Dracozombie's week in gaming: July 11-17

Still haven't come up with a decent title. It'll come to me, eventually. Anyway, another week has come and gone. I feel as though I didn't really do much during the week, which is weird, since I also feel like I've been pulled every-which-way these last few days.

New York Console Games:

Last week (July 10, 2010) saw a Dragon Quest IX event at the Nintendo World Store at Rockefeller Center. This week saw a new event at Liberty State Park in New Jersey. Called the Wii Games: Summer 2010, Nintendo invited players to join in the summer spirit and compete in some video game tournaments.

Ys' Official Facebook page uploaded some new images for the upcoming Ys Seven title for the PSP. Being an avid Ys fan, this is definitely something I look forward to. This game introduces all new concepts to the series, particularly the three-person party mechanic. Ys Seven is scheduled for release on August 17th, so give it a look-see if you own a PSP.

MultiplayerGames.com:

Bioware is officially testing it's upcoming MMORPG based on the Star Wars mythos. Star Wars: The Old Republic is undergoing small focused-group tests, and will branch out into larger scale tests as the year progresses.

Runes of Magic, the very well-known free-to-play MMORPG, is introducing a relationship system. Marriage is at the core, but friendships and family ties can also be established. Runes of Magic is also introducing a video-tutorial system to help newbie players get into the game.

I did another piece on Allods Online and it's stupid fucking cash-shop nonsense. The game's player-base ran the hell away because the game is now without a doubt pay-to-win. I also wrote an article for MMOsite on the subject, but it was too opinionated and actually got taken down. Self-pwnage?

There is a bit of TERA info out: an interview reveals some info on the jumping mechanic and crafting. I also put up the most recent (at the time) screenshots of the week, which publisher En Masse puts on the official website weekly.

Vindictus, the upcoming free-to-play MMORPG is holding it's closed beta on July 22. The game is heavily action-based, and very awesome-looking. For a free-to-play title, Vindictus looks like it will offer some great gameplay. Sign-up for the beta test ends on July 19th, so you may still be able to get in!

Dragon's Call, a free-to-play browser-based MMORPG, had a bit of controversy go it's way: A player learned that the word "Gay" was banned/flagged by the World Chat system. In essence, you couldn't say the word in-game. Which pissed off the player, who threatened to sue.

Lastly, Free Realms, the ridiculously popular online virtual world, is offering a lifetime membership to it's players. Shell out $29.99, and you can get premium access to Free Realms. Considering how the damned game is growing at a rate of about a million players a month, you may want to check out the game and see what all the hullabaloo is about.

I haven't written anything for Video Game Trailers, and that's pretty fucking sad. I need to get back on-point.