Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Mortal Online overhauls characters and armor visuals

Mortal Online overhauls characters and armor visuals:
Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, PvP, Free-to-Play, Mortal Online, Crafting Mortal Online has been hard at work performing comprehensive overhauls to character and armor, making them look better than ever. The character

Cyber Monster 2: Latest Update Paves Way for Expansion

Cyber Monster 2: Latest Update Paves Way for Expansion:
NGames has announced the deployment of a large update to Cyber Monster 2. According to the development team, the latest patch lays the groundwork for the forthcoming Chapter 2: Age of Dragon expansion due in early 2014.

Disney removes controversial energy meter in new Where's My Water? 2 update

Disney removes controversial energy meter in new Where's My Water? 2 update:
Up until its release this past September, Disney's Where's My Water? 2 was one of the most highly anticipated sequels in the mobile games space. But then the game was actually released, and users began to discover the

EverQuest Producer's letter talks race/class combos, scaled Heroic Adventures

EverQuest Producer's letter talks race/class combos, scaled Heroic Adventures:
Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Game Mechanics, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries Want your favorite race/class combination to make it into EverQuest for its 15th anniversary? Then you'd better jump on the site and

This Week in China: Gambling in a big no no

This Week in China: Gambling in a big no no:
There has been a lot of talk in the west about virtual casino games in the last few years. Some developers are trying their luck at real money gambling games in the UK. Others are hedging their bets in the hopes of a potential

Archlord II – Community slams Webzen for lack of communication

Archlord II – Community slams Webzen for lack of communication:
According to several Korean games website and Archlord II’s official forums, Webzen is being slammed by the community after the recent PvP content update, where the top 60 players in PvP gather to fight for the titular “Archlord”

Meet The Alan Greenspan Of Virtual Currency In "EVE Online"

Meet The Alan Greenspan Of Virtual Currency In "EVE Online":
In a libertarian pirate paradise, Eyjolfur "Eyjo" Guðmundsson is a virtual economist charged with overseeing scams, spying, hacks, and attacks--without necessarily stopping them.Eyjolfur "Eyjo" Guðmundsson, an

Yulgang 2 SEA Open Beta Begins on January 14, 2014

Yulgang 2 SEA Open Beta Begins on January 14, 2014:
Get ready to experience a new level of adventure at the Open Beta Testing of Yulgang 2 SEA this January 14, 2014 at exactly 3:00pm (GMT+8)! New allies, new rivalries, and more opportunities are waiting for you! We hope you had

Path of Exile boasts 3.7 million registrations, prepares for patch next week

Path of Exile boasts 3.7 million registrations, prepares for patch next week:
Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Path of Exile Path of Exile's team is celebrating a gangbuster 2013, but has plans for an even better 2014 starting with a new patch next week. A forum post from

Chaos Crusaders Closed Beta

Chaos Crusaders Closed Beta:
The Japanese version of Action MORPG Legend of Fighters now renamed to Chaos Crusaders just started recruiting Closed Beta Testers. It's actually from the same company that is currently publishing the widely popular

Perfect Ten: New MMOs to watch in 2014

Perfect Ten: New MMOs to watch in 2014:
Filed under: MMO Industry, Opinion, EverQuest Next, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous, ArcheAge, WildStar, The Elder Scrolls Online, Destiny, Shroud of the Avatar, Elite: Dangerous, Pathfinder Online, Trove Out with the old desk

Crytek's Hautz joins Rovio Stockholm

Crytek's Hautz joins Rovio Stockholm:
Now senior producer at the studio, which is working on an announced title

New ArcheAge video previews Korean 1.0 update

New ArcheAge video previews Korean 1.0 update:
Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Patches, News Items, ArcheAge, Sandbox Western (and non-Russian) ArcheAge players are still waiting on pins and needles to find out when they'll get their first taste of the much-hyped

Legend of the Condor Heroes: Zero – Debut test phase begins today

Legend of the Condor Heroes: Zero – Debut test phase begins today:
Perfect World China’s flagship MMORPG for this year, Legend of the Condor Heroes: Zero, entered its debut test phase earlier today, with very limited slots available. The company’s first self-developed non-target action title, the game

League of Legends’ Snowdown Showdown is here for your 1v1 and 2v2 winter fantasies

League of Legends’ Snowdown Showdown is here for your 1v1 and 2v2 winter fantasies:
Granted, I’ve been playing League of Legends for years now, but I know I’m not the only one ever to be in a...

Eldevin making a run at Steam Greenlight

Eldevin making a run at Steam Greenlight:
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, New Titles, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Browser, MMORPG Browser-based MMO Eldevin, which launched at the end of November and was named by our own Beau Hindman

War Thunder: Latest Patch Brings Host of Changes

War Thunder: Latest Patch Brings Host of Changes:
The latest War Thunder patch has been deployed that adds new planes, new combat maps, Direct X 11 support and, most significantly, a new Progression System. Under the new system, players will have the ability to choose which

War Thunder: Taking Flight in War Thunder

War Thunder: Taking Flight in War Thunder:
The Tourist heads to the wild blue yonder to check out Gaijin's War Thunder. See what he discovered and then leave your own impressions in the comments.

War Thunder: Ground Forces Second Wave Enters Closed Beta

War Thunder: Ground Forces Second Wave Enters Closed Beta:
Gaijin Entertainment has announced that a second wave of beta invites has been sent out for the Ground Forces expansion to War Thunder. In addition, the team has detailed a Collector's Edition for the upcoming title and released

You Can Buy Farmville Stuff With Bitcoin Now

You Can Buy Farmville Stuff With Bitcoin Now:
Bitcoin, the "currency of the Internet," is now accepted by Zynga, whose FarmVille franchise also celebrates the economic ideal of paying real cash to acquire completely abstract commodities.

Apple Reports App Store Sales Top $10 Billion in 2013, $1 Billion in December Alone

Apple Reports App Store Sales Top $10 Billion in 2013, $1 Billion in December Alone:
Apple Reports App Store Sales Top $10 Billion in 2013, $1 Billion in December Alone Posted by Jeff Scott on January 7th, 2014 [ permalink ] Apple reported today that the App Store topped $10 billion in sales in the 2013

Defiance Announces 7th Legion DLC | Ten Ton Hammer

Defiance Announces 7th Legion DLC | Ten Ton Hammer:
Defiance gets its third DLC in February as the 7th Legion moves out to herald a new challenge.

TERA Korea – New Elin-exclusive class revealed and set to debut next week

TERA Korea – New Elin-exclusive class revealed and set to debut next week:
First teased a couple of weeks ago in both the Korean and English media, Bluehole Studio finally revealed the new Elin-exclusive class, which will debut in the Korean server on 9th January 2014. This new class will also debut in

Ragnarok Online 2 – SEA server gets updated with massive new content

Ragnarok Online 2 – SEA server gets updated with massive new content:
Ragnarok Online 2 celebrates its first anniversary today with a new look for the logo, a new content update that will excite many and loads of fun activities for fans and supporters who had accompany the game throughout its journey

Lunia Online – Global server to shut its doors on the stroke of New Year

Lunia Online – Global server to shut its doors on the stroke of New Year:
[Source] As announced recently, Lunia Online Global will be shutting down on 1st January 2014, 24:00 (PST). For the past year or so, Korean developer All-M was operating the global English server based on donations from the

Mabinogi II: Arena – Developement discontinued for upcoming sequel

Mabinogi II: Arena – Developement discontinued for upcoming sequel:
[Source] First announced at G-Star 2012, it has been announced that Nsquare will be stopping development on Mabinogi II: Arena. Nsquare is the joint team formed after Nexon bought over NCsoft, and the team will now

China temporarily lifts ban on foreign consoles

China temporarily lifts ban on foreign consoles:
Deal requires machines to be made in Shanghai's free trade zone

Clint Hocking departs Valve

Clint Hocking departs Valve:
Far Cry 2 creative director no longer working at Seattle company

Criterion co-founders leave studio and EA

Criterion co-founders leave studio and EA:
Alex Ward and Fiona Sperry make way for Matt Webster [UPDATE: Ward, Sperry teaming up on new company]

Sony Announces Game Streaming Service, PlayStation Now

Sony Announces Game Streaming Service, PlayStation Now:
Soon, you'll be able to play top-shelf PS3 games like The Last of Us on tablets and smartphones, thanks to Sony's newly-announced PlayStation Now streaming service.

John Smedley Updates on SOE Subscription Details | Ten Ton Hammer

John Smedley Updates on SOE Subscription Details | Ten Ton Hammer:
Another post by the SOE head honcho reveals more about the upcoming subscription changes.

Eric's Top 5 (Chinese) Games of 2013

Eric's Top 5 (Chinese) Games of 2013:
The year is coming to an end, and lists seem to be the thing to do right now—so I'm jumping on the bandwagon.

The Charticle: QuizUp - the least successful most successful iPhone game ever

The Charticle: QuizUp - the least successful most successful iPhone game ever:
The big news over the Christmas period was the $22 million of additional investment raised by QuizUp developer Plain Vanilla. The reason for the cash injection was the massive success of the head-to-head trivia game has

Plain Vanilla's CEO on why QuizUp won't be an easy-come easy-go fad like Draw Something

Plain Vanilla's CEO on why QuizUp won't be an easy-come easy-go fad like Draw Something:
It's been a busy year for Icelandic developer Plain Vanilla. 'Especially for the CFO', jokes founder and CEO Thor Fridriksson. "It's crazy. To do three funding rounds in a year. I'll give him a holiday next year." But following the news Plain

Sneaking up on Puzzle & Dragons, Quiz RPG hits 17 million users in Japan

Sneaking up on Puzzle & Dragons, Quiz RPG hits 17 million users in Japan:
Colopl's once quiet flagship Quiz RPG has just passed the 17 million user mark in Japan, meaning around 13 percent of the island nation's population are currently taking on the title. Quiz RPG: The World of Mystic Wiz sat at

The Repopulation: Now Steam Greenlit, First Stretch Goal Attained

The Repopulation: Now Steam Greenlit, First Stretch Goal Attained:
The Repopulation is steaming ahead with a pair of big news pieces today. The first is the announcement that the game has been 'Greenlit' by Steam. Secondly, the first level of stretch goals for The Repopulation's KickStarter

The Repopulation: Beta Preview Dates & More

The Repopulation: Beta Preview Dates & More:
We have received word from The Repopulation team that they are ready to announce the next beta date and to release a bit more information about the Steam Greenlight campaign.

Aura Kingdom: Open Beta Kicks Off with New Trailer

Aura Kingdom: Open Beta Kicks Off with New Trailer:
Aeria Games has announced that the open beta for Aura Kingdom, its latest anime-inspired MMO, has officially launched into open beta. To celebrate the occasion, Aeria has released a new trailer and encourages interested players

Fantasy Frontier – Friends bonus system and mecha Eidolon added

Fantasy Frontier – Friends bonus system and mecha Eidolon added:
Over the past 2 days, the Taiwan server for Aura Kingdom, Fantasy Frontier, got updated with a couple of major new content. First off, there is the new friends bonus system, along with a new mecha Eidolon (from cash shop

Fantasy Frontier – New update deployed with 12 new dance sets

Fantasy Frontier – New update deployed with 12 new dance sets:
Also known as Aura Kingdom in North America, Fantasy Frontier over at Taiwan recently received an update with 12 new dance sets. To celebrate this occasion, a competition is currently being held to reward the players who

Aura Kingdom Founder Beta

Aura Kingdom Founder Beta:
Colorful Anime style, which might not appeal to everyone.Fighting Animations seem a bit too flashy and emotive animations especially in the dialogues have a pretty short transition time which makes them sometimes look

Closed Beta of Aura Kingdom Has Begun!

Closed Beta of Aura Kingdom Has Begun!:
Aura Kingdom has begun its closed beta today, anyone who got a closed beta key can log into the game. There will also be a server wipe before going into Open Beta, and all characters and progression will be deleted from the

Rise and Shiny: Aura Kingdom

Rise and Shiny: Aura Kingdom:
Filed under: Betas, Screenshots, Video, Business Models, Game Mechanics, Interviews, New Titles, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, Casual, Humor, Family, Rise and Shiny, Livestream You might have heard about Aura

Zenimax Sending Out More Beta Invites for The Elder Scrolls Online | Ten Ton Hammer

Zenimax Sending Out More Beta Invites for The Elder Scrolls Online | Ten Ton Hammer:
Check your inboxes. The Elder Scrolls Online is rolling out another batch of beta keys today.

Xiaomi claims 30 million users for its MIUI Android fork

Xiaomi claims 30 million users for its MIUI Android fork:
Like global warming's impact on Arctic ice, so developments in the China app ecosystem continue to push Android fragmentation. Following the news that Tencent had become one of the new investors in CyanogenMod, which now

Chart of the Week: Tracking the rise of Xiaomi

Chart of the Week: Tracking the rise of Xiaomi:
Upcoming Chinese Android OEM Xiaomi is on a roll. It recently announced 30 million users for its MIUI Android OS fork. These are mainly purchasers of its high-end but cut-price Android devices, although you can download the OS to

Ask Massively: The one where we talk about our 2013 awards

Ask Massively: The one where we talk about our 2013 awards:
Filed under: MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous Let's talk about our 2013 awards (not the 2012 awards, though this image demonstrates why we avoid easily manipulable community polls).

Circle Stop Review

Circle Stop Review:
Circle Stop Review By Stacy Barnes on January 7th, 2014 Our Rating: :: MESMERIZINGUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Tap into a trance-like state with Circle Spot, the only app I know that can simultaneously

Puzzlium: Prologue Review

Puzzlium: Prologue Review:
Puzzlium: Prologue Review By Jennifer Allen on January 7th, 2014 Our Rating: :: OLD-FASHIONED PUZZLINGUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Simply done and full of traditional puzzles, Puzzlium: Prologue offers plenty of

Eternity Warriors 3 Review

Eternity Warriors 3 Review:
Here's a timely lesson straight from the just-ended holiday season: empty calories can taste really, really good. Sure, you might regret that extra helping of stuffing or second desert, but not while you're eating it. Glu Mobile's Eternity

Review: Little Legends

Review: Little Legends:
As an on-again-off-again player of Ragnarok Online since 2003, I can confidently say that I have a weakness for cutesy Korean RPGs. There simply isn't another genre out there that can make you afraid of enemies that look

Review: Detective Grimoire

Review: Detective Grimoire:
I love detective games, but they rarely make me feel like a detective. Whether its Ace Attorney or LA Noire, the actual crime-solving is mostly done for me and I'm just there to drive around town, tap the screen, and answer the odd

Kaizin Rumble Review

Kaizin Rumble Review:
Kaizin Rumble Review By Lucy Ingram on December 23rd, 2013 Our Rating: :: COMICAL CARD COLLECTING Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad In-depth story-driven card-collecting game Kaizin Rumble is a fantastic

Review: The Shadow Sun

Review: The Shadow Sun:
It's late on a weeknight - you're tired, part of you wants to go home and change out of the clothes you've been wearing since 7am, but something keeps you sitting around the gaming table. That "something" is the story your friend is

Abducted Review

Abducted Review:
Abducted Review By Lucy Ingram on December 23rd, 2013 Our Rating: :: BEAUTIFULLY CLEVERUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Episode one in a colossal science fiction adventure, Abduction packs in

MovieCat 2 – The Movie Trivia Game Sequel! Review

MovieCat 2 – The Movie Trivia Game Sequel! Review:
MovieCat 2 – The Movie Trivia Game Sequel! Review By Lucy Ingram on December 23rd, 2013 Our Rating: :: PURRFECTLY GOOD FUNUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Enjoy movies? Love a bit of trivia? Can’t resist

Walking with Dinosaurs: Dino Run! Review

Walking with Dinosaurs: Dino Run! Review:
Walking with Dinosaurs: Dino Run! Review By Lucy Ingram on December 23rd, 2013 Our Rating: :: CHARGE, BREAK, DODGE, ESCAPE!Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Looking for something casual and fun this

Fightback Review

Fightback Review:
Fightback Review By Lee Hamlet on December 23rd, 2013 Our Rating: :: ONE MAN ARMYUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Despite an over-reliance on in-app purchases, Fightback is easily one of the coolest and most

Merry Christmas Mom and Dad – Little Critter Review

Merry Christmas Mom and Dad – Little Critter Review:
Merry Christmas Mom and Dad – Little Critter Review By Amy Solomon on December 23rd, 2013 Our Rating: :: CHARMING CHRISTMAS TALEiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Merry Christmas

Jolly Try-N-Spy Review

Jolly Try-N-Spy Review:
Jolly Try-N-Spy Review By Amy Solomon on December 23rd, 2013 Our Rating: :: CHARMING HIDDEN PICTURESiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Jolly Try-N-Spy is a delightful hidden puzzle app with

Make My MMO: Crowdfunding December 15 - 28, 2013

Make My MMO: Crowdfunding December 15 - 28, 2013:
Filed under: MMO Industry, New Titles, Massively Meta, Miscellaneous, Crowdfunding, Make My MMO 'Tis the season... but not for news! With minds focused on the holidays, it looks as if not much happened in the realm of

Story Pieces Review

Story Pieces Review:
Story Pieces Review By Stacy Barnes on December 26th, 2013 Our Rating: :: THE WRITE STUFFiPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad Cute, creative, collaborative – Story Pieces is a delightful little game for

Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga Review

Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga Review:
Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga Review By Blake Grundman on December 30th, 2013 Our Rating: :: FEELS THE FORCEUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Can Free-to-Play work well for episodic

Review: Suburbia

Review: Suburbia:
I've never played the physical Suburbia boardgame, but having played the app I'm struck by how dry and fiddly it must be. The aim is to construct a city from hexagonal tiles - because all real cities are built in hexagons, naturally - and

No Brakes Valet Review

No Brakes Valet Review:
No Brakes Valet Review By Stacy Barnes on December 30th, 2013 Our Rating: :: HIT THE BRAKES!Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad And some of us thought parallel parking on our driver’s exam was a

INOQONI Review

INOQONI Review:
INOQONI Review By Lucy Ingram on December 30th, 2013 Our Rating: :: AN ENCHANTING AFFAIRUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Mirror Mirror on the wall… A beautiful puzzle platformer, INOQONI is a magical game

Avabel Online Review

Avabel Online Review:
Avabel Online Review By Lucy Ingram on December 30th, 2013 Our Rating: :: EXCESSIVE GRINDING & A BEAUTIFUL BACKDROPUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Avabel Online is without question a stunningly

Developing HTML5 games in 2013: A look back

Developing HTML5 games in 2013: A look back:
From platform issues, to tools and even commercial performance, HTML5 developer Matt Hackett looks back at a year of tumult for the development platform. ...

Indonesia's now a social mobile gaming battlefield as WeChat joins Kakao and LINE

Indonesia's now a social mobile gaming battlefield as WeChat joins Kakao and LINE:
During 2013, we learned to demarcate the Asia mobile game markets thus: Kakao-Korea, LINE-Japan, and WeChat-China. In 2014, however, we're seeing the aggressive international expansion of these mobile social

The Charticle: The launch of Angry Birds Go!

The Charticle: The launch of Angry Birds Go!:
Highlighted as Rovio's first from-the-ground-up free-to-play game, Angry Birds Go! has received plenty of attention. Developed by UK studio Exient Entertainment, the downhill kart racing game launched globally in mid-

General: Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen Incrementally Revealed

General: Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen Incrementally Revealed:
In a pair of locations across the 'Net, Brad McQuaid is revealing information about his recently named MMO, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen. On McQuaid's Twitter and on his personal website, he lets loose a few details about what

AT&T's New "Sponsored Data" Will Likely Be Huge for Free to Play

AT&T's New "Sponsored Data" Will Likely Be Huge for Free to Play:
If you're reading TouchArcade, chances are you've got an iPhone bundled with a bucket of data large enough to do just about anything you'd want before it refreshes on next month's billing cycle. But, there's a lot of folks out there who

CyberAgent invests in Indonesian mobile developer TouchTen

CyberAgent invests in Indonesian mobile developer TouchTen:
Leading Japanese internet outfit CyberAgent has invested in Indonesia mobile developer TouchTen. Following initial investment from local VC Ideosource in 2011, it's currently working on closing its Series B round and

Gumi raises $18 million, also forms a joint venture with Fuji Media

Gumi raises $18 million, also forms a joint venture with Fuji Media:
Japanese mobile and social game developer Gumi has announced a new funding round. FMH, B-Dash Ventures, East Ventures, Shinsei bank, DBJ capital, and others have invested $18 million (¥19 billion). Gumi CFO Hiroyuki

Are you ready for a $16,000 fine per COPPA violation? If not, talk to AgeCheq

Are you ready for a $16,000 fine per COPPA violation? If not, talk to AgeCheq:
Smartphones and tablets were firmly in the realm of science fiction when the original Children's Online Privacy Protection Act was drawn up in 1998. But that doesn't mean the US law doesn't apply to companies who do business in

Blog: Think your game is exempt from COPPA? Think again

Blog: Think your game is exempt from COPPA? Think again:
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) recently changed -- and many game developers who might consider themselves exempt or protected should reconsider that, writes Roy Smith. ...

Gathering Steam: Valve's service doubles every three years

Gathering Steam: Valve's service doubles every three years:
Valve's Steam, now in its second decade, has grown at a rate of 25 percent every year. It has already surpassed the size of Xbox Live, and will likely surpass Sony's service population by 2016. ...