Massively^™

"Hahaha I pwnedz0rz j00!"
"You cheated. Your class is overpowered. If I had my [insert popular class here], you wouldn't have a chance"
"STFU newb, go play Hello Kitty Online"

It may have become the butt of as many jokes as Chuck Norris, but Hello Kitty Online might actually prove to be a major contender in the MMO space. Sure it probably won't compete on the same level with something like Warhammer Online, but in the ever-increasing niche MMO market, it has the possibility to become a hit online game.

On October 8th at 22:00 EST, the HKO Founder's Beta will begin, opening the game to many more players than the previous beta that's been going on for months. To find out more information on becoming a Founder (which operates much like a special pre-order program for when the game launches), you can check out the Founders FAQ or the game's FAQ itself. They even get bonus points for offering a Torrent version of their beta download!

Collector's Editions, in-game exclusives, and headstarts aren't limited to hotly-anticipated MMOs in the fantasy genre. More casual MMOs are now offering additional incentives and benefits to gamers who are devoted to their given IP. A case-in-point is Hello Kitty Online and their newly-announced Founder's offer. The Hello Kitty Online Founder's Beta will allow those selected to play the game ahead of launch while participating in special in-game events. Here's how to become a Founder in two easy steps:

1. Sign up for a SanrioTown.com account.
2. Using your SanrioTown account, send a BLANK email to hkofounder@hellokitty.com.

That's it. Founders should have some new things to look forward to from Hello Kitty Online, according to the official site: "an improved interface, new monsters, new maps, new items, and the opening of London and Paris. The Founders' Beta will also introduce gameplay changes such as an improved skill system, pet systems and team-play oriented enhancements." If you're curious about this title, either for yourself or for one of the little people in your life, don't wait too long to become a Founder -- this stage of beta testing begins on October 8th. If you're thinking about giving it a shot, be sure to check out the full details in the Hello Kitty Online News and Update page.

[Via MMORPG]

We write about Chaos Chosen freaks wreaking havoc on the RvR battlefield. We've been known to write about interstellar mercenaries and anarchists publicly executing enemies of freedom. Things like these make the job fun.

But this... is seriously over the top. Three videos, all lined up below the cut. You may be able to handle one. Some of you may be able to take two. But three -- we don't think you can do it. In fact we know you can't. These clips are NSFW. Be advised.

Pancakes, just about everyone loves 'em. They're deliciously light and fluffy and can be sweetened with everything from blueberries to chocolate chips. Just like their flat 'n tasty counterparts, Pancake MMOs are light, fluffy and sweet all over. Hello Kitty Online, Go Pets, Neopets, Free Realms, Club Penguin and the near bouquet-size of franchise-based MMOs coming from Disney seem to be piling up on our proverbial plates. These MMOs can taste great and do tend to venture into fun, experimental game design territory. However, are they also like actual pancakes in that too many will cause everyone to grasp their collective stomachs and painfully moan, "Too many pancakes!" or can we stomach endless amounts of soft, tasty sweetness?

When you hear the word "realistic" as it's applied to graphics and/or gameplay, do you cheer or wince? World of Warcraft, Mabinogi, Hello Kitty Online -- these are all titles that make a fantastical graphics aesthetic work well for them. At the same time, Age of Conan, Guild Wars, Tabula Rasa -- these games make a good showing of a more "realistic" style, and people seem to like it.

Then again, there's "realistic" taken to an extreme; we're thinking of the way The Sims makes you exercise, eat, sleep, excrete, etc. Now, while The Sims is of course not an MMO, do we want that sort of thing in our fantasy worlds? Does realism attract more people than surrealism? Could you take currently realistic/cartoony games and switch the aesthetic around and make it all better?

There's a certain temptation to believe that so-called casual games are inherently less complex than their more hardcore cousins. Whether it's born of experience, arrogance, or just plain ignorance, most people probably assume that a game like Hello Kitty Online is going to leave them wanting for features. Having just read an interview with Ali Aslanbaigi, Game Master Manager for HKO, this blogger can say that this certainly doesn't seem like the case.

Aslanbaigi explains how they plan to integrate email, blogging, and user video from the Sanriotown portal into the game experience itself, making Hello Kitty Online a social media hub as much as it is casual MMO. Say what you will about the relative complexity of an Age of Conan -- Hello Kitty Online isn't just trying to compete with the big MMOs on the block, it's looking to take its place alongside Facebook, MySpace, and other social media giants. It's ambitious, to say the least.

Happy Friday! We don't know about you, but it's been a long week here at Massively, so we are thrilled to be at the point where we get to ask you, as we do every Friday: What aRe yoU Playing?

Our own Akela Talamasca has been busy -- he's been playing lots of Mythos lately, as well as Warrior Epic and City of Heroes. Tateru Nino continues playing her cavalcade of games -- Second Life is in there, of course, as well as LotRO, and even a little Hello Kitty Online beta action. And me, I'm just a few levels away from getting another 70 in WoW, I'm getting my Guild Wars on, and I'm hoping to head into the Age of Conan this weekend as well, time permitting (outside of the MMO world, it's also a travel weekend for me, so I'm going to try out The World Ends With You -- it does have some MMO-like features, though, since you can not only come into contact with other players with your DS' wifi, but even buy and sell items from them).

But enough about us -- what are you up to? Are you checking out AoC's beta, or maybe looking at issue 12 in CoH? Are you playing something we've never heard of? Tell us about it!

Previously on WRUP...

All right, so May Day was yesterday, but MMO holidays never take just one day -- they usually last a whole weekend. So we're extending Massively May Day to all this weekend, and as usual on Friday afternoons, we want to know: What aRe yoU Playing in the world of MMOs?

Tons of you are probably headed into the Age of Conan open beta -- even if you haven't finished downloading the patch yet (13 gb?!?), Massively's got the hookup with pics, video, and good time guides to what's going on in there. Personally, I've got an invite to the exclusive beta of Hello Kitty Online to break open (don't be jealous), and I'll be continuing leveling up in Guild Wars and World of Warcraft as usual. And if all that wasn't enough, I'll be continuing to pour my time into a decidedly non-MMO game that nevertheless has one of the most, if not the most, detailed open world environments I've ever seen. The multiplayer on GTA IV may not actually be massive, but it is just incredible running around that open city with 15 other players.

So what are you up to in terms of gaming this weekend?

Previously on WRUP...

Welcome to a new column here at Massively, where I'll take two massively multiplayer online games and chop them up into little pieces, so I can put them back together with electrical tape and staples. This is the MMO Mashup, where you can expect to see everything from the startlingly strange to the ubiquitously unusual.

Lets get straight into it then, with the pink-yet-dark world of Age of Hello Kitty.

In the dangerous and dark Kingdom of Floweria, your wits are your best weapon. Though pastel-colored blade and lovely embroidered shield may help fend off the slavering demon-kittens, they are only as powerful as the warrior wielding them.

Thy doom draws nearer, O Learned Readers, for with each passing day, Hello Kitty Online becomes more and more a reality! The latest information is that those of you fortunate enough to have gotten access to the closed beta will finally find out what it will be like to inhabit the world of Sanrio. The test runs from the 23rd of April to the 7th of May, and interestingly enough, testers will have a DVD of content sent to them, which will include at least a folder of video tutorials, though nothing else has been confirmed at this time.

This MMO has excited a ton of interest in age ranges well beyond the pre-pubescent that one might expect -- expect a First Impressions before too long!

According to a report recently released by Virtual Worlds Management, there are now over 100 youth-oriented virtual worlds somewhere along the phase of development, from concept to several years post-release. And even that is understating the situation a little bit, as they've lumped both MTV and Disney's burgeoning cadre of virtual worlds into single entries on the list.

Virtual Worlds News has a pretty thorough breakdown of the data (with charts!), separating the virtual worlds into categories and target demographics. According to their breakdown of the current landscape, it would appear that the tween category (that is, ages 8-12) is currently the most populated area on the current landscape, targeted as they are by the likes of LEGO Universe, Hello Kitty Online, and practically every other game under the sun. We like to think that Elves and Orcs are the running cliche of the MMO space, but more likely it's purses and shopping.

I have to apologize in advance to any stalwart fans of the Hello Kitty franchise who are anxiously anticipating Hello Kitty Online with baited breath. Perhaps it is a sad commentary on the inherent cynicism and snarkiness of your modern blogger, but I have serious doubts about whether or not you will ever see a post about HKO here on Massively without some at least a touch of sarcasm or irony. Fault us for our taste if you will, but never doubt or honesty!

Having said that, this official trailer for Hello Kitty Online demonstrates such innovative new features as character creation, personalized avatars (which is different than character creation, in some way that eludes me), virtual community, farms, in-game items, houses, and mini-games including fan favorites like Rock-Paper-Scissor! In this respect, the game appears less interested in re-inventing the wheel, than in ensuring it is super cute and perhaps slightly creepy. As the game moves into beta in the near future, look for more impressions and news to surface.

[Via ZergWatch]

Some of you have anticipated it. Some of you have dreaded it. Some of us have been threatened with it, when we've been naughty bloggers ('Follow the style guidelines or we'll make you play it!'). Whatever your reaction to the news, it's finally happening: Hello Kitty Online is currently in closed beta, and will launch sometime in the latter half of 2008.

So, what can we expect from HKO? Appearances from other Sanrio characters: check. Cute explorable zones like the Flower Kingdom: check. Combat system: che -- wait, what? Combat system, guilds, extensive crafting system ... this is an actual MMORPG, not just another cutesy virtual world like Club Penguin or Webkinz!

Color me curious; I've already signed up for the beta. More news as it comes. Keep an eye on Massively for all your superdeformed, facial orifice-less, kawaii character needs.

[Updated: Closed beta actually begins on April 23rd.]