Virtual World® is your one stop resource for all things virtual, in and around the MMO gaming and online 3D communities. In-depth virtual world and MMO game play reviews, discussion forums and the latest news from around the world. VirtualWorld.com

Virtual World News

Total Recall Online trailer shows off the game for the first time
November 07, 2012

Filed under: , , , , , , ,

Total Recall Online trailer shows off the game
It's been exactly a year ago (from tomorrow) that we last reported on the Total Recall MMO when it was confirmed by SEE Virtual Worlds as part of their acquisition of several popular intellectual properties. Now, thanks to an exclusive video interview over at Lorehound, we learn more about what Chinese developer ZQGame is looking to do with the browser-based title.

The two factions -- The Resistance and The Federal Government -- are said to be set up with good and bad on both sides, opening up the world of morality and ethics to players. Producer K.J. Lin speaks about the features we can most look forward to, including vehicles like magnetic hover cars and motorcycles, companions to act as bodyguards, three main classes that will grow and change according to your faction and game choices, and much more. Give the entire video interview a look after the cut below and check out some tracks from the game's soundtrack while you're at it.

Continue reading Total Recall Online trailer shows off the game for the first time

MassivelyTotal Recall Online trailer shows off the game for the first time originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Massively Exclusive: Uncharted Waters Online sails to China
November 07, 2012

Filed under: , , ,

Massively Exclusive Uncharted Waters Online sails to China
This past month, the captains and admirals at Uncharted Waters Online have made an incredible discovery: a brand-new continent called El Oriente. This update expands the game world to include China and Taiwan, additional trade goods and dungeons, and plenty of Oriental-themed ships.

To uncover all of El Oriente's secrets, Tecmo Koei's Director of Production Takeda Tomakazu has a look at the update and the real-world history behind it. Hit the jump for this exclusive dev diary!

Continue reading Massively Exclusive: Uncharted Waters Online sails to China

MassivelyMassively Exclusive: Uncharted Waters Online sails to China originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Guild Wars 2 is getting a refer-a-friend free trial weekend
November 07, 2012

Filed under: , , , , ,

Guild Wars 2 to get a referafriend free trial weekend
If you have friends that have been on the fence about playing Guild Wars 2 with you, ArenaNet is offering the perfect opportunity to get them in to check out the game for themselves. Starting on Monday, November 12th, players will be able to invite up to three friends to join them in the world of Tyria. The friends can then enjoy a free trial period running Thursday, November 15th through Sunday the 18th, conveniently coinciding with the Lost Shores event.

All accounts in good standing created before 2:59 a.m. EST November 7th are eligible to participate. We'll keep you posted as more details come in.

MassivelyGuild Wars 2 is getting a refer-a-friend free trial weekend originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Investor call reports World of Warcraft subscriptions back above 10 million
November 07, 2012

Filed under: , , ,

Activision, the Blizzard logo's hat.
The results are in for the third quarter of 2012, and despite sluggish numbers the last time around, World of Warcraft appears to be on a rebound. During the most recent Activision Blizzard investor call, subscribers for the game were pegged at around 10 million, back up from the lower figure of 9.1 million reported during the previous investor call. While the number is a bit more vague than usual, it does break a trend of several declining months.

Is it all because of Mists of Pandaria? Not quite; because of the way that the quarters are spaced out, the expansion is still a fresh release, and we won't know until the beginning of 2013 how much of a bump it gave to the game's overall numbers. The company as a whole also saw positive revenue from Diablo III and the Skylanders franchise, while Call of Duty titles have experienced a slight downturn.

MassivelyInvestor call reports World of Warcraft subscriptions back above 10 million originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Star Wars: The Old Republic dev blog outlines upcoming F2P transition
November 07, 2012

Filed under: , , ,

Screenshot -- Star Wars: The Old Republic
BioWare will be rolling out Star Wars: The Old Republic's official transition to a free-to-play business model very soon, so today the game's lead designer, Damion Schubert, has put out a new developer update apprising players of the status of SWTOR's F2P incarnation. In this new missive, Schubert lays out two of the core rules held by the development team behind the free-to-play revamp.

First off, the team wants to ensure that all players can reach level 50 without paying a single dime if they so desire. Of course, subscribers will have some advantages over F2P players (such as an increased rate of XP gain, extra hotbars, and so forth), but the team is adamant about ensuring that all players can experience the entirety of BioWare's intricately crafted story without digging into their wallets. Secondly, the team aims to ensure that subscribers will not see any degradation in the quality of their gameplay experience, which includes making sure that subscribers don't feel obligated to make Cartel Market purchases in order to remain competitive. Schubert confidently asserts that the team "not only met these goals... but exceeded expectations." We'll find out for sure soon enough, but for now, head on over to the official post to find out what to expect when SWTOR goes free-to-play later this month.

MassivelyStar Wars: The Old Republic dev blog outlines upcoming F2P transition originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Choose My Adventure: The Guild Wars 2 way
November 07, 2012

Filed under: , , , , , ,

Choose My Adventure The Guild Wars 2 way
This week has been severely under-productive in light of my lofty Guild Wars 2 goals, but that's not a bad thing. Pippy Peat, the sad yet determined I-think-I-can Mesmer has wielded his two-handed greatsword with gusto and has been fighting a valiant fight.

The jarring emptiness of Metrica Province has left me wondering whether some of GW2's events are scaling improperly, are set too high, or aren't scaling at all. Nevertheless, there were plenty of events for me to take part in, and they've been my main source of experience for this week's Choose My Adventure. I've also come across some bugs and glitches that Massively's resident GW2 expert, Elisabeth Cardy, has helped me with.

My greatsword is proving incredibly handy, mixed with clones of myself to distract the Inquest and random grumpy animals. I couldn't resist zapping some of the innocent critters littering the landscape. I'm sorry. Pippy is a sad, depressed, maybe narcissistic little Mesmer. Every once in a while, he takes his aggression out on the local fauna.

Setting up a reasonable amount of polls is proving to be difficult. There are so many options for traits, weapons, and skills. It's staggering. Instead of trying to be all-inclusive for every aspect of the game, I'm trying to take into consideration how readers feel from votes and comments and use that as a guide. So what has Pippy has gotten himself into this week?

Continue reading Choose My Adventure: The Guild Wars 2 way

MassivelyChoose My Adventure: The Guild Wars 2 way originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

    RuneScape announces launch date for Evolution of Combat patch
    November 07, 2012

    Filed under: , , , , , ,

    The previous model in which you stood in place and shouted was kind of a poor model, in hindsight.
    Fans of violence in RuneScape have something to cheer about today as the release date has finally been announced for the game's massive overhaul of the combat mechanics. On November 20th, the patch goes live after five months of active testing and rebalancing based on feedback. And it's got far-reaching implications for the game as a whole -- by improving the game's combat mechanics and battle environments, the developers can introduce content that wouldn't have worked under the old system.

    So what can players expect? Abilities are replacing the special attacks found on weapons with several new options for battle, and a new resource (Adrenaline) will go into activating your more powerful combat skills. Characters will also be able to make full use of both hands via dual-wielding, offering more aggressive options as well as more equipment options for mages. The announcement also promises a livestream this weekend to help players learn about and understand the changes before they go live in a couple weeks.

    [Thanks to Andrew for the tip!]

    MassivelyRuneScape announces launch date for Evolution of Combat patch originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink | Email this | Comments

    The Daily Grind: If your favorite game relaunched, what one thing would you fix?
    November 06, 2012

    Filed under: , , , ,

    Yes, I'll take fun tanking over catboys. As it happens, I know I'm getting the latter.
    When Final Fantasy XIV relaunches, my greatest wish is that tanking will actually feel fun. I've done my best to enjoy tanking, but the way the game expects you to tank isn't what I'd call a fun ride. Even if everything else stayed exactly the same, I'd declare the relaunch a screaming success if that changed.

    A lot of games don't relaunch -- the majority, even, unless you count now-ubiquitous free-to-play conversions. But those that do so change a lot about the game, some of it good, some of it bad. Today, we're not asking for all of the things you'd change if you had the choice; today, we want to pick a single element of a game that you like. A lone thing that bothers you that you would want changed.

    Maybe you'd like to enhance the game's crafting. Maybe you'd like to improve the storytelling. Maybe you even would just add in a few more travel options around a particularly annoying point. If your favorite game was relaunching, what's the one thing that you would want to see fixed in the new version?

    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!

    MassivelyThe Daily Grind: If your favorite game relaunched, what one thing would you fix? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Nov 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink | Email this | Comments

      Flameseeker Chronicles: There's something in the water in Guild Wars 2
      November 06, 2012

      Filed under: , , , , , ,

      Flameseeker Chronicles There's something in the water
      October is gone, and with it went the Mad King. He's returned to his realm, and if the number of his slippers I have piled up in the corners of my bank vault is any indication, he's ill-prepared to deal with any sudden drops in temperature. On the first day of November, Lion's Arch citizens marveled at the sudden disappearance of all the festive decorations, applauded the continuity of the lion statue's still being absent from the Piazza, and set about life as normal.

      Until they saw the whales.

      Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: There's something in the water in Guild Wars 2

      MassivelyFlameseeker Chronicles: There's something in the water in Guild Wars 2 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Nov 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

      Permalink | Email this | Comments

        Latest Bless gameplay video treats viewers to HD visuals
        November 06, 2012

        Filed under: , , , ,

        Latest Bless gameplay video treats to viewers to HD visuals
        Over the last couple of weeks, we've brought you various teasers and gameplay clips from the upcoming Korean MMO Bless. Now, Neowiz offers a longer look at the game in a new high-def gameplay video. With almost 24 minutes of footage, viewers can watch as the protagonist helps defend a beleaguered town from attack, completes quests, travels between locations by dragonback, and fights a horde of undead.

        The HD format of this video really shows off the world; although the dragonback transport route is predetermined, the trip takes viewers through some of the beautiful vistas and locals in Bless. Be sure to check it out after the break.

        Continue reading Latest Bless gameplay video treats viewers to HD visuals

        MassivelyLatest Bless gameplay video treats viewers to HD visuals originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Nov 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

        Permalink | Email this | Comments