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NewsBlizzard: Next MMO Cool, Different, and Still A Ways Off

Posted 11/13/08 at 12:16:42 AM by Nathan Grayson

Wrath of the Lich King may barely be ripe for the picking, but Blizzard's already hard at work on its next attempt at supplanting real life. Blizzard COO Paul Sams recent spoke with VG247 about the second generation of its MMO monarchy, and long-time WoW players will be both happy and relieved to hear that this game certainly isn't WoW 2.0.

“We want to create a great game,” Sams said. “Something that’s cool, and new, and different, and kind of next generation in terms of look and feel and gameplay. That’s a challenging endeavour.”

But as a dab of disappointment for WoW players' flagon of infinite joy, the new Blizzard MMO is still deep in the grimy pits of development, with no release date in sight.

“We’re definitely at the beginning, in the first half of development,” Sams continued.

“When we’re building a new game from the ground up, what happens is that it’s slow going for the first bit, while the team goes round and round and round figuring out how it’s going to look and feel, what the player experience is and what the differentiators are, and then the speed at which we then bring in the content and polish and actually get to the finish line…"

"I think the second half of the process is always substantially faster than the first half of product development,” he added.

Find out why it'll be quite some time before Blizzard gives fans an eyeful of its new MMO after the break.

Comments: 17
TAGS: gaming, Software, news, blizzard, wow, MMORPG

NewsSOE Points Out Roadblocks on Path to Connected PS3-PC MMO

Posted 09/11/08 at 08:41:11 PM by Nathan Grayson

SOE does what Blizzardon't. The online-focused branch of Sony's empire is trying its darndest to wed console and PC MMOs with its upcoming title, The Agency. However, the bride and groom to be aren't exactly hitting it off.

First up, PC games are much more susceptible to hacks and 'sploits than their console brethren, and "Being able to manage that is no simple task," said Executive Producer Matt Wilson.

Second, the mouse-keyboard vs. controller feud continues to rage, and neither side seems interested in saluting the ol' white flag.

"We can do things to equalize them, whether that's aim assist on the console or other things on the PC, but when we've actually done focus group testing and so forth, you're always going to have the console players versus the PC players," Wilson noted.

However, the final hurdle is definitely the tallest. Wilson explained:

"MMOs live and die by their updates, and we need to be able to update our product frequently," says Wilson. "The console requires a certification process, while the PC does not. And so it's going to be really difficult for us to maintain that synchronization across both platforms, and make that work really easily with the value of the MMO."

Assuming that SOE satisfactorily solves all of these issues, would you even want to play a PC-PS3 MMO?

Comments: 3
TAGS: gaming, Software, news, blizzard, Playstation 3, MMORPG, Sony Online Entertainment

ReviewsAge of Conan: Hyborian Adventures

Posted 08/11/08 at 02:05:27 PM by Tom Edwards

Our help was needed—again. Such is the fate of a hero. In the world of Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures all manner of fishermen, pirates, merchants, guards, beer wenches, and assorted ne’er-do wells require assistance. This motley cast of characters imbues the game with a vibrant sense of life; we just wish that they showed even a bit of initiative and took care of some of their own problems. We were tasked with passing along loads of messages in order to drive the story forward, but in truth, we quickly lost interest in the game’s narrative, as it simply took away from the game’s finest achievement: its fighting system.

The rest of our review, after the jump!

Comments: 3
TAGS: games, mmo, rpg, MMORPG, reviews, funcom

FROM THE ARCHIVEDaily News Brief: MPAA Admits Mistake in College Study

Posted 01/23/08 at 07:11:25 PM by Paul "One4yu2c" Lilly

MPAA admits inflated numbers in two year study due to 'human error,' World of Warcraft hits 10 million subscriber mark, Sony delays Skype features for PSP in Japan, and more!