Video of Tabula Rasa's Final Moments

Reposted from Kotaku

Last night NCSoft shut off Tabula Rasa's servers. Early word had it that the Bane horde would either wipe out humanity, or humanity would do the job itself with a doomsday weapon.

I have never played this game (so have, like, not a lot of people, that's the reason the servers were being turned off.) So I have no idea what exactly is going on here. But several final night videos show humanity winning without annihilating itself. Seems the final battle went down in New York City and mankind triumphed. And then everyone was notified they had been disconnected from the server. Whee.

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/OXLcOZxvSGk/video-of-tabula-rasas-final-moments

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Joystiq interview: NCsoft talks about updating City of Heroes, keeping it relevant

Reposted from Joystiq

It's been more than four years since MMO faithful were asked to put on skin-tight suits and defend the bustling metropolis of Paragon City in City of Heroes. Since that time, however, numerous other titles have emerged with their bid for players' massively multiplayer affections, from recent efforts like Warhammer Online to the juggernaut that is Blizzard's World of Warcraft.

Of course, the now wholly NCsoft-owned super powered MMO has released updates of its own to keep from becoming stale, including everything from the libertine City of Villains to this week's latest addition, dubbed Issue 13. We recently caged Matt "Positron" Miller, and spoke to the senior designer for NCsoft NorCal at length about the unluckily numbered update, as well as a number of other topics, including the availability of City of Heroes on the Mac and the superhero MMO's relevancy in today's overcrowded market.

Joystiq interview: NCsoft talks about updating City of Heroes, keeping it relevant originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~3/0GcihkfYDdo/

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NCSoft summons its chi for martial arts MMO

Reposted from Joystiq

Forgoing super heroes and knights in shining armor, NCSoft is turning to martial arts and Korean mythology for its latest MMO entry, Blade and Soul. The game is being built on Unreal Engine 3, and while it's currently planned for release only in Korea, its visual style and unique gameplay could help it get a foothold in the States.
From the looks of the first video, the game appears to draw heavy influences from Capcom's online hack-'n-slasher, Monster Hunter, working in character designs which seem like they could have been created for the PS2 action title Bujingai. Interactive environments are also part of the mix. In other words, it's definitely not the MMO equivalent of Jade Empire, but maybe BioWare will get to that after its so-not-a-secret KOTOR MMO

[Via Massively]

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NCSoft New Projects

Three new projects have been announced by NCSoft at the company's 'Media Day 2008' from its HQ in Seoul. Metal Black and Blade & Soul will be MMORPGs.

http://www.totalvideogames.com/news/NCSoft_Announces_Three_New_Projects_13593_0_0.htm

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Shane Kim talks MMO stumbles

[reposted from Joystiq]

Shane Kim knows (and he know we know) that Microsoft has had some problems in the MMO department, and he even takes the full blame, saying "It's a tough and challenging space that's evolving all the time - a lot of shifting sands. We haven't been able to crack the code." Listen, Kim (can we call you Kim?) we can sympathize. Lord knows we burned through enough cash on our ill-fated lifeguard MMO Endless Deep End. And though we can't help you crack the whole code, we can offer an important first step to MMO success: Release one.

We know, it's a small thing, but you'd be surprised how many miss this important step. Though we're giving him a hard time, we're betting NCsoft wishes they'd had a Shane Kim on staff when Auto Assault was being workshopped. "Everyone please leave the room," he'd say, as he loaded his syringe and slipped on rubber gloves, Auto Assault huddling in the corner. "And for the love of God, whatever you hear, do not come in."

http://feeds.joystiq.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~3/350157331/

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Tabula Rasa Doing Just Fine

[MMORPG Survivor via Kotaku]

Phew! And here we were all worried that Richard Garriott's latest MMO endeavor was doomed to failure! NCsoft has been in touch with Eurogamer to assure them that everything is rosy in the world of TR, with things looking up every day.

"Tabula Rasa offers players a different kind of MMO experience, enhancing our portfolio of game titles. The game play mechanics are very different to that of a typical MMO - those who have experienced the game have recognised these innovative features and applauded them. A recent European trial promotion was met with great demand; we will be doing a similar promotion later in the year."

NCsoft also went on to assure the gaming public that MMOGChart.com's data showing the game hovering at around 75,000 subscribers was not official, though they weren't forthcoming with official numbers.

As I've said before, Tabula Rasa is a solid little niche MMO title that does many things differently than your average game in the genre. It just wasn't my particular cup of space-tea. Good enough to survive, though I doubt it'll ever truly thrive. Yes, that rhymed.

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/309713540/tabula-rasa-doing-just-fine-thanks

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