Howdy, MMO cowpunchers! I was waylaid by an exploding snake trap last week and was unable to join you. That means we’ve got some catching up to do. Let’s get down and dirty with the week in MMO news!
“Asura thing” “Asura Week” at the Guild Wars 2 Site has brought an almost overwhelming influx of information on the diminutive playable race. The long-eared Asura are said to be the smartest in Tyria and are masters of arcane forces and mystic technology. These magic tinkerers and golem creators are an imaginative blending of goblins and gnomes and I’m intrigued enough to want to try one out come GW2’s early 2012 arrival. Every MMO needs an itty bitty, cute ‘n’ cuddly option and ArenaNet seems to have nailed it with the Asura.
“Free Fraggin’” SOE has confirmed that PlanetSide 2 will be free-to-play when it launches sometime next year. Speaking to PlanetSide Universe, SOE CEO John Smedley said “The game will be F2P. What form will it be? We’re still working that out. But here’s a hint — we like League of Legends a lot.” And we like free. PS2 just got even more exciting.
“X = massive?” Did Square Enix just announce that classic RPG series Dragon Quest is entering MMO territory with DQ X due sometime next year? It looks like the majority of the game is played online and that a “usage fee” will be required — at least for gamers in Japan where the game is expected to debut. North American and European gamers may still play for free. Stay tuned.
“Creature Feature” Carbine Studios has published its first Developer Diary on the official WildStar Site. The inaugural diary focuses on the creation of a boss character called “Metal Maw” who was named and partially created by fans at gamescom 2011. It’s nice to see the WildStar community excited about helping create “something that’s going to kick their a**.”
“Hell-o, Tokyo!” Hellgate Global, the MMO that clawed its way back from death isn’t just content to be shambling along again — it’s expanding. The Hellgate “Tokyo” expansion arrives September 22nd and brings new “Cow Room” and “Base Defense” modes along with 24 new levels and fresh and fiery monsters and bosses. Let’s hear it for burnt offerings!
“A fresh can o’ Wurms” The Wurm Online devs continue to aggressively expand the game by adding new areas where players can stake a claim and build their own homes. The new “Exodus” server and region went live Thursday and a virtual land rush is now underway. Let the pumpkin farming, road paving and bloody PvP commence!
“Wedding Hells” Holy broken vows! Nexon, publisher of long-running MMO, MapleStory, has announced that a whopping 75% of players who have married in-game end up divorced. Here’s the funny part — these digital marriages cost couples $25 real-world dollars. Haha! (Am I going to Hell now?)
“Originica Expansionica” According to game publisher gPotato, the “biggest expansion to Dragonica since the original release of the game” is set to arrive September 20th. The “New Origin” update promises new Shaman and Amazonian classes, new pets and dungeons and a raise of the level cap to 80. Sweetica!
Now that we’re up to date with what’s what in massive gaming for the week it’s time for me to skedaddle. With a sprinkling of pixie dust and a blinding flash of light I will now disappear into the ether. Keep it logged in and I’ll see you soon!
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David Moore has run the site gamebunny.com for the past ten years and co-runs torwars.com, a site focused on all things Star Wars: The Old Republic.
