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Transformers Universe

Developer: Jagex
Status: In Development
Release: 2013

Tranformers Universe will be heading into beta soon, and has been gaining quite a bit of media attention and momentum over the past couple of months. From what we've seen of the game so far, visually it seems to sit somewhere on the edge of Michael Bay's front porch watching a televised marathon of the animated series. Color us intrigued.

In a tread on the official forums, the developers are asking fans to let them know who their favorite transformer is, and why. The first poster completely nails it by citing Soundwave. I'm secretly keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be able to play a transformer that turns into an object that's completely useless - much like Soundwave as a boombox - outside of combat. You may think I'm joking, but I'm not!

In all seriousness though, the Transformers IP has grown from a stumpy cartoon about farming energon cubes into a global phenomenon thanks to Megan Fox the film series. So long as the MMO draws inspiration from the latter without devolving into an energon farming simulator, it has a good chance of continuing to stand squarely in the center of its current gaming media spotlight.

Read more about Transformers Universe on Ten Ton Hammer
The Transformers Universe official website

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Wizardry Online

Developer: Gamepot
Status: Open Beta
Release: January 16, 2013

Wizardry Online is less than two weeks away from launch, and aims to bring a more hardcore experience back to MMOs. A few valiant attempts have been made over the past few years to do the same thing - notable entries including Mortal Online and Darkfall - but on the whole, hardcore MMOs in this day and age are practically a thing of myth.

Permadeath is about as hardcore as it gets these days, so if an ongoing attachment to a character you develop over a longer period is your thing, Wizardry might not be your cup of tea. If you're up for a challenge, however, you can give Wizardry a shot in the open beta, or download and play it for free on the 16th.

Read more about Wizardry Online on Ten Ton Hammer
The Wizardry Online official website

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