Can’t Stop Games Studio launched its game in April 2010, and after some months decided it was time for a major improvement. This time we’ll talk about some changes in the browser based MMO strategy game Tanadu.

Before these newly implemented gameplay mechanics, the game was based in climbing up the rankings, now Tanadu adds quests. This allow the devs to create a background that react to the player’s actions and decisions. Apparently the goal is to make a world full of emotions, dangers and conflicts through the interaction between the player and NPCs.

Another important change is the balancing of the game, based in suggestions taken from the Tanadu community. I bet fans will be satisfied to know the devs care about player feedback. The new balance affects combat units and spells, making strategy more important and heavily influenced by player decisions.

In the near future, Can’t Stop Games plans to add even more to its MMO: crafting system, guilds and an extended quest pool to continue making Tanadu a better game.

In Tanadu, you play a hero, a leader that puts all his efforts in expanding his realm. For that, you can choose between three races: Elves, Orcs and Humans.

Elves are the keepers of the holy forests and the Tree of Life. They defend their lands although their bond to their goddess is lost.

Orcs are strong, proud and extremely tough but, a wandering race. They’ve lost their fatherland but they’ll never stop till they gain their glory back.

Humans are ambitious and they never surrender. Though they had to face many dangers, among their settlers appear brave heroes, facing every threat.

If you’re looking for a F2P strategy MMO playable in your browser, if your eager to command troops and rule the cities of a war-thorn realm, if you want to discover the secrets of magic… then this is your game, cause magic is Tanadu in the Lost Continent.

Wedding

Gala Networks announced today that, Dragonica will have their Marriage System added. The system is in place as of today and will include a brand new quest chain for any newlyweds, which gives rewards for couples who complete them. To coincide with the new system, gPotato Europe are offering a limited time event. Submit your wedding photos from Dragonica to them in order to win fantastic prizes.

Along with the new marriage system, you can expect four new PvP maps along with a fourth job quest. With all these new features, it’s a great time to get back into Dragonica. New and existing players should visit the website here. So what are you waiting for? Go find that special someone, get married and reap the bonuses. What’s going to stop you, cold feet?

Earthrise, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi MMORPG developed by Masthead Studios, continues to impress with a fresh approach to online gaming, as well as an increasingly intricate design. Corruption and greed mar the streets of Sal Vitas, a futuristic city that rose from the ruins of the Third World War. As with popular titles such as Eve Online and Darkfall, player progression is skill-based, with a player-driven economy and “meaningful” PvP combat.

We have seen screenshots in the past, though they are mostly scenic and reveal nothing of the user interface or game mechanics. Here, we have Masthead’s first technical offering, with a look into the Earthrise’s allegedly sophisticated crafting system.

Even the disassembling of items appears to be deeper than some other games’ entire crafting schemes. The information window instructs, “In this process you break items in their smaller parts (Final Items to Modules, Modules to Combines, Combines to Parts). To do so select a skill line…” Other mechanics visible in this screenshot include “Recycling and “Manufacturing”; we can safely expect an immersive and refreshing take on player professions and economic participation.

As of today, Cryptic and Atari are revealing the fact that Champions Online, one of their more famous MMO titles, will be having a free trial period lasting until September 7th.

This trial period is in celebration of the first anniversary of the moderately popular superhero-based game and has swept up the disenfranchised population falling out of City of Heroes and City of Villains. Both older games were made by the same company, coincidentally, as Champions Online.

This makes CO an interesting player in the MMO genre as it is not often that a game company has the chance to go back and get another go at recreating a game they had a mid-level success with, then very little splash on the market after the initial release.

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Champions Online is very much the younger, but much bigger brother of those twin games.  It offers a much smoother and thorough superhero experience, while still paying homage to the silver age of Marvel and DC comics albeit ambiguously; Champions Online lacks the property licenses from both sources.

On top of the limited trial, all Champions Online store merchandise will be 20% off with the exception of the new “Millennium Costume Set”, the majority of which look like one-piece spandex outfits Freddie Mercury would have gladly worn on stage.

Now would be the best time to get your taste of Champions Online.  The game has never before offered free access to its servers or client and the opportunity is fleeting.  One week to potentially be the greatest hero the Champions Online universe has ever seen sounds like an invitation to fulfill one of the most entertaining childhood fantasies you may have ever had.

Have you ever wondered if Sinbad could hold his own against Beowulf? Regardless if you have or not, Aeria Games have opened up the Beta on their new release, Legendary Champions. The game involves taking control of your own army while fighting alongside and against some great historical figures. You can expect to fight alongside King Arthur, Dracula, Joan of Arc and Sinbad along with many more (Over 60!) With over 10,000 different weapons, pieces of armor and much more, we can expect Legendary Champions to be very customizable.

With a wide selection of classes and an historic figure to represent you, this is one to watch out for. With this game you can expect:

• DoTA Styled challenges
• Solo Questing
• PvP
• Guild Raid Bosses
• Capture the Flag

If you’re interested or want more information visit the site here.

Phoenix

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Vindictus has released a new video showcasing a controllable golem. In the video we can see Evie, an upcoming character, in several combat situations. The stunning thing is that she’s able to summon a golem that forms itself using the objects surrounding it. This makes the golem unique each time it’s summoned. To create the golem, Evie needs the proper skill and a summoning gem that grants her a single golem, being usable only once per dungeon. The golem will lose its powers after some time, leaving Evie alone but, seeing what she’s able to do, I wouldn’t worry about her too much.

Follow us in the MMOCrunch Youtube Channel.

Perfect World Entertainment has released a new teaser trailer, unveiling a bit of what they plan for the next, yet to be named, expansion for Battle of the Immortals. Recently announced in China, we should have the chance to see  it hit the western market next spring of 2011. In the video we can admire some of the new features that the game will have and they look really cool: you’ll experience  a new animation system, environmental hazards and destructible environments. Looks like you’re going to hit more than monsters this time in the Battle of the Immortals upcoming expansion.

For more MMO videos, follow the  MMOCrunch youtube channel.

MMOCrunch is glad to announce we are giving away closed beta keys to M.A.T.: Mission Against Terror (MAT), Kingsoft’s upcoming online FPS!

MAT is a shooter pitting two teams against each other with a wide array of real-world weapons. It also features many different game modes to satisfy all your fragging needs. Choose from:

• Deathmatch – The classic frag your enemies to win mode.
• Bombing Mode – Think Counter-strike, a bombing team and a counter-bombing team.
• Phantom Mode – Think bombing mode except the bombing team is made of ghosts. Yep, ghosts!
• Mummy Mode – Much like Call of Duty’s Zombie mode, you must survive an onslaught of risen Egyptian mummies!
• Terminator Mode – Your team is pitted against an army of robots.
• Tank Mode – You are placed in an armored tank, need I say more?

M.A.T.: Mission Against Terror also boasts customizable avatars including headgear, eyewear and costumes so you can frag in style. So be one of the first to try out this upcoming FPS and melt some faces like never before!

To sign up for a beta key visit our MAT beta giveaway page, and to stay up to date on all trailers and videos of MMOs you care about subscribe to us on YouTube.

Well on its way to final release, King of Kings 3 has opened once again in its second closed beta test.  As of August 23rd, everyone who had already participated in the first closed beta can log in with their existing characters.

Gamigo, the German publisher and developer of KK3, will also be activating many new accounts for players who had signed up for the original beta but had yet to be accepted.

King of Kings 3 is a fantasy-themed MMO focused on Player versus Player (PvP) and Realm versus Realm (RvR) action.  King of Kings 3 centers around a war-torn kingdom that has been fragmented after many centuries of battle and bloodshed.  Create guilds and legions with your friends as you step up to take the throne and restore the Kingdom to order.

The game offers many other aspects other than just combat, such as a guild level system as well as house and town construction, facilitated by guild progression and teamwork.

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As your guilds and alliances grow, more benefits are offered to the players and territory is gained by conquering villages and kingdoms.  With these victories come the spoils: increased wealth and passive buffs given to all associated with the governing faction.  In addition to this, players can custom-build their own houses and fortresses for your guild, complete with their own passive buffs offered by said constructs.

King of Kings 3 is a game that rewards ambition and passion as you conquer and absorb a kingdom, and then remake it in your own image.  This game would appeal to anyone with a megalomania complex and a never-ceasing desire to prove themselves worthy in the eyes of others .

And here they come again. The Lord of the Rings Online devs keep working hard to bring new content to the game. This time, in the Quest Notes,  the developers include a sneak peek at Volume III Book 2, a look at some new game tech and a popular feature from the Suggestions forums.  So come along with me and have a look at what they have planned for a new chapter in the Epic line.

Book 2: Ride of the Grey Company.

After the forming of the Grey Company in Book 1: Oath of the Rangers, the Dúnedain are now preparing to depart from Rivendell and help their brothers in the lands of the south… yes, you’re right, they want you to travel with them! You’ll be adventuring  through fifteen soloable chapters, following the Grey Company in Enedwaith. You’ll have to fight, explore and investigate some mysteries.

Exploring new tech: Vanishing NPCs.

They had an old problem here. Not everyone is at the same step of an Epic line quest, so they needed to decide how to handle that some NPCs must be available for certain players and not for others. They considered adding a new interior space where you can see The Grey Company, or creating a new instance to have the rangers away from any public space. Finally, they decided to use this new client-side-technology, so the Grey Company appear in Rivendell if you have the quest state needed and disappear if your quest says they have departed. This new tech scans your quest log to determine what NPCs you need to interact with and serves well for immersion purposes.

Repeatable Sessionplays.

Many players were asking, in the Suggestions forums, to have the choice of repeating Sessionplays. Some of them were even failing on purpose to have the chance to repeat their favourites. You’ll have your opportunity with the new Chronicle of Events, a book placed at the Spire of Meeting in Rivendell. This tome let you repeat your favourite completed  Sessionplay instances daily. You won’t get any reward for it, it’s just to let you replay the experience.

New Sessionplay: The House of Isildur.

Before you depart with the Grey Company, Candaith the ranger decides to tell you more of the history of his people. In that moment you’ll take the role of one of the rangers about whom he’s speaking. The story begins with two brothers in Forochel in 1975 of the Third Age, but you’ll be going forward in time, seeing other important events in the rangers history.

In this new Sessionplay you’ll have all those cool and powerful skills, as usual. This time, though, you’ll see some changes:

As you can see, Turbine continues enforcing it’s storytelling style with Book 2, Volume III in Lord of the Rings Online. The Epic line goes on, as we learn more and more about what is happening beyond the grinding of an MMO. The background story that gives everything a sense, becomes a main important theme in Lord of the Rings Online. One of the best things of this system is the immersive effect it has. I’ve played many Sessionplays and I truly love them. It helps you geting into the world and makes you feel special.