Well its been quite some time since we’ve posted about our favorite Diablo 2 clone turn MMORPG, Mythos. Today I received a newsletter update covering the latest patch and there are some BIG changes, BIG! For one PvP is back! Players will be able to attack players anywhere, including towns, and have a Anarchy rating which determines how many items you drop if someone kills you. If you have a low rating and are killed, you drop 1 random item. However if you decide to be a dick and slaughter a bunch of low level players your rating goes up, meaning the next time your killed, you’ll drop more than 1 item. So be nice to the noobs. If you don’t have the stomach for PvP, dueling has been added so you can fight without the fear of losing any of your precious items.

Along with PvP a new race has been added along with a third zone with new quests, monsters and towns. Crafting has also been revamped with hundreds of recipes, harvestable ingredients, ingredient refinement, a full Crafting skill tree.

If you want to full details of the patch, check it out at the all new Mythos site.

I haven’t played Mythos in a few months as I had a hard drive failure and never reinstalled the game once I got a new drive, but I’m currently downloading it so tomorrow you can bet I’ll be hacking and slashing it up on the PvP server. For those of you who haven’t been able to get into the Beta you might be in luck soon.

“If Zone 3 goes well, we could be looking at an Open Beta release in the near future.”

Congratulations to our two winners:

-Erlend Simonsen

-Jim McHie

Thanks for entering, I hope you enjoy the game!

So, it’s actually 9:30am when I am writing this and all the little names are in crumpled up bits of paper in a box to my right. I know, I promised you guys it would be done in a bowler hat not a box, but, you see, I am moving later this week and I accidentally packed my bowler hat so the box will have to do. If anybody is seriously upset you can call our complaint hotline at: 1(325)234-9876. Operators are standing by. . . no they aren’t. Don’t actually call that number because I literally just made it up off the top of my head right now. To any person that owns that number and is accidentally called by disgruntled contestants complainng about some hat and/or box, I’m sorry. . . you can go ahead and call this number so as to reach our comments/complaints operator: 1(678)432-7654. Sorry, I lied again. . . we don’t have a number. You see the horrible conditions Mike makes us work in, we don’t even get telephones!

Wow, ok so now you know what its like to begin writing a blog that you can’t actually publish for a half hour. I would normally go ahead and pull the contestants names right now, but there might maybe possibly just be one more entry in these last 15 minutes.

Now, without further ado (it is 10am now ), the contest winners are:

• Joshua Tompkins
• Dan

Congratulations to those winners! WhooOOooOOO! I seriously hope both of youo enjoy Mythos. Feel free to give me a hoot while in game if you are lonely, my Mythos characters are Wrenches, and Bloodface. I could be on either one at some point today.

Also, as a side note, we had no people disqualified during this contest, which is a good good thing! I was a bit worried when I went to sleep with 3 contestants and then woke up to find over a dozen. Which leads me to another side note, we got 17 contestants! Not a bad start for a first ever contest that we in no way advertised at all. I think we all deserve a hearty pat on the back. I can’t wait until we begin offering real prizes like actual games. . . maybe an Age of Conan contest when it gets released? We’ll see. . . enjoy Mythos guys.

P.S. Both invites were sent out to the email addresses provided. If, for some reason, you don’t get yours then their must have been a problem with your email address. We don’t have anymore to hand out at this time so it’s not like we can just send you another one.

So, seeing as how we got so many requests for Mike’s Mythos invites a few days ago. We decided that it would be a good idea to give mine away as well. I had a few real life buddies who were thinking about playing but they can’t seem to make up their minds, so now you guys get em instead! Hurrah!

Now for those who know next to nothing about the game; Mythos is a Diablo 2-esque MMORPG that features multiple classes, races, and vast amounts of loot. Seriously the game is almost exactly like Diablo 2 but with a different story. A very very good thing, in my opinion. I absolutely love the game. You can check out my preview here, or Mike’s first look here.

Contest outline: The contest will be a random name drawing based on your name as listed in the comments. When the contest ends, I will, personally, throw everybody’s name into a hat (bowler, in case you were wondering what kind) and draw two (2) of them. The winner’s will be announced at that time and have their invites sent off via the email provided to our comments section. MAKE SURE YOU USE A REAL EMAIL ADDRESS.

Contest Rules:

• You can only submit once (we can check IPs, email addresses, etc. do not attempt to cheat over a lousy freebie Mythos invite)
• Let us know why you want a Mythos invite inside your comment. (No explanation means no chance of winning sorry)
• Use a valid email address.
• There is no cash reward, and you cannot sell this invite.
• Contest ends Monday, January 21st at 10:00 am PST. Good luck!

I have read the Mythos website and could not find anything barring people from overseas from getting an invite so feel free to enter if you are from another country. Just make sure you can speak English as we have to be able to read your explanation.

Flagship Studios has decided to give everyone currently in the Mythos beta 2 invites, so I’d like to offer the first 2 people that reply an invite. Just comment here and I’ll send it within 24 hrs, probably much sooner. BTW if you get on my characters name is Omicronn, lev 19 Pyromancer.

For those of you who missed it, below are links to mine and Geoff’s previews of Mythos.

Geoff’s Preview

My Preview

I was recently asked what I was playing since I had recently posted that I was contemplating giving LOTRO another shot. I’m glad to announce that I did not give in to LOTRO. Thankfully a friendly visitor of MMOCrunch sent me an invite to the Mythos beta which I have been playing in most of my free time. Geoff did a early Mythos preview about 2 weeks ago up to level 10, so I’ll just skip over the list of features the game offers and get right to my opinion of the game.

When I say this is a Diablo 2 clone, it really is almost exactly the same game, but with a 3D engine, different storyline and obviously being a MMO. The fact that it was so similar to Diablo 2 was something that I actually didn’t like when I first started playing. I mean D2 is nearly 8 yrs old, so for this game to come out with only a few new features is a big disappointment. I know its not D3, but considering that a few ex-blizzard developers are working on this I was expecting more. We’ll I can’t be that harsh, after all it’s still in beta so who knows, maybe they are still planning on adding more features.

Aside from being almost the same game as D2, the game is fun. D2 was hugely popular because it was fun and addictive and Mythos tries to capitalize on this by turning this type of game play into a MMO. Will they succeed? Honestly I don’t think so, there just isn’t enough new things in the game to separate it from Diablo 2. However I can see this game easily becoming my backup MMO if it takes the route of becoming a F2P MMO. I also think they need to add PvP in the game, forget hardcore mode and perm death, harcore mode should be free range PvP. Seriously, I’d rather get killed 10 times in a row by some prick then watch my lev 78 mage die a permanent death because the game lagged for 3 sec.

Thankfully the game is still in beta so this is not the last you’ll hear of Mythos from us. Hopefully they’ll continue to enhance the game and improve on what it already there. Go PVP!!

Btw, my character is a lev 15 fire mage, w00t!

About a week ago I did a short piece on Mythos, being developed by Flagship Studios. It was sort of a pre-preview that entailed very little information because, well to be honest Flagship has decided not to make the website accessible to anybody who is not in the beta. Good thing for you, and me, then that I was accepted into the beta and am now able to give you guys a proper preview! Also a good thing that the NDA was lifted a couple months ago.

In typical fashion, I started my character in the world of Uld by choosing his race: Satyr, Gremlin, or Human. Naturally, I chose to be a Gremlin (they are PURPLE!). From there I went on to choose my class. Currently, there are only 3 classes available: Bloodletter (a melee class), Gadgeteer (hunter/ranged class), and Pyromancer (spellcaster). Deciding to go with a theme I decided on Gadgeteer simply because whenever I feel a bit purple I also feel a bit firey. After all the customization (hair, face, etc.) I was finally ready and set to make my appearance in the world, which after a quick tutorial quest, sent me to Stonehill. For players looking for some extra adventure there is also the option of choosing Elite mode (which makes everything harder) and Hardcore mode (which means if you die your character is gone), for some real spice you can turn em both on. (Pardon the grainy images, JPEG is too big a file size)

Stonehill is the main gathering point in the game, from what I can tell. It is the Ogrimmar/Iron Forge of Mythos, if that helps at all. You’ll start your game here and, for at least the first 10 levels, you’ll be doing a number of quests from here. It’s a pretty nice town that is very beautiful and very active. After gathering some quests I was off to do battle in the lands of Uld.

The first thing you’ll notice about Mythos is how similar the game plays and feels to Diablo 2. Seriously, when I say this game is a Diablo 2 clone I very seriously mean it. The game allows you to map skills to your left and right mouse buttons, the left being primarily for weapon skills and the right being for everything else. The movement in the game is very much the same as Diablo 2 as well, where you click is where you’ll go. If you hold down the left mouse button your character will continue to go in that direction. A brilliant system that works just as well in Mythos as it has in every other game that has employed it successfully.

Upon doing a few quests and leveling up a few times you’ll notice some more stark similarities between Diablo 2 and it’s soon to be released twin brother Mythos. Upon each “ding” you’ll get 5 stat points and 2 skill points. The 5 stat points can be put into any of the 4 stats: Strength, Dexterity, Vitality, and Wisdom. Each one of these stats does something different, and much like Diablo, depending on your class and play-style you’ll want to put your points into different stats. In addition to the stats, you’ll also notice that each class has 3 skill trees from which to choose various skills. As a gadgeteer my skill trees were: Marksman, Grenadier, and Tinker. After reviewing each tree for a few minutes I decided to mainly pursue the Tinker skill tree which allows me access to sentries, notably a flame sentry.

Continuing on in pure and utter Diablo delight I ambled my way through many dungeons and went through many quests. Some of them were fun and some were mediocre, but at no time did I think: “this is a poor Diablo clone” because if anything the new vibrant graphics and identical gameplay made it an even better game. For those still not convinced that this game is the spiritual successor to Diablo 2 you’ll be happy to also jot down that the game has randomized dungeons, hordes of monsters, and more loot than you could ever have hoped for. Top all this off with an inventory system that allows for identify charms, town portals, and gemstones to slot into items and you have got yourself one awesome Diablo-esque game.

Bottom line is that Mythos is an awesome game. Anybody who loved the Diablo games of yesteryears will enjoy Mythos equally as much, if not more so, because of near identical gameplay. Toss the gameplay in with new quests, more storylines, and an overall feel that Mythos is a world as opposed to a single player game with an optional online mode and you have yourself a game that is sure to be a smash hit amongst fans. The best part about it? It will be 100% free to download and play. I’ll be the first to admit that because I have only played the first 10 levels of the game there is still a lot I have yet to see, maybe the game gets horribly repetitive after level 11. Maybe the game gets unbearable after you complete a certain quest. I don’t yet know these things. What I do know is that you will, at the very least, get some enjoyment out of the beginning parts of the game. So what are you waiting for? Beta sign-ups are just a click away. Screenies below:

P.S. Once again, sorry for the grainy images. For some reason I couldn’t upload JPEGs and had to downgrade em to GIFs, the game really is beautiful.

With 2007 coming to a close, I’ve decided to take a look torwards the top 5 most anticipated MMOs of 2008.

Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures

(1Q) This is the MMORPG I’m looking to the most in 2008. Mostly because of the combat and really cool PVP system it has setup. It’s also being touted as the first “mature” MMORPG with content that is not suitable for kids under 17.

Guild Wars 2

(4Q) Updated graphics and new features promise to make Guild Wars 2 one of the biggest anticipated MMORPGs of 2008. No details to really speak about other than the game engine will be new.

Huxley

(TBA 2008) Even though no date has been given, the game is currently in Beta and is expected to be released sometime in 2008. What makes Huxley standout? Its a FPS MMO using the Unreal 3 engine.

Mythos

(1/2Q) Coming from Flagship Studios comprising of many Blizzard North developers that brought you Diablo 2. Mythos similar game play to the ever popular Diablo 2 for those of you who can’t hold out for D3. The game is currently in Beta.

Warhammer Online

No introduction required here.  Warhammer Online is set to become one of the biggest MMORPG in 2008 touting a next generation Realm vs. Realm system integrating both PvP combat and PvE quests on the same map. They are currently in closed beta.

No it’s not, I’m afraid. Blizzard hasn’t officially announced a third rendition of the classic action RPG yet. However, for those who absolutely can’t wait to get their hands on a traditional Diablo-esque game you need only wait for Mythos, an [M]MORPG being developed by Flagship Studios.

Anybody who knows anything about Flagship Studios will know that it is mostly comprised of former Blizzard North members, which was the same development studio that actually developed Diablo 2. This is why it comes as no surprise that their newest [M]MO, takes on a very similar shape and feel. Combine that with Travis Baldree (creator of the game FATE) and you have yourself the workings of what looks to be an awesome action [M]MORPG.

Set in a post-apololyptic fantasy world the game the game will employ the use of a multitude of races/classes, as opposed to Diablo which featured 5 classes originally (expanded to 7 with xpac) and only the human as a playable race. Some examples of races and classes are:

• Humans
• Satyrs
• Gremlins
• Bloodletter
• Gadgeteer
• Pyromancer

The game will employ thousands of players in the world while allowing them to group up and head off into randomized instanced dungeons (much like Diablo). It is fairly typical stuff for this style of gameplay, however, couple this with the fact that the game will be free to download and free to play and you have yourself a winning combination. Flagship is promising some unique advantages for those who wish to subscribe, but it is not mandatory. Let’s just hope they give us something a little more useful than what they did for Hellgate: London subscribers. Flagship is promising an RMT (real money trading) system for those who want to contribute to the game’s developers or make their character look spiffy. These items will be cosemetic items such as a parrot for your characters shoulder, etc. [Thanks Sulfuric]

The game is supposed to get released sometime soon, but as far as I can tell, no hard release date has been nailed down. IGN still has a tentative TBA 2007 on it’s information board, which probably is not going to happen. Those looking for more detailed information can find it in the links below (we are currently looking into getting a preview of our own up soon):

Gamasutra Interview with Bill Roper.

IGN Interview with Travis Baldree.

With all the new MMORPGs on the horizon I decided to put a small list the games that are in open beta or have signups. I went through a lot of games and picked the ones that looked as though they had the most potential.

	Age of Conan - Beta signup Whats so special? Player created cities, Massive PvP and Siege Battle
	The Chronicles of Spellborn – Beta Signup Whats so special? Uses Unreal engine, PvP, Targeting combat (No auto-attacking)
	Darkfall – Beta Signup Whats so special? Engage in grand activities such as kingdom building, politics, strategy, diplomacy, combat, warfare, conquest, and racial wars.
	Exteel – Open Beta Whats so special? Mech combat with MMORPG leveling
	Mythos – Beta Signup Whats so special? Diablo style combat with ungraded grahics
	Perfect World – Open Beta Whats so special? Massive character customization
	Savage 2 – Open Beta Whats so special? Fast paced strategy shooter that takes team based game play to another level
	Warhammer Online – Beta Signup Whats so special? Next generation Realm vs. Realm system integrating both PvP combat and PvE quests on the same map in support of the greater war.