MMO Reporter

Chris and Bill adventure into the world of MMOs this week! We talk about Shadowrun Online, Everquest Next: Landmark, and dive into the world of 3D goggel things that are so popular right now. What we did in game Bill - GW2 Neverwinter WoW Civ V (screw Denmark) Chris - GW2 Wildstar Neverwinter Titanfall http://www.titanfall.com/news/we-hate-cheaters-just-as-much-as-you-do   Facebook buys Oculus (Oculus Rift makers) https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10101319050523971 John Carmack works for Facebook now $2 billion dollars ($400M cash, $1.6B stock) Mojang/Notch give up on Oculus Rift http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidewalt/2014/03/25/minecraft-creator-kills-oculus-rift-plans-because-facebook-creeps-him-out/ http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/18/5523984/sony-reveals-project-morpheus-its-vr-system-for-ps4   Shadowrun Online : Early Access Begins March 31st https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynWEDQEq-WE Shadowrun Online was planned for a may 2013 release, however the base code that was used for Shadowrun Returns was too constricting for a online game. They had to rebuild new code from scratch and delay the game almost a full year, To make matter worse, the original investor they had backed out. Even the portrait artist “vanished”. After getting a new investor, the game has been recorded and will be ready for early access on Steam later this month. The core game is close to being done and they need player to come and test it. Every month they will update the game more and more. Tablet and Mobile versions will be worked on after the game is finished. EverQuest Next: Landmark : Alpha to Beta http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/982/feature/8330 Alpha ended this week and the game is going into closed beta We assume this means a new NDA will follow If you have not saved your work as a template, the game will save it for you. Closed beta will begin on the 26th of this month Closed beta will be introducing many more mechanics to the game. such as Monsters, combat, PVP and more!   Chris - Star Wars: The Old Republic - Galactic Strongholds has been announced http://www.swtor.com/galactic-strongholds On June 24, subscribers will have access to the new expansion Galactic Strongholds. Free to play will get the new content sometime in August. The expansion has many quality of life updates, but the major feature is the Strongholds system. Strongholds is basicly a housing system that you can decorate as you see fit. You can even own multiple strongholds across many other planets. You can even get a Guild Flagship to decorate for your guild. Decorations can be bought from many different areas in the game, such as planets, pvp, or even have players craft stuff. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8ccmDV1nlw Swordsman beta signups have started http://games.arcgames.com/en/prod/swordsman Swordsman is a free to play martial arts mmo from perfect world. It features real time combat, a highly character creation engine, and a diverse crafting system. Anyone that loved Jade Empire should take a look at this game. Introduction Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_Zo-pYQg58 Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYYcuF-QcWE   LOTRO Update 13 Preview Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC7ayWtpTdc Sponsor: Doghouse - Code: MMOREPORTER at doghousesystems.com to double your ram Audible - Go to audibletrial.com/mmoreporter to get your first month free!   Contact Info Website: mmoreporter.com Emaill: mmo.reporter@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/mmoreporter Twitter: @mmo_reporter Twitter: @harryhol Twitter: @layanor Twitter: @mmobill Voicemail: 616-666-6778 or the widget on the right side of the page. Youtube: http://www.youtube.

This week's show has Chris and Bill discussing the intricacies of Guild Wars 2's upcoming update, the launch of pre-orders for Wildstar and Warlords of Draenor and more! Audio Version: What we did in game: Bill - Civ 5 GW2 Chris - Wildstar GW2 Neverwinter Titanfall News: GW2 April 2014 feature pack Plus april 2014 feature pack (expansion lite?) https://www.guildwars2.com/en-gb/the-game/releases/feature-packs/ Guild Wars 2 Expansion Rumor for 2015 http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/473/feature/8293/An-Expansion-in-2015.html/page/1 Wildstar Pre-Orders Begin http://www.wildstar-online.com/en/preorder/ 59.99 Standard of 74.99 Digital Deluxe All pre-orders get: Exclusive Rocket House Access to beta weekends 3-day head start Exclusive housing trophy Pre-Order Title Player Name Reservation Standard gets: 30 days game time 3 guest passes with 7 Days of Playtime Eldan Housing Decor Item Digital Deluxe gets all that plus: Eldan Hoverboard Eldan Augmentation Costume Eldan Title Eldan Die World of Warcraft - Warlords of Draenor preorders start! https://us.battle.net/shop/en/product/world-of-warcraft-warlords-of-draenor 49.99 standard, 69.99 deluxe edition! Travel to a mythic era, and brave the untamed orc home world of Draenor. Quest alongside the lost draenei of Karabor. Adventure with Warcraft legends like Velen the Prophet; Durotan, chieftain of the Frostwolf Clan; and more. boost one character to level 90! character models updated Build and customize your own Garrison. Level up your new domain and recruit followers to do your bidding, even while you’re not logged in — then reap the rewards they provide, including epic gear. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuF8h6vFT6oVkHhwcysmQzzj2I6PJZiKJ Star Trek Online is now avalible for da MAC http://community.arcgames.com/en/news/star-trek-online/detail/3037203-sto-mac-is-officially-live_ Very excited that Mac gamers can experience gaming on the 4-year-old bleeding edge Citadel is a new studio founded by several veteran game developers from Dark Age of Camelot, Ultima Online and Warhammer Online. http://citadelstudios.net/ Citadel is promising innovation and a loud community voice in the development of their first next-gen sandbox title. “Citadel Studios is dedicated to building next-generation sandbox games inspired by legends like Ultima, EVE Online, and Minecraft.We believe in fostering rich communities and giving power to our players in an effort to make our worlds live and breathe. Not only will you be able to change your surroundings, but the very of the nature of the game changes with you.” Sponsors: Doghouse - Code: MMOREPORTER at doghousesystems.com to double your ram Audible - Go to audibletrial.com/mmoreporter to get your first month free! Contact Info: Website: mmoreporter.com Emaill: mmo.reporter@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/mmoreporter Twitter: @mmo_reporter Twitter: @harryhol Twitter: @layanor Twitter: @mmobill Voicemail: 616-666-6778 or the widget on the right side of the page. Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/mmoreporternetwork

Bill, Harry and Chris talk about the insane damage done in World of Warcraft, 212 devs to make a space game, and a lot of Sid Meier talk. Listen now: What we did in game   Bill GW2 Threes / Fives http://threesjs.com/ ...

Harry, Bill, and Layanor venture into the payment model for Elder Scrolls Online, Asheron’s Call maintenance mode, and talk about a totally different flappy bird! Listen now: What we did in game   Layanor - Watercolors LOTRO - 5% away from rank 5 Rift - My friend wanted to play it so I jumped on and played Guild Wars 2 - Checked out the destruction of Lions Arch The Secret World - Joined the 60 man flappy raids Demigod - Played a few matches   Bill - Crayons Guild Wars 2 - completed Lion’s arch meta. Arkham Asylum on Steam Big Picture   Harry - Oil Paints Guild Wars 2 LOTRO Threes Civ 5   Chris - Craypas White Pencil Crayon - not appearing in this episode- News   Asheron’s Call Officially On Maintenance Mode http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/25/asherons-call-limits-updates-goes-free-and-plans-player-run-s/ Once Turbine applies a March 4th update to Asheron's Call, the studio plans to move the game into maintenance mode “We intend to fix critical bugs and continue maintenance and support on the game. While there is always a chance we will put out a small update if time permits, players should have the expectation that updates will be limited to maintenance, bug fixes, and perhaps balance iterations of February content such as the new Coliseum." "this change of focus is necessary for the company." "We are working on a date in the not-to-distant future where all active accounts will be able to play the game for free. Asheron's Call and Asheron's Call 2 will be a gift to our loyal players." Turbine will also allow player-run servers by the end of the year. "Our intent is to help these players build a community so these processes can be created and distributed to people interested in running an Asheron's Call game.”   Guild Wars 2 atlas is live http://atlas.guildwars2.com/en/ - Helps to go back in time and review what’s happened with the living story - I’m still finding the part about this I love… - Needs to incorporate into game - /wiki command in GW2 Aura Kingdoms is not hacked http://www.tentonhammer.com/aura-kingdom/news/aura-kingdom-addresses-security-concerns Players have been getting a email to join the games private server. There is no private server and the company is confused on how the information for emails is leaked. The company thinks that the emails could be being sent from a fan made Facebook page that subscribers follow. As a PSA, we would like to say make sure you know the things you sign up for are directly from the company you are following.   DCUO Update will include account-wide feats http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/loadNews/30190 Feat Unlocking - Allows players to use Replay Badges to unlock feats they have already earned on their other characters. The system gives players the option to play and progress faster on multiple characters, promoting the development and use of alternative characters. Green Auras are finally now available! For the first time in DCUO, players have access to the special aura, which is accessible through Promethium Lockboxes. The original Moon PvP map has been revamped from a capture the flag map to a three-point capture and hold map, making it even more enjoyable and challenging for heroes and villains looking for a fight.   Elder Scrolls’ Peter Hines nervous about subscription model http://www.computerandvideogames.com/450862/interviews/interview-bethesdas-pete-hines-on-the-legacy-of-wolfenstein-and-the-eso-subscription-model/ Elder Scrolls is probably your flagship series at Bethesda. Star Wars: The Old Republic didn't work with a subscription model and that's one of the biggest entertainment brands in the world. Is there any anxiety about this model not working? Anxiety? I would say yes, because I'm anxious about everything all the time [laughs].

This week we jump into some more Wildstar talk, Elder Scroll NDA lift, and Flappybird MMO??? Listen now:   What we did in game   Layanor - Toucan Sam Lotro 9% away from rank 13 Thank SertanDoom from Secret World Everquest Next Landmark show   Harry - Woody Woodpecker Monster Hunter Freedom Unite multiplayer EQNL Defiance reroll LOTRO WildStar Adventures Titanfall beta CIV V (Sid Meier humble bundle)   Chris - Big Bird Wildstar GW2 EQN Landmark Dark Age of Camelot     News   World of Warcraft: Level 90 for 60$ http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/18/world-of-warcraft-instant-level-90-boost-price-revealed-at-60-u/   Elderscreoolls Online: NDA Lifts http://elderscrollsonline.com/en/news/post/2014/02/15/the-beta-nda-has-lifted “From this point on, you're invited to share your experiences in the ESO beta with others! Testers have been chomping at the bit to post their impressions of The Elder Scrolls Online publicly, and we're ready to set you loose on the world. Starting today, the Non-Disclosure Agreement has been lifted, so you'll be able to share your thoughts! There isn't a beta event taking place now, but we'll hold another soon--watch for invites. You'll be free to capture and share footage and screenshots, stream your gameplay, and talk about the game wherever you'd like during that test (and in future tests). We want to see what you have to say, so share your thoughts, guides, articles, and impressions with us on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and Tumblr!   Kickstarter is hacked: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/passwords-email-addresses-leaked-kickstarter-hack/story?id=22553952 "On Wednesday night, law enforcement officials contacted Kickstarter and alerted us that hackers had sought and gained unauthorized access to some of our customers' Kickstarter CEO Yancey Strickler wrote on Feb. 15 in the company's blog. "Accessed information included usernames, email addresses, mailing addresses, phone numbers and encrypted passwords."   Final Fantasy Beta starts for PS4 http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/446/feature/8228/Final-Fantasy-XIV-A-Realm-Reborn-Final-Fantasy-XIV-A-Realm-Reborn-this-time-on-PS4.html Square Enix has announced the beta test schedule for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn's PlayStation 4 version. The Phase 1 beta testing will begin on February 22nd and continue through March 3rd. Phase 2 will begin on April 4th and run through April 7th. The new features for the ps4 version are Remote Play with the Vita Touchpad support along with mouse and keyboard support. Live streaming You will be able to upgrade your ps3 version of the game to ps4 version for free. Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wztjn8YTgYM#t=132   GW2 Lion’s Arch is GONE! https://www.guildwars2.com/en-gb/the-game/releases/february-18-2014/ Harry - People play Tetris without knowing it http://kotaku.com/thousands-of-people-are-playing-tetris-without-realizin-1525521488   FLAPPY BIRD MMO!: http://flapmmo.com/ It got popular for unknown reasons, the developer was making about $50k a day, then it turns out the developer doesn't like this popularity, so he pulled it from the iTunes store, and the Google Play store. People are still clinging onto it for the same unknown reason behind its original popularity Now a popular mod has come, and it is Flappy Bird MMO. “Top 5 comments from IGN” In time it will be known as The Legend of Flappy Bird. Just when I thought the whole thing couldn't get any worse… Flappy Bird is immortal! Flappy Bird will die out soon. NO NO NO NO NO!   MMO Flashback of the week: Champions Online - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiOjbEjAX_U The game was released in September 2009 and later went free to play in January 2011

This week, Bill, Layanor and Harry run the ship while Chris is away sick.  With a distinctly SOE tilt, lets travel through the MMO-verse. Listen now: What we did in game Layanor Mostly sat idle in the Moors on LOTRO. But it still counts as playing! I beat Orcs must die 1 and 2 Played Everquest Next Landmark EQ Next Landmark Harry EQ Next Landmark ESO Final Fantasy XIII Lightning Returns Bill GW2 alting ESO Flappy bird farewell tour www.buildwithchrome.com News Everquest Next Landmark: Celebrates Alpha https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FicyyHVAzE#t=0 The game is in Alpha You can still sign up to join the game at https://www.eqnlandmark.com/beta-registration You can also purches the game here to get into the alpha https://www.eqnlandmark.com/founders-pack Smeldley: We’re a sandbox company now http://smedsblog.com/ “We all as game makers have to deal with the fact that we’re not just competing the content of WoW at launch. We’re dealing with 9 years of it. That’s a very daunting task and it makes the genre unapproachable if people try and fight that fight. Don’t get me wrong.. someone with deep pockets can still pull it off. TESO looks like it’s going to follow the content model and it’s going to have a lot of players. I’m willing to bet that it hits the same problem that SWTOR did. Just not enough to do.” “There’s a great example of this today with Eve Online. It’s a brilliantly executed system where the players are pretty much in charge of the entire game. Sure there is a lot of content for players to do, but anything that’s important in the game is done by the players. This is a shining example of how this kind of system can thrive. Our belief at SOE is that it’s smarter to head in this direction now rather than waiting. We want to innovate and let players be a part of everything we do including make the game in the first place. We’re going to take the idea of sandbox gaming and we’re putting it at the core of everything we’re doing. We’ll obviously still be making awesome stuff for players to do, but we’re going to aim very high in terms of letting players be a part of the game systems. The more emergent sandbox style content we can make the less predictable the experience will be.” Prime World soon to have a official release http://en.playpw.com/ Prime world is a Moba that lets you build a kingdom, collect skills, and level your characters. They are done testing and will have a official release soon. All players that are in the open beta right now will get 3000 gold to celebrate with. Gold is paid for with real money, and considering the most expensive character you can buy is 499 gold, this is a very nice gift. The game will be patched on release with a new map, and merge the US and Russian servers. Gameplay Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VQWriCR-gQ Escape from Lion’s Arch teaser trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJFlbegazTM DAOC*hicup* Free week for lapsed accounts http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/11/dark-age-of-camelot-gives-free-week-of-game-time-to-lapsed-accou/ http://www.darkageofcamelot.com/article/return-realms Bless shows off its in game beta beauty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfSk4r5Xa-4#t=0 Bless is a Story-driven fantasy MMO that has gone closed beta this week. Built using Unreal Engine 3, BLESS uses the latest in cutting-edge graphics and redefines what online games can look like. Created by a team of more than 150 world-renowned game developers and designers. BLESS strives to completely reinvent how stories are told in a MMO by making it a more profound, emotional experience. Each of the 10 races has its own personal story where decisions you make in the game ultimately affect how the world reacts around you. No word on the games release in or out of Korea, but it is one to keep on the Asian mmo radar. Offical Fansite: http://bless-source.com/ Offical Site: http://bless.pmang.com/?mKey=2&sKey=2

  This week, Chris, Harry, Bill, and Layanor talk about the Elder Scrolls Online beta, and how much Flappy Bird has taken over our lives! Listen now: What we did in game Layanor 18% away from rank 13 in the ettenmoors Rank 3 PVP in the Secret World with full PVP sets of gear Played the original Daggerfall Level 12 in Farmville 2 Harry ESO Beta (NDA until Friday) Spelunky Octodad (Chris - What about Flappy Bird?) Bill GW2 - alting SWTOR Chris - ESO Beta Wildstar ESO Beta Talk - Harry and Chris talk, Layanor and Bill ask questions. Star Wars The Old Republic: super pew pew space update! http://www.swtor.com/holonet/space-combat Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmBS_a33Hg8 Gameplay: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cjTTUtv3EQ Xbox One users tricked into using Bing http://kotaku.com/xbox-one-trolls-trick-people-into-using-bing-1513572088 Clever players are trolling other players on Xbox One Some are making names “Such as Xbox Bing” and when your angry and yell the name. Your xbox will bring up the Bing Search engine over your game. Other players have also been tricked into saying “xbox off” dono click: http://tinyurl.com/ngrre7q Secret World attacked by secret organization! http://www.vg247.com/2014/01/29/secret-world-developer-funcom-taken-off-norway-stock-exchange-report/ The Secret World developer Funcom has been reportedly taken off the Norwegian stock exchange, and has allegedly been visited by members of ‘Økokrim,’ the country’s financial investigation unit. Økokrim came into and shutdown the Funcom offices, then went thru the companies records and took what they needed for a full investigation. The reason is, Funcom did not make any stock exchange messages since its Q3 financial report, which revealed a downturn in revenue from 10.9 million to 5.3 million. Offices opened up the next day following the raid and business as back to normal. The company’s stock exchange suspension has been resolved. “Production on all Funcom games continues as normal, and the company remains fully committed to games in development as well as the continued operation and updating of existing live games,” “Yesterday’s events are not expected to have any impact on the company’s continued operation or the development on future releases.” Second Artical: http://www.vg247.com/2014/01/30/funcom-developer-fully-co-operating-with-okokrim-business-as-usual/ Star Wars Galaxies “Even more trollin… I mean teasing* https://twitter.com/j_smedley/status/430746845317300224 https://twitter.com/j_smedley/status/430746909276246016 “ex SWG players. Quick comment about our "mystery game". Specifically if you liked the sandbox elements of SWG you may like it.” “things like player created towns, bases.. etc.” Guild Wars 2 PVP Update https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/forum/info/updates/Game-Update-Notes-February-4-2014 Players will be able to get their hands on the new World vs. World map Edge of the Mists in today's content update. Edge of the Mists is a dedicated overflow map that will allow GW2 players to jump right in to playing WvW while queuing up for the bigger battle on the Eternal Battlegrounds and Borderlands maps. This release also features an overhaul of the WvW UI to make it more informative and streamlined. Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFL0oe-w56A Gameplay Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmSAtMeQ490  EVE Online: The Bloodbath of B-R5RB - Damage Report. http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/02/eve-evolved-the-bloodbath-of-b-r5rb/#continued 7,548 players were involved. A total of 11 trillion ISK in damage worth over $310,000 USD was inflicted. The Bloodbath of B-R5RB and is allegedly the largest PvP battle in gaming history.

Chris and Harry decide to duo this week, with Layanor still on holidays and Bill on a suspicious "illness" break. With tons of news on the menu, they tackle the show with enthusiasm. Well, Chris does at least. Not saying that Harry yawned during the show, but... Listen now: What we did in game Harry Eve The Banner Saga Killzone Shadowfall multiplayer GW2 Dungeon Finder experiment Wii Fit Chris  Infinite Crisis Wildstar SWTOR Space Combat LOTRO with my daughter News Elder Scrolls Online - The Voice Cast http://elderscrollsonline.com/en/news/post/2014/01/23/esos-voice-cast-announced Game director Matt Firor stated, "This extraordinary group of actors helps bring the distinctive characters in The Elder Scrolls Online to life." John Cleese, known for his work in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, plays a cheerful and endearingly mad lost soul named Cadwell who is not afraid of anyone. Bill Nighy, who was in Pirates of the Caribbean, is the merchant prince High King Emeric. Kate Beckinsale, of The Aviator and Pearl Harbor fame, is leader of the Aldmeri Dominion and Queen of the High Elves, Queen Ayrenn. And Linda Carter, best known as Wonder Woman, returns to the Elder Scrolls series to reprise her role from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Cast Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=na-Jun_uRFQ#t Actor Info - John Cleese - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000092/ Bill Nighy - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0631490/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 Kate Beckinsale - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000295/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 Linda Carter - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004812/?ref_=fn_al_nm_4 Alfred Molina - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000547/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 Michael Gambon - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002091/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 Malcolm McDowell - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000532/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 Peter Stormare - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001780/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 Jim Ward - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0911616/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 Jennifer Hale - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm6237989/?ref_=fn_al_nm_3 Kevin Michael Richardson - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0724656/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 Historical EVE battle last monday http://evenews24.com/2014/01/28/monday-bloody-monday/ James Carl’s “a 29-year-old banker” virtual space fleet was under siege early Monday morning in what's become the most destructive and expensive battle in the 10-year history of "EVE Online," "Supposedly, it was set up for auto-pay, just like any other bill in real life, but either that didn't happen or the money wasn't in the wallet, and then everything just escalated out of control from there," said Carl. "The dust is still settling on that issue. Everyone is just focused right now on fighting to try to regain control of the system." Mondays war in EVE Online is estimated $500,000 in real-world cash in ship damages. More than 100 Titan vessels were destroyed. The megaships, are the largest ships in the game and are worth about $3,000 each in real-world money. "I'd be lying if I said our servers weren't sweating a bit," said "EVE Online" spokesman Ned Coker of CCP Games, the Reykjavik, Iceland-based video game developer who created the online universe. "Allowing players free movement wherever they want in a game with over half a million players means for some pretty tricky technological requirements." Second Article - http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_25009481/eve-online-virtual-war-costing-hundreds-thousands-real Pictuer of the battle -  http://i.4cdn.org/v/src/1390882712488.jpg Twitch Video - http://www.twitch.tv/nick_fuzzeh/b/498648315 [Video Note] The video seems to be mostly music, no talking. It is over 16 hours long. If you randomly click in areas, you can see a lot of carnage throughout it. There is some less lag action moments at 6:30:00 timestamp Sony Closing Four Games http://massively.joystiq.

Chris, Harry and Bill join forces once again to tackle the week's MMO News. Listen now: What we did in game   Bill GW2 - dungeon runs, dailies, etc Installed Rift, SWTOR, for some 2012 nostalgia.  Didn’t play once. Started...

Chris, Harry and Bill talk about the latest and greates in MMO gaming. Will LOTRO shut down in 2017? Why is EVE at the Sundance Film festival? Find out our thoughts about this and more in this week's show! Listen now: What we did in game this week:   Bill: - GW2 - Solforge - Fitbit! Harry: - PS4 - Final Fantasy XIV - DC Universe Online - Warframe - Assassins Creed Black Flag   Chris: Wildstar GW2 LOTRO - Ding 95 Lego Marvel Super Hero 3DS Eyefinity is awesome!   News:   ArenaNet hedging on expansion plans http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/loadNews/29683   Arenanet looking for feedback on “sideways” progression https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/forum/game/gw2/CDI-Character-Progression-Horizontal   Turbine has LOTRO License until 2017?  via Contains Moderate Peril http://www.containsmoderateperil.com/turbine-renews-lotro-license-until-2017/   Turbine not actively working on any dungeons atm? via Contains Moderate Peril http://www.containsmoderateperil.com/taking-the-hobbits-to-isengard-gilrain/   All for one SOE pricing? http://www.reddit.com/r/Planetside/comments/1ukdxb/regarding_the_changes_to_our_subscription_plans/   EVE Valkyrie to be at Sundance Film Festival http://filmguide.sundance.org/film/14088/eve_valkyrie   Smite 100K Tournament http://www.hirezstudios.com/esports/blog-post/smite-blog/2014/01/10/details-and-location-for-the-path-to-the-$100k-revealed!   Ghostcrawler joins Riot Games http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/01/14/greg-street-is-now-lead-game-designer-at-riot-games/   MMO Flashback Anarchy Online - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=491eOFtT97g This game launched on June 27th, 2001. One of the worst game launched that I’ve ever had the displeasure to be a part of.   Coupon Codes: Doghouse Systems - Use the coupon Code MMOREPORTER to double your ram Audible - Go to audibletrial.com/mmoreporter to get your first month free Contact Info Website: mmoreporter.com Emaill: mmo.reporter@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/mmoreporter Twitter: @mmo_reporter Twitter: @harryhol Twitter: @mmobill Voicemail: 616-666-6778 or the widget on the right side of the page. Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/mmoreporternetwork  

With Harry ill and Layanor on holidays, Chris calls on Ben and Bill (the B and B show) to help out with the first episode of 2014! We discuss MMO betas, updates and more! Listen now: What we did in game Layanor Called back to Cybertron Harry Sick Ben Played a few hours of Defiance to contribute to the clans overall rating Played a few hours of Neverwinter to try out the Hunter Ranger class. Eyeballin Alpha access to Rust REALLY HARD Bill GW2 - Flamed out with Chris.  Little bit of monthly work L4D2, obviously Solforge - badly addicted Chris - Wildstar: Leveled my spellslinger and esper. Surprised by how much I like the esper, and don’t love the spellslinger. Trying to put to words why that is… LOTRO: Almost level 95 GW2: Ran Cathedral of Flames and a couple of Fractals. L4D2 with Bill News: Aura Kingdom open beta has started. http://aurakingdom.aeriagames.com/ Aura Kingdom is a anime themed fantasy mmo that looks and feels like a action ps3 RPG The game features eight classes, multiclassing, and flexible skills. You also get companions that grow and evolve with you. Companions also prove useful in combat, as they can form combo attacks with the player in a fluid action combat system If you like asian grind games more than questing games, you should check this one out. Fantasy Frontier Online If your intrested in trying the game, dont forget to get your Gloryus Evoy Package from MMOsite.com for a 3 day mount and some limited time buffs. http://news.mmosite.com/content/2014-01-07/aura-kingdom-glorious-envoy-package-giveaway.shtml Tailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBv9-l7zZtc Gameplay: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRmZ-UKfjHE Blackgold may have a beta launch soon. http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/10/14/black-gold-could-possibly-start-beta-in-early-2014/ Blackgold is a Steampunk vs Fantasy mmo. After the huge success that Age of Wushu has seen, Snail games turned some heads when they acquired $97 million loan from four Chinese banks to develop this new title. The game will be free to play in north america. Lone info: http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/07/29/black-gold-online-secures-97m-in-funding-from-chinese-banks/ Combat Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR5dMUIZNns#t Website: http://bg.snailgame.com/ Final Fantasy XIV opens up a free weekend for former subscribers http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/f22966f70e31307c98ca44dea8b5ed1f2e31cb2c Starting on Saturday, January 11th, at 3:00 a.m. EST, former players whose accounts are inactive will be able to log in and play the game absolutely free until Monday, January 13th Offical Site: http://www.finalfantasyxiv.com/ The Secret World: Issue 9# Tokyo is coming! http://www.thesecretworld.com/news/game_director_letter_december_2013 Leading up the new “expansion” like update, will be a boss fight with Flappy. Flappy has been breaking off branches in Agartha, cutting off access to other worlds. It is time to stop him in a 60 man raid! Once he has been put to rest, the branch with Tokyo will be revealed. Issue #9 will be released within the first quarter of 2014 and will allow you to continue your main factions story. The update will also introduce the new AEGIS system that is still unexplained, but hinted to over and over by newsletters. Elder Scrolls Online: Beta invites soon! http://elderscrollsonline.com/en/news/post/2014/01/07/new-beta-invites--january-7th We’re greeting the new year with a round of beta invites. Check your registered email address to find out if you received one, and don’t forget to look in your spam folder just in case. Remember, if you use Gmail, our invites will be automatically filtered to the “promotions” tab. The beta is getting bigger as launch approaches,

2013 was a great year for MMO Reporter, and we take a look at the best moments of the year in this retrospective episode. Listen now:

This episode we guess a bunch of stuff that will happen this year! Listen now: Predictions for 2013   Big Winners: Chris: Guild Wars 2, Firefall, Neverwinter, Planetside 2 Harry: Guild Wars 2, Hello Kitty Online Big Fails: Chris: The Secret World, TOR Harry: Rift, FFXIV Chris wins What will eat up most of our time in 2013: Chris: Guild Wars 2, Rift,  Neverwinter,LOTRO Harry: LOTRO, Guild Wars 2 Chris Wins What game(s) won’t be released in 2013? Chris: Elder Scrolls Online, Shadowrun Online, World of Darkness Harry: Titan. EQ Next Chris wins more Expansion of the Year: Chris: Storm Legion Harry: Riders of Rohan Harry wins MMO Reporter Official Expansion of the Year for 2012: Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan Will Free to Play be the dominant/default business model by the end of 2013? Chris: Yes, but there will still be several games that stick to the purchase/sub model. When a game can get a certain number of subs, its a more stable income stream that leads to more stable content releases. Harry:Yes, but more companies will  adopt the Guild Wars model, rather than gimping their game. In fact, this will show the Asian model was correct all along, except for all the grinding. Chris wins Question Marks?  What can’t you quite put your finger on: Chris: Mechwarrior Online – Why are so many games calling themselves MMOs when they barely have any of the aspects of an MMO? Harry: Why haven’t we seen any viable console MMO yet? Chris wins What game could be announced that we haven’t heard about yet? Chris: Madden the MMO Harry: EverQuest Next, Guild Wars 3: Guild Warsinganating Harder: Reloaded: The Sequel, part deux  point 5, this time it’s personal. Now a Trillogy!, Fallout MMO MMO of the Year: Chris: Guild Wars 2 Harry: Guild Wars 2 Chris wins MMO Reporter’s official MMO of the Year 2012: Guild Wars 2     Predictions for 2014   Big Winners: Chris: Wildstar Harry: Destiny, fail Hello Kitty Online Layanor: Everquest Next Big Fails: Chris: Elder Scrolls Online Harry: Shrouds of the Avatar Layanor: Wildstar What will eat up most of our time in 2014: Chris: Wildstar Harry: Elder Scrolls Online, WildStar Layanor: LOTRO - Secret World What game(s) won’t be released in 2014? Chris: Star Citizen Harry: Leisure Suit Larry: Looking For Group. The Leisure Suit Larry MMO, Elite Dangerous, Titan Layanor: I'm Gonna Git You Sucka! Online - World of Darkness Expansion of the Year: Chris: Helm’s Deep Harry:  EVE: Rubicon Layanor: Rubicon Official MMO Reporter Expansion of the Year 2013: EVE: Rubicon What will be the dominant element of MMOs in 2014 Chris: Adding world building to the game in some way. Harry: Building and creating Layanor: Cubes and Voxels Question Marks?  What can’t you quite put your finger on: Chris: Crowdfunding for MMOs Harry: Star Citizen Layanor: Popularity in cartoony games that are trying to be serious What game could be announced that we haven’t heard about yet? Chris: Some sort of sports based MMO Harry: Fallout MMO Layanor: Tron Online MMO of the Year 2013: Chris: Neverwinter Harry: FFXIV Layanor: FFXIV MMO Reporter’s official MMO of the Year 2013: FFXIV

Soaring high above a world filled with tanks, World of Warplanes brings aerial dogfighting to the Wargamming universe. Weaving between your foes, dive bombing targets and engaging in aerial competitive ballet in a game where the physics follow George Lucas’ laws more than Newton’s seems like it might just be the best thing since the 10 man raid. Does World of Warplanes barrel roll over the competition, or does it go into a defensive spiral? Let’s find out! Audio Version: Pros and Cons Flying high above the earth, the beauty of World of Warplanes is immediately striking. From great textures used in the world to the puffs of cloud in the sky, everything jumps out at you and draws you into the epic battles taking place. The combat itself is a wonderful homage to the days of Combat Flight Simulator 2. I would play CFS2 for hours on end with my dad, fighting battles in the skies of Europe to see who would have to do the chores that day. World of Warplanes has the same action movie feel that Combat Flight Simulator 2 did, with just enough reality in the physics and control to make it feel like you’re actually flying the plane, and ignoring enough reality to make you feel like you’re in the best action sequence ever. With simple controls and no throttle save for a boost that increases your speed for a short duration, you can find yourself absorbed in the action from your first battle without having to fight to keep the plane in the air. The battle starts in the air, and you never have to worry about takeoff, landing, or any other technical aspects of keeping the plane aloft. There are four different control schemes that you can use: mouse and keyboard, keyboard only, gamepad and flightstick. While each of these works acceptably well, I found that the mouse and keyboard gave me the best experience, with the gamepad a close second. With the action nature of the game, which I’d definitely classify as action and not simulation, the flight stick felt too slow, as did the gamepad. Each is very serviceable though, so I encourage you to try each option to find which works best for you. In the air, each team starts in small squadrons on each end of the map. I mention the rough squadron formations as you’ll want to try to stick with a team as much as possible. Most of my battles were fought in fast dogfights between many planes, and I never had success where I was facing of against more than one enemy alnoe. As much as I tried to get away, when facing large numbers of foes, I knew that I was really just delaying my inevitable death. Battles are won either through killing all enemy planes or through gaining supremacy by destroying ground targets which include anti-aircraft emplacements, hangers and HQ buildings. I had a great deal of fun decking out a plane as a ground pounder and snaking through the geography to take out enemy buildings. At the time of this review there are nine maps in the game, but my favourite has to be Bay, where you above in San Francisco Bay. There’s nothing quite like dodging under the Golden Gate Bridge to escape your enemies to get your blood pumping. The maps, which range from European countrysides to Pacific island chains, are all varied and lend themselves to vastly different experiences when played. The planes are arranged into different tiers, from biplanes in Tier I to early jet fighters in Tier X. The matches are arranged around these tiers, to keep the battles fairly even. I was given a press account from Wargamming, but I also played with my own free to play account as well to get a feel for the monetization scheme. With both, I found that the most fun was to be had in the Tier V - Tier VII range, as I would sometime be fighting against the mighty jet fighters, which tended to kill me quite quickly, and then some of the lower and mid tiered prop planes, which tended to be more evenly matched. Most of the time though, the matches where fairly even,

This week we talk about doctors on drugs, space ship games, and the bad things you can do to Wookies. Listen now: What we did in game   Layanor LOTRO Orcs Must Die Facebook Walking Dead Game I am almost 50% in achiev...