MMO News |
- Dungeonland – First Look: Free Admission Edition
- World of Warplanes Launch Review
- Legends of Oz World
- Welcome Travelers: Arcane Hearts Is Officially Launched
- Kingdoms CCG
- Shotgun News 11/22: ArcheAge, LoL, League of Angels, and more!
- Imagine Nations Kickstarter Trailer
- Spiral Knights – Updated Look
- Elemental Kingdoms
- Vindictus Season 2 Episode 3: Secrets of the Crystal
| Dungeonland – First Look: Free Admission Edition Posted: 22 Nov 2013 04:33 PM PST Dungeonland – First Look: Free Admission Edition Dungeonland is a co-operative hack and slash game that takes players on a deadly tour through a medieval theme park. Playing as The Rogue, The Warrior or The Mage, the heroes will need to work together as a team to get past the evil overseer of this "Tragic Kingdom" – The Dungeon Maestro. The truly diabolical can even take on the role of the Dungeon Maestro himself and wreak havoc on friends. Unleash the killer rabbits, drop some exploding frogs in their path, or whip up a giant fan and blow them all away. The game originally released as a buy to play title on January 29th of this year but a portion of the game (Dungeon Maestro Mode and Dungeon Maestro Tower) became available to play for free. To find out more head over to the Dungeonland MMOHuts game profile HERE! Also check out our written review HERE! |
| World of Warplanes Launch Review Posted: 22 Nov 2013 02:54 PM PST By Jordan Hall (ApocaRUFF)
Introduction World of Warplanes is the recently released free-to-play warplane-based game brought to us by the creators of World of Tanks, Wargaming. The game takes place during the "Golden Age" of aviation, so all but the highest tier of planes are powered by propeller. While not a hardcore flight simulator, it does have several of the features that made World of Tanks such a great game, including large battles and tech trees. While still having a lot of strategy involved, the game is a lot more action-based than World of Tanks, as you won't be sitting still or hiding behind bushes. The arcade-like controls make it extremely easy to get into the game, and it can be played with a mouse and keyboard so there is no need for an expensive joystick to enjoy the experience (though it's certainly supported!). It seems Wargaming may have another successful game on their hands.
Customization There’s decent amount of customization in World of Warplanes. Using the tech trees you can gain access to new planes and components. You can choose which type of frame, what engine, and what weapons your plane uses. On top of that, you can choose what ammunition or other equipment and consumables you take with you into battle. You can give your planes a personal flair by giving them paint jobs. You can also train up your pilot and select the skills it learns as it levels. Just about all you could ask for in terms of customization, really.
Graphics This game looks beautiful. That’s the best way I can describe the graphics. They’re not mind-blowing, for sure, but you can tell a lot of thought went into their creation. The models are detailed, and have high quality textures. The maps look superb and I particularly enjoyed the maps based around water and islands, because it made for some stunning scenery. Seeing it all blur by while bullets are raining in every direction and explosions happen all around you is an experience that is hard to put into words. Damage to planes, and crashes, I felt could use a bit more work as they seemed a bit lackluster, but what was present was at least OK.
Controls As I mentioned in the introduction, this game isn’t a simulator in the least. The controls are a lot simpler and you won't be tasked with keeping track of half of the things you would in an actual flying simulator. Just a mouse and keyboard is all you need to be an ace. With the mouse, you will control where your plane is going and fire your weapons. The keyboard is used for engine boosting, looking behind your plane, air breaking, activating consumables, and stuff such as that. Of course, you are given a great amount of freedom to customize your controls so that they can be tailored to you. I didn’t notice a problem and was pleasantly surprised to find how smooth the game played with just a mouse, as I’m used to having to break out my trusty ole’ joystick and spending hours fine-tuning my sensitivities and keybinds to be able to play flying games.
Community The community in World of Warplanes is decent. A lot of the players I ran into seemed quite mature and even helpful when I had questions. Of course, there were a few trolls, but they seemed to be rare compared to normal players. The forum community seems active, as well. This is definitely one of the better MMO communities I’ve participated in and it is thanks in no small part to the large community World of Tanks has amassed, as it seems like a lot of WoT players have moved over to this game or are playing both games.
Gameplay If you’ve ever played World of Tanks, you’ll be familiar with the set-up of World of Warplanes. While playing, you’ll either be setting up your planes in the garage or in a battle, fighting. Unlike World of Tanks, there are NPC targets you can take out for extra points and not just enemy players. Another difference is that you can’t stop moving and you’ll more than likely be in non-stop dog fights until you either win the match or are shot down (or, if you’re like me, accidentally crash into something). In the end, what these differences mean is that you will be relying a lot more on your reflexes and instincts rather than your patience and tactics.
So far, there is only one game mode to participate in. You can either "solo q" or join up with some buddies in what is called a Flight to play together. Once in the match, the primary objective is to eliminate all enemies, with secondary objectives being the many AI ships, buildings, and anti-air guns. This basically means that a majority of people will pick fighters so they can get into the epic dog-fighting action, while only a few will choose to focus on the AI targets using bombs. In all honestly, in a majority of games I played, the secondary objectives were ignored and everyone focused on killing one another (which isn’t an issue, in my opinion).
Combat is a lot more arcade-like compared to what I thought it would be. One game that World of Warplanes will undoubtedly be compared to is War Thunder. The two offer similar experience, with two fundamentally different approaches. War Thunder focuses on providing both an arcade-like experience but also offers a simulation-like experience that rivals some of the more popular flight simulators in complexity. War of Warplanes on the other hand doesn’t have that at all. You won't be worrying about yaw, pitch, or anything else. Combat basically revolves around employing air breaks, flaps, and engine boost to control speed while trying to get your guns pointed at the enemy. I truly enjoyed the depth with which War Thunder was developed, but I can very much appreciate how fun and easy World of Warplanes is in comparison.
If you’re not great at flying a plane, but have always enjoyed the idea of sitting behind a propeller-driven machine of death, fighting it out with fellow aviators in intense dog fights, this is probably the game for you. All you will need to enjoy this game is a mouse, a keyboard, and a bit of spare time. It’s extremely easy to get into and is user-friendly. It even goes so far as to show you where you need to lead your shots in order to hit your current target, making it extremely easy to shave away your opponents health. The more hardcore war plane fanatics may not appreciate this, but the more casual gamers will love it. Thanks to the ease of which you can get into the game, I was able to thoroughly enjoy my time without having to feel like a noob for more than one or two games.
Bombing was an interesting experience. For the most part, as long as I carefully planned out my flight path to keep myself away from the massive ball of dog fights that usually break out towards the middle of the map, I was able to make it to the enemy AI targets without much harassment. From there, there is a very user-friendly bombing method that allows you to easily see where your bombs will land when you launch them, which means you can basically hit your target every time without much practice. Of course, the bombs are heavy and will slow down your plane a lot, so it’s up to you whether or not you want to chance being caught by a faster fighter while not being able to do much but hope you can outsmart him. The bonus is, however, that the AI targets seem to be worth a decent amount of experience and money, which can be used to unlock more advanced planes in the tech tree. In essence, I suppose bombing is similar to the "light tank speed scouting" method of advancement in World of Tanks.
Verdict: Great In the end, I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed my time in World of Warplanes. It offered a very easy-to-get-into casual experience compared to what I’m used to from other flight games. Thanks to the massive community and acclaim Wargaming has gained from World of Tanks, there is no shortage of players in World of Warplanes, so I never had an issue getting into a game. While playing with a couple of friends, we all had a blast and have made plans to continue playing. I would definitely suggest you download this game if you’re looking for a game with planes in it, but don’t want to spend months trying to get good at the game.
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| Posted: 22 Nov 2013 02:05 PM PST Journey with Dorothy and friends as she seeks to help Oz once again!  Publisher: Summertime Entertainment Pros: +Family friendly. +Connected to movie. Cons: -Dated graphics. -Limited information available.
Overview Legends of Oz World OverviewLegends of Oz World is a free-to-play browser-based game, and serves as a prequel to the film franchise Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return. A family-friendly experience, players join in with Dorothy as she returns to Kansas, and then help save Oz by reuniting with classic Oz characters. The game featuers multi-player mini games, thirty story quests, and over 1,000 collectable items. Legends of Oz World Screenshots          Legends of Oz World Featured Video Full Review Legends of Oz World ReviewComing Soon… Screenshots Legends of Oz World ScreenshotsComing Soon… Videos Legends of Oz World VideosLegends of Oz World Introduction System Requirements Legends of Oz World System RequirementsComing Soon… |
| Welcome Travelers: Arcane Hearts Is Officially Launched Posted: 22 Nov 2013 01:46 PM PST
G4Box, a leading North American free-to-play game publisher, announced today the official commercial launch of its new free to play browser based MMORPG title, "Arcane Hearts," which was developed by Playworks. Arcane Hearts delivers a classic MMORPG with no client installs and dedicated servers for fluid and interactive game play.
Arcane Hearts is set in the medieval period and inspired by ancient spiritual beliefs and mythologies. Players will enter a dynamic world with live events, challenging dungeons, and relentless boss monsters that will punish the ill prepared traveler. This brand new classic RPG offers players unique and rewarding quests, guild management, deadly PVP encounters, all in the journey to reclaim the lost land of Eldline.
"We are excited to bring every feature to the players in Arcane Hearts, we have had one of the best open beta periods with no game play issues." said Joan Kim, Arcane Hearts producer at G4Box. "New players are already engaged in community game play and making lasting friendships in Arcane Hearts, this has been a primary goal for our team and we are thrilled players are enjoying the extensive community features."
Arcane Hearts Features:
Communication is crucial in any game and Arcane Hearts is delivering rewards to the early Guilds that are founded. Voice for My Guild is a special event where guilds can enter to win a free voice chat server of their choice of Ventrilo, Teamspeak, or Mumble for three months up to 25 members!
To celebrate the official launch of Arcane Hearts, the entire team is inviting new players with giveaways, in-game events, and community play times. Arcane Hearts will offer 3 classic character classes: Warrior, Mage, and Shaman. Arcane Hearts is constantly being updated with new items, quests, and areas to explore. Grab a Launch Pack at MMOHuts today and let the adventure begin! |
| Posted: 22 Nov 2013 12:15 PM PST Tactical warfare and collectible cards clash in this new collectible card battle game featuring single player, PvP, and even guild warfare.  Publisher: YMC Games Pros: +Innovative strategies. +Expansive single player. +Guild league battles. Cons: -Limited information available.
Overview Kingdoms CCG OverviewKingdoms CCG is a free to play fantasy collectible card trading game, available for Facebook and iPad! Collect cards in one of six unique kingdoms, each with their own set of creatures, spells, rune words, and more. Battle alone or with friends, going on quests or going through various PvP challenges to rank on the leaderboard or battle in the big leagues. Kingdoms CCG Screenshots     Kingdoms CCG Featured Video Full Review Kingdoms CCG ReviewComing Soon… Screenshots Kingdoms CCG ScreenshotsComing Soon… Videos Kingdoms CCG VideosKingdoms CCG iPad Trailer System Requirements Kingdoms CCG System RequirementsComing Soon… |
| Shotgun News 11/22: ArcheAge, LoL, League of Angels, and more! Posted: 22 Nov 2013 11:18 AM PST League of Angels Closed Beta Date Announced GTArcade has announced that their browser based MMORPG League of Angels will enter closed beta on December 4th. Registration is still ongoing on the official site so it isn't too late to take part! And to get everyone excited about the start of beta there will be daily updates from the developers on the games progress and features that will be available at launch.
Albion Online Reveals PvP and GvG Combat The upcoming cross platform Sandbox MMO Albion Online will feature PvP and GvG. Albion Online features massive, unlimited open PvP but also has special features and mechanics specifically for GvG. They include holding territory and more.
League of Legends Announces Yasou, the Unforgiven A new Champion has been revealed for League of Legends. Yasou, the Unforgiven harnesses the raw power of the wind to elevate his unmatched elemental swordsmanship. He is a former member of an Ionian martial school and the only one of their students to have mastered a legendary wind technique. He can perform actions like Wind Wall, Last Breath, and Sweeping Blade.
Scott Hartsman Speaks on ArcheAge In an interview on ArcheAge Source, Trion CEO Scott Harsman sat down to answer some important questions about ArcheAge. Unfortunately it does seem that ArchAge is still a ways off from the Western audience. The good news is that Trion will be working with XL very soon to start pinpointing dates! |
| Imagine Nations Kickstarter Trailer Posted: 22 Nov 2013 09:34 AM PST
Imagine Nations is set to bring cultural interaction and technological progress into the Voxel world building genre. Learn more at the official Kickstarter page. |
| Posted: 22 Nov 2013 08:17 AM PST By Michael Sagoe (mikedot), OnRPG Journalist
It's time to head back into the subterranean world of ClockWorks for an updated look at Spiral Knights, a 3D Action MORPG created by Three Rings Design (a developer best known for their original breakout title Puzzle Pirates). Spiral Knights has been around since 2010 as a F2P title featuring "Legend of Zelda" style dungeon crawling, multiplayer co-op action, and an ever-changing world based on player contributions. Since then, the game has gone through some hearty changes, including its availability on Valve's Steam service; it was one of the first titles to be included in Valve's item trading system. Most recently, they have removed the dreaded elevator fees that were required in order to explore deeper into the world, so now players will now be able to play as long as they want. Will this change be enough to warrant coming back to Spiral Knights? Now the core gameplay for Spiral Knights hasn't changed much: players can enter the Clockworks solo or join up with three other players. The option to join open parties is still possible, as well as the option to drop in and out of dungeons at the end of each run. Players will have to slash, shoot and bomb their way through over four different gates with three tiers of difficulty. Using the keyboard for movement and power ups, and the mouse for aiming and attacking, the battle system remains quick and easy for anyone to pick up and play, but sadly does not allow for solid gamepad usage. The main premise of Spiral Knights is still all about finding loot, crafting powerful gear and exploring down into the Clockworks in order to reach the mysterious core of the planet. That much hasn't changed, but what has changed is the inclusion of quests and missions to help give players a sense of direction. Now players can ease their way into the deeper tiers while getting (somewhat) properly equipped in the process. There's also a quest dialog that comes with these missions, but they certainly won't be pulling players in with any gripping storylines. While the core gameplay is still enjoyable, repetition is still issue, and it sets in quickly. The feeling of exploring the Clockworks wears off in the later levels due how frequently the game recycles map layouts. It's hard to not feel a bit of déjà vu when trekking through a dungeon that has a similar layout to a dungeon that was completed four stages ago, but has a new tileset thrown over it. It certainly doesn't help that most dungeons are as difficult as simply clearing out rooms of enemies, and the fact that most puzzles are as simple as flipping a switch… literally. Personally, I would have liked to have seen more puzzles that require timing and coordination with party members, but understandably, the lack of these kinds of challenges was to keep the game solo friendly. Still, Spiral Knights only stays solo friendly for so long, especially when reaching the deeper tiers of Clockworks, as the game starts to get a bit more relentless with enemies that hit like a truck. Of course, the game does feature armor, weapons, and other gear than can be purchased, crafted and upgraded to help you survive, but they only help so much. Sooner or later, you're going to have to gather some party members. Danger rooms and boss battles are definitely the highlight of venturing into the dungeons. Entering a danger room will pit players against several waves of enemies, and boss battles offer a decent challenge with simple, but effective mechanics thrown in. The rewards for completion of these battles are usually a hefty amount of crowns (in-game currency), forge crystals, and rare materials for crafting. Unfortunately, the only way to enter danger rooms is by using "energy". When elevator fees were removed, mist energy was also removed in the process, which means players can no longer gain free energy that replenishes itself every few hours. One way to earn energy is through exchanging them with crowns. While this sounds nice and fair, the prices for exchanging crowns for energy are fairly high, usually high enough to stay out of a pure F2P user's reach, so the only other option is to earn energy is buying purchasing with real money. While earning crowns gets much easier later on, it's a shame that pure F2P players will not be able to stock up without paying early on, especially since energy is also used for… well… just about everything else, including crafting and device activation for mecha knights and turrets. Even starting a guild requires energy. Newly added to Spiral Knights was the inclusion of Battle Sprites, which are tiny little pets that can aid players in battle. The usefulness of these battle sprites, however, completely varies depending on which one the player chooses. The Drakon's primarily use is for offensive attacks, but its strength is sub-par until leveled up to a certain point, and the Maskeraith's abilities seem too situational. The Seraphynx on the other hand, while not having the best offensive attack, possesses great healing abilities, making it the most preferred battle sprite available. The repetition from PvE can be tiresome, but this can be broken up through new PvP game modes. While the core combat for Spiral Knights seems like it would not be suited for any kind of multiplayer competition, PvP in Spiral Knights focuses on objective based game modes that involve a nice amount of strategy, including a capture & hold mode called Lockdown and bomb trapping mode called Blast Network that plays suspiciously like a game of "Bomberman". Lockdown manages to add some more variety by introducing changeable classes, including Strikers which can zip around the battlefield faster than other classes, Guardians which can protect themselves and their teammates with increased defenses, and Recons that can scan the field for enemy players while invisible. Each class serves a useful purpose and helps to create a more an engaging PvP experience. The presentation of Spiral Knights still holds up well, with its colorful visuals and quirky music that harks back to 16-bit classic adventure games. The world still retains a lighthearted charm filled with creatures and monsters that seem to have lives of their own. Creatures such as the Gremlins and Fiends are always fun to deal with, especially since Gremlins always communicate with each other during a battle and Fiends usually have pit bosses always around, whose only job is to promote and demote the other fiends around him. Overall: Great With the addition of tons of new content, features and removal of elevator fees, Spiral Knights is a much more enjoyable game that it was so many years ago, with content and pacing that both casual and hardcore players can dedicate themselves too. The only real issue that can be found here is the excessive amount of repetition from dungeons and the lack of crystal availability for F2P users, but all of this can be overlooked regardless if a player wants to play for a few minutes or several hours, just as long as those players can pull some friends in or find some new ones along the way. With the game's community still as friendly as ever, that shouldn't be too much of a daunting task.
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| Posted: 21 Nov 2013 04:36 PM PST Elemental Kingdoms offers intense iTCG gameplay with over 200 cards, tons of PvP options, and plenty of mechanics to prevent snowballing and keep games close to the bitter end.  Publisher: Perfect World Entertainment Pros: + Unique Battle System. + Provides Challenges even for iTCG Veterans + Allows Auto-Pilot for easy Matches Cons: – Repeatable Quests can be Grindy at Times.
Overview OverviewA strategic trading-card game developed by China-based iFree Studio. Elemental Kingdoms features more than 200 unique cards, a campaign with over 80 stages spread across four kingdoms and numerous dungeons as you fight to save the realm in a story driven mission series. Features: Draft Battle PvP: Test your ability to adapt as you face off against other players with randomized decks of cards. PvP Rankings: Fight to prove you’re the best on the server and join in for regular tournament series. Rune System: Unleash the power of your avatar to change the face of the battlefield. Intense Matches: Various card effects can reverse snowballing and allow for epic comebacks. Screenshots       Featured Video Full Review Elemental Kingdoms ReviewBy Vincent Haoson (Ojogo) Elemental Kingdoms is Perfect World Entertainment Inc.'s first foray into the mobile market where you get to battle with monsters/people of various types in a "modified" TCG battle system. World Setting The game starts off with your character being sent on a mission ala- Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers style by requesting help from the nearby kingdoms to prepare for the oncoming horde. The game progresses forward as your band of merry men/women are trying to reach said kingdom, but along the way you are faced with enemies that test your deck capacity to progress. The game's single player campaign serves both as its tutorial and its introduction to the world and would later on provide extra add-ons that would serve as your way to improve the card roster you have while also introducing you to battling in-game as well. Gameplay Enchanted Kingdoms in its core is an eTCG all the way. You go around getting cards for your deck which serve as your minions through the game's single campaign. Each card that you possess has 3 values on it. The first being it's rarity which is represented by a star that can be found on top of the card. The other two would be its attack value and its HP value. Battles in EK revolve around eliminating your opponent's deck, or getting their Hero's HP value down to zero. This system should be familiar for anyone knowledgeable in Yu-Gi-Oh. The game mechanic consists of a turn-based interchanging of attacks from both sides. First attack is dependent on the player who is able to put down a unit first. The damage cards deal out is relative to its attack value before the attack happens, while the toughness of a card is represented by the HP value the cards have. Aside from the conventional attack-hp system, EK also uses card skills in the mix. Some abilities would heal cards or the player, deal extra damage, life steal or even lessen the damage units get from opponent attacks. More about Battling Aside from card skills, EK also has a rune system in place where you, the player, will get to participate in battles in the form of rune attacks. You are allowed to equip 4 runes (which are unlocked on certain levels) that would be activated after certain conditions are met. Rune effects vary in terms of disabling cards or downright attacking them. They provide more attack options and are a great way to disrupt attack rhythms your opponent has planned. Aside from the game's single mission system, you can go to the arena and face other players and their decks. The game systems are essentially the same in PvP as they are in PvE, but you're limited from by a 10 minute timer between every PvP match you can play. Arena battles serve as the game's post-game completion feature and would be the main thing you'd spend your time on once you are done with the single player campaign. Enhancements Like most eTCGs, Elemental Kingdoms provides you a chance to enhance your cards to give them stronger attacks and unlock skills that are critical in deck building. As I mentioned earlier, cards have other skills aside from the inherent abilities that are present on them upon acquisition. Aside from their initial unlocked ability, Cards have other extra skills that are level locked. Also, each card has a level cap of 10 and each card has its own type that serves as the game's affinity/element categorization. Runes on the other hand can also be enhanced in the same fashion as cards are. However, runes only get stronger attacks and no extra abilities. Verdict: Great As far as things go, Elemental Kingdoms is a surprisingly enjoyable and challenging game to play. With its unique gameplay mechanics, it has put a new spin to eTCGs which I personally think the genre needs. I loved how the game doesn't give you everything upon joining. You're allowed to unlock game features as you level through the game and not on day one. This not only prolongs your game time – it also provides you with small goals that are achievable but challenging enough to encourage you to keep on moving forward. Also, the gameplay puts a lot more random elements in battles which make every battle an interesting romp in-game. Deck setups can only prepare you for so much. The game has plenty of comeback mechanics that can rescue you from the most dismal one-sided openings. Granted that means if you're on the winning side you can never let your guard down. Another good thing about EK is the PvP is streamlined. Not only is it easy to find matches, you have a good number of people to fight against. Since this is an eTCG, the PvPing prolongs the game life more than any other elements. I also loved the random element (of drawing your cards) that the battle system has. On the flipside of what I mentioned earlier, there were moments that you'd find yourself biting the needle on matches, only to have your team suddenly decimated as suddenly your opponent whips out his/her key card and decimates your team. All in all, Elemental Kingdoms is a good eTCG to spend time (and I daresay money) on. While the game can't really tag itself as a one of a kind game for the genre (as one review I've found online says that it's a complete copycat of SG game Elves Realm, but as of this posting I can't confirm as of yet). The game has enough unique points that I'd highly suggest this game to anyone who's looking for a diff. eTCG experience. Editor’s Note: Today, November 21, 2013, marks the launch of Elemental Kingdom’s first tournament, the Thanksgiving Tournament of Champions. Download the game and join the action to win prizes between now and December 3rd. Screenshots Screenshots Videos VideosOfficial Trailer System Requirements System RequirementsComing Soon. . .
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| Vindictus Season 2 Episode 3: Secrets of the Crystal Posted: 21 Nov 2013 02:21 PM PST
Vindictus unleashes powerful new bosses in the Misty Mountains along with revenge mechanics that are sure to keep you feeling paranoid throughout this content update. |
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