It's quite well known that the word "guardian" makes me sit up and take notice like an inquisitive meercat.
This latest video to arrive from Cryptic Studios' Neverwinter does just that, focusing on the action style combat of the game and the abilities of the Guardian fighter.
As I near the end of my PAX East coverage, I can't help but think of the old adage: "Saving the best for last." Mind you, Cryptic Studios' Neverwinter isn't quite the last of my previews, but I can definitely say it was one of the best MMORPG demos of the show. Allow me to explain why.
By Kord! The first gameplay trailer for Neverwinter, the anticipated third sequel to the 2002 action RPG, has gone online, the one previously an exclusive to PAX East. Check it out right here!
Cryptic has released a new Neverwinter Online trailer for players to cut their teeth on, calling it a "story trailer," although I'm uncertain if the trailer relates to the main story of Neverwinter, or if it's just one tale of many that players will become a part of. Either way, the trailer does showcase some of the graphics that will be present in the game, so it's worth taking a look, just to see how Cryptic is reinventing the Neverwinter franchise. Take a watch!
Perfect World Entertainment's acquisition of Cryptic Studios is complete, so Cryptic has answered some frequently asked questions to let players know what the deal means for them. Most of the more immediate changes players will see are cosmetic or are back-end modifications, including swapping out logos, revising the Privacy Policy and changing Atari Tokens to Cryptic Points.
To make a long story short, the acquisition shouldn't affect your gameplay experience, at least for now. Cryptic Studios will continue to operate Champions Online and Star Trek Online, and development will continue as planned for Neverwinter and other unannounced titles. Your account will remain a Cryptic account for the time being and the C-Store will continue to operate as normal. Cryptic Points may eventually be converted into another virtual currency, but it's just being considered at this point.
And since we're sure most of you are curious, the FAQ don't address whether Star Trek Online will be going free-to-play. You can read the full FAQ after the jump.
According to Gamespot, Neverwinter has been delayed until late 2012 because Perfect World Entertainment, Cryptic's new owner, is "investing in a more immersive experience" for the game. While the game was originally scheduled to launch in late 2011, it was only first unveiled at E3 in June. Cryptic showed off the game's Foundry feature at the convention.
While it doesn't affect Neverwinter's delay, Hasbro and Atari announced today that they have reach a settlement in their dispute over the Dungeons & Dragons license, which began in December 2009. According to Gamespot, "Hasbro will regain the digital licensing rights to the Dungeons & Dragons franchise. However, Atari will still be able to sell and develop a selection of games under the license, including its recently released downloadable action game Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale and the upcoming Facebook game Heroes of Neverwinter."
E3 has come and gone, and we learned a lot during our time at the Los Angeles Convention Center. While we invite you to browse through all of our E3 coverage, we wanted to point out some of the highlights from the convention. You'll find all of our original features and a list of other noteworthy announcements after the jump!
We'd also like to take this opportunity to present En Masse Entertainment and TERA with our Best of Show Award! As we explored TERA's political system, the demo shined as the most polished one we saw at the convention. Expanding the role of politics in-game will create a whole new dynamic for players, and we believe TERA holds a lot of potential for its North American audience. We'll definitely be keeping our eye on this game as we wait for details on the testing and launch schedule.
Keep reading below for our E3 roundup!
Cryptic revealed Neverwinter at E3 this week, and we stopped by their booth to get some details on the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons MMO. The team mainly focused on The Foundry, which will allow you to build and share your own in-game adventures.
The Foundy basically lets you become the Dungeon Master of Neverwinter. It gives you the tools to builds NPCs, maps, dungeons, castles, and everything else you need to create your own epic adventures and share them with other players.
The Foundry is currently in development, so Cryptic gave us some general details regarding the system. Here are their main points:
From our time at Cryptic's booth, it honestly feels like they're trying to embrace the essence of Dungeons & Dragons in this MMO. We'll be keeping our eye on this game as more details are released. In case you missed them, be sure to check out the Neverwinter trailer and screenshots!
Cryptic Studios is revealing Neverwinter for the first time at E3 this week, and they're kicking things off by launching a new Neverwinter site and unveiling a new teaser trailer that contains the first in-game footage we've seen of this Dungeons & Dragons MMO!
If you're interested in Neverwinter, be sure to read about the game and browse through the new screenshots in our gallery. Before you do all that, watch the trailer below! Also, be sure to check out all of our E3 news.
Perfect World announced today that it has entered an agreement with Atari to acquire 100% equity interest in Cryptic Studios for approximately $50 million in cash. Atari stated a couple weeks ago that it was looking to sell Cryptic after the company "determined that external development creates more flexibility in the changing marketplace."
Here's what Michael Chi, chairman and chief executive officer of Perfect World, had to say about the deal:
"We are very pleased to sign the agreement to acquire Cryptic Studios. This strategic acquisition will add attractive game titles to our portfolio, which will help us further penetrate into the U.S. and global online game markets. More importantly, Cryptic Studios' highly reputable development team and its technology platform will further strengthen our well-established R&D capabilities. We deem this as another noteworthy achievement of our global expansion efforts."
Only time will tell what this move means for Champions Online, Star Trek Online and the upcoming Neverwinter.
