MMO News Round-Up: Monday 13th February 2012

So here I was, getting ready to write a brief paragraph on how EverQuest is moving to free to play in March 2012 and that this will be a good thing as I can’t imagine there’s much that would attract new subscribers after thirteen years. Then BAM! .. I spot that Sony are introducing purchasable Pegasi .. oh how they call to me.

In a similar vein; Trion Worlds have announced RIFT Lite. You’ll now be able to play the first twenty levels of the game for free by downloading the client and signing up for a Trion Worlds account. It’s promising no credit card required but as I’m going to give this a whirl I shall report back on whether that’s 100% true. Pet Peeve #50,001 is games that say you don’t need one but include forcing you to enter the details anyway. (Update: true to its word no credit card shenanigans were requested).

Another week, another game tempting us with beta schedules. It’s the turn of TERA and En Masse Entertainments’ take on the MMO is looking to be something new to the genre. Instead of the standard point, click, press skill buttons till baddy is dead routine that we’re used to; TERA will be about your skills at aiming, positioning and timing .. now seeing as I fail at jumping from one ledge to another ledge this “action combat” could be bad news, however, that won’t be holding me back. Booby Priest anyone?

Wargaming.net have released a trailer for the latest World of Tanks patch. There’s no exact date yet but their website is promising first quarter of this year, 7.2 will bring two new maps with the American one having “diverse terrain”. I’m really hoping that equates to “big bushes for artillery to hide in that aren’t too difficult to steer in”, that’s just me though. The trailer is worth a watch for the new tanks being introduced and the quite awesome sort of 1980’s action series soundtrack.

Other patch news from around the MMO-sphere sees Warhammer Online (Age of Reckoning) getting some love, the content being updated seems focused around Realm V Realm with a lot of details being changed on the Fortress front. I’ve not played this game since release but perusing Mythic’s website I notice they offer a free trial which is actually pretty generous content wise, if you’ve not sampled this game already it’s worth your time.

And finally, on a “cute kitten rescues fluffy puppy feel good news” note, Blizzard would like us to know that Love Is in the Air with the chance to win a Big Love Rocket for World of Warcraft. Take a moment to fully appreciate the artwork on this mounts’ icon. Bow-chicka-wow-wow!