MMO News |
- Lucent Heart Review 2014
- CCP Prepares for Massive Eve Online Overhaul
- Mythic Reign
- Infinite Crisis: Gotham Divided Coming Soon
- PlayTown
- Strife Preview
- Marvel Heroes Kate Bishop Hawkeye Trailer
- Marvel Heroes Rolls Out Update 2.14
- Black Gold Online gives details on Pyromancer class
- Blade Hunter Breaks New Ground With Sprites, Wings, and More
| Posted: 27 Jan 2014 04:15 PM PST By Jordan Arnold (Pwarp) Introduction Welcome to the mystical world of Lucent Heart, that is published by Suba Games, and has now been released in open beta since January 7th, 2014! Lucent Heart is a fantasy MMO with an art style that has an anime feel to it within the characters and creatures that roam its strange, yet captivating fantasy world. It offers 2 main roles in the beginning, either a mage or warrior, that can branch off into many different classes later on, an epic battle system that’s fought with countless spells and abilities that are put onto hotkeys and directed at enemies by the clicks of the players’ mighty mouse. Moving on there are a wide variety of professions to fill in its Crafting System, along with the Cupid, Dance, and Zodiac Systems that were made to heighten player interaction or gain some kind of rare perks.
Storyline Many gods and goddesses from Greek mythology are encountered in this game, and you’ll see a good number of them throughout the course of your crusade.You, personally, fulfill a prophesy that came to you within a dream where the goddess Theia told you to travel to a great city in the center of Acadia called Thereall so you can learn from the great masters there in order to defeat the many forms of darkness in the world. When you first arrive there, you’re almost immediately warned of the dark goddess Cadena, who has started to abuse the power that she was given by yet another goddess named Hecate, so she can gain the most powerful item in the land- the Lucent Heart. With her new found abilities, she’s been creating something called ‘Rifts’ across the land, which are great storms that allow her to plague the world with vile creatures that come from each one of these passing cataclysms. Your destiny is to embrace the power of your Zodiac sign, and rally up fellow knights that will help you in your quest to defeat Cadena along with whoever else that threatens the peace that all of Acadia can only hope for at this point. Developing Your character I was a little disappointed to find out that you could only customize your hair color and style when you develop the way your avatar appears to the world. Unfortunately, they left out the weight, height, facial hair, tattoos, battle scars, etc., which kind of limits the diversity of each player to appear as a fleet of young looking teenagers with identical bodies (minus the difference between male and females!). You’re also prompted at the start to choose the date and birth of your character, which plays a significant role in certain attributes that pertain to each class down the road. Astrological references are commonplace in this game with the Zodiac system that it has, so I’ll definitely get more in detail with that soon. Everyones’ role at the beginning is that of a Beginner (go figure), until you reach level 4, when you’re able to either become a mage or warrior, and these classes heavily branch off throughout the duration of the game. With my never ending love for magic, I naturally chose the mage role. After learning a handful of spells and completing a number of quests, I was faced with yet another decision on whether or not I wanted to be a Wizard or a Priest at level 10. In other words, should I blast enemies with attack magic, or heal allies in times of peril? I chose to be a Wizard, which could eventually become a Moon Flame Envoy (magic damage dealer), or a Galaxy Sage (mystic support), as its final forms at level 36. Had I chose a Priest, I could have turned into a Dawn Prophet (empowering enchanter), or a Sun Commissioner (healer). A Warrior, on the other hand, can become a Knight, which is more of a melee route, or a Gunner, that deals ranged damage. A Knight can turn into a Solar Guardian (tank) or a Celestial Templar (attack damage dealer), while the Gunner can later become a Comet Marksman (burst damage dealer) or a Nova Sentinel (ability enhancer). The Warrior class and its further roles are based on the same level requirements that I mentioned within the Mage tree. Controls Like many other MMO’s, Lucent Heart can be considered a point and click paradise. You have up to 4 different pages of hotkeys that you can assign to all of, well, anything to, with a total of 36 spaces on each one. No matter what I decided to fit them all with, I chose to keep one of these hotpages dedicated to my combat abilities, but hey, that’s just me. This can be done by merely dragging and dropping each selected ability or item from the column of categories on the right of your screen into the desired hotspot. Once everything is where you want them, you hit the numbers that they’re assigned to so you can use these abilities/items easier. You do a lot of traveling, which can be done in 1 of 2 ways. The first is to click in your range of sight to where you want to go, which places a beacon of light that your character will follow. You can also click to a point on the map to make your player automatically go there, which I found to be pretty convenient. Another way to walk around is use of the W (forward), A (left), S (backward), and D (right) keys that act as directional arrows. As you press these in movement, you can hold a right click of the mouse to continuously change the viewpoint of your player. I’ve played other MMO’s before, of course, so I mechanically hit the space button thinking it would ascend my character into a leap of joy, but it looks like they decided against hopping of any kind. Gameplay Once you have control of your character, you’ll begin to see ?’s (completed quests) and !’s (new quests) appear over the heads of certain NPC’s. At first, they use you as a messenger just so you can report to the people that are there to help you in your journey. Once you’ve made your rounds with them and have learned the skills necessary for combat, they’ll eventually send you off to eliminate certain things. To do so, you must venture off to areas around Thereall. For every quest, you’ll most likely have to kill a set number of specific targets, or collect items that they carry. In other games like this, you’re sometimes required to collect objects of different kinds from glowing areas you see as you walk around in the place of interest for the quest, yet I haven’t been required to do this yet after a while of playing. It seems like you’re Acadia’s bounty hunter, because like I said, the only way to obtain quest items is to take out enemies that carry them. The quests themselves can be found in a list that’s on the right hand side of the screen. Once you click on one, you’ll notice a convenient beam of light that’s there to direct you to where ever it is you’re supposed to go for that particular one. You can either rely on this light course, or you can click the ‘go to’ option in the quest list to just automatically direct your character to run to the designated area that you’re supposed to visit. Certain quests are daily and nightly, and will only appear at certain times, so be sure to pay attention to the in-game time that’s displayed on the minimap. By using your combat abilities that you’ve hopefully alotted to your hotbar (#’s 1-0/F1-F12), you’ll find that it’s pretty easy to use them on enemies after targeting them with a left click. I found out that you have to actually left click several times to strike an enemy you’re facing in close quarters with your weapon. The downside to this is that it can be pretty hard to actually hit them if they decide to move around at all. You’ll find that it’s very easy to level up to around 12, with each quest giving you a significant amount of exp in addition to the foes you have to clear out for them. In this time, it’ll be easy to grind as long as you keep up with the proper equipment for your current level. Each time you do level up, you’ll be given a treasure chest that contains various items that include the armor and weapons I just mentioned. Love is in this game’s air, thanks to the Cupid System! One of the most unique things in this game is its Cupid System, designed to encourage love and friendship between players. In order to begin playing the field, you have to visit what appears to be a winged Gerber baby named Cupid, the god of love, who seems to be a bit young to be wielding a bow. Up to 3 times a day, Cupid will assist you in finding a good match in other players, depending on how you filled out a short questionnaire. Once you find your possible soulmate, you lovebirds are able to get 2X the normal experience gained in questing with ‘sweet points’, so it definitely seems worth it to me! If that isn’t enough, then maybe telling you about the flowers that couples can grow, and the daily quizzes you can do with Cupid each day will be. By growing these flowers with your special someone, special petals can be collected from them, and then used in the creations of a bunch of different accessories. By completing the daily compatibility quizzes that I mentioned before, you gain tokens of love that can be traded for certain items that can only be obtained from doing this. Can I Have This Dance? Ever since the Scaena expansion came out for this game, players have been able to actually dance with selected partners, and even pick out the tune for each one of these sessions! They also have competitions called ‘Step Ups’ that take place only on the dance floor, and can reward the victors with some pretty cool items. Every time one of the competitors misses a beat by not pressing a required button for one of the dance moves, their score dwindles. Lucent Heart Dungeons, plus ones that you made? You can either conquer dungeons that the game makers themselves have made, or, get this, ones that you’ve designed yourself! In order to do this, you’ll need something called Star Cores in 3 different categories that include the creature core (determines the enemies you’ll face), the Scenery Core (creates the dungeon’s environment), and the Treasure Core (governs the loot players can find). Dungeons have been called the most challenging aspect of the game, so it’s recommended that you bring some friends to help in the great dangers found in them to better your chances! Zodiac, Signs, and Astrology, oh my! When you first begin the game, you can already select how you want to fit into this game’s one of a kind Zodiac System by setting your character’s birthday. Whatever sign you gain from your chosen birth time can effect various increases or buffs, give certain abilities, and allow you to create Zodiac armor. At level 10, an Astrolabe quest will be available that lets you access the Zodiac skill tree, which makes it possible to attain different Zodiac abilities. Level 30 will unleash the true power in your Zodiac armor as well. Feelin’ Crafty? Lucent Heart allows players to work in one of the professions it offers that include Alchemy, Tailoring, Blacksmith, Card Design, Jewelry, and Machine. In order to get started with this, visit Quincy in Thereall once you’ve reached level 5, and tell him what you want to do. In order to do anything in any of these crafts, you have to have materials that recipes call for, and both of these things can either be found by certain NPC’s or dropped by slain enemies. Conclusion: Good One of the key points that I want to bring up right away is the Cupid System. Most people that play MMO’s want others to play with, in order to simply have more fun, and the Cupid in this game really helps out in bringing these kinds of players together in friendship or even bonds of love! If that wasn’t enough, then the dance system can easily be the icing on this connection cake, with countless dances and even songs to choose while you cut some rug with your partner! I also love the fact that LH has integrated Astrology into it with its unheard of Zodiac System, not to mention all the benefits that come from it. I also like the fact that if someone hacks your account, they’re required to enter a code that pops up when trying to access certain things. Last but not least, it’s good to see a game give something back for your online time- this one does it with rewards. All in all the game seems very solid and I would recommend it to anyone that loves MMO’s mixed with the zodiac system and astrology. |
| CCP Prepares for Massive Eve Online Overhaul Posted: 27 Jan 2014 03:35 PM PST Tomorrow marks the launch of CCP’s latest update to Eve Online, featuring new ships, new UI adjustments, more fleshed out information menus, graphical updates, and more optimization. Which is just what the doctor ordered as Eve Online is in the middle of a total warzone right now. Catch all the action now on Twitch.TV’s dedicated Eve news resource here or read more on the multiple dev blogs detailing tomorrow’s update. |
| Posted: 27 Jan 2014 01:27 PM PST Go beyond the Veil and enter the mystical world of Ozryn in this text-based fantasy RPG.  Publisher: Mythic Reign Pros: +Limited information available. Cons: -Limited information available.
Overview Mythic Reign OverviewMythic Reign is a text-based fantasy RPG, playable straight from any web browser. Create your own character from a variety of races, and build their strength and equipment. Participate in daily tasks, explore the world, and test your mettle against others. Mythic Reign Screenshots    Mythic Reign Featured VideoComing Soon… Full Review Mythic Reign ReviewComing Soon… Screenshots Mythic Reign ScreenshotsComing Soon… Videos Mythic Reign VideosComing Soon… System Requirements Mythic Reign System RequirementsComing Soon… |
| Infinite Crisis: Gotham Divided Coming Soon Posted: 27 Jan 2014 12:52 PM PST Turbine has sent out an email to Infinite Crisis founders, alerting them that they will be the first to experience the new Gotham Divided map, starting January 29. Gotham Divided is Infinite Crisis’ first tri-lane map (a MOBA staple), and includes destructible environments, unique jungle skills, surveillance cameras, and more. The map will add new levels of strategic gameplay as many actions may open up new paths during gameplay, and encourages heavy skirmishes. You can find out more about the map in PC Gamer’s exclusive preview. In addition, the team is livestreaming the new mode now on Twitch! |
| Posted: 27 Jan 2014 12:32 PM PST Chat, flirt and make friends in this online social game: PlayTown!  Publisher: Avaca Technologies Pros: +100% Free-to-play w/ optional micro-transactions
Overview PlayTown OverviewPlayTown is an online, free-to-play social game for Windows and Mac OS. Socialize with friends or make new ones in real world locations, re-imagined with a unique toony look and feel. Experience a new Multiplayer Virtual World like no other! Features: A variety of mini-games: Play Backgammon, Darts, Chess, Pool and more. Compete against other players and become number one in the Leaderboards while earning special rewards. Customization: Select from a variety of clothing items for your avatar and express your personality. Buy Property, Furniture and Vehicles: Have your very own virtual apartment at a location of your choice and decorate it choosing from a variety of items that fit your style. Move around PlayTown with your own vehicle like a Motorcycle, Pongo or Bicycle 100% Free-to-Play: No fees, no premium accounts. Play for free for as long as you like. Buying virtual goods is completely optional! PlayTown Screenshots          PlayTown Featured VideoComing soon… Full Review PlayTown ReviewComing Soon… Screenshots PlayTown ScreenshotsComing Soon… Videos PlayTown VideosComing Soon… System Requirements PlayTown System RequirementsWindows System Requirements: OS: Windows XP or later Mac System Requirements: OS: Mac OSX 10.5 or later |
| Posted: 27 Jan 2014 11:26 AM PST By Mohammad Abubakr Without a doubt, 2013 has been the year of MOBA/ARTS games. We’ve seen a massive increase in popularity for many games of the genre including Dota 2, League of Legends, and Smite. Even throughout 2014 there are many games of this genre to look out for including Strife by S2Games. The game is currently in its closed beta phases and requires a beta key to play. This game is a more casual and beginner friendly version of the traditional ARTS games we know and love. It is great for those players that find games such as Dota 2 or League of Legends too difficult or punishing and will serve as an introduction to the genre. Those players that are more serious about the genre will soon move on to more complicated games but casual players that just want to relax and have fun will find Strife to meet their needs. The overall game play is what you would expect from a game of this genre. There are three lanes in the traditional map which pits two teams of five against each other, and with the help of waves of creeps aim to destroy the enemy towers and base. This does not change in Strife but the game introduces some new elements to set it apart from the others. As mentioned above the game introduces some features to make it more casual and beginner friendly. For those unfamiliar with the genre, ARTS games consist of three main phases: early, mid, and late game. During the early game both teams usually play more passively and farm gold by landing last hits on enemy or neutral creeps. This can be very challenging for new players as precise timing is necessary and slightly slow reactions (or ping discrepancies) can cause you to very quickly fall behind. To make this phase less daunting and punishing, Strife rewards all heroes in the lane with gold regardless of which hero landed the last hit. Now all the heroes can work together to last hit a creep and if any player is successful, the entire lane (only your team) will be rewarded. If you couple this feature alongside many other changes to the genre such as no loss of gold on death, separate immortal couriers for each player, and low mana costs, Strife is a great way to learn the ARTS/MOBA genre or enjoy a casual experience while still playing this punishing genre. The tutorial is great! The tutorial for this game is also very well done and allows new players to quickly get into the game. For experienced players of the genre the tutorial will simply be review but it is very well done and introduces new players at the right pace. You begin with simple lessons on movement, using skills, leveling skills and buying items. Then the tutorial moves on to an introduction of the various key objectives in a Strife match and finally concludes with a guided full match against artificial intelligence. It can be very difficult to learn this genre, and I feel that S2Games has done a great job with Strife’s tutorial. The second feature that sets Strife apart from its competitors is the incorporation of RPG elements into the ARTS/MOBA genre. Most games of this genre don’t use any outside factors for individual matches and allow all players to play on a level playing field where only their team’s skill matters. You are not required to spend money or time to improve your account before being able to compete on a level playing field. Of course there are exceptions, hence the use of the word most as games such as League of Legends do require players to farm to purchase runes before they can play on a level playing field. In Strife, there are three currencies which players receive upon the conclusion of each match: pet food, crafting ore, and enchanting potions. Before we can go into the uses of pet food, we must learn about pets in Strife. Players are accompanied by a pet of their choice in all their Strife matches which offer skills and bonuses. There are lots of choices for pets and it is up to the player to select pets based on their own play style. Players that prefer to farm gold may pick a pet providing skills to kill creeps and gain bonus gold for said creeps, while players that want to survive may prefer pets that dispel crowd control abilities. Pets allow players to play the game how they wish and can be selected at the beginning of each match. Pet food can be used to both purchase and level up pets. Higher leveled pets provide stronger skills and passive bonuses. These skills remind me a lot of the summoner skill system in League of Legends. I personally went with Luster to speed up my farm. Crafting and Enchanting make use of the ores and potions rewarded at the conclusion of each match. While there are still items that players can build during their matches by farming gold, these items can be improved and customized through the use of crafting and enchanting. Players can select an item’s recipe and change the components it uses to in-turn change the item’s bonuses. For example, you might want to change mana regeneration on an item to pure mana. These crafted items can then be built during your matches. This system gives great control to players as they can customize all the in-game items to better suit their own unique play style. These items can then be enchanted to further improve the bonuses and increase the item’s life as crafted items expire after some time. This means that players must play regularly to keep their custom items. While there are great benefits to the pet, crafting, and enchanting systems, it does end up rewarding players that spend more time playing. This is what one would expect from an RPG game but it is not common for ARTS/MOBA games where the deciding factor should be just player skill. However, for a more casual approach to this genre I can see this system working well. Fortunately, all the heroes are free and do not need to be purchased. Good graphics without being demanding on the system. Now comes the question: how does S2Games monetize the game? As with all free to play games, the publishers and developers do need to make back some money to ensure the survival of the game. In its beta stages the cash shop has not been completed so I cannot comment on the prices. However, there seem to be optional skins and colors available for every hero. These cosmetic changes are a great way to monetize Strife as it will not provide insane benefits to paying players. Additionally, it seems that you can use the cash shop currency to gain bonus currencies at the end of each match. Once again, this does make paying players gain food, ore, and potions at a faster rate but it is still very fair. S2Games seems to be doing a great job with balancing the advantages of free and paying players. Current State: Great In conclusion, Strife is great for those that want a casual experience but still want to play the ARTS/MOBA genre. The game is very forgiving towards new players and is a great way to get into the genre. I really love S2Games offering a game of the MOBA/ARTS genre that even casual players can enjoy. While I did initially play WC3 Dota, League of Legends was my first introduction to the genre. By learning League of Legends I was then able to move on to more complicated and punishing games such as Heroes of Newerth and Dota 2. Now I am a big fan of the genre. Similarly, Strife can serve the same purpose and provide a casual experience for players and even act as an introduction to the genre. If you find games such as Dota 2 too hardcore but still love the concept of the genre, definitely give Strife a try. |
| Marvel Heroes Kate Bishop Hawkeye Trailer Posted: 27 Jan 2014 11:18 AM PST
Marvel Heroes introduces Kate Bishop to the roster as a Hawkeye costume. |
| Marvel Heroes Rolls Out Update 2.14 Posted: 27 Jan 2014 11:10 AM PST Over the weekend, Gazillion Entertainment published Game Update 2.14 for Marvel Heroes. Since the launch of Marvel Heroes in June of 2013, Gazillion has released free content including new story, zones, PvP, gameplay features, Heroes and more. This past weekend’s update featured a new zone, Bovineheim, new Cosmic Terminals, Design Reviews for Captain America and Hawkeye, and the new Kate Bishop enhanced costume for Hawkeye. Marvel Heroes Game Update 2.14 – features: · Bovineheim – Somewhere in Asgard, Skrull cows are lurking and plotting destruction. Brave the frozen tundra of Bovineheim and defeat the nefarious Skrull cows to foil their plans! · Cosmic Terminals – Meant for the most experienced Heroes, Cosmic Terminals represent some of the most difficult content to date in Marvel Heroes along with an enhanced chance for cosmic loot. · Hawkeye and Captain America Design Review – Captain America and Hawkeye have received their level 52 Design Reviews this month, bringing with them exciting new abilities and build options! Use Captain America's new ultimate power to assemble the Avengers for massive damage, and use Hawkeye's Ultimate to fire a Pym multi-arrow that rains flammable oil to the ground before igniting a giant Avengers 'A' across the entire screen. · Kate Bishop Enhanced Costume – As a member of the Young Avengers, Kate Bishop wore this costume and took the name Hawkeye to honor the (at the time) fallen Clint Barton. This enhanced costume features all new voice over, emotes, and animations! Additionally, later this week Nightcrawler *BAMFS* his way into Marvel Heroes. Look for more information and video on his release by Friday, January 31. For the full patch notes, read here. |
| Black Gold Online gives details on Pyromancer class Posted: 27 Jan 2014 10:57 AM PST Today, Snail Games has release details for their Pyromancer class in their upcoming MMORPG – Black Gold Online. Pyromancers are blessed under the Radiant Sun, ascending to the perfect conduit for the burning power of fire. Trained since birth, Pyromancers are well versed in arts of flame-weaving techniques. “Trained since birth, Pyromancers are well versed in arts of flame-weaving techniques. The volatile element is extremely difficult to control, and attempts to do so often result in charring injury or disaster. An elder of the ancient Azure Conclave, Zanfirr was the first mage to wield fire effectively. The Conclave built a temple of fire to delve deeper into the arts of pyromancy, thus creating the foundation for generations of fire-seekers to come.” For more information on the Pyromancer class for Black Gold Online, visit: http://bg.snailgame.com/home/ |
| Blade Hunter Breaks New Ground With Sprites, Wings, and More Posted: 27 Jan 2014 10:41 AM PST Global game publisher Reality Squared Games (R2Games) is proud to announce that Blade Hunter, its cutting-edge free to play beat ‘em up action MMORPG, has received a gigantic content update introducing all-new game systems, cosmetic options, UI improvements, quest lines, and a higher level cap. Now eight servers strong, including a brand new GMT server, the Blade Hunter Beta continues to expand to users worldwide. Sprites become available to characters at level 39 and offer players the opportunity to bolster a variety of stats. These elemental companions come in several varieties, each with a different set of bonuses. Players receive opportunities to collect Sprites throughout the day, making it easy to assemble the perfect team. The rarest Sprites aren’t easy to find by any means, but they’re sure to play an integral role in each character’s magic Sigil. Higher-level characters can equip more Sprites, allowing even deeper build customization. A character’s favorite Sprite can be set to follow cosmetically, demonstrating luck, skill, and taste to friends and foes alike. Wings can be browsed through at level 1 and can be acquired several ways, from completing in-game challenges, crafting item recipes, and Diamond recharge bonuses. Characters with Wings receive a standard buff regardless of the design they choose, though certain rare Wings provide further bonuses. At level 80, players can begin to upgrade their Wings to personalize stat bonuses, unlock new designs, and reveal hidden abilities.
The Citadel, which unlocks via the Time Portal at level 79, presents players with the most difficult combat challenges yet, putting even Nightmare Mode to shame. Skillful and speedy Citadel players will be rewarded with empowering Battle Medals, even Titles. Mounts provide players with new combat options and faster movement speed. From the humble Iron Horse, to the shining Emerald Dragon, to the fearsome Shadowfang, Mounts will transform battlefields and city scenes alike with strength and style. There’s much more to see in this Blade Hunter update, and R2Games will take the beat ‘em up MMORPG even further in the future. |
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