UTV True Games continues to draw on Christian guilt as inspiration for its upcoming heaven-vs-hell title Faxion Online by using the seven deadly sins as zone themes.

Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Lust, Pride, Gluttony and Greed–all seven zones in the game are named and designed around the seven deadly sins, which in religious canon are believed to be the origin of other sins. While most MMOs try to be as secular as possible, Faxion Online seems to have no qualms filling the religion-themed niche.

As seen in the screenshot above, the Gluttony zone houses a feast of fried pigs and desserts, complete with an abomination whose giant funneled gourd puts NFL beer helmets to shame. Easy on whatever it is you’re drinking big boy; wouldn’t want to wait ten minutes for your choking-related respawn. The six other zones are shown below:

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And here it comes, a bit later than expected (it was targeted for late 2010) DC Universe Online has launched, being the first major release of 2011, a year that could change the MMO world forever.

DCUO is a superhero MMO, inspired by the DC Universe Comics, with dozens of superheroes and supervillains, populating the mythic Gotham and Metropolis. This is an action MMO that wants to rock and redefine the genre, as stated on the press release:

“We’re redefining the genre and blazing a new trail in the gaming industry with the introduction of DC Universe Online,” said John Smedley, President, Sony Online Entertainment. “This is the first true action MMO utilizing twitch-based combat and physics to deliver a completely unique and immersive gameplay experience that is reflective of the creativity, action and strength of the DC Universe.”

The game has several subscription plans for the players to choose:

• 1 Month:         $14.99 USD
• 3 Months:        $41.99 USD
• 6 Months:        $77.99 USD
• 12 Months:     $134.99 USD
• Lifetime subscription: $199.99 USD

It’s good to have different options. Lots of players, planning to play for long, will save good money. The lifetime subscription could be a good option as well, for all those unconditional fans, if you plan to play for years.

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Usually, lots of players claim that betas are just a mere form of self publicity and promotion: pure marketing. Though this can be true sometimes, betas are so important for development teams to polish their MMOs or even drastically change them.

As stated on the last press release we’ve received about Nadirim, the free-to-play browser-based MMO, developed by Twisted Tribe and Digital Reality, this game is going to see a huge change, implementing lots of new things:

The extensive planned changes will affect almost every aspect of the game: the server, the client, the main quests, the combat system, the graphics, the zones, and other features which have not yet been implemented in the current beta test.

This game is fun, and perfect for all those players looking for a game they can play planning their moves, not struggling through the game’s content. You’ll find a lot of lore and stories to read, while you explore the land where the sun never fades, for now.

Nadirim will turn into a new version, but as long as they launch all these changes during the beta, everything should be fine. Betas are for made for that purpose.

Warfronts! ended, but it was such a great beta private event. We had the chance of experiencing PvP, rushing towards the enemy in interesting battlegrounds. But the path leading to launch date (next March 1, 2011) must be walked and Trion seems to know this well. Now, a new zone known as Scarwood Reach, has been revealed for the joy of everyone following the development of Rift: Planes of Telara, with interest.

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When Blizzard released the Cataclysm expansion for World of Warcraft, we marveled at just about everything it had to offer. The spiffy new zones like Vashj’ir and the return of crowd control in dungeons. But one feature stuck out like a sore thumb because it was the very definition of unfair, uncool and un-fun. This is Tol Barad.

Tol Barad is a world PvP zone where max-level 85 players fight for control of the island. The attacking side tries to conquer the defending side to seize possession of the island, and reap questing privileges and raiding access to Baradin Hold. Think of it as turf war for use of the playground. Problem was the attackers almost always lose, especially when defenders were at least semi-awake.

Blizzard has even admitted the depth of changes needed to make Tol Barad enjoyable for PvP, with lead content designer Cory Stockton confirming a nerf for defenders:

“[W]e intend to make several updates in the next minor patch to address design and balance issues affecting attackers that we can’t address with hotfixes. For example, we plan to alter the battle slightly so that a team with two bases captured can more quickly and easily capture the third, as opposed to a team with one or zero bases. This way, if the defenders turtle up, it’ll be a little easier for the attackers to take their last base before the defense can take one of the attackers’ other bases.”

With Blizzard gimping Tol Barad defenders, speculation is high on how the change will be implemented–will attackers receive a temporary buff once two nodes are down? Or will defenders respawn slower to avoid the dreaded circle zerg? We’ll keep our eyes and Tol Barad rant forums open in case more news come in.

Want to explore Norrath outside of Norrath? If that sounds like a stupid proposition, don’t worry, it’ll make sense once you start playing Fortune League, the new EverQuest II-inspired Facebook game released over the weekend.

Still in its Alpha stages, Fortune League lets you form a party of six heroes based on existing race-class combinations in EverQuest II. Your party will then take on a series of quests that challenge their teamwork (each hero has specific strengths and weaknesses, just like in the online game), with points awarded if the party is strong enough to overcome the task at hand.

The great thing about Fortune League is that it’s not a mindless clickathon. It’s also the worst thing about it; if you’re averse to any and all forms of mathematical computations, then you’re better off staying put in the real Norrath.

This is because Fortune League is a number cruncher’s wet dream with all the percentages and values you need to analyze to get the most out of your six-hero party. So if you plan to take these EQII adventures in Facebook seriously, then whip out the Excel because you’re gonna need it to earn maximum points.

You might also be tempted to get an edge by spending Station Cash–do us a favor and don’t. It’s still far better to spend those on Freeblood Vampire unlocks than a Facebook game you might not even be playing in a month’s time.

As exciting as the player-versus-environment play offered in World of Warcraft is, there really is nothing quite like staring your enemies down across a battleground. With your allies at your side, you draw your sword, join your fellows in a rousing battle cry, and charge forth in the name of honor and victory. If the truly electric atmosphere of a player-versus-player competition wasn’t enough for you, there’s experience and honor points to be had. Battlegrounds have a lot to offer, and you don’t have to be a PvP virtuoso to enjoy them.

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In 2006, Electronic Arts (EA) nabbed Mythic Entertainment in an effort to diversify their product output beyond the usual console mix. In a traditional corporate environment, actions such as these are looked upon with scrutiny due to their financial implications. In an entertainment-oriented corporate environment, customer experience holds stock majority – so to speak. Do actions such as these benefit the consumer directly, or do they simply fuel advertisement funding and other business-related functions?

Continue past the cut and decide for yourself!

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This week, I wanted to talk about assumed knowledge and how it can affect (for good or for ill) gameplay.  In this regard, there are basically three kinds of assumed knowledge: the kind relating to the characters in a story, the kind relating to the players of a game/story and the kind relating to the creators of that story/game. All three influence how a game is played and how that game’s play unfolds.

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Welcome, once more, to the MMO related weekly column, MMOries of a Gamer. This week I’ll talk about one of the important aspects of online gaming for a lot of players: friendship. Human relations through MMOs, can be strong and even last for years. So come along with me, after the jump, and let me tell you of my experiences with regard online friends.

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