Magestorm

Magestorm (Magestorm Millennium)
Developer(s) Mythic Entertainment
Publisher(s) Mythic Entertainment
Distributor(s) Mythic Entertainment (North America)
Designer(s) Mark Jacobs, Rob Denton, Matt Firor
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
Release date(s) 1996 (NA)
Genre(s) First-person shooter/role-playing video game
Mode(s) Online (50 players simultaneous)
Distribution Download/CD

Rolemaster: Magestorm (since 2001, Magestorm Millennium) was an online-only first-person shooter using magical spells as weapons. It was developed in 1996 by Interworld Productions (now Mythic Entertainment). It centered on team-based gameplay and included some role-playing video game elements, notably the character class and level-based systems. The four character classes were the Wizard, Psionic, Eldritch and Healer; but prior to Magestorm Millennium, the character classes were named as Magician, Mentalist, Arcanist and Cleric, respectively. A character could gain experience points by hitting other players and raise up to level 30. Each gained level gave spell picks which allowed to unlock new spells.

The game was a feature of various gaming services over the years. Firstly as part of the Engage Games Online service, before moving to AOL. For a time, there was choice between the hourly billing method of AOL's game service versus the flat monthly charge offered by rival service Gamestorm. The game was also briefly available via the Gamezone network in Europe. Magestorm is currently available to play at www.magestorm.net.

When Electronic Arts purchased both the AOL Games Channel and Gamestorm, the game was shut down almost immediately in 2000. As compensation, players of the game were given free copies of Ultima Online. The game however was relaunched as Magestorm Millennium in 2001, on the Mythic-Realms game service, operated by Mythic Entertainment itself. It brought together the former two communities of AOL and Gamestorm and was one of the most popular games on the service, surpassing its spiritual successor, Spellbinder: The Nexus Conflict, developed in 1999.

This game is no longer officially available and was finally retired in January 2006, along with all other games offered on the Mythic-Realms gaming center excluding Dragon's Gate. An unofficial server emulator was in development as of January 2010, but that emulator, "Magestorm: Revival" has been shut down completely as of September 9, 2014. There is currently another spiritual successor in the works called "Magestorm: Reborn" by a team called Sweet Games.

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