Filed under: Fantasy, Age of Conan, Events (In-Game), News Items, Free-to-Play, Anniversaries

Just because it's a tough and gritty world in Age of Conan doesn't mean folks don't know how to celebrate. In fact, Funcom has announced fitting festivities for the fifth anniversary of this fierce fantasy world. Each day for five days starting Thursday, May 23rd, a new epic boss will begin roaming the lands of Hyboria, and each day that a boss remains unconquered it will increase its level of brutality. On the flip side, the chance for epic rewards for defeating one also increases by the day. All players, regardless, of level can join in the fight to take these monsters down, and everyone will have a chance at the rewards.

As anniversary gifts, all players will receive a one-week pass to Khitai as well as other items that can be claimed from the item shop. Members will receive a double item store discount throughout the five-day event as well as a special gift.

Starting tomorrow, membership will include account-wide double xp items, 200 bonus points per month, and a bonus AA point for every level (granted retroactively). Interested in becoming a member? Funcom is also offering a special deal through May 30th granting 50% more time with multi-month subscriptions.

Age of Conan announces 5th anniversary event, new membership perks originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Source: Anniversary announcement

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Trailers, Video, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Vindictus, Dungeons

Vindictus fans in Europe don't have long to wait for the second episode of Season 2 as Nexon EU has announced that The Secret of Twilight Desert will launch on May 29th. As one of the largest updates ever to the game, this episode will expand the storyline and add new enemies in new areas as well as a dynamic day/night cycle.

Both new terrors and rare beauty come with the nightfall; the Grim Reaper and Guardian Soldiers will threaten adventurers after the sun sets, but the moonlight also reveals the Luminary Plant, a beautiful and powerful plant able to bestow rare gifts upon those capable of harvesting it. And for those seeking treasure buried under the sands, a new underground dungeon (with a traveling entrance) built by the eccentric wild Coffer Chasers offers adventurers a choice of treasure rooms. Choose wisely, though, as all other treasure rooms are locked once one is picked!

Get a glimpse of the coming adventures in the video after the break and the 11 new images in the gallery below.

[Source: Nexon EU press release]

Continue reading Vindictus EU shows off next episode of Season 2 with video, screenshots

Vindictus EU shows off next episode of Season 2 with video, screenshots originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Super-hero, Culture, New Titles, Opinion, A Mild-Mannered Reporter

When life hands you lemons, you build a new life. Out of lemons. The metaphor is a bit tortured, but the ultimate point is still the same: When City of Heroes fans found out the game was shutting down, some decided to band together and make a new game to incorporate all of the best of CoH while not being, you know, shut down completely. It's something that I've discussed a few times now because it's a really neat idea that also has some really big potential pitfalls.

The Phoenix Project and Heroes & Villains are the two big games working at getting themselves together, and they've had about half a year to do so. Both have been moving forward, networking, and putting together everything needed to make the games actually exist. And there's good news and bad news about both, some in tandem and some separately. So despite the possibility of missing an important context clue or two, we carry on with our look at what's going well and what is... less so.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Another look at Plan Z

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Another look at Plan Z originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft Vice President Phil Harrison says the "just games" approach of the Xbox One marketplace will actually help indie developers connect with an even wider audience.

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Put on your poetry hats and join two of the greatest wordsmiths of our generation as they fill your ears with verse.

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The Xbox One was revealed this weak to thunderous applause. Oh wait, did we say applause? We meant, farts. Thunderous farts.

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This week, Zero Punctuation reviews System Shock 2.

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Welcome to a very mythical special episode of Feed Dump.

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Microsoft says the advent of Xbox One will not change its strict indie game publishing requirements for Xbox Live.

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A man playing mobile games on a bus in China was accused of taking inappropriate photos and attacked by another passenger.

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The word on the street is that maybe - just maybe - a "critically-acclaimed Star Wars RPG" is on its way to the iPad.

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If only Square Enix could double the population of FFXI as well.

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Join in the festivities for Age of Conan's fifth anniversary.

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Earn rewards for spending money in RIFT.

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We are one week away from the LINEAGE II: LINDVIOR update! With that in mind we wanted to announce some upcoming changes that will take place once LINDVIOR arrives.  Grand Olympiad As announced before, current Heroes will lose their...

To help optimize server performance, we’re cleaning up the Lineage II database.  Qualifying characters will be scheduled for deletion during our weekly maintenance on June 5th, 2013. The good news? All you have to do to keep your character...

Agathions | Energy Recharge | Rewards All 12 Soul Avatar Agathions are back by popular demand! The 12 Soul Avatar Agathions will only be available from May 22nd to May 29th. This is your last chance to complete the...

Filed under: Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Classes, Expansions, Patches, Previews, Free-to-Play, Races

Dungeons and Dragons Online's second expansion will not be like the first. In fact, Shadowfell Conspiracy might even be seen as a pseudo-sequel to DDO, a game-within-a-game that's offering players a fresh start in a favorite land. When the expansion hits on August 19th, players will be able to ignore all of DDO's Eberron content to start a new character at level 15 in the Forgotten Realms. Between the Forgotten Realms content that Turbine's added to the game in the past year and the new missions coming with Shadowfell Conspiracy, players could conceivably level solely in this setting.

It's obvious that Turbine's a little Forgotten-Realms-mad right now, although that's not a bad thing. The setting is a favorite among D&D fans, and while Eberron has its supporters, the studio obviously sees the Forgotten Realms as the future of this long-running MMO. While the expansion is still a couple of months away, today's Update 18: Disciples of Shadow update will serve as a prologue so that players can get started on their journey through this fresh land.

We sat down with DDO's team to talk about Update 18, the new races coming with Shadowfell Conspiracy, and the pre-purchase program that promises to give you head start. Read on, or else the wrath of the owl bear will be upon thee!

Continue reading A tale of Forgotten Realms: DDO's Update 18 and the Shadowfell Conspiracy

A tale of Forgotten Realms: DDO's Update 18 and the Shadowfell Conspiracy originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft Vice President Phil Harrison says the "just games" approach of the Xbox One marketplace will actually help indie developers connect with an even wider audience.

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Additionally, PlanetSide 2 players have been granted six months free time in the shooter's predecessor.

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You'll gain some amusement, no doubt, from riding around on Gourmando's back.

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It seems Halloween's arrived early this year.

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Go to dinner with Cryptozoic at GenCon 2013.

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Filed under: Sci-Fi, Opinion, Tabula Rasa, The Daily Grind, Sunsets

No, that header picture wasn't taken in 2007; it was taken 4 days ago at a Walmart near me. What's even better is the fact that I took a similar picture about two years ago of the same product in the same store, but nothing's ever been done about it.

The question is, is it up to me to tell the store clerks about how wrong this is, or do I contact someone higher up at Walmart? Perhaps I should go straight to NCsoft with this one? I can't imagine the dismay in a child's eyes when he buys the game, rips it open and installs it, only to find out that no Bane will be dropping down in front of his leech gun any time soon. Think of the children!

So, wise Massively readers, how would you handle this situation? Or have you seen a closed game on a store shelf before? Did you report it? Let us know!

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

The Daily Grind: How do you handle a closed MMO still on the shelf? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Historical, Game Mechanics, PvP, Free-to-Play, Guides, Age of Wushu, The Art of Wushu, MMORPG

Many readers balked when I said Age of Wushu had the best combat in an MMO ever back when I did my first impressions piece. I admit, it was a bold claim. However, even after playing Guild Wars 2, TERA, and numerous other games with "deep MMO combat," I stand by what I said back then. Age of Wushu's PvP combat is the best in any MMO.

If you're coming from a mostly MMO background, combat in Age of Wushu is a bit daunting at first. It's really nothing like combat in any other MMO. It has a bit slower pace than a typical action-MMO, but it is the first to really employ tempo control. Attacking recklessly is a patch to a quick defeat, forcing players to make tough tactical decisions.

If you're like me and came to MMOs from a fighting game background, things readily click into place. Baiting common reactions and punishing them, punishing actions on reaction, and getting in the head of your opponent is better-rewarded than in any other MMO combat system. I don't want to badmouth games like GW2 that have great combat, so don't get me wrong; many other games have excellent combat. Age of Wushu's battle system is just even more fantastic. When I win a fight against an even-leveled opponent (or higher level, though that's rare) without taking an unblocked hit, I feel like a total beast.

Continue reading The Art of Wushu: Learning the basics of combat

The Art of Wushu: Learning the basics of combat originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 May 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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