Filed under: Fantasy, Launches, Free-to-Play, Promotions

Ragnarok Online 2: Legend of the Second has been given the keys to Europe, as Gravity Europe announced that the free-to-play title is now available to play across the continent. The game comes with a new English translation, and promises to be "easier to dive into" than the original Ragnarok Online.

Gravity Managing Director Yves Bléhaut said of the launch, "For us, Ragnarok Online 2 represents a major step in the life of a brand with as high a profile as Ragnarok. First and foremost, hosting so many players on two continents simultaneously represents a technical challenge for both us and our American partner, and it's also a major editorial step as two versions of Ragnarok will coexist: RO1 for purists, and one more accessible to the general public, RO2."

Ragnarok Online 2 has been rolling out worldwide over the past few months. Gravity Europe is offering two different goodie packs through "specialized media" to promote the launch.

[Source: Gravity Europe press release]

Ragnarok Online 2 releases in Europe originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 23 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Guilds, Opinion, The Guild Counsel, Miscellaneous

I'm a Red Sox fan, and if there's ever a team that can exemplify the ups and downs of running a guild, it's the Red Sox. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the team, and yet they're near the top of the standings, only a game and a half behind the Team that Shall Not be Named. Managing a guild is also very often about handling the peaks and valleys of day to day life. It's as if the whole guild were manic depressive: You need to downplay the peaks and minimize the valleys.

We've looked at the valleys quite a bit in this column because valleys represent a more urgent problem, but in this week's Guild Counsel, let's look at how to handle the peaks.

Continue reading The Guild Counsel: Managing the peaks of success

The Guild Counsel: Managing the peaks of success originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 23 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GameStop's sales slipped by nearly seven percent in the first quarter of 2013 but the overall decline of the industry means the company actually saw its market share increase.

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A new studio drives the Need for Speed franchise into the next generation.

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One of the most fun and adorable instances in Aion is back for a limited time.

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With a new RuneScape 3 website comes new high-scores.

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Shazam is ready to use his magical powers to defend the weak in Infinite Crisis.

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Filed under: Betas, Super-hero, Trailers, Video, Classes, Game Mechanics, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, MOBA, Infinite Crisis

Even as a mere mortal, Billy Bastion stood up to injustice. And now, thanks to the powers granted him by the ancient wizard Shazam, Billy can turn into a mighty lightning-infused warrior to fight against injustice, evil... and whatever opponents happen to queue against him! Joining the pool of available champions in Turbine's upcoming MOBA Infinite Crisis, the superhero formerly known as Captain Marvel (name officially changed to Shazam in 2010) hails from the Prime Universe and brings the power of lightning front-and-center as a melee enforcer.

Want to catch of glimpse of Shazam's powers and abilities like Speed of Mercury, Power of Zeus, Lightning Field, and Mystic Power/Defense? Then watch the champion reveal video after the break.

[Source: Turbine press release]

Continue reading Shazam gives Infinite Crisis lineup a jolt

Shazam gives Infinite Crisis lineup a jolt originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 23 May 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Betas, Business Models, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, Ask Massively, Miscellaneous

It's a running joke on Massively that some readers believe our lives are glamorous and that we sleep in beds made out of free video game swag. The truth is that video game bloggers are working in this field because they love the job. At least that's how it is around here. Or maybe writing in our pajamas is too posh to pass up. But people still believe we are loaded with perks just because we get to wear fancy hats that say "PRESS." Just kidding. There are no hats.

Here's a recent example from a reader named Will6:

Lucky you, getting to test drive the game. Everyone knows the press get instant invites because they are a free way [for studios] to advertise their game and get the word out.

It's time for "everyone" to be disabused of that notion.

Continue reading Ask Massively: The irony of media and betas

Ask Massively: The irony of media and betas originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 23 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sci-Fi, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, News Items, Defiance, Buy-to-Play

In spite of its recent layoffs (or maybe because of them), Trion Worlds is plunging ahead with its Defiance promotions. Not only will Syfy be showing a six-episode Defiance-the-show marathon and recap special on Monday (that's May 27th from 4 to 11 p.m.), but Defiance-the-game will be on sale on Steam and available freely from today through Sunday to brand-new players. Players will also nab a second crack at the game's early episodic content, which starred the series' lead characters. Quoth the press release,

Gamers who have yet to explore the open world shooter can try it on PC for free on Steam from May 23rd at 10:00 a.m. PDT [1:00 p.m. EDT] to May 26th at 1:00 p.m. PDT [4:00 p.m. EDT]. Steam is also offering a weekend long sale on Defiance for those whose thirst for alien technology and open world action isn't satisfied by the trial. Both the Standard Edition and Digital Deluxe Edition will be 30% off. In addition, Steam will also be running a sale on "Bits," the in-game currency for Defiance, during which customers will get more "Bits" for their money.

The studio notes that other retailers will feature independent sales but did not specifically say which ones.

[Source: Trion press release]

Defiance demands your attention during Memorial Day weekend originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 23 May 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Source: Official Defiance site

Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, MMOFPS, Destiny

We hope you like metaphors because Bungie is bringing a whopper of one to you through the magic of a Destiny official trailer. The trailer is framed by a father reading to his son The Law of the Jungle at bedtime, mentioning wolves and packs in such a way that we totally aren't thinking of The Hangover whatsoever.

Of course, there's a bit of the game setting in there too, with masked, cloaked soldiers pulling out big guns and showing the enemy the business. The trailer concludes by stating that there will be a worldwide gameplay reveal for Destiny at E3 on June 10th.

Check out the savage trailer after the jump and let us know what jungle animal guides you in space!

Continue reading Watch Destiny's law of the jungle trailer

Watch Destiny's law of the jungle trailer originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 23 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Via: Joystiq

Amazon's new Kindle Worlds service will give fan fiction writers a place to publish their work and earn royalties.

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The Retro Game Music Bundle is a two-tier collection of old-school videogame soundtracks including Myst, Duke Nukem 3D, The 7th Guest and more.

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An entry for Mirror's Edge 2 has turned up on the German Amazon - and it's listed only for the Xbox.

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The Grand Theft Auto V Special and Collector's editions will retail for $79.99 and $149.99.

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BioWare goes full dark side after banning multiple accounts, shutting down any forums that may discuss players' innocence.

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The terror of the Black Marsh is back in The Elder Scrolls Online.

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The two-part alignment system in Pathfinder Online aims to prevent morality grinding.

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If you need to catch up on Defiance or want to give it a try, Memorial Weekend is a great place to start.

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A realm will be reborn this August.

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Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic

If you follow Star Wars: The Old Republic at all (and judging by the response to our tip line, you do!), you've heard the hullabaloo involving crystals and account bans going on right now. It appears some players have found they can bypass the fee necessary to unlock crystals account-wide in the Collection UI by spawning multiple crystals and using the Legacy system to trade those crystals to alts. As a result, a number of accounts have received temporary bans for exploiting. However, a number of players also claim they were caught in the cross-fire just for having a large number of legitimate crystals in their inventory.

BioWare has issued a statement that it is aware of the situation and is actively investigating, and that more information will be posted when it is available. In regards to the deleted and locked threads involving the issue, BioWare also reminded players that posts discussing exploits or action taken against accounts is not permitted on the forums.

[Thanks to all who sent in tips!]

BioWare 'actively investigating' recent SWTOR bannings originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 23 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Source: Reddit crystal bans thread, BioWare response

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Final Fantasy XIV

Square Enix has announced today that Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is set for release on August 27, 2013 on both PC and PS3.

According to previous reports, the third phase of the relaunched game's beta will begin some time next month. This phase will be the first time A Realm Reborn will be open to PS3 players during this beta.

Click past the jump for complete details on pre-order bonuses and the Collector's Edition box contents.

[Source: Square Enix press release]

Continue reading Final Fantasy XIV's relaunch set for August 27

Final Fantasy XIV's relaunch set for August 27 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 23 May 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Bugs, Economy, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Neverwinter Days

So funny story: In planning out in advance what I wanted to talk about in this biweekly Neverwinter column, I had selected something that recently caught my eye about the game and made me happy. That something was the Neverwinter Gateway, a web portal that allows out-of-game players the ability to fiddle with their character sheets, auctions, professions, guilds, and mail. I thought -- and I still do -- that this was a nifty service that deserved a day in the sun.

As I was getting set to write that column, Neverwinter's economy exploded and then imploded over the course of a weekend, thanks to a nasty exploit that involved, yup, the Gateway. Suddenly my topic had to shift from "isn't this a neat tool?" to "check out what the tools are doing with this tool." Seeing the economy effectively destroyed in a matter of hours and how Cryptic Studios dealt with this PR nightmare might be old news at this point, but it's definitely worthy of reflection, analysis, and speculation as to how trust can be rebuilt in this fledgling title.

Let's get cracking -- we have a lot of ground to cover!

Continue reading Neverwinter Days: The great economic collapse of 2013

Neverwinter Days: The great economic collapse of 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 23 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The system's in beta, so the Overwatch's word isn't law, at least not yet.

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Electronic Arts Chief Technology Officer Rajat Taneja says the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 will outgun even the most powerful PCs on the market today.

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