Yearly Archives: 2009

Stronghold Kingdoms MMO Announced!

Firefly Studios today announces a new kind of online game: ‘Stronghold Kingdoms’.
Live the life of a medieval lord in the world’s first castle based MMO.
Besiege the castle that’s never been taken, overthrow tyrants, bankroll your factions war effort, pillage your neighbour’s resources, peacefully raise sheep or do it all!  The choice is yours in a wide ranging simulation of medieval life, played out in real time against thousands of online opponents striving for power and glory.
A unique hybrid of web and PC based gaming brings online interactivity and community together with a richly depicted medieval world of thriving villages and dramatic battles. Build a kingdom over days and weeks. A mix of real time gameplay with long term planning, bring a truly novel twist to the Strategy genre.
A huge range of stats and rankings give every player something to aim for, whether it’s ‘Besieger of the month’ or ‘Apple farmer of the day’!
Join a medieval social network! Factions and elections, liege lords and their vassals, all provide a real sense of structured community.    
Whilst strong and well planned castles are at the heart of any lord’s domain, players can also specialise via a vast research tree.  Starting out as a humble peasant, each promotion brings research points to spend on becoming the best in as many  areas as you wish, trading, diplomacy, warfare,  farming and more, as the player seeks to control the local parish, county and beyond. As their power grows, players can eventually join in a country wide war for the Crown.
Classic Stronghold goes online in a world where players can, Build, Besiege, Pillage, Farm, Explore, Research, Vote, Trade, Banquet, Fight and much, much more. Many  unannounced and surprising game features will be revealed in the coming months…   

NinjaTrick: Ranking System Event

NinjaTrick, a Flash based Multiplayer Action game actually in Open Beta, just unveiled its new ranking system, which displays the top ranked players based on their success in Ninjutsu matches, and to celebrate we’re hosting a contest to reward the highest ranking ninjas with iPod Touches, iPod Nanos and iPod Shuffles.
From May 25, 2009 to June 18, 2009, aspiring ninjas have a chance to compete for gems, glory – and if they’re truly skilled – an iPod Touch, iPod Nano or iPod Shuffle!
Winners will be chosen based on the NinjaTrick rankings on June 18, 2009 at 2:00 am PST, (10:00 am GMB).
 
Visit ninjatrick.com to learn more!

7million: Beta 1.0 begins

Deep Silver, the games label of Koch Media, a leading producer and distributor of digital entertainment products, announced that 7Million has now reached Beta 1.0 status. This means that the urban MMO has completed the Closed Beta run, and is now accessible to everyone in the updated version.
Deep Silver and the developer team hope to test server stability and performance more thoroughly that way, and receive additional valuable feedback from newcomers to Paradise City. During the Beta 1.0, 7Million will keep changing and developing; of course, as before, every update will incorporate feedback from the players. The freely accessible version contains numerous further developments, such as a new login system that allows each player to have multiple characters, tools for the various mini-games, a reputation system for missions and social quests, and, of course, many improvements to missions and performance.
Interested gamers will find more information about Beta 1.0 and the client at 7million.com.
7Million is a free massively multiplayer online game, set in a modern world full of life, style, and spectacular heists. The freely explorable setting of Paradise City serves as a back-ground for numerous thrilling missions and as a meeting point for gamers from all over the world who meet and team up here with their individually created characters.
7Million is developed by Team Vienna and produced by Cliffhanger Productions.

Runes of Magic: Return of the Ice Dwarf Kingdom

With the new large Patch 1.7 “Return of the Ice Dwarf Kingdom”, Frogster will soon deliver additional new game contents for Runes of Magic. Among other things, this update enlarges the world of the online role-playing game with new expansion potentials for guild castles. Moreover, the instance “Ruins of the Ice Dwarf Kingdom” is extended by a high-level area with new boss adversaries. The release of “Return of the Ice Dwarf Kingdom” is scheduled for 3 June 2009.
With this update, guilds can, for collected resources, erect special buildings in their castle yard. Step by step, these guilds unlock more and stronger constructions from the technology tree. Thus, the workshop is available only after the erection of a school, and powerful rune towers are available to the guilds only if they have considerably advanced the expansion of their castle. All buildings grant the guild special bonuses, from enhanced riding speed through the potential to mine resources up to powerful defensive works, which are in turn tactical elements in the planned guild vs. guild wars.
Players at level 50 can now plan new trips to the “Ruins of the Ice Dwarf Kingdom” again. So far, the dungeon was conceived for adventurers at levels 35 to 40, but this update extends it by a completely newly designed area for high-level groups with new bosses and, of course, new rewards.
Furthermore, the content patch introduces Elite skills for the levels 40 and 45. Pet collectors can rejoice – permanent pets will become available with the update.

Pangya: Season 4 Coming This Summer

Ntreev USA, a leading online game developer and publisher, announced today that it will launch Season 4 of its popular online casual golf game, Pangya, in North America this July. The game was recently re-launched in the U.S. and includes content for Pangya’s Season 3.  With the launch of Season 4 this summer players can look forward to new content including a self design feature, new characters, new custom items and options and much more.
“Pangya loyalists have been excited about the launch of Season 4 for some time now and we are excited to finally reveal when they can experience it,” said Chris Lee, CEO at Ntreev USA. “With the recent re-launch of the game in North America we promised that players could look forward to many special events and new content updates-and we are keeping that promise with the upcoming launch of Season 4.”
Pangya’s Season 4 includes an all-new Self Design Feature where players can totally custom create a character’s outfit from head to toe.
Players will be able to choose from different pieces of clothing to make up an outfit and then can decorate the clothing with their own artistic flair.  In addition, players will also be treated to an all-new character, a pop-star known as Lucia, who is already a hugely popular character in the Asian version of the game where Season 4 is now live. Ntreev has also added a new security feature that includes an in-game safe for players to keep all their purchased items.  By putting their items in the new safe, players will not have to worry about hacking or loss of their valuable items. In addition, players can create custom items and give them as gifts to other players, and the gift will be embossed with the player’s name when it is delivered.
Pangya is a casual golf game that takes the difficult rules of golf and transforms it into an easy to pick-up -and-play casual golf experience that a player of any skill level can enjoy. Featuring simple and intuitive controls, Pangya allows anyone to easily play with other gamers and unlike other online games; players in Pangya are friends, not enemies! Players will be taken to 14 breath-taking locations where they can choose one of 8 unique playable characters.  Pangya offers players an extensive customization experience with thousands of possible combinations of costumes, accessories, equipment, golf clubs, power boosts and more that help them to become a pro out on the green.

Atlantica Online to Be Published in Thailand

NDOORS today announced that a deal has been signed to publish their popular MMORPG title Atlantica Online in Thailand through a partnership with Southeast Asia’s number one online game provider, AsiaSoft.
In less than a year Atlantica Online has successfully expanded from Korea into North America, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, and now Thailand. The game is in open beta in mainland China as well.
“When we developed Atlantica Online, we knew we would be bringing the game to the global market and we took that into consideration in many of our design choices,” said Peter Kang, CEO, NDOORS Interactive. “That strategy is paying off for us as we see more and more new players from different countries embracing the game and enjoying the online experience.”
AsiaSoft is the largest provider of MMORPG games and services in Southeast Asia and was the first company to bring an MMORPG to Thailand. Their expertise in the space will ensure a smooth launch for Atlantica Online in the new territory.
Recognized as one of the best free-to-play MMORPGs, Atlantica Online has received critical acclaim for its quality, accessibility, and entertainment value. Atlantica features a unique turn-based fighting system and takes players on a journey around the world through mystical and historical lore. The recently announced addition of the Titan Server enables interaction among players from all Atlantica servers, creating the first true test to determine the best of the best.

Aion: Limited Edition Revealed!

NCsoft®, the world’s premier publisher and developer of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs), today announced the details for the Aion® standard and Limited Collector’s Edition retail products. NCsoft expects to launch Aion, its highly anticipated fantasy MMO game, in the West this fall. Aion has exceeded expectations and captivated gaming populations in Korea, where it won the prestigious Grand Award of 2008, and in China, where Aion garnered unprecedented numbers of paying players during its launch week last month. In Aion, gamers explore a celestial world of breath-taking beauty and epic adventure. Players create either winged Elyos or Asmodian avatars, sworn enemy races that discover a common foe: the twisted and depraved Balaur.
When Aion launches, players can purchase the Aion Limited Collector’s Edition box through multiple retail channels. The centerpiece of the Aion Limited Collector’s Edition is a 6 1/2-inch hand-painted figurine of the powerful Aiva, a female winged Asmodian Daeva. Aiva sports detachable wings and wields a removable axe. The Limited Collector’s Edition features several exclusive in-game items, including the Black Cloud Wings, which greatly enhance flight time, the Black Cloud Earring, which boosts health and mana while playing, and an exclusive title that enhances an avatar’s abilities.
Additional in-game items include two exclusive character animations, called emotes, as well as a special dye color to customize player avatars’ equipment. Opening the box uncovers two dual-sided posters depicting maps of Elysea and Asmodae, the home regions of the two player races. The Aion Limited Collector’s Edition box also contains the official Aion soundtrack by composer Yang Bang-Ean (known as Ryo Kunihiko in Japan), the Aion game client on two DVDs, a quick reference card, and a game manual.
Aion’s standard version first production run is packaged in a premium SteelBook metal case, which includes the game DVDs, a user manual, and a quick reference card.
In Aion, players experience the thrill of flight as a strategic and integral part of gameplay that touches combat, quests, and exploration. In addition to unprecedented character customization and unmatched visuals, Aion invites players to soak up its breath-taking world through exploration of more than 1,500 quests, intense visceral combat, and a deep crafting system. For the first time in an MMO, Aion introduces a new game system that pits players against each other and their environment simultaneously in an otherworld zone called the Abyss.
The Aion Limited Collector’s Edition will sell at an anticipated price of US$69.99, while the Aion standard edition will sell at an anticipated price of US$49.99. Both retail packages include 30 days of game time. After 30 days, a monthly subscription fee of US$14.99 for the game service will apply. Other pricing options will also be available. Pre-order purchases, available at retail stores June 9, can be applied to the Aion Limited Collector’s Edition or the standard edition of Aion. Details about pre-order benefits and subscription pricing options for Aion will be announced at a later date.

CrossFire

CrossFire is a team-based FPS title by Z8Games. With the new Crossfire 2.0 update, this game features updated models and textures, new characters, new weapons and more.

Features:

New characters: Classic soldiers have been remade with a level of detail never seen before.

New weapons: Weaponry such as the Knight SR25 Ares CQB, M4A1-S Ares Dual Mag, M37 Stakeout Ares Slug and the MP5-S Ares JHP will feature enhanced gameplay and increase the chances for survival.

Player Profiles: Show off your achievements and accomplishments to all of your friends with the renewal of the Profile pages.

zOmg Preview: It’s zOMG-licious!

By Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), Onrpg Journalist
zOMG is a browser-based MMO from the people behind the anime-themed forum Gaia Online. zOMG centers around the attack of the “animated”,  they are monsters that have sprang life and have been attacking Gaians left and life. They are impervious to any kinds of physical attacks all except attacks that originated from the mysterious power rings you would eventually get to use later in the game.
 

Game Features

Characters in zOMG are made through the avatar creation of Gaia Online. You are given the choice to determine the gender, faces expression, eye color, hair color and skin color of your avatar. GAIA Online gives you some free clothes at the beginning of your Gaia adventure. However, the clothes do not have actual use in zOMG because it’s the rings that matter in your adventures in the game.
 
The rings have special attributes and their use varies depending on what kind of ring you get. There are rings that enhance your speed, luck or attack power. Some rings even create swrods that fight for you, project force fields and enhance the armor of your allies.
 
Besides the usual ring powers you get on games set with an MMO-ish feel, zOMG wouldn’t be zOMG without the crazy skills of rings like, wrapping an opponent in duct tape or throwing an angry hornet’s nest like a grenade.
 
Unlike in most MMOs where the attributes are gained by leveling your character, in zOMG you get your attributes from the rings you have, the level of your rings determines the attributes your character has. In zOMG, your rings determine how strong you are.
 
You get to increase the strength of your rings by using them. Your rings earn “G’hi” or the zOMG version of life force and when your ring reaches a certain “G’hi” amount requirement it would level up. Another thing about the rings is that the rings go hand in hand, to maximize the strength of the rings the rings would have to have the similar power rating.
 
Another feature of zOMG is that your avatar in Gaia would then be used as your character in the game. How your avatar looks in the forums is exactly copied into zOMG. Your character moves like a cut-out version in the game with its legs running anime-ish like.
 

The World of Gaia

The world of zOMG is lifted from the world GAIA Online has created therefore everything is familiar for someone who has spent time interacting in GAIA Online. You start of in Barton Town, the center of all trade in Gaia. Everything you see in zOMG is the manifestation of the shops, NPCs and characters you get to meet in the Gaia Online. 
 
zOMG’s problems root out from once inanimate objects suddenly having life, therefore monsters you get to face in zOMG are inanimate objects like the pink flamingo and the garden gnome, you even get to face a monster that was once a rubber boot.  Though one thing is certain in zOMG is that the cuteness of the monsters is the constant factor for all of them. Don’t let the cuteness fool you though. These monsters already downed a lof of your fellow Gaians so what makes you different.
 
As you continue your exploration of the zOMG world, you would eventually get materials that seem to be useless trash. The thing is, there are certain loots that you get in zOMG that you an exchange or create wearable items, as long as you meet the amount needed to make one.
 

Conclusion

zOMG is one of those rare MMOs that to fully enjoy everything the game has to offer you must immerse yourself first to the community rather than the game itself. Almost half of the game would be meaningless lifeless sprites because the game, outside of the community is so generic.
 
You have the shops, the NPCs, the quests and all and that they are also found in other games as well. The thing is, zOMG’s strength is not in the game play or in the graphics engine but rather in the social interaction, the use of your personalized avatars and the story that unfolds in the game.
 
It may be nice to see your avatars, as personalized as they are roaming the worlds of zOMG, but in terms of usability they fail. Still, the whole point of letting your avatars be used as your character is more of the personalized feel rather than being usable. Adding this element into the gameplay system makes players feel that they are part of the whole tale, which is zOMG is practically all about.
 
zOMG is an MMO that is not centering itself as a game that’s running head-to-head with other big MMOs in the market. zOMG centers around the people, the users and makes them feel that  they’re not just observers but also part of the whole action as well.
 
That’s what exactly zOMG is about, it’s more of a fanservice game for users of Gaia Online that seeks to bring those who are subscribers to the forums into a more universal coherent world that seems to be lacking the game specially for those first time users.
 
The game is fun, quirky and is an exact duplicate of the source of zOMG’s material, Gaia. There is no other game out there that gives you this much freedom in making your character even in P2P games, you can practically make a character at the back of your head and you could immediately see it spring to life in zOMG.
 
You can’t separate the fact that zOMG relies heavily on your Gaian account. To be able to truly enjoy the game and be part of the whole zOMG experience would mean that it would take more time and effort than your usual MMO.
 
With the game still in beta it would seem that there are still a lot of things in store for people when zOMG 1.0 comes live, there are lots of things you can look forward to when that happens.