Yearly Archives: 2012

MEAD: RIFT’s Storm Legion Expansion

MEAD: RIFT’s Storm Legion Expansion

 

Last week PCGamer received a box full of mystery from the lovely folks at Trion. Inside were a variety of items, all of which seemed to be hinting at something but everyone had their own interpretation of what these items meant. I’m sure my box is in the mail, I’ll get it right after I get back from my invitation to visit the Queen. You know, that’s how cool I am. Anyway! As with anything Trion didn’t keep us waiting long. And on Thursday, just a few short days after PCGamer wrote about these items the world found out what was going on. Storm Legion, Rift’s first expansion. I found out on twitter and dropped everything I was doing to find out more. And watch the trailer because Trion just makes awesome videos. Even the painful ones are awesome.

 

 

Need a moment after watching that? I certainly do! The infinity gate was easily the best looking part. And Crucia…her human form (we assume that’s who it is) is hot! In one of those evil seductress sort of ways. To me the plane of air has always been under used and their rifts are by far the most beautiful of them all. So finally seeing something big happening has me a bit excited. But an invasion force is just the beginning of what Storm Legion will bring.

 

 

The biggest physically is the addition of two new continents which will make the world three times the size it is now. My inner explorer squeed a bit when she heard that. I haven’t even finished exploring Ember Isle yet! In addition to two new continents (or possibly on one of these continents) there will be the new co-op city called Tempest Bay which they describe as an island city. Of course keeping to the theme this will also be massive!

 

 

The smallest, but possibly one of the most generally exciting features is capes! Now, I know. It sound funny, I was just talking about new continents and now I’m talking about bits of cloth. But these capes won’t be just any old thing. It is made using shroud technology. ??Now of course I have no idea what that is but according to the FAQ section of stormlegion.riftgame.com it means the cape will move and hang on the body like real cloth. In addition they will display some beautiful artwork in fully fluid motion.

 

 

There are also going to be new epic stories that are supposed to reveal the true power in Telara. Again, I have no idea what that means but oh man does it excite me. They’ve also said they will reveal the gateway to the planes. Which I have to say I have been wanting to go to since I started playing Rift. I can proudly say I called this early on when the expansion was touted as bringing big things.

 

 

What I think will be the biggest in terms of popularity will be the seven dungeons, three raids and chronicle that will be attached to Storm Legion. For me though, the chronicle is interesting, not so much the others. That’s not to say I wouldn’t love to experience them. I think I just suffer from a bit of social anxiety when it comes to working with groups of strangers who expect things of me. Its like a giant spotlight on me and well that’s no fun. Though I would love to get into the scene before Storm Legion is released so I’ll be able to play anything that is high level.

 

Unless of course that high level happens to mean level 60. Which brings me to the next announcement. The level cap is being raised from 50 to 60. I have a bit of hesitation when it comes to this. I’ve never been in a game when a level cap increase has taken place. Except in sort of artificial ways like Planar Attunement or Incarnates in City of Heroes. And what I’ve heard from people who have been in such situations tends to be complaints. But! This is Trion. And I have complete faith in them that they will do nothing but awesome. Mostly because I think the dev team was bred to be awesome. But that’s just a personal theory.

 

There is a bit more on the character development front which I just know is going to mess with me. But in a good way. Each calling is getting a new soul. There isn’t any information on what they are yet but I know every player out there is secretly (or not so secretly) making a wish list.

 

Also on a personal level there will be Grandmaster crafting. Possibly a bump in the cap on crafting level? I’m not sure yet. But that is what I would guess. Oh and something important. So important…to some. Slivers to own and customize. This is open for both guilds and on a player level. What does that mean? Houses. Inns. War rooms! I can’t wait to get sucked into the creation process. Whatever it may be.

 

In addition there will be the much smaller scaled items. The artifacts, mounts, pets..the things that make collectors but squee and weep at the same time.

 

There are so many fantastic things coming in Storm Legion and not nearly enough details yet. Some details that are missing are things like release dates and cost. Not that I think any fanboy or fangirl will care about either overly. Importantly we will be able to pre order both digital and physical copies. Though it seems the physical copies may only be available in North America and Europe. I will be sure to announce any details as I hear them.

Ragnarok Online Celebrates 9th Anniversary

Ragnarok Online Celebrates 9th Anniversary

 

Ragnarok 9th Anniversary

 

Gravity Interactive, a publisher of exciting MMORPGs, launches their yearly tradition: an annual celebration for their wildly popular anchor title, Ragnarok Online. To celebrate the game’s nine years of service, “Where the Old Meets the New” is this year’s slogan in what is to be one of the biggest in-game celebrations to date for RO veterans!

 

 

“We’re celebrating nine amazing years this summer and want to wish a happy birthday to Ragnarok Online,” said Jason Heimdallr Koerperich, Ragnarok Online Producer at Gravity Interactive. “Our players are diving into their summer for some hard earned fun and there’s plenty of celebrating going on in Midgard. “

 

 

Welcome to the 1st Annual Midgard Exposition And Bazaar. Presented by the Eden Group and the Lighthalzen Chamber of Commerce, this festive event is a grand Expo celebrating the defeat of the Demon, Satan Morroc, and the discovery of the New World. The Expo’s grounds are a painstakingly accurate recreation of the old town of Morroc where the Demon first appeared, and the theme of this year’s festivities is ‘Progress and Harmony for Midgard’. Adventurers are invited to visit the Expo, which has run into some … well, let’s just say … difficulties.

 

 

During the course of their exploration of the Expo and its quests, players will be pulled into an unusual story where they will be aiding the Expo in getting up and running as well as unraveling a sinister secret that is lurking within the middle of otherwise peaceful fairgrounds. Players will need to be at least level 70 to experience the full breadth of the Expo events but no cutting in the ticket line!

 

 

One thousand years of peace have reigned, and the world has forgotten the horrors of the age of myth; as in all things, peace can never last forever and evil waits patiently. Once friendly monsters turned aggressive; soon after followed demons attacking and the dead rising from their graves. Heroes appeared to beat back the invasions until the fateful day that Satan Morocc destroyed the peaceful town of Morroc with his freedom granted by the insane and corrupt humans of Midgard. The heroes re-gathered themselves and pushed back with everything they had but only a stalemate was possible.

 

 

The delicate seals that protect the world from spilling into complete chaos weaken and break, and only the knowledge and power from the age of myth can save Midgard from certain doom. Can you and your allies push back the threat of total annihilation and protect Midgard from the final Ragnarok?

Conquer Online “Dawn of the New War” Expansion Brings Game Balance

Conquer Online “Dawn of the New War” Expansion Brings Better Balance

Conquer Online Immunity

Conquer Online is an epic online adventure with nearly a decade in the making! CO has proven itself to be one of the most successful MMO’s of its genre, spawning several expansion packs and subsequent titles, and introducing millions of players to the ancient Chinese martial arts world.

 

 

The TQ team is caring and listening to the voices from the players in the community and determined to make the game more balanced, and bring more special features to each class with this new content-rich update. At this point, there is a great deal of veterans scrambling their way back and continuing their adventurous journey.

Conquer Online Sweep

This time, The TQ team is proud to introduce the new expansion, Dawn of the New War! In this expansion, the Warriors have received two newly designed, powerful defensive skills, Defensive Stance & Magic Defender, which makes their defense increase dramatically! In the meantime, Ninjas have got a new weapon, Scythe, and 3 new skills, with which the Ninjas will become the true king of the assassin. What’s more, the long anticipated changes for the Archer will come with a new weapon and a couple of new skills in the near future!

 

 

Now, the ancient lord is back! Get yourself ready for the Dawn of the New War! Stay tuned for more info.

Where to Look to Join the Esports Elite

Where to Look to Join the Esports Elite

By Remko Molenaar (Proxzor), OnRPG Journalist

 

 

Competitive esports is a new upcoming thing in the gaming market, and it only makes sense with sporting events being so intricately tied with humanity for so long combined with the rise of the information age. Around 20 years ago we never thought gaming would get this serious and for many years we never realized the potential many games had.  But this isn’t an introduction article on what exactly esports are. We’ve already done plenty of coverage on that. This is a look at where these tournaments are heading and what genres and games you should start practicing if you ever want to compete yourself.

 

 

I have been asked many questions about the current games that made esports as big as it is, and I have heard and seen many people wondering which games are currently on the top list. If you want to make it in the industry the first step is to know which titles offer the opportunities and then get good at them. I will be looking at the three most popular genres to see which games are currently dominating their niche.

 

 

Let’s start this off with one of my personal favorite genres, the First Person Shooters. There are many FPS games currently out there but you need one with a thriving and competitive environment for organized competitions to thrive as well. Also it’s worth considering that some of console based and others PC based.

 

CounterStrike

 

To top things of let’s start with the number one FPS game, Counter-Strike. Counter-strike, the game that once started as a modification for the known franchise Half-Life, has had one of the biggest communities the esports scene has seen. Unfortunately the FPS genre is a dying breed at the moment and many games are falling down into the big pits of esports hell. Both Counter-Strike 1.6 and Counterstrike Source have been a great franchise for many years and hopefully many years to follow. Hopefully the new upcoming game Counter Strike Global Offensive is able to take back its former glory. If you are a big fan of the First Person Shooter genre this game is definitely worth a look.

 

 

Many gamers might hate the following franchise but it is still one of the biggest around with many more releases to follow each year. I am undoubtedly speaking about the Call of Duty series that has been a fan favorite for many years now. Currently both on the PC and Console this franchise is in control of the majority of FPS players, with outstanding tournaments whenever competitive events are held.  However, like I said in the above paragraph the FPS is a dying breed and even this franchise is taking large hits on both fronts.

 

 

There is also a big franchise that is limited to only the Xbox. Despite this limitation its popularity can’t be denied. Of course you probably know I am talking about the popular franchise of Halo. This series has dominated the Console competitive esports scene for many years but is also taking a huge hit in it market. Unfortunately the FPS scene is a dying breed and it hurts me to see it falling this fast. There are still many other games around such as Quake Live but if you’re interested in gaming for money I wouldn’t recommend looking there either.

 

 

Now let’s take a closer to look at another favorite genre of mine the RTS games. I will also give another closer look to the MOBA genre because I feel both these genres are close to the same and they share the same common interest from many players.

 

League of Legends

 

Without a doubt League of Legends is by far a rising juggernaut in the esports world, and it carries a huge strength over many competitors with its F2P business model that doesn’t imbalance the matches. Everyone is able to play this game completely free and without any hassle, opening up a much larger audience to be exposed to it and, as a result, more interested in tuning in to watch competitive matches to learn or just root for their favorite players.

 

Starcraft II

 

When talking about the largest esport in this realm, it can vary a bit depending on which part of the world you’re looking at. League of Legends number one rival currently is the Korea fan favorite franchise StarCraft. StarCraft has been a game that has been running the longest from the games listed in this article and has still a great success with a large community behind it. This is undoubtedly the best funded esport as all major leagues host numerous events around the world with huge cash prizes handed out to the winners. Currently this is the place where the money is at and if you are looking to start up a gaming career you should definitely consider this game since most professionals are actually paid salary to support an organized team. There are even rumors that a player playing for Evil Geniuses earns over 6 figures per year!

 

Dota 2

 

The third game to keep an eye out for hasn’t been released but is pushing its esports agenda despite the fact. I am of course speaking about DotA 2 and its The International events. Any company willing to throw out $1 million in prizes on an International tournament prior to launch has guts, and perhaps even a plan to overthrow the status quo. This game has a really big community already even though it’s still in the closed beta phase and there are still a lot of things that could happen with the game. But since this game is being developed by Valve, many players like me have the fullest faith that DotA 2 will achieve great success when it finally hits the shelves. Looking to make a name for yourself in the industry? Place your bets on DotA 2 and you might have a shot!

 

Trackmania

 

Unfortunately these two genres are the only proven genres to bring in large scale tournament success so far. There are smaller games showing some signs of future niches like Fifa 12 played on the console and TrackMania Nations Forever, the free-to-play racing game. Both have a cult following but currently seem stagnant, neither growing nor decreasing in player numbers and interest. If you are a big fan of competitive esports like me I should definitely recommend you to try out one of the above named titles if you want to start a gaming career or simply want to know where the fun is at. And if you want to read more news regarding esports I would recommend you to keep an eye on our Starcraft II profile for regular updates from our columnist Kluey!

Eudemons Online Celebrates 6th Year Anniversary with Video Event

Eudemons Online Celebrates 6th Year Anniversary with Video Event

 

Eudemons 6th Anniversary Event

 

Eudemons Online, a Free-to-Play fantasy MMORPG, is celebrating its 6th birthday, with the launch of a new anniversary trailer by Eudemons Online team!

 

 

This trailer mainly focuses on the exciting and significant expansions in the past 6 years. They’re the Paladin Renaissance in 2008, The Divine Path and Demon Rising in 2009, Edge of Night and Trumpet of the Legionnaire in 2011. And a new class “necromancer” is announced to be released this winter!

 

 

EO has been running for 6 years. And all the achievement couldn’t be done without the support of gamers. In this anniversary trailer, you can find the fan pictures, art works, and even videos they filmed. Check them out!

 

To celebrate it, you can get free EPs just by watching, commenting or sharing the video on Youtube, or Facebook! Do you still remember all the things happened in the past 6 years?

 

To Enter

1. Check out their new trailer. Click like to support the team!

2. Leave on comment below the video or on the Facebook post stating your server and character name.

3. Share it on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or any of the following sites

Eudemons Partner Sites

4. 10 lucky fans will be selected to receive 270 EP. Comment must be posted by June 7th to win!

5. Only one prize per account!

Arctic Combat Accepting Recruits for First CB Test

Arctic Combat Accepting Recruits for First CB Test

 

 

Today, WEBZEN opened the beta sign-up page for ARCTIC COMBAT accepting applications for the first user beta test, ‘Task Force 613’. The sign-up will continue until the 6th of June and will only accept a limited amount of users through the official website (ac.webzen.com).

 

 

During the first beta test, selected testers will be able to experience the realistic warzone effects and battles based on team/clan strategic gameplay involving tactical perks, weapons, and equipment. The game engine is optimized for the full spectrum of PCs, without compromising graphical quality allowing a wide range of users to enjoy the game.

Jihun Lee, Head of Global Publishing, said, “Arctic Combat is an FPS game that both new and skillful players can enjoy with its many features.” Also he said, “We hope many users will participate in the first beta test to feel the intense battlegrounds of Arctic Combat.”

 

 

Meanwhile, WEBZEN will hold a press event with the ‘2012 C9 Tournament Championship’ during E3 2012 in Los Angeles, U.S.A. Here, ARCTIC COMBAT will reveal a new synopsis trailer along with an on-site tournament giving visitors the first chance to play.