2010 at 12:00PM

Filed under: MMO industry, New titles, Opinion, The Digital Continuum, All Points Bulletin, Crime

Is All Points Bulletin the "Next Big Thing" in MMOs? While I'm fully aware that Realtime Worlds doesn't specifically prefer to associate the game with this genre, it's very much a part of it -- but it also orbits the fringes of what we commonly refer to as a massively multiplayer online game.

Guild Wars, Guild Wars 2 and All Points Bulletin come from a different school of business models. These games hinge on the idea that most people dislike coughing up 15 bucks a month to keep playing their favorite title. Just look to the success of the original Guild Wars, having a year ago passed six million copies sold. That's a pretty great start for non-subscription MMOs, and because of that success we now have GW's sequel and APB on the way.

Massively's Black Prophecy Q&A: Mission Systems

by James Egan Feb 1st 2010 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Interviews, New titles, PvP, Quests, PvE, Massively Interviews, Black Prophecy

Massively has been following the development of the sci-fi MMO Black Prophecy very closely, and was pleased that the title's developer Reakktor Media wanted to do a series of focused Q&As with us on several aspects of the game. Our last such Q&A started at the beginning with character creation, but in our second installment of the Black Prophecy interview series we discussed the game's mission design. To that end, we posed some questions to Lorenz Dames, the Lead Game Designer on Black Prophecy.

Lorenz explained a great deal about how Reakktor is approaching solo content vs. group-oriented gameplay. He also told us how Reakktor Media is merging the completion of mission objectives with dogfighting your fellow players through PvP missions, where other players will try to counter your efforts to complete goals. Our interview should provide Black Prophecy fans with a solid overview of the game's mission design, which will be an essential aspect of the sci-fi MMO's gameplay.

Gallery: Black Prophecy Gallery

Altis Gates closed beta download available

by Rubi Bayer Feb 1st 2010 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New titles, News items, Free-to-play

IGG.com recently introduced their latest MMO, Altis Gates. Altis Gates is a turn-based fantasy game in which players battle in the continuing aftermath of a 300-year war, long after it was thought to be over and forgotten.

The game will begin closed beta at 8:00 pm EST February 2nd, and if you're interested in giving it a try, our sister site Big Download is ready and willing to help you out. Big Download has partnered with IGG to offer closed beta keys. Just head over to their site to read up on Altis Gates, then download the special beta client provided. The file includes a unique "Closed Beta Activation Key" text file. Follow the instructions found in the file and you're all set.

The offer is available to anyone who would like to try the Altis Online closed beta, so visit Big Download, get your activation key, and have fun!

Balancing realistic physics with fun in Black Prophecy

by James Egan Jan 31st 2010 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, New titles, Black Prophecy

The latest info about the sci-fi MMO Black Prophecy, currently in development at Reakktor Media, comes in the form of a series of dev blogs from the game's Technical Director, Cyrus Preuss. As with his two previous blogs, Cyrus gets down into the nuts and bolts of how the game's physics work, which may be of interest to those who'd like to know more about the underlying systems that will govern Black Prophecy's space combat.

His rather technical dev blog is all about interaction with the physics engine. It especially deals with balancing the realism that some players want with the need to throw aspects of that realism to the wind, in favor of game mechanics that are simply more fun. He also discusses how the physics engine will relate to space stations, capital ships, and weapon physics. Black Prophecy fans interested in this kind of a look at the game can read all about it in "Interaction with the Physics Engine" on the game's official site.