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March 2nd, 2006, 18:10 Posted By: wraggster
So now that the kingdom of man has prevailed over the Dark Lord Sauron and Middle-earth has been saved, what's a king to do? You could spend your idle time with your hot elf queen--and who wouldn't want to hang out with Arwen all day? Or, you can get off your royal arse and earn an honest living battling red knights and blue knights at Medieval Times whilst patrons quench their kingly thirsts with the frosty brew.
http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?id=2078
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March 2nd, 2006, 18:01 Posted By: wraggster
World of Warcraft developer Blizzard Entertainment has announced that the subscriber base for its exceptionally popular massively multiplayer online game has now exceeded 6 million worldwide.
At the start of the year, Blizzard announced a worldwide subscriber base of 5.5 million, surpassing a significant milestone by reaching in excess of 1 million users in Europe, which was four times higher than previous estimates of the size of the entire European MMORPG market.
The game is operated in Europe by what is currently Blizzard's second largest office in the world, which was established in 2003 and currently houses over 450 staff and 22 different nationalities. World of Warcraft is currently available in English, French and German, the EU servers only accessible by customers using a European credit card.
Currently available in North America, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Europe, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, Blizzard's success is only going to increase as the company announces a new localised version for Spanish speakers in Europe.
Blizzard will ensure that, in addition to localising both the game and the accompanying website, a dedicated team of Spanish speaking support and community staff will be available at all hours in the European office.
Blizzard president and cofounder, Mike Morhaime, commented: "We look forward to offering Spanish-speaking players in Europe a version of World of Warcraft tailored specifically for them. The enthusiasm for the game here has been overwhelming, and we're pleased that this new localised version will make World of Warcraft accessible to an even wider audience."
The game has proven consistently popular since its initial launch, and has generated substantial income for Vivendi Universal Games, pushing the division back into profitability and contributing significantly to the year-end success of parent company Vivendi Universal.
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March 2nd, 2006, 18:01 Posted By: wraggster
Vivendi Universal has posted its full year financial results, revealing a marginal decline in overall profits but increased revenue in several divisions - with VU Games in particular showing a dramatic return to profitability for the media giant.
Overall revenue for the company was posted at EURO 19.48 billion, compared to EURO 17.88 billion in 2004. Profits dipped slightly from EURO 3.77 billion in 2004 to EURO 3.15 billion, primarily as a result of significant one-time gains in previous results.
Whilst a number of sectors have jointly contributed to the firm's success, including its music and mobile phone divisions, VU Games has shown the most significant turnaround, more than weathering its financial storms and returning to profitability.
Profits for the games division were posted at EURO 41 million, a massive EURO 244 million increase on the same period a year prior, which revealed a EURO 203 million loss. The company has attributed the success to its 'global turnaround plan' implemented in 2004, designed to lower operational costs and offer a "better balanced portfolio of products".
Strong performances from titles including 50 Cent: Bullet Proof, F.E.A.R., Crash Tag Team Racing, Robots and the North American distribution of Delta Force: Black Hawk Down and FlatOut have bolstered the profits, but it's the "exceptional success" of Blizzard's World of Warcraft - a massively multiplayer online game which has now reached 6 million subscribers worldwide - that has contributed most to the dramatic turnaround for the company.
VU Games also notes that profits include costs associated with the recent acquisition of Radical, Swingin' Ape, Swordfish and High Moon development studios, in addition to the increased development costs as the firm prepares to bolster its WoW success with a slew of additional titles.
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March 1st, 2006, 19:33 Posted By: wraggster
Latest localization of online role-playing game announced for Europe as developer claims another milestone for customer base.
Blizzard Entertainment announced today that the World of Warcraft is getting even more multilingual. The VU Games-owned developer's European branch announced today that the company is prepping a Spanish edition of its massively multiplayer online role-playing game for release in Europe, where English, French, and German versions of the game are already available.
"We look forward to offering Spanish-speaking players in Europe a version of World of Warcraft tailored specifically for them," Blizzard president and co-founder Mike Morhaime said in a statement. "The enthusiasm for the game here has been overwhelming, and we're pleased that this new localized version will make World of Warcraft accessible to an even wider audience."
As with the German and French editions of the game, Blizzard will handle the Spanish localization in-house. Once the Spanish version is released, players can expect Spanish-language offline and in-game support, a dedicated Spanish-language community team, and an official Spanish-language site for the game. Blizzard made no mention of possible Latin American or North American releases for the Spanish edition of the game.
Blizzard also announced that the worldwide tally of World of Warcraft customers has reached 6 million. The game officially launched in North America, Australia, and New Zealand in November of 2004, and has since racked up milestone after milestone with launches in Korea, Europe, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. Blizzard announced that it had reached the 5 million mark on December 19 of last year.
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March 1st, 2006, 19:22 Posted By: wraggster
MMORPG publisher confident in revised business model
Chinese publisher and developer Shanda Entertainment has announced the financial results for its fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2005, revealing higher revenues but a significant loss in profits compared to the previous year.
Fourth quarter net revenue was posted at RMB 360.5 million (EURO 37.5 million), a decrease of 16.3 per cent on the same quarter in 2004. The company reports a loss of RMB 538.9 million (EURO 56 million) compared to a profit of RMB 231.4 million (EURO 24 million) a year prior.
Shanda changed its business model during the quarter, creating a free-to-play service for the popular MMO titles Legend of Mir II, Magic Land and The World of Legend and opting for a revenue stream generated by the sale of in-game items and premium features for the games.
The model has since been adopted by a number of MMO publishers, including Sony Online Entertainment, the idea being that a free-to-play system will encourage more gamers to join the games, the increased pool of online players generating profit for the publishers through the purchase of premium items and in-game features.
Full year net revenue for Shanda was posted at RMB 1.89 billion (EURO 196.6 million), which is an increase of 46 per cent on last year's figures. Profit was down 72.9 per cent on the previous year however, posted at RMB 165.3 million (EURO 17.2 million).
According to the company’s financial statement, profit for the year would have been RMB 686.8 million (EURO 71.4 million) but for an impairment charge of RMB 521.5 million (EURO 54.2 million) over the company's 38 per cent share in Korean online game company Actos.
Tianqiao Chen, Shanda's CEO, commented: "We have taken a number of key steps in our strategy to both build our content portfolio and extend our presence into the emerging digital home in China. Our recent results reflect elements of this transition, particularly the migration of our major MMORPG titles to a free-to-play model, the expansion of our slate of casual games, and investments in sales and marketing and product development related to both content and new products."
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February 28th, 2006, 21:07 Posted By: wraggster
New MMORPG attempting to be the biggest online world
Darkfall is in new massively multiplayer RPG in development by Aventurine who believes its online world could be the biggest one ever created.
The game takes place in the mystical world of Agon, which is a seamless online environment with numerous terrains such huge mountain ranges and hundreds of islands that are perfect for establishing secret bases.
Agon also has six capital cities one for each of the races featured in the game: Alfar of Nagast, Dwarves of Dvergheim, Humans of Mercia, Mahirim of the Tribelands, Mirdain of Mirendil, and Orks of Morak.
Gamers are encouraged to form clans partly for their own protection as there are no safety zones in Darkfall, which means characters are always under threat from the rival races.
Darkfall is currently undergoing beta testing, but Aventurine has released some screens and video footage of action from its internal testing.
Darkfall will be released for PC with a release date to be announced
http://www.gamesradar.com/news/defau...sectionid=1589
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February 28th, 2006, 21:00 Posted By: wraggster
Atari and Turbine's classic fantasy-franchise-inspired MMORPG goes online in North America.
After nearly three years in development, the first Dungeons and Dragons massively multiplayer online role-playing game has launched. Today, Atari and Turbine announced that Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach has shipped to stores, and its Web site and online support are now fully functional.
Rated T for Teen, the regular version of the PC game retails for $49.99. A special limited edition of the game, which includes a Red Dragon poster, feats chart, "premium packaging," and a special in-game item is available for $59.99.
The purchase price also includes a 30-day subscription to Dungeons and Dragons Online. Once that expires, the flat fee to play the game is $14.99 per month. Those who want to prepay for longer-term subscriptions can choose from three discounted packages: a $41.85 three-month subscription ($13.95 per month), a $77.70 six-month subscription ($12.95 per month), or a $143.40 one-year subscription ($11.95 per month).
Based on the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 rule set, Stormreach features nine classes from the classic role-playing system: barbarian, bard, cleric, fighter, paladin, ranger, rogue, sorcerer, and wizard. But whereas combat in the pencil-and-paper D&D featured turn-based gameplay, combat in Stormreach is in real time, incorporating gamers' reflexes and mouse-wielding skills. It will also sport integrated voice chat and other tools to help players assemble and coordinate adventuring parties.
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February 28th, 2006, 20:50 Posted By: wraggster
EA ships the sequel to its popular Lord of the Rings-inspired PC real-time strategy game; Xbox 360 version coming later in the year.
Of all the games based on the Lord of the Rings, the most critically acclaimed was the Battle for Middle-earth. The PC real-time strategy game let players control any of the various good and evil armies which warred for control of the realms in author J.R.R. Tolkien's novels. Like other EA Rings games, it featured art assets and video clips from director Peter Jackson's multibillion-dollar-grossing film trilogy based on the aforementioned books.
Today, EA announced it has shipped the sequel to the popular RTS, which is appropriately titled The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II. Rated T for Teen, the standard retail version of the game costs $49.99. However, as is becoming the trend with many high-profile releases, it is also available in a $59.99 Limited Edition, which features a DVD sporting a "making-of" documentary as well as exclusive in-game content.
Like its predecessor, The Battle for Middle-earth II will sport the Orc and human armies featured in the films. However, it will also sport a whole heap of Tolkien-inspired content that didn't make it to the big screen. On the side of good, players will be able to take control of separate Dwarven and Elven armies, as well as a reworked human faction which will include both the defenders of Gondor and the horseman of Rohan. If you'd prefer to serve the dark lord Sauron, you can now control the all-new "goblins and monsters" faction, which includes the hungry spiders of Mirkwood forest and the dwellers of the mines of Moria. The game will also include an all-new hero creation system which will let players fashion and foster individual leaders of their armies.
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February 27th, 2006, 19:08 Posted By: wraggster
Xfire, Inc., the most complete, all-in-one PC gaming application in the world, and Sierra® Entertainment have agreed to incorporate the Xfire online gaming platform into Empire Earth® II: The Art of Supremacy, the first expansion pack to 2005's award winning RTS, Empire Earth II. Implementing Xfire's technology alongside Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy will provide players a more complete online gaming experience using Xfire's unique friend tracking, in-game messaging, and group voice communication features.
Under the agreement, the Xfire application will be bundled with the retail version of Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy. Using Xfire, Empire Earth II players can keep track of when their friends are online, send and receive messages while playing games, and also communicate with one another using Xfire's group voice chat feature.
Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy returns gamers to the front lines of the greatest battles in history with new civilizations at their command, new campaigns and a host of new features. The game is now available at retailers worldwide.
"The competitive online play in Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy stands above the rest," said Peter Della Penna, Executive Vice President and COO, World Studios for Vivendi Universal Games. "It would have been impossible to create the same experience without the seamless in-game messaging and group chat features that Xfire delivers."
Xfire CEO Mike Cassidy commented, "We're excited to partner with VU Games to make the online gaming experience more enjoyable for their users while increasing VU Games' presence within Xfire's more than 3 million registered gamer community."
Xfire also makes online gaming easier for users by showing them when their friends are online, revealing what games their friends are playing, and enabling them to join their friends with one click. Xfire is also the only instant-messaging application that allows users to send and receive messages while playing many PC games without having to minimize or Alt-tab out of the game. Other Xfire features include file downloads, stats tracking, and voice chat.
To download Xfire for free please visit www.xfire.com.
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February 27th, 2006, 16:52 Posted By: wraggster
Blue Gecko Entertainment are proud to announce the launch of Genesis, an epic MMO strategy game of good v evil.
Genesis has evolved out of Wizards and Warlocks developed by independent game company Blue Gecko Entertainment – creators of Galactica , an MMO space conquest game.
A new round called Osiris is accepting player sign ups now and will start on Thursday March 2nd.
During this Beta round magic spell casting will be introduced.
The player can pick from 6 races. Human, Dwarf and Elf representing Good or Orc, Goblin or Undead representing evil.
Each race has it's own strengths and weakness'.
Each player will start on a planet containing 10 good and 10 evil cities.
Each start city has enough basic resources to build an initial army and more buildings.
Grow your city using your own resources or take them from others.
Contact your neighbours and form alliances.
Use diplomacy or fight to control your planet.
Grow your city and research technology to access your travel gate and explore the other planets in your solar system.
With 5 planets per solar system the game grows to feature 100 players, some planets may be good, some evil – which side will emerge as the dominant force of the system.
With further city growth and advancements you will have access to the whole galaxy, which contains up to 100 systems potentially 10,000 players!
The ultimate goal is for a member of your alliance to summon the altar and defend it for 72 hours to win the game.
To do this you will need to build a strong alliance of players and work with other alliances diplomatically to gain support.
The game features include:
Army building – Each race has it's own unit types to train into an army.
City Building – mines, defences, libraries, barracks etc
Tech Research – Travel, mining, training and spells
Diplomacy – dedicated alliance screen, create leader, set missions.
The game is freely downloadable from www.bluegecko.ro
The game is free to play with an option to subscribe to Blue Gecko and enhance the gaming experience.
The Blue Gecko game client also offers strategy gamers the chance to play – Galactica alomg with Chess, Battleships, Treasure Hunt and Go.
Game development at Blue Gecko Entertainment continues ...
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February 25th, 2006, 16:25 Posted By: wraggster
Jim Lee is giving the Bat one more go on the video-game front by tackling the role of Executive Creative Director on the DC Comics MMO planned for release in 2008.
The comics industry veteran and fan of MMOs has worked on the "DC Comics Online Project" since August, and he's now meeting with the folks at Sony Austin weekly in order to make the game "as close to the DC Comics source material as possible."
The prospect of DC's multiple realities actually becoming part of an MMO's multi-server gameplay is an exciting one, but we hope that Lee's hands-on approach to this title turns out better than his last Batman adaptation, Rise of Sin Tzu. So does that mean Rob Liefeld's available to work on the Marvel MMO for Microsoft?
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February 24th, 2006, 15:29 Posted By: wraggster
Hot on the heels of their earlier LOTR Online announcement, Turbine has relaunched the Dungeons & Dragons Online web site in preparation for tomorrow's Head Start activities for pre-order customers. The game's official release is on target for next Tuesday.
Hmmm, Lord of the Rings...Dungeons & Dragons, which classic franchise will win over your hard earned cash?
http://www.ddo.com/
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February 24th, 2006, 01:28 Posted By: wraggster
Source Eurogamer
That Galaxy Far, Far Away never seems to get a moment's rest. I suppose there must be death for these things to be really interesting, but wouldn't a smuggling game or a Wookiee cookery anthology just shake things up a bit?
Och, don't mind me - I'm prone to such whimsies, and I'm not at all unhappy to be spending a few hours with the real-time strategising of Empire At War. He's not exactly Old Ben when it comes to the war stories, but he's still got a fair bit to say, much of it regurgitated in a way that is distinctly 2006 - but we'll come to that later.
This latest Star Wars strategy is real-time throughout, which is unusual since it takes on a multi-tired approach, a bit like the Total War games. Unlike the turn-based overview map of a Total War game map, the galactic conquest map in Empire At War is set in real-time - and you can see the comings and goings of fleets as you play. It's an unusual way of approaching things, but it works. It's actually pretty refreshing to be able to react realistically to what's about to happen - to be able keep an eye on nearby troop build-ups, and grind cash like there's no tomorrow (which there isn't, since there aren't any days/seasons in space, right?) Anyway...
This galactic map, which features numerous solar systems from the game universe, is the initial board from which the other tiers of the game spring. Command a selection of units to enter orbit around a planet and you open up the slightly aged space combat section (real-time on a 2D plane), where squadrons of fighters and command ships are single units in a battle between asteroids. Once the heavens are secure you can drop troops down on to the planet itself - and then there's the main course of good old RTS stodge to keep you busy.
Pretty, but not quite a picture.
Of course there's also the planetary micromanagement side-screens, and a good deal of R2-D2 bleeping noises, but nevertheless this is RTS that we've seen before. Mention of such a recipe will probably put a chill in the belly of many PC veterans, but their fear is largely unwarranted, since Empire At War has been carefully baked to ensure that none of the sections are overbearing, fundamentally repugnant, or sticking to the sides of the tin. On passing the space salt, we can clearly observe it's all rather similar to a now-ancient strategy named Imperium Galactica (of which there were two), which attempted to blend planetary combat, space combat, and epic galactic conquest in a single campaign. Empire At War wants to be this all-encompassing game of galactic conquest, but it never quite manages the Wagnerian sweep that gives Space Opera its name.
Of course you also need to spend a small amount of brain-time on the economics in your wallet and the tactical position of your empire as a whole, which is a bit dull. All this means that like Imperium Galactica, Empire At War doesn't quite manage the orbital trajectory of greatness, and is likely to become a distant gaming comet, only occasionally earning a blip on the sturdiest of fanboy retroscopes.
Ripened planets must be picked and refrigerated before they spoil.
The hefty Star Wars baggage, of course, has to come along for the ride. The single-player campaign faces you with the situation following the latest films, as factions in the shattered Republic reform themselves into the Rebel Alliance on one side, and the Empire on the other. You can play as either faction, with a storyline largely dictating where you will go next. Vader gets his space war on, and tells the story of how James Earl Jones became the most feared voice actor in the galaxy, while the Rebels get on with all that pre-Skywalker rebelling that will one day lead up to the Deathstar going pop. Obligatory music, sound effects and cameo appearances mean that all the usual suspects are dragged back into the mix - assets such as the droids, space pirates, and Jabba's bounty chums are integral to the proceedings, either as leaders of a faction, or as planetary resources that can make your strategic life a little easier.
The AT-ATs are a bit of a disappointment, but the hordes of little rebel troopers (and fleeing Wookiee civilians) do deliver some charm. The key problem with the ground RTS is that it's just so slow and predictable. With enough reinforcements you can simply blast your way from one choke point to the next, eventually eradicating the enemy and claiming a rather hollow victory.
Back on the top tier - the galactic map - things are satisfyingly straightforward. Tactics are all rather simple, and never complex enough to provide that Chess-like capacity to feint and go for the kill. The movement of forces and the delivery of troops is all a bit pedestrian.
Anyway, the story unfolds in a series of missions that must be completed to advance, all of which lead up to your victory circa A New Hope. (I should mention that you don't have to play the storyline, and can also play freeform galactic conquest once you've mastered things). The movement of troops and the production of resources will keep most folk engrossed for literally minutes at a time, but it's never long before an engagement of some sort.
The exploding ice-cream van of Koron VII. Exploding. Yesterday.
Initially these come as blind encounters - you end up charging in with far too many or far too few troops to take on what actually lies in wait in orbit, or on the planet's surface. Both theatres of conflict are represented by traditional RTS conceits, with 3D space not even being nodded at. This is no Homeworld - it's a tank rush with capital ships, although generally beautifully framed in planets, nebulae and chattering Imperial commanders. The tiny whizzing groups of fighters belie how useful the special abilities of each craft can be, and taking down a Star Destroyer because you were smart (and not simply more numerous) is a pleasant achievement... at least the first couple of times.
That's the problem with multi-tiered strategy games like this: even in Rome Total War, in which the real-time sections are exquisite, the temptation is just to auto-resolve so that you can get on with the conquest. Unless you're really bent on making all those fiddly battles bend to you whim (as many Rome players are) then you're simply going to give up after a few goes. Empire At War doesn't have the visual flair or the tactical titillation to keep your nose to the grindstone, and those planetary fights become a ticklist of reinforcement balance and turret erection. Now I think about it, they're not just a bit predictable - they're entirely superfluous.
Ultimately, there's no single aspect of the game that really demands your interest. To place it in perspective I've also refreshed my memory of Rome: Total War and Dawn of War. The pace and visual impact of Dawn of War make Empire At War's RTS sections simply disappear into the shadows, and the tactical map of Rome Total War would have been a fine game even without the beautiful sieges and epic battles that underpin it; Empire At War by contrast looks a little but like "My First Wargame". But hey, at least it's not Force Commander.
7/10
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February 24th, 2006, 01:19 Posted By: wraggster
Expansion pack offers new campaigns, lets players pick from four new civilizations or create their own.
Considering that Empire Earth II already allowed players to take a civilization from the Stone Age to the era of sentient artificial intelligence, some might wonder how the developers could expand on the game. Anyone curious about that can find out this week, as VU Games and Mad Doc Software today announced that they have shipped the PC real-time strategy game's expansion pack, The Art of Supremacy, to retailers worldwide.
New features in the game include three new campaigns, 10 new units, two new game modes, and the addition of four new civilizations (the French, Russians, Zulu, and Maasai), as well as a custom civilization editor. The Art of Supremacy also introduces native tribes to be assimilated, conquered, or allied with as gamers continue the march of history.
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February 24th, 2006, 01:18 Posted By: wraggster
Publisher joins forces with Turbine to help bring its Middle-earth-set MMORPG to the masses later this year.
Just under a year ago, Turbine, Inc. announced it had ended its agreement with VU Games to publish the massively multiplayer game Middle-earth Online. Originally slated for a June 2005 launch, the game had been beset by a series of delays, which appeared to have prompted the Massachusetts-based developer to self-publish the title.
"Our rights extend to any and all MMORPGs based on [author J.R.R.] Tolkien's literary works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. As a result, we are now the developer and publisher of Middle-earth Online," a Turbine spokesperson told GameSpot following the announcement. Turbine's rights do not extend to director Peter Jackson's wildly popular Lord of the Rings films, which Electronic Arts has the exclusive license to.
Today, though, the developer announced that it is no longer self-publishing Middle-earth Online, which has since been renamed The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar. Instead, Turbine has joined forces with Midway Games, which will now copublish and distribute the fantasy PC title, set for release later this year.
"Midway's extensive North American distribution capabilities should ensure a strong and broad based retail presence for The Lord of the Rings Online," said Turbine president CEO of Jeffrey Anderson in a statement. Steve Allison, Midway's chief marketing officer, concurred. "We...look forward to leveraging our expertise to bring The Lord of the Rings Online to the vast legions of Tolkien fans."
The announcement marks Midway's first foray into the MMORPG genre. Previously an almost entirely consolecentric company, the publisher began a push into the PC market in summer 2004, when it stole away the acclaimed Unreal license from Atari. Ironically, Atari is publishing Turbine's other upcoming MMORPG, Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach, which ships next week.
The Midway deal appears to contradict Turbine's long-stated goal of becoming a stand-alone developer, publisher, and distributor of MMORPGs. In late 2003, it bought back the rights to its signature Asheron's Call title from Microsoft, and raised $18 million to support the game its sequel, Asheron's Call 2, itself.
In February 2005, Turbine declared it had tweaked its business model to embrace digital distribution and become a full-service provider of all its game content. By March, it announced it was self-publishing Middle-earth Online, which it would also fully support. In April, it inked a deal for "strategic partnership" with Shanda, one of China's biggest MMOG companies. Then Turbine raised $30 million to help it continue development of LOTR online with the goal of self-publishing the title.
However, as 2005 progressed, signs emerged that all was not well at Turbine. In August, the company announced it was shuttering its Santa Monica studio and ceasing online support of Asheron's Call 2. The game shut down on December 30.
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February 24th, 2006, 01:13 Posted By: wraggster
CBS's GameCore page continues to follow up with Star Wars Galaxies players on the aftermath of the NGE. Sony Online Entertainment John Smedley has gotten into the act, responding to criticisms leveled at the company in previous GameCore pieces. From the article: ""I'm bent about that one ... As a person, I have zero problem with criticism. I don't have any problem whatsoever with our customers complaining. I think it's perfectly legitimate, and I think it's perfectly legitimate for you guys to have a mailbag with hate mail from Star Wars Galaxies. But of all the mail, that's the one that bothered me because it's filled with a bunch of BS ... There has never been a release by Sony Online Entertainment that has been incomplete
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February 23rd, 2006, 16:30 Posted By: wraggster
In this--the week of Link's 20th anniversary--Vintage Games ponders the idea if Zelda could become a successful MMORPG. From the article: "I think since the Zelda games are action-adventure games, that the gameplay of a Zelda MMORPG should be action-role-playing. That is, you swing your sword and do actions in real time, but you could build up experience and raise your stats over time."
One of the biggest drawbacks of this idea would be: Who wants to play as Zelda or Tinkle? You'd have 1000 Links running around. Regardless, do you think a Zelda MMORPG would work, and if so, would you play it?
http://www.vintagecomputing.com/index.php/archives/72
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February 22nd, 2006, 20:21 Posted By: wraggster
Gamasutra has a 'Soap Box' editorial up discussing the bad lessons World of Warcraft teaches. From the article: "1. Investing a lot of time in something is worth more than actual skill. If you invest more time than someone else, you "deserve" rewards. People who invest less time "do not deserve" rewards. This is an absurd lesson that has no connection to anything I do in the real world. The user interface artist we have at work can create 10 times more value than an artist of average skill, even if the lesser artist works way, way more hours. The same is true of our star programmer. The very idea that time > skill is alien."
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February 22nd, 2006, 02:30 Posted By: wraggster
Known primarily for their popular MMOs City of Heroes, Lineage, and Guild Wars, NCsoft could be taking their first step into the single player market with the newly revealed Dungeon Runners. WorthPlaying gathered some screenshots and concept art while at the Taipei game show, and is expecting an official announcement soon.
It's shaping up to be a good year for single player RPGs with Oblivion, Mage Knight Apocalypse, Titan Quest, and Dark Messiah of Might & Magic scheduled for release in 2006.
http://www.worthplaying.com/article....thread&order=0
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February 22nd, 2006, 02:21 Posted By: wraggster
The official Web site for Stardock's turn-based strategy game, Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords, has been updated with news that the game is shipping to North American retailers this week and should be available for digital download today. The game lets players create their own races, design their own ships, and take over the universe through brute force, technological know-how, and political savvy. Dread Lords has been rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older and retails for $44.95.
http://www.galciv2.com/
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