MMO News |
- The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot Beta Review
- Forge Goes Free to Play on Steam Today
- LEGO Minifigures
- Ubisoft Rolls Out Panzer General Online
- War Thunder at Gamescom 2013
- Carbine Studios Announces Business Model for WildStar
- Battle of the MOBAs – Top 8 Best MOBA Games
| The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot Beta Review Posted: 19 Aug 2013 02:20 PM PDT By Remko Molenaar (Proxzor) Thankfully I had the chance to try out the most originally unoriginal named MMO ever last week, The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot. This brand new free-to-play hack and slash game by Ubisoft is still behind closed doors for most members of the public. But JamesBl0nde let me hop on his account for a bit to delve into the advanced closed beta dungeons full of scary, filthy and powerful creatures. And these creatures aren't the only ones trying to bring you down; the dungeon itself will also try to confuse the heck out of you, with surprisingly innovative but overall just plain nasty traps lurking around every corner. In The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot you get to play one of the three available heroes: archer, knight, and mage. While the names might sound generic, their kits play out quite differently in this trap filled dungeon crawling setting. Since James had already developed the archer and mage pretty far, I started with the knight to get a feel for how the early game plays. I figured of the three classes, the tanky knight would be easy mode in the early stages. Turns out I got my ass kicked all the same. From the get go you will be facing a barrage of diverse challenges that only share one common theme, they exist to maim you. And now you might ask yourself, why is the game so hard on you? Well, it's not some standard MMORPG more interested in feeding your ego to get you to spend as much money as possible before you get bored and move on. It is so much more than that. Quest for Epic Loot is a strategy game at the core and an MMORPG as an afterthought. See, these dungeons are special. They are designed to punish you, to humiliate you, and to eventually train you to play at a higher level. You will feel like a donkey, making the same mistakes twice, but once you've learn from your mistakes, you might end up actually finishing the dungeon, and going to that beloved last room full of gold and glory. When you start, you will begin in the beginner's zone. Enjoy this zone while it lasts, because it will get at least twice as hard when you take the training wheels off. You see, these dungeons aren't just randomly made by Ubisoft. Once you go to the higher levels, you will be forced to tackle player made dungeons, and well these dungeons are only made for one thing, to make you lose. The concept is simple; if you die you lose, and the dungeon wins. Think of it as playing blackjack with your life as the ante. The house enters with a slight numerical advantage and you need to be on top of your game if you want to walk away with a profit. Around each corner there might be a trap, or a monster lurking to kill you. Meanwhile hordes of monsters will literally be hunting you down to put an end to your minor success should you still be breathing a few minutes into the dungeon. If you're not sweating yet, Ubisoft was cruel enough to add a time limit before the treasure room at the end locks.
Ever heard the tale of the rabbit and the turtle? There couldn't be a worse moral when related to this game. The Rabbit wins in this case, so make sure not to take a nap. Once you've been jaded from getting destroyed by the toughest dungeons the server has to offer, you can take out your frustration on your fellow player by building your own dungeon filled with traps, monsters and map pieces that you can buy and create. Ubisoft did a surprising job keeping this balanced across the various elements you can implement, so it takes a truly tactically deprived mind to figure out the right combination of pitfalls and monster ambushes to bring down your fellow players on the regular. Beyond general malice though you might wonder what's in it for you to rob other players from your dungeon's loot? After all in a perfect world you could just build easy dungeons and everyone could help each other power level to wealth. Instead Ubisoft made it beneficial to profit on the misfortune of others. You can gain gold and life force with each kill your dungeon earns to be spent on improving your dungeons as well as powering up your hero. The fearless challengers that step foot in your dungeon also leave behind a replay, and learning from these clips will help you gain a better understanding of the typical psychology of running your dungeon. It's incredibly useful for figuring out what traps that worked so well in your head are complete blunders, and ideally you will learn to better utilize your resources to make magic and mayhem happen. Best of all, you can run the dungeon yourself to see if you have the skill to overcome your own diabolical plans! The gameplay itself is also easy to learn, but hard in a sense. You click your way through the dungeon, and with the use of the number keys plus your mouse buttons, you will be able to activate your spells. Each Hero has his own set of skills, and these skills can make your life much easier if used accordingly. One major component of skills is the ability to knock foes back, but said skills often have notable cooldowns. Most skills are pretty spammable however. You will want to play around with these skills to find a combination you are comfortable with. And while certain combinations will end up working pretty universally, I am still finding clever trap combinations that force me to react in new ways. Essentially no matter how well planned out your skills are, this game takes some fast reaction times, and the ability to keep cool under fire to succeed regularly. With gold you will be able to purchase new clothing and equipment, but what would an action role-playing game be without loot dropping? Well the loot drops, but you better survive the dungeon if you want to keep your precious new items. Each move, and action in this game has consequences, and if you make one mistake, they'll make sure to smash your dreams into the ground. Losing hurts, and that's half the fun! Beta Verdict: Great This hack and slash game looks very promising. In fact I think it is easily able to surpass the current market of ARPGs. The feature of having your own dungeon, making it as hard as possible, and witnessing others attempt to raid through it accomplishes what so many evil villain titles of late have attempted, and outshone them at that. On paper it looked kind of cool but once you experience it for yourself, the fun factor is phenomenal. The game's learning curve is high enough to keep you coming back for more, and the focus on player created content means you'll never run out of challenges to try. This built around a hack and slash game concept requiring actual skill and tactics to survive feels head and shoulders above the typical tripe publishers have pushed our way lately. From what I've seen so far, and even though the game is still in closed beta, it is shaping up nicely. There can still be some tweaking here and there, especially with some of the monsters and the loot drops, because as of now, equipment is hard to find, and the dungeons and monsters are getting stronger and stronger. |
| Forge Goes Free to Play on Steam Today Posted: 19 Aug 2013 12:38 PM PDT Dark Vale Games has announced that they will be turning Forge into Forge Free to Play on Steam today at 10am PDT! Forge melds MMO PvP Arena Style battles with FPS style combat, class based tactics and incredibly deep gameplay to create the ultimate competitive experience. By going free-to-play, Dark Vale Games is opening up the gates of Forge to all players, encouraging them to join in the epic PvP action they have been waiting for!
WHY GO F2P? It's important for successful multiplayer games to have thriving communities, so going free-to-play is a very effective way of making that happen. "We always had intentions of releasing Forge as a free to play title, but couldn’t early on due to resource constraints," said David Domm, CEO of Dark Vale Games. "The game design of Forge sets up perfectly for a f2p title and we’re extremely excited to finally deliver the game our community has been asking for."
One of Forge's many new features is an armor store allowing for more customization and self expression. Players can spend Ore on the latest and greatest armor sets by Dark Vale Games to show off their dedication to Forge. Ore, the virtual currency, is now earned through gameplay, while armor can be directly purchased using the Steam Wallet. THE FUTURE OF FORGE! "F2P brings exciting customization to Forge without breaking our vow to never be Pay-To-Win," explains Ian Natzmer, Vice President of Development at Dark Vale Games. The new armor doesn't give players any inherent advantages, so players are only paying for aesthetic changes that won't necessarily give them a leg up on competition.
"We've only just touched the tip of what Forge has to offer and F2P allows us to continue our grand vision of Forge," continues Natzmer. With Forge's history of continual updates, the F2P model presents Dark Vale Games with boundless options for what they can do with Forge next. |
| Posted: 19 Aug 2013 11:51 AM PDT LEGO Minifigures (working title) is a family-friendly MMO themed around the collection of LEGO Minifigures. Jump into the diverse, funny world of LEGO!  Publisher: Funcom Pros: +Flashy, fun combat. +Multiple PvP styles. +Diverse worlds to explore. Cons: -Limited information available. Overview Lego Minifigures OverviewLEGO Minifigures (working title) is a family-friendly MMO based on the LEGO Minifigures collectible toys. Filled with the LEGO-style humor you’ve come to expect, the world ranges in many realistic and fantasy landscapes. Collect power-bricks and arrange them to boost your powers. Battle others in head-to-head brawls, team battles, and team challenges. More is yet to be revealed on this developing title. Lego Minifigures ScreenshotsComing Soon … Lego Minifigures Featured VideoComing Soon … Full Review Lego Minifigures ReviewComing Soon … Screenshots Lego Minifigures ScreenshotsComing Soon … Videos Lego Minifigures VideosComing Soon … System Requirements Lego Minifigures System RequirementsComing Soon… |
| Ubisoft Rolls Out Panzer General Online Posted: 19 Aug 2013 11:24 AM PDT Today, Ubisoft announced development of Panzer General Online, a turn-based strategy game playable in Web browsers. Panzer General Online is based on the well-known Panzer General franchise and is the latest addition to Ubisoft's free-to-play line-up. Panzer General Online is being developed by Ubisoft's Blue Byte studio, in close collaboration with Funatics Software. As the studio's fifth free-to-play browser-based game, Panzer General Online provides comprehensive control of all the elements involved in the theater of war, including airplanes, infantry, tanks and more. The game allows players to command units based on historically-inspired battles.
Focusing on intense strategic battles, players are able to play in both single-player and multiplayer modes. The single-player campaign functions as an advanced tutorial and lets the player take part in battles such as Omaha Beach and Monte Cassino. Meanwhile, the multiplayer mode offers the toughest challenge for every player to discover which generals best know how to control their units. Panzer General Online also incorporates elements of trading card-based games: players can collect and trade virtual miniatures of tanks, infantry and artillery to create their own personalized army. "We are happy to celebrate our 25th studio anniversary with the announcement of a new entry in the beloved Panzer General franchise" said Odile Limpach, Managing Director of Blue Byte. "Panzer General Online is a game where tactical skill beats the luck of the cards, and will appeal to new and old strategy fans alike." |
| Posted: 19 Aug 2013 11:15 AM PDT Award-winning developer and publisher Gaijin Entertainment announced today that it will be showing off the console version of the critically acclaimed War Thunder, also a nominee for the show's "Best Simulation Game", at Gamescom 2013. Players can visit Gaijin in Hall 7, Booth C10 in the Entertainment area of the Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany, from August 21-25th to try the latest version of War Thunder for PC. Visitors can also enter contests for the chance to win valuable prizes from partners Nvidia, ROCCATTM and Nubert!
A state-of-the-art, next-gen MMO combat game that combines aerial, ground and naval multiplayer battles all in a single gaming experience, War Thunder is also under development for the PlayStation®4. Gaijin Entertainment is proud to announce that the console version will be revealed at Gamescom 2013 for the first time. "Sony has been a great partner in bringing War Thunder to PS4, and we are excited to show the console version for the first time this year at Gamescom", said Kirill Yudintsev, Creative Director, Gaijin Entertainment. "We have harnessed the power of the PS4 to deliver cutting-edge graphics, cross platform battles with PC players, intelligent personalization and deeply integrated social capabilities to appeal to seasoned players and PlayStation enthusiasts alike. More details about the console version will be announced at Gamescom 2013". |
| Carbine Studios Announces Business Model for WildStar Posted: 19 Aug 2013 11:11 AM PDT NCSOFT® and Carbine Studios today revealed initial details on the business model for WildStar, the much anticipated sci-fi MMO, outlining the different ways players can embark on their planetary adventure when it's released in spring of 2014. Upon purchasing WildStar through a retail outlet or digital download, players will receive 30 days free game time, plus three guest passes to give to friends for a week of galactic adventure. Players can then either opt to pay a standard monthly subscription, purchase a Game Time card, or use gold earned in-game to purchase C.R.E.D.D. from other players and avoid paying a subscription fee altogether.
C.R.E.D.D. (also known as a Certificate of Research, Exploration, Destruction and Development) is an in-game item that can be redeemed for game time. Players can sell C.R.E.D.D. to each other for gold in-game through each server's Commodities Exchange at a rate established by the player community. C.R.E.D.D. can also be purchased for real money online at www.WildStar-Online.com. This model provides players multiple options for access to play – through a traditional MMO subscription or a 'play to pay' approach. "Gamers have strong opinions when it comes to business models and monetisation in MMO games", said Jeremy Gaffney, executive producer at Carbine Studios. "In combining a classic subscription model with C.R.E.D.D. we think we've struck a good balance. We definitely want to support players who appreciate the value of high-quality subscription-style game. Meanwhile, C.R.E.D.D. gives gamers who don't like monthly subs the option to just play to pay and enjoy the same content". WildStar will be playable on the show floor at gamescom in Cologne, Germany, 21st -25th August and at PAX Prime in Seattle, USA, 29th August – 2nd September.
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| Battle of the MOBAs – Top 8 Best MOBA Games Posted: 17 Aug 2013 10:49 AM PDT Battle of the MOBAs – Top 8 Best MOBA Games Well let’s face it, the MOBA style games are coming in right and left so we might as well drop them into a list to let you guys know which are the ones that truly stand out and which ones you might want to look forward to! Great Moba games to check out!
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