As we continue our journey through the chapters of this article, we arrive at yet another reason for Microsoft’s domination in 2009. That reason is the MMO genre. When compared to all the other genres, due to the never ending experience it delivers, the MMO provides the highest replay value possible. Furthermore, it is well known that MMO developers have been dreaming, for years, of the day in which they can finally see their creations unfold on consoles. Despite the fact that this dream has been partially realized, Microsoft has decided to play a major role in making that dream a reality on a massive scale.

Before we begin this chapter, I must urge you to read the previous article if you have not done so already. My reason for insisting is that we are on a journey to reach a certain outcome. If you choose not to read the previous article, you will not have a solid foundation for the main concept that will be presented later on. As a result, neither will you be able to comprehend all the important aspects of this argument, nor will you enjoy this experience at the level you truly deserve. Therefore, I will provide you with the proper tools to journey back in time, if you ever choose to do so; the link to the past is as follows:

(Chapter One: The Beginning):http://www.hiphopgamershow.com/?p=8866

Back to the topic at hand, let us begin the chapter that will reveal to you yet another reason that supports the inevitable domination of Microsoft in 2009.

11 ) MMO Titles:

This is a very important genre for consoles, and starting in 2009, gamers will witness the beginning of, what can only be described as, a flood of MMO titles on both consoles. Both Microsoft and Sony are fully aware of the potential profit that MMO titles will bring them when gamers begin to finally embrace those titles on consoles. Most of the following MMO titles are confirmed as Xbox 360 exclusives, and the ones that aren’t have the potential to be so; they are as follow:

Section 8:

This title is an intense first-person shooter that is currently being developed by TimeGate Studios and will be published by SouthPeak Interactive for both the Xbox 360 and PC.

For those of you that are not familiar with TimeGate Studios, they were the developers of F.E.A.R. Extraction Point and F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate, the two expansion packs for Vivendi’s award-winning horror game F.E.A.R. They were also the developers of F.E.A.R. Files, the title that was a combination of both expansion packs, which was released for the Xbox 360 in November 2007. Meaning, not only are they experienced in developing FPS titles, but they are also familiar with the Xbox 360 hardware.

Back to the topic at hand, the game will allow players to dynamically alter the flow of combat as they see fit. By employing tactical assets and on-demand vehicle deliveries, players will be given unprecedented strategic control over epic sci-fi battlefields.

In the single-player mode, you play as Alex Corde, a member of the 8th Armored Infantry. The story takes place in a futuristic universe after the human race has discovered interstellar travel and has begun colonizing the galaxy. Unfortunately, a mysterious group called the ARM of Orion, has begun to detach the outermost frontier planets from the main governing body, by taking control of them while keeping the group’s presence hidden from the government. As space travel is slow, it takes weeks to communicate with or travel to a frontier planet, providing the ARM with enough time to seize planets, build their base of power, and, ultimately, prepare an ambush for the government forces that will soon respond. The government then discovers the ARM of Orion, and sends in the 8th Armored Infantry, including Alex Corde, on a mission to investigate, and, eventually, fight the ARM invasion.

This game has a few features that will distinguish it from any other FPS on the market. First, players will be able to “Burn-in” by dropping onto the battlefield from orbital dropships hovering at 15,000 feet from the surface, and thus, eliminating fixed spawn points. “Burning-in” will allow players to jump back into the action instead of waiting for 10-20 seconds to respawn and, consequently, break game immersion. It will also create the opportunity for players to choose their drop zone on the map, making the game unpredictable. By choosing to land on their opponents, players would be able to get instant kills. This process is a highly interactive experience as players can be shot down upon entry by both players and anti-aircraft turrets, which can be avoided by using the “Air-brake” feature that allows players to make mid-air adjustments.

Second, it will feature in-depth character customization. According to Eurogamer, not only will players be able to choose their primary and secondary weapons, such as assault rifles, pistols, shotguns, and sniper rifles, but they will also be able to choose from items called “Active Gear”; they include grenades, explosives, knives, shoulder-mounted mortar launchers and healing units. Furthermore, players will be able to create their own player-class through various modules that increase speed, stealth, or jetpack regeneration. Moreover, excessive damage to certain parts of the body, such as the legs, arms, head, or chest, may disable or hinder the use of these enhancements.

Third, players will be able to deploy a variety of vehicles in the game, including heavy-armor suits and a four-person tank. A variety of turrets, healing supply depots, and sensor arrays that place enemies on a map will be available and can be purchased within the game using “Requisition Points”.

Fourth, “Dynamic Combat Missions“, or “DCMs” are  randomly generated side missions that can occur amid the frenzy of the primary base conquest missions. They have also been described as meta-games within the game itself. Not only do they create a periodic change of pace in battles, but they also reward players with “Requisition Points” when completed successfully. Examples would include protecting a convoy, destroying a bridge, or assassinating an enemy VIP.

As for the multiplayer mode, according to IGN, a maximum of 16 players has been confirmed for the Xbox 360 version, so far, with a goal of including 24 to 32 players in the final product. In contrast, a maximum of 32 players has been confirmed for the PC version, so far, with a goal of including 54 players in the final product.

Lastly, I believe it is important to mention that the PS3 version has not been cancelled. According to Cinemablend, a SouthPeak representative informed them that SouthPeak’s “…official response is still that we’ll be in a position to discuss the PS3 version of Section 8 soon and have no details other than that”. Hence, it would be quite accurate to state that a PS3 version is still in the pipeline, but will probably be developed sometime in 2010. As for now, the title will be released in 2009 as an Xbox 360 exclusive.

The Lord Of The Rings Online:

According to a recent online report, The Lord Of The Rings Online, the MMO title developed by Turbine, is coming to the Xbox 360. As Reported on Destructoid, Microsoft is finalizing a new MMO model for Xbox Live that will allow LOTRO and other MMO online games to work on Xbox live. Following the report, Turbine responded to the rumors about the possibility of their MMO heading to Xbox Live. Interestingly enough, a company spokesperson confirmed that they are in fact working on an MMO for the next generation consoles but did not comment on The Lord Of The Rings Online coming to Xbox 360.

Despite Turbine’s response, Destructoid still claims that “reliable sources” have informed them that the MMO is currently in the process of being developed for Microsoft’s console, but currently, there are Xbox Live problems that are being tackled in order to release the title on the Xbox 360 as soon as possible. Regardless, a 2009 release is still a possibility, and when they do release it, it will be a great addition to the Xbox 360 arsenal.

Champions Online:

This title is a superhero-themed MMORPG that is currently being developed by Cryptic Studios, the developers of City of Heroes. It will be based on the Champions license, and is currently being  developed for both the Xbox 360 and PC.

Following the cancellation of the Marvel Universe Online title, and after selling their Intellectual Properties City of Heroes and City of Villains to NCSoft, in November of 2007, Cryptic announced that they had purchased the entire Champions intellectual property.

Despite planning to have Champions Online feature online cross-platform gameplay between the Xbox 360 and the PC from day one, it was recently announced that Cryptic will be releasing the PC version first, while the Xbox 360 port will be available at a later date. In fact, Atari has already announced that the PC version will be released worldwide on the 14th of July 2009.

The game uses a modified version of the City of Heroes engine. The characters feature a special cel-shading that Cryptic Studios refers to as comic shading, which includes bump mapping and high-resolution texture mapping. Hero facial animation will be stressed as well, allowing them to show emotion. Furthermore, the game will accept user created content submissions for inclusion in the game, which is a feature that has already received Microsoft’s approval to include it on the Xbox 360 version. To be clear, this is the only superhero MMORPG that Microsoft has to stand up against Sony’s DC Universe Online; thus, I hardly doubt that they would let go of its exclusivity that easily.

On the other hand, regarding the PS3 version, it is currently an idea, but nothing more. In an interview with Incgamers, in March of 2009, when asked about the PS3 version, Bill Roper, the Design Director and Executive Producer of the game, replied:”We’re not actually doing any PS3 development, but I think they want to start going out and finding people who have experience doing that, to give us the potential to do it in the future.”

As you can see, it looks like Champions Online is not in development for the PS3 at the moment, but Cryptic appears to be keeping their options open regarding a PS3 version. Until then, Microsoft will have the pleasure of welcoming the heroes of Champions Online on the Xbox 360 in 2009.

APB:

All Points Bulletin is a third-person MMO sandbox game. It is currently being developed by Realtime Worlds for both the Xbox 360 and PC. The game design is led by David Jones, the creator of the Grand Theft Auto franchise; he is also the creator of Crackdown. In fact, the feel of APB is quite similar to Crackdown. To put it bluntly, it would be quite accurate to describe the APB title as being a Grand Theft Auto MMO with a Crackdown style.

The game takes place in a modern-day fictional city where there is a constant battle between two sides, the Enforcers and the Criminals; players will need to decide which side they want to join. Consequently, when you join a side you will form a sub-group, which would probably be composed of other players. The two sides battle out for control of the city, in which continuous battles take place 24 hours a day. Activities involving missions within the game will allow players the opportunity to earn money, which then can be used to upgrade weapons, vehicles, and character appearances. In fact, the developer claims that this title will be the first MMO title where skill determines character progression, as opposed to the normal model of time investment.

At GDC 08, David Jones stated that players will likely only interact with up to 25 other players at the same time. In addition, he noted that the game is quite similar to the typical style of fantasy or sci-fi MMO games such as World of Warcraft; however, he believes that the biggest difference is in the gameplay.

Interestingly enough, the studio is currently providing major financial support for the title. According to Shacknews, on the 14th of April 2008, Realtime Worlds announced that it had raised 50 million USD for APB and other future projects.

However, despite being planned to be released on the Xbox 360 in 2008, David Jones confirmed that his studio is now looking at a 2009 release on PC, with the option to release console versions on both the Xbox 360 and the PS3. On the other hand, according to an article posted on Eurogamer, on the 16th of April 2008, APB had only been confirmed for PC and Xbox 360. To make things even more interesting, an article published, the next day, by The Scotsman, suggested the game could come to the PS3 in the future.

In truth, this is the only MMO title mentioned in this section that has not been clearly confirmed as an Xbox 360 exclusive. However, according to several sources, an exclusivity deal is currently taking place, and it would not be too hard to figure out which company would be on the receiving end of it. Regardless, with the strong relationship that David Jones has with Microsoft, the Xbox 360 might actually be the City where the Enforcers and Criminals face off in 2009

Huxley The Dystopia:

This title is an MMOFPS title that is currently being developed by Webzen Games and will be published by NHN for both the Xbox 360 and PC.

As the story goes, in the near future, Nuclearites shower the world. Destructive earthquakes, massive tidal waves, and dramatic climate changes wreak havoc around the globe, isolating continents and driving the human race into chaos. Those who survive the destruction dream of tranquility, but an eruption among the human race and the appearance of horrible mutants drives the world into further disorder. Racism and oppression causes rebellious uprisings and war that divide the landscape between two races: the Sapiens and the Alternative.

The Sapiens are humans, the Alternative are humans that have evolved into mutants, and the Hybrids are a mysterious third race that exists as well. At the heart of the war emerges a powerful energy source called the Lunarites. The Lunarites were created by Huxley, a scientist and possible savior. Both factions continue to fight mercilessly for the Lunarites and their very existence.

According to an interview with Massively, at GDC 09, Andy Hong, the game’s Project Manager explained the different classes in Huxley. According to him, the title has three playable classes: the Enforcer, the Avenger, and the Phantom. “Each of those classes has a unique primary weapon that only they can use, so each of them has unique armor and socket skills,“ specific to that class, Hong said. These “Socket Skills” allow for different types of abilities that complement the play-style of a given class, and are used in conjunction with weapons and armor.

As for the game’s character development system, each time you level up, you gain “License Points“, which you can use to enhance your character’s abilities, as well as acquire licenses to operate different vehicles. License Points are Huxley’s version of a skill tree; In PVP (i.e. Player Versus Player) mode, players will be able to earn “Experience Points” as in quests, but will also be able to earn “Rank Points“, which will let them level up their rank.

If I were to divide the game into sections, then it would be composed of three: the City, PVP Virtual Combat, and PVP Battleground. In the city, you will play in third-person mode. On the other hand, in city quests, virtual and battleground combat, you will play in first-person mode. Furthermore, in the City, you can chat with other players, trade with them, go to the auction house, create a clan, form a squad for quests, go on quests, or buy items from merchants, that usually sell armor, weapons, and consumable items. The items collected in quests can be used in the city, to craft unique items of your own, or tune up your weapons to improve their performance during combat.

In Virtual Combat, you will fight against other players who are logged in for the virtual combat mode, and as a result, level up and gain rewards, but your actions will ultimately have no effect on the Huxley universe. Virtual Combat also has different multiplayer modes including deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the flag, and capture the radar.

In contrast, Battleground is a large scale PVP that will affect the Huxley universe dramatically. When one side suffers losses, their cities suffer economically, by an increase in prices, which would affect everyone in the city. This would motivate players to defeat the opposing race in order to end their oppression.

The title will include vehicles for PVP, as well as general transportation. Vehicles that have been revealed, so far, include a battle buggy, an APC, an energy based tank, and a jet. More importantly, there are seven categories of weapons in the game; they include machine guns, shotguns, sniper rifles, optical rifles, rocket launchers, Inquisitors (i.e. guided rockets), and Regulators(i.e. shield chargers). In addition, at level 30, players will gain the ability to craft their own weapons; however, the overall quality of the weapon depends on the player’s skill in crafting.

The Korean developer has considered the fact that in most MMO titles, the players at lower levels, early on, have no chance of defeating those at higher levels; therefore, they have decided to develop a title that makes skill more significant than leveling up and playing for long periods of time. In fact, even though leveling up will give players advantages, such as more slots for upgrades and perhaps faster aiming, a lower level player can still stand up to a higher one.

As players level up, they will be rewarded with new and more powerful skills. The type of skills available to players differs based on their class. The number of skills that can be equipped depends on the player’s level and the rank of the armor. This system is very similar in concept to perk system of Call of Duty 4.

Unfortunately, according to IGN, in March of 2009, NHN has stated that the console version of Huxley has been put on hold to focus on the PC release which should be in 2009. This statement indirectly pushes the title into the 2010 dimension; however, the title has already been in development for so long that a 2009 release would still be possible despite the last statement given by the publisher.

Age of Conan Hyborian Adventures:

This title is a fantasy-themed MMORPG developed by Funcom for PC. Hyborian Adventures is the first installment in the planned Age of Conan series. Despite being hyped as the “WOW Killer”, it failed to deliver the kind of quality that would enable it to compete with a franchise such as World of Warcraft. Nevertheless, it was a great title and an incredible addition to the MMO library. Even though it was initially planned to be released on both the Xbox 360 and PC, the developer chose to focus on the PC version in order to release the title in 2008. Despite the delay, development on the Xbox 360 version is currently in full swing and the title is set for a 2009 release.

As for anyone that doubts that this title will ever see the light of day on the Xbox 360, according to Epicbattleaxe, in an interview in April of 2009, when asked about MMO titles, Aaron Greenberg replied: “we already have MMOs on the console, including Final Fantasy XI and Phantasy Star Universe, and even more on the way with Age of Conan”.

The Secret World:

This title is a third-person dark-fantasy MMORPG. It is currently being developed by Funcom for both the Xbox 360 and PC. It has been confirmed to be in development since March of 2007.

After announcing that the title is in development, Project Director, Jorgen Tharaldsen informed the press that the game uses the same engine as Age of Conan. According to Funcom, the game will blend elements of MMO gameplay with alternate reality gaming and social networking.

The pre-production of the game started in 2002, but in mid-2003, most of the team was transferred to work on Dreamfall. The work on The Secret World was resumed after Dreamfall was shipped, which was in April of 2006. In August of 2008, it was stated that the development team consisted of people previously involved in the development of Dreamfall, Anarchy Online, Age of Conan, EverQuest II, and The Longest Journey. In November of 2008, Funcom stated that 70 people were working on the project.

At GDC 09, in an interview with Gamespot, the creative director of the game, Ragnar Tørnquist revealed that the game is set in the “modern day real world”, but also incorporates pieces of ancient mythologies, real and false history, urban legends, and pop culture, and ties them into an original back-story, which is said to go back in time for 100 million years and encompass long extinct ancient civilizations. The players will assume the roles of supernatural heroes who participate in a “future war between good and evil”, fighting dark monsters that threaten the modern world. He described the genre of the story as being a dark fantasy, mentioning vampires, demons, and zombies. The players will be free to travel across different locations of the world, including London and New York,  and even in time, in order to pursue the overall plot and investigate new mysteries related to the dark invasion. The overall plot will have a conclusion, but the developer will also leave room for future expansions.

Additionally, Tørnquist revealed more about the title’s gameplay. Apparently, there will neither be levels, nor classes; instead, character building will be skill-based. This way, players can avoid level grinding, which would allow new players to join the game more easily. Players will be able to customize their characters’ clothing, weapons, and supernatural powers; weapons range from shotguns to swords and can be both customized and upgraded. Combat against computer-controlled monsters will be one of the game’s central points and will require more of the players’ attention than contemporary MMORPG titles. The players will be able to form teams to fight together, but in a previous post, Tørnquist assured readers that in case some players prefer to play alone or are unable to play with a group, the game can also be played in single-player mode.

Despite being in development for quite some time, the title might be too big for a release date as early as 2009. However, the fact that Tørnquist has revealed that he knows exactly when the title will be released means that it might be coming out sooner than we expect; hence, 2009 would still be a possibility.

As this chapter comes to an end, another seeks to be opened. As I struggle to fold the pages of tomorrow, I can hear the sound of a battle cry resonating from the pages of our next chapter; the battle cry seems to be emanating from a single warrior that is set to demonstrate Microsoft’s might on tomorrow’s chapter. This immortal warrior draws his strength from five spirits that reside within him. He is known as……….The Newcomer.

God Bless You All

Master Samo

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