Zogblaster Archive/Press Clippings
Original Link (now dead) - http://www.zogblaster.com/tweb/asherons-call/pressclip.html
Asheron's Call Press Clippings
April 27, 1999: Gamegirlz, by Cassandra
Women Spotlight with Deb Matteson (web archive)
April 20, 1999: Gamegirlz, by Cassandra
Women Spotlight with Eri Izawa (web archive)
March, 1999: Microsoft GAMES
Interview with Toby Ragaini, Designer of Asheron's Call
"Toby somehow found time to comment on the latest Asheron's Call movie release displaying the spectacular time-lapse day/night effects that players will experience within the world of Dereth. "
March, 1999: Microsoft's MSN Gaming Zone
Interview with Toby Ragaini, Designer of Asheron's Call
"Asheron's Call designer Toby Ragaini of Turbine [...] graciously took time out to answer a few of our questions."
July, 1998: Online Gaming Review
OGR Preview: Asheron's Call, by Jason Cross (web archive)
"Back in the lobby, I ran into Toby Ragaini, lead designer of the game. We decided to go into the game world where we could have a private conversation. His character created a portal and we went to a sort of desert oasis environment, where we had a seat and I asked him for several details about the game..."
February, 1998: Computer Games Online
Redmond does role-playing, An interview with the folks behind Asheron's Call, by Robert Mayer (no archive)
Microsoft's Jon Grande: "One of the biggest differences with Asheron's Call is that all of the players ... will be playing in the same, continuous environment. In addition, we are focusing on building systems that enable interesting social interaction between people."
April 19, 1999: Gamespot UK
Asheron's Call Preview (web archive)
"A massively multiplayer roleplaying world, Asheron's Call has a lot of extremely likeable features to its name... It's also technologically rather impressive, in that all the action takes place in a single zone of play, despite the fact that the gameworld is many virtual miles across."
April 2, 1999: USA Today Online
Gamers plug in to play together, by Mike Snider (web archive)
"Another game, Asheron's Call, developed by Turbine Entertainment and published by Microsoft, recently held a signup contest for its beta test at www.turbinegames.com. The multiplayer fantasy role-playing game features monsters that cannot be defeated without teamwork. Those who recruit and support novices are rewarded, too. 'It uses an Amway recruitment (reward system) to get people to stay,' Wilson says."
March 10, 1999: OGR
Asheron's Call - Microsoft calls to fans of online RPGs, by Robert Mayer (web archive)
"It's (not) a small world after all -- There are mountains, swamps, lakes, forests, dungeons, deserts, and glaciers to explore, which should offer enough variety for most adventurers. "
March, 1999: Vault Network
Asheron's Call Preview (web archive)
"...Asheron's Call looks like one of the best MMORPGs to date, and there are a lot of innovative features to talk about. "
September, 1998: Next Generation Online
All About Asheron's Call (web archive)
"...the definitive online fantasy experience..."
September, 1998: Gamespot
1998, Year of the RPG? (web archive)
"With solid graphics and unique spell, combat, and social systems, Asheron's Call looks very promising."
September, 1998: PC Games
RPG: The Role-playing Renaissance, by Daniel Morris (no archive)
"Two features distinguish Asheron's Call. The first is that magic is handled very tightly... Knowledge of rare or obscure spells could fast become a currency of power... [and] a system of allegiance allows characters to pledge fealty to other player-characters."
July, 1998: Gamespot Online
1998:Year of the RPG? (web archive)
"With solid graphics and unique spell, combat, and social systems, Asheron's Call looks very promising."
July, 1998: PC Gamer
The Hot 100
"If Asheron's Call's massive game world, seamless indoor and outdoor environments, and tasty graphics are any indication, it has the horsepower and the character to keep it up and running for years to come."
June, 1998: Best of E3 Show Award Nomination (UGO E3.NET) (web archive)
Asheron's Call was nominated for a United Gamers Online "Best of E3 Show" Award in the category of "Best Online Focused" game.
June, 1998: Friends in High (Virtual) Places (Computer Life)
"Asheron's Call may be the most socially realistic game on the net. [It] features more character options than any other game we've seen in its genre, and more importantly, an allegiance-based social system."
April, 1998: Desslock's Guide to Role-Playing Games (Gamepen)
Preview of Asheron's Call, by P. Stefan "Desslock" Janicki
"In addition to an intriguing background story, Asheron's Call offers a variety of unique gaming elements... Asheron's Call marks a step forward for massively multiplayer online games."
February, 1998: Computer Games Online
Asheron's Call - Microsoft tackles online RPGs, by Robert Mayer (no archive)
"With a detailed backstory ... customizable character graphics ... quests, plots and an emphasis on adventure over drudgery ... Asheron's Call promises most of the things online gamers seem to be asking for"
February, 1998: PC Gamer
The Best Online Games ... and the best to come
"Asheron's Call relies heavily on character interaction and socialization, and features a unique allegiance system where groups of players can band together to share experience points and the acquired booty."
January 13, 1998: The Adrenaline Vault Previews (Online)
Asheron's Call, (preview), by Jordan Thomas (web archive)
"Asheron's Call ... has much to offer, and a system as detailed and complex as any to date... The world they've crafted looks mighty impressive...even the standard graphics are high resolution 16-bit textured polygons, and imply that the world will be a gorgeous one...This game promises to establish itself as a fantastic new world to explore... Perhaps this will be the answer that gamers have been railing for."
January, 1998: Next Generation, p. 125
Asheron's Call, (alpha review)
"...nearly every aspect of the game is tied in some fashion to getting groups of players to either cooperate or compete. The magic system, for example, is based on combinations of words, gestures, and/or materials. But the system is set up so that the more individuals there are who use a spell, the less powerful the spell becomes."
January, 1998: Online Gaming Review, p. 68
Beyond Ultima Online: The Future of Massively Multiplayer RPGs, by Jeff James
"Arguably the most unique feature of Asheron's Call will be its intricate system of social and political allegiance, and how information in handled within the game uinverse."
GameSpot Online
Guide to Online RPGs (web archive)
"If any game is big and bold enough to challenge Ultima Online in terms of gameplay and an evolving game world, it just might be Asheron's Call. I've seen only limited demos of the game up until now, but it looks to be a winner in terms of character creation options, graphics (both first-person and third-person perspectives are available), and spell system (you can mix and match spell components to create unique spells, and spells lose their power as more players learn them)."
November, 1997: Computer & Net Player, p. 34
Multiplayer Gaming, by Jeff James
(Interview with Michael Moniz, President, VR-1 Entertainment)
CN&P: Beyond the halls of VR-1, are there any developers of "massively multiplayer" games that you admire?
MM: It's hard not to appreciate the pioneering efforts of Kesmai and Simutronics. As for the cool factor, I'm really impressed with Turbine's Asheron's Call.
October, 1997: Computer Gaming World, p. 154
Asheron's Call - Call of the Wild, by Johnny Wilson, Editor-in-Chief
"As you continue to view the game, you realize that this is an RPG with true beauty and originality...We were amazed at how smoothly the game worked using a remote server... Experienced RPG players will love the flexibility...a sensitivity that's often missing from RPG worlds."
October, 1997: PC Gamer, p. 148
The Online Revolution
"Microsoft is getting in on the action with Asheron's Call, an online RPG that could challenge the might of Ultima Online itself."
September, 1997: PC-Gamer, p. 90
The Ultimate Preview
(Asheron's Call was listed in PC Gamer as one of the top 50 games of E3.)
"The detailed, skills-based rules system will please the hard-core RPG crowd, while the top-notch graphics will draw in those used to Duke/Quake-quality gameplay."
August, 1997: PC Gamer, p. 63
Microsoft Debuts New Rival for Ultima Online
"Designed from the ground up as an Internet RPG, the game is readily scalable, allowing new buildings, objects and quests to be added to the game world with a quick download."
August 14, 1997: MPOG Central (Online)
Will Ultima Online dominate? From the view of someone that hasn't played it., by Mark Gong
"Second game up is called Asheron's Call by Turbine Games. From what I can tell AC will probably be the only really big contender with UO. The graphics in the game are amazing, everything is rendered in 3-D polygon. The game world is 32x32 miles in area. The game has the best looking character creation system I have ever seen..."
August, 1997: Gaming Enthusiast Online
Online RPG's-Preview of Asheron's Call, by Tina Haumersen, Editor
"If any game is big and bold enough to challenge Ultima Online in terms of gameplay and an evolving game world, it just might be Asheron's Call."
July/August 1997: FamilyPC
Let the Online Games Begin (web archive)
"...online gaming is finally here in full force... This fantasy, real-time, role-playing game takes place in a 32-by 32-mile virtual world... [and] will likely be worth every penny."
(Note: The working title for Asheron's Call was Empyrean.)
July, 1997: Computer & Net Player
"First-person-perspective role-playing games seem to be the latest rage in online gaming... Now Microsoft is entering the fray with a product [titled Asheron's Call]. It's slated to join VR-1's Fighter Ace as a premium online-only game on Microsoft's MSN Gaming Zone. Judging from what we've seen of it so far, [Asheron's Call] may be the one to beat. But can it really stand up against Ultima Online?"
June 27, 1997: GamePen's E3.net
Nominee, GamePen's Best Online Only Game of E3.
June 25, 1997: GameSpot News
Persistent Universes: Microsoft unveiled Asheron's Call
"...a stunning premium game for the Microsoft's MSN Gaming Zone that has a deep role-playing component, stunning first-person 3-D graphics, and a persistent universe that should really work."
June 17, 1997: PC Gamer Online News
Look Out Ultima!
"Asheron's Call, a multi-player fantasy roleplaying game ... will go head-to-head with Ultima Online, The Realm, Meridian 59"
August, 1996: Computer Gaming World, p. 70
"[Turbine Entertainment Software] out of Cambridge, Massachusetts has given us a demo of [Asheron's Call], their multiplayer 3D role-playing game that features the richest culture we've ever seen in an online game. We'll show and tell you more as it gets closer.
REDMOND, Wash. - March 1, 1999
Membership of MSN Gaming Zone Blasts Past 4 Million, Making It the Most Popular Internet Gaming Site (web archive)
"Microsoft Corp. today announced that the MSN™ Gaming Zone now counts more than 4 million registered users with more than 30,000 gamers logging onto the site at peak times. "
REDMOND, Wash. - May 27, 1998
Microsoft Announces [...] Premium Titles To Be Showcased at 1998 Electronics Entertainment Expo (no archive)
"The arrival of Microsoft's second premium game on the Zone will cap its latest string of 1998 milestones, including the recent addition of support for Netscape Communicator 4.0, surpassing 1.5 million registered members, and its recent mark of more than 8,600 simultaneous users. "