Runic Games recently Twittered that they uhhh, well you see Runic doesn’t actually know what they twittered and neither does anyone else.  Their latest post reads “Things have been so busy lately, we have not been able to figure out what this is… any ideas?”  Within that posted sentence was the word “this”, which ended up being a link that lead to a mysterious picture.  Whatever this image is, we don’t know.  Hopefully things relating to this mysterious picture will come to light in the near future.  Perhaps new details on the possible Torchlight MMO?  You be the judge and click here to see the strange drawing for yourself.

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When we last saw Richard Garriott, he was sitting in a space shuttle with a smile on his face and a hard drive containing Tabula Rasa in his hands.  As of now he is sitting at home instead of a shuttle, and holding 28 million dollars instead of a hard drive.  Now how on earth did that happen?

Well you see, when Richard and NCsoft ended up parting ways after the failure of Tabula Rasa last year, they each left behind some unwanted aggression towards the other.  This resulted in Richard suing NCsoft for a whopping 47 million dollars over things such as fraud and breaching contracts.  Richards stock options with NCsoft had been effected upon him leaving the company, which is why the whole dispute started in the first place.  Now that the whole thing has finally been put to rest, Richard ended up beating a whole 28 million out of NCsoft’s pocket.  This isn’t even close to the original 47 million he was looking for, but Richard states “I am extremely pleased with the Jury’s decision.”

Hurray! Now we can all celebrate because Richard got the money he deserved!…….but wait a minute, where’s my money out of all this?! Oh that’s right, I don’t get any and neither do you, so we can all stop caring about this right…..about…..NOW!

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This weekend, AdventureQuest Worlds is having a special event in honor of Game Master Cysero getting married. The free-to-play MMO developed by Artix Entertainment boasts over 15 million members world wide. To commemorate this special event with their expansive community, the developers have created bizarre quests in honor of the wedding. This special in-game event begins today!

Founder and CEO Adam Bohn stated, “We are not sure which will be more odd –  the in-game or real-life wedding.  I mean, the wedding invitation I received said ’Attire: anything goes. Duck slippers optional’ … and that was for the real-life one!”

Ultra rare event items are available to players who make it to the ceremony, ranging from emerald capes to wedding armors and holy matrimony weapons.

Check out the official AdventureQuest Worlds wedding invitation:

South Korean internet addiction treatment is increasing, reports the New York Times. Internet addiction has been treated in South Korea as a teenage phenomenon for some time, but a Dr. Ha Jee-hyun is described in the article as treating four times as many adult patients now as he did two years ago. In response to a number of high-profile cases of internet addiction, the South Korean government has decided to expand the existing counselling programs to adults. Plans are also being drawn up to open new rehabilitation centres for adult sufferers.

On the one hand, it is of course tragic that there are so many stories of internet addiction destroying lives, sometimes literally, in Korea. On the other, I am pleased to see the South Korean government keeping abreast of the situation, even if they’re not on top of it. I have to wonder how much funding is given to treating new and emerging mental health issues such as internet addiction in the western world – as much as Korea is a hotbed for problems brought on by modern technology, it appears to have adapted its culture more quickly than much of the world in order to meet these challenges. For more details, check out the original article.

Internet security company Symantec revealed this week that it had discovered a server containing the “credentials” – username, password and other information – of 44 million stolen game accounts. The credentials themselves were gathered by some sort of traditional malware botnet, but the new and terrifying twist on the story is that they were being validated by a distributed network of computers infected by a Trojan virus. What this means is that unsuspecting internet users were helping the hackers validate the account details of these 44 million accounts with their own computers, due to the presence of a Trojan in their system.

The theft appears to be targeted mainly at Chinese gaming company Wayi Entertainment, but around 2 million of the accounts were registered with PlayNC, a service that includes Lineage 2, City of Heroes and Guild Wars, among others. Around quarter of a million were also spread between Aion and World of Warcraft.

As always, make sure you keep antivirus protection and general internet security in mind on any computer that is online.

While other companies have ban hammers, ArenaNet, creators of Guild Wars, has been flexing its ban scythe this week. Nearly four thousand accounts were banned from Guild Wars, but rather than a simple denial of service message, the other players of the game were treated to the cheaters’ executions by Dhuum, former God of the Underworld. Enjoy his terrible justice for yourself below:

It’s debatable if Phantasy Star Online should be considered an MMO or not. The game was marketed as an online role playing game and even had ‘online’ in its title. Whether it is a true MMO or not, there is no denying how much of an impact it caused, particularly to console gamers, as it was the first time many had experienced an online game.

PC gamers had been playing MMO’s such as Ultima Online and Nexus: The Kingdoms of the Winds for years prior to the release of Phantasy Star Online on the Dreamcast in 2000. However, for console gamers, it was a revolutionary leap in technology, which proved that consoles were capable of delivering gaming experiences that many thought were only possible on the PC.

During Phantasy Star Online’s lifespan, it was on four different platforms:

-       Dreamcast (2000)

-       PC (2001, Asia only)

-       GameCube (2002)

-       Xbox (2003)

An enhanced PC version titled ‘Blue Burst’ was released in 2004 worldwide via digital distribution.

In Phantasy Star Online players had the option of choosing from three races: Human’s, Android’s and Newman’s. Human’s were well rounded in both melee and magic, Android’s were more melee orientated, while Newman’s focused primarily in performing magic. After choosing a race, picking a class that corresponded with your race was in order.

Many consider Phantasy Star Online as an action-RPG rather than an MMO. For starters, the game didn’t have a seamless, open world to explore. Instead the game was set on the spaceship Pioneer 2 and the planet Ragol. The Pioneer 2 acted as your general hub. Everything from socialising, accepting missions, shopping, etc was all done here. Once a party of four was formed, you could travel to the planet Ragol and fulfil your missions there. At the time of Phantasy Star Online’s release, the planet was split into four sections: The Forest, Caves, Mines and Ruins. More content came with future expansions.

Essentially all Phantasy Star Online had to offer at first was four distinct level locations, each ending with a boss battle. Four levels may not seem like a lot of content, however, there was a lot of lasting appeal. The party leader had the ability to choose the difficulty setting, before venturing out on a mission. Increasing the difficulty meant stronger monsters, better items, and increased experience. The final boss would become available after completing the game on the hardest difficulty setting. Phantasy Star Online may seem quite basic by today’s standards, but back in 2000 it was pretty revolutionary, particularly for being the first online console game.

If there was one notable thing that stood out in Phantasy Star Online, it would have to be the combat. It was very interactive and required the player to actually time his or her attacks to strike three consecutive hits in a row. Another cool addition was the Mag. A Mag was essentially a little robotic companion that could be leveled up from being fed items. As the Mag grew, it learned specific skills that would come in handy during combat.

While the game had ‘Online’ in the title, you didn’t have to necessarily play it online. There was also the ability to play offline if you didn’t have the Internet, or just preferred playing by yourself.  Offline was more story-oriented, while online was mostly for getting loot and having a social aspect to the game.

Generally MMO’s have character data saved on a server, but Phantasy Star Online’s character data was stored on the Dreamcast’s Virtual Memory Unit, thus making cheating very easy. It was as simple as owning a GameShark, and you could have any item and unlimited Meseta (the currency) as you want. The game eventually became flooded with cheaters, which ruined the experience for many players.

Phantasy Star Online received many expansions over the years, which added a plethora of content. The first expansion, episode 2; offered the seaside, mountain and jungle regions of Ragol to be explored, along with new items and enemies. The hub world also received an overhaul.

In 2003, Phantasy Star Online: Episode 3 was released for the Nintendo GameCube, which strayed far from the formula established in Episodes 1 & 2. Episode 3 was a card game set in the Phantasy Star Online universe. While the game was critically and commercially successful, it wasn’t quite the sequel fans were looking for.

In 2004, Sega ported Phantasy Star Online to the PC and added a whole new expansion: Episode 4. The PC exclusive was titled ‘Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst.’ It is considered to be the most complete version of Phantasy Star Online, apart from the missing Episode 3, which really is an entirely different game. Episode 4 brought new maps, enemies and items. The game could only be played online and characters were saved to Sega’s servers, practically eliminating any form of cheating.

As the years went on, Sega eventually closed down Phantasy Star Online’s servers and as of April 22^nd 2008, Phantasy Star Online was no longer supported on any system.

The sequel to Phantasy Star Online, titled Phantasy Star Universe was released on August 31, 2006 for the PC and Playstation 2. An Xbox 360 version was released on December 12, 2006. Phantasy Star Universe was not very well received – both critically and commercially. It was criticised for being far too similar like its predecessor and for not bringing much new to the table. It also came out during the age of games like Guild Wars and World of Warcraft – two games that are pretty darn hard to top nowadays.

In fact, due to a low population and poor support, Sega officially closed down the PC and PS2 servers on March 31^st, 2010. Although with the closure fans were left with a little tease.

‘While we are sad to see the PC/PS2 version of Phantasy Star Universe end, the year 2010 is the 10th anniversary of Phantasy Star Online — and this server / service closure is helping to pave the way for bigger and better things for the Phantasy Star franchise in the very near future!’

Phantasy Star Online was a fine achievement in videogame history. It was the first online console game, and the very first taste of an MMO-experience for millions of people. It was a great game and it truly was the pinnacle of what was possible in the year 2000.

With E3 being just a matter of months away now, we’re hoping for a big announcement to commemorate ten years since Phantasy Star Online blew millions of gamers away. It’s time to remember Phantasy Star Online.

The sociologist William Sims Bainbridge, known for his work exploring the sociology of religion, has published a new book entitled The Warcraft Civilization: Social Science in a Virtual World. A strange leap? Given Bainbridge is a founding member of a pro-spaceflight organisation known as the Order of Cosmic Engineers, a name ripe for use by a World of Warcraft guild, it may not be such a departure after all.

Here is the publisher’s description of his latest work:

World of Warcraft is more than a game. There is no ultimate goal, no winning hand, no princess to be rescued. WoW contains more than 5,000 possible quests, games within the game, and encompasses hundreds of separate parallel realms (computer servers, each of which can handle 4,000 players simultaneously). WoW is an immersive virtual world in which characters must cope in a dangerous environment, assume identities, struggle to understand and communicate, learn to use technology, and compete for dwindling resources. Beyond the fantasy and science fiction details, as many have noticed, it’s not entirely unlike today’s world. In The Warcraft Civilization, sociologist William Sims Bainbridge goes further than this, arguing that WoW can be seen not only as an allegory of today but also as a virtual prototype of tomorrow, of a real human future in which tribe-like groups will engage in combat over declining natural resources, build temporary alliances on the basis of mutual self-interest, and seek a set of values that transcend the need for war.

Bainbridge explored the complex Warcraft universe firsthand, spending more than 2,300 hours there, deploying twenty-two characters of all ten races, all ten classes, and numerous professions. Each chapter begins with one character’s narrative, then goes on to explore a major social issue–such as religion, learning, cooperation, economy, or identity–through the lens of that character’s experience.

What makes WoW an especially good place to look for insights about Western civilization, Bainbridge says, is that it bridges past and future. It is founded on Western cultural tradition, yet aimed toward the virtual worlds we could create in times to come.

I’m genuinely curious about the contents of this book, if only to discover the Bell curve of madness a sociologist might travel in the course of studying the Warcraft Civilization for over two thousand hours.

Just a little MMO-related news that many may not have been aware of. What follows is a joint press release by Blizzard and a new company, Cryptozoic Entertainment:

CRYPTOZOIC ENTERTAINMENT ACQUIRES WORLD OF WARCRAFT® TRADING CARD GAME LICENSE

Wrathgate booster set for tabletop game based on Blizzard Entertainment’s award-winning World of Warcraft series slated for May release, followed by Class Decks in June

Irvine, California – (March 24, 2010) – Cryptozoic Entertainment is pleased to announce that they have signed a long-term licensing agreement with Blizzard Entertainment.  The multi-year arrangement grants Cryptozoic the right to produce the trading card game (TCG) based on Blizzard Entertainment’s hugely popular World of Warcraft^® massively multiplayer online role-playing game series.

“This is an exciting time for us and for players of the trading card game,” said John Nee, Cryptozoic Entertainment’s CEO.  “Our first priority will be to maintain the current programs that the community has come to expect and then build from there.  The game itself is fantastic, and will not change.  The community can rest assured that we are committed to providing them with the high quality product and organized play that they deserve, worldwide.”

“It’s important to us and to our players that every entertainment experience set in a Blizzard Entertainment game universe matches the standards we’ve established with our games,” said Paul Sams, Chief Operating Officer of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re proud of the quality and accessible gameplay that the World of Warcraft TCG has offered to date, and we’re confident that Cryptozoic is the best team to help us continue that tradition.”

Cryptozoic will continue to expand the World of Warcraft TCG for years to come.  Players will soon have a slew of exciting new cards to test their skills and defeat their opponents with at the upcoming Continental Championships in June and the World Championship in August.  The first product release from Cryptozoic will be the Wrathgate boosters in May followed by the Class Decks in June.

“Having been fully involved with the development of the World of Warcraft TCG from day one, I’ve always been passionate about taking it into the future,” said Cory Jones, Cryptozoic’s President and Chief Creative Officer, and formerly Blizzard Entertainment’s lead business and development liaison for the TCG.  “I’m pleased to say that the players have a lot to look forward to as we continue developing and evolving the game to match the action and spirit of World of Warcraft.”

To start, players can get the latest news on the World of Warcraft TCG at www.cryptozoic.com.  Then in just a few weeks a brand new website for the TCG itself will launch.  Cryptozoic promises ongoing updates on everything from organized play to product releases as well as a regular dose of strategy articles and spoilers as they get closer to their initial product launch.

As you may have noticed, one of the co-founders of Cryptozoic, Cory Jones, is a former Blizzard employee. What’s more, the company Cryptozoic was founded recently, and at this point exclusively, for development of the WoW TCG. It seems like Blizzard has decided to take a much more active role in the trading card game with this re-launch, much as it always has with its World of Warcraft merchandise. That Cryptozoic is, for now, Blizzard by another name is a theory given credence by the trouble the Warcraft developers had with Upper Deck Entertainment, the original creators of the TCG. It may be that Blizzard has decided that keeping business “in the family” is the best way forward.

As a player of both World of Warcraft and the accompanying trading card game, I can only hope that the close ties between Blizzard and Cryptozoic will be of benefit to the product.

As always, Blizzard have attacked on multiple fronts – beginning with truly the greatest use of a “bar” since MMOs were invented. Presenting, the World of Warcraft EPEEN.

Also from Blizzard comes the best and brightest way to interface with Battle.net – the reality twisting Neural Interface!

Despite not being related to MMOs themselves, Blizzard’s final two April sensations deserve honourable mentions as well – the Diablo X-Treme Gamer Blanket and the Blackthorne 2: Thorne Harder mobile game.

On the more independent front, the GMs of Wurm Online bring us something in between a moral encouragement to not judge by appearances and a drug-induced hallucination typed up.

Finally, posted earlier today by Brian we have the crafty tale spinners at BioWare bringing nightmares to life with their (hopefully) fictional Sarlacc Enforcer class for Star Wars: The Old Republic.

May I finally learn how to recognise these pranks before becoming curious, excited or terrified before next year.