MMO News

Total War: Rome 2
Interstellar Marines Alpha Preview
Untold Universe: New Voxel-based Sci-Fi MMO on Kickstarter
DOFUS celebrates its 10th anniversary
SPACECOM: Release Date Set for September 17th
Dragon Nest (EU): Assassin Class Now Available
ArcheAge: Open Beta Now Available
RuneScape: The Road to Elf City #5
Seldon Crisis: First Foundation Dreadnought Ship Dors Venabili Preview
Hazard Ops Operation Paradise Lost

Posted: 05 Sep 2014 11:59 AM PDT

In Total War: Rome 2, players take on the role of a general in control of the Roman armies at the height of their power. It is up to the player to balance diplomacy, politics, and military might with their ultimate goals, be they loyal to Rome or not.

Publisher: Sega
Playerbase: N/A
Graphics: Very High
Type: Strategy
EXP Rate: N/A
PvP: Yes
Filesize: N/A

Pros: +in-depth combat, +Incredible battle visuals, +Extended campaign

Cons: -Poor AI, -Messy user-interface

Overview

Total War: Rome 2 Overview

In Total War: Rome 2, players will see exotic ancient cities and colossal armies rendered in incredible detail, while jaw-dropping cinematic battles unfold. New unit cameras allow players to see the battle from every perspective. The goal in the game is to dominate militarily, but also diplomatically. It’s up to the individual whether they want to fight for Rome and remain loyal to the empire, or seize power for themselves as a military dictator. There are a multitude of missions and campaigns, from the sacking of Carthage, to the invasion of Egypt. Land and sea combat are equally fleshed-out and important.

Total War: Rome 2 Screenshots

Total War: Rome 2 Featured Video

Full Review

Total War: Rome 2 Review

Coming Soon…

Screenshots

Total War: Rome 2 Screenshots

Coming Soon…

Videos

Total War: Rome 2 Videos

Total War: Rome 2 Trailer

Links

Total War: Rome 2 Links

Official Game Site

System Requirements

Total War: Rome 2 System Requirements

Coming Soon…

Interstellar Marines Alpha Preview

Posted: 05 Sep 2014 11:46 AM PDT

By Jason Parker (Ragachak)

More Than Meets The Eye:

Disclaimer: I understand that this is an alpha. I get that it is in early access. I also understand that this game has been in development for ten years. Early Access has been available for well over a year. I also understand that this is not exactly a huge company and the game is quite the undertaking. But the development/progress has been incredibly slow and for what is on offer (a PVP mode and two "secret" modes that are only really known if you browse Steam forums or peruse your Steam folders on your PC), I do not understand how there is 1.5 million dollars in profit being boasted by the developers. What does exist is rather underwhelming, but I will be as fair as possible.

To say that I was feeling some form of hype once I saw the trailer videos is an understatement. The game looked absolutely fantastic: space marines running around with fantastic guns shooting people in beautiful landscapes sounded terrific. I was expecting to find some form of co-op play after it being in early-access for a year, but alas it is still not released (more on that later). Overall, I'm disappointed; there was so much hope, and so little to be seen. The majority of the PVP appears to be based in Europe and Australia, so matches are difficult to find at normal North American hours. So much could be done with this setting; yet as of this writing, there is so very little to be seen and experienced. With that in mind, here we go!

Here I Go Again (On My Own):

The build which I reviewed has just one mode: Multiplayer. For a game that is going to tout a unique and fun story, glorious graphics, and terrific co-op, they are all conspicuously absent. With that, it is terribly difficult to say that this game is well on the way or not. Multiplayer matches are available by joining servers on the main game. Generally these hold 18 players and will be a best of three rounds. Between rounds you can switch sides if you'd like (if for example, the other team loses someone and you'd really like to start winning). But there are guns! Yes, there are guns in this game. However, in all of my matches I have not seen any alternate loadouts or other guns. I have two automatic rifles with differing recoils and damage. I have seen no grenades, jetpacks, lasers, or any other staples of the science-fiction genre. Instead, I only see guns taken straight from Call of Duty.

The maps are not exceptionally large at this stage in the game, and there are two ways to win from what I have seen. The first is by capturing all of the choke points on the map. If an enemy team takes one, of course you can claim it for yourselves. If the time runs out, the team with more of them is declared the winner and the game moves on to the next round. In smaller matches (I had several one on one matches) the person who killed the other team off wins. When a player dies, they have an incredibly long respawn time (roughly ~120 seconds), but if a team mate captures a spawn point, you respawn early. However, if the enemy team (or your team) winds up capturing the points while the other team is down, they can win that way. There are no other multiplayer modes available at this moment. I cannot help but feel like an entire year of "Early Access" with just this could be considered stale.

Good News (and Bad News):

There are two "bonus" modes available right now! That is, if you constantly browse the Steam forums (or know someone who does) or you often find yourself searching through your C:/ folders to try and find something new and exciting! The first mode is "Get Killed By Bots" mode and it is just as it would imply: you get killed by bots repeatedly. The mode features one map, a very blank room with several strangely placed walls similar to the Maze on the Isle of Crete in ancient Greece. The way one might think to approach this is to be stealthy, check the map to see where the enemy is and act appropriately. However there is no mini map to be had on any mode! No matter how crafty or clever you might think you are, the bots will find you. They will peek just slightly around a corner and pop you in the head with a single shot. Then you die and respawn; there are no score counts and no way to win. You simply die to bots repeatedly until you give in and leave for the main menu. Every so often you might kill one of them, and then the screen goes red as the one you can't see is blasting you with bullets.

Finally we have co-op, the thing that we are all waiting for! Until PAX Prime, there was no co-op mode at all. Those fortunate enough to be at PAX could enjoy this mode straight away. For those of us who were not (or could not be) there, again it can be found as a hidden mode. However, if you try to join the co-op in the normal "Multiplayer" option in the game itself, it will inform you that you have the wrong version of the game and you will be kicked back to the servers. When I went to access co-op in the hidden path, as soon as I connected, I died instantly and it said "Game Over". "Surely this is an anomaly!" I thought to myself as I tried again, only to meet the same dark fate.

I tried this for approximately fifteen minutes before I gave in and went to try some kind of single player action. The word "action" is a misnomer. You can walk around in the various maps the game has to offer and see the sights. You can see spaceships! Glowing red lights! Snow falling inside buildings! Yes, roofed buildings have snow drifting down from the sky; when you climb to the second floor, the snow is gone. But no enemies, no friends. Just emptiness, a deep sense of abandonment as I wander the world alone. Just me and my two guns. No justice, no peace.

If A Bullet Fires In the Snow, Is it Snowblind? Needs work.

I had so many high hopes when I heard I was going to be tackling this title, but I have felt nothing but a deep disappointment. I have played my fair share of alpha/beta titles, as well as early access games, but most, if not all of those at least had more than one feature to offer the players who sank time and money into their work. I think the part that bothered me the most was having to search and seek for "modes" to play, only to find disappointment in them. The trailers for the game are fantastic, don't get me wrong; but the early access itself is nowhere even close to what they are currently promising. If this is as far as they have gotten in ten years' time, or even a year's time, I cannot help but wonder how long this is going to take to be completed. Perhaps this could be the PC's Duke Nukem Forever? One expects glitches and inconsistencies in an early release but I cannot fathom how someone could spend money on something that has had this much development time only to be this underwhelmed. However, there is a bright point is that September 18^th, the full co-op gameplay will be released. So there is a silver lining in that I can hope that it will show more about what this game is promised to be.

Untold Universe: New Voxel-based Sci-Fi MMO on Kickstarter

Posted: 05 Sep 2014 11:21 AM PDT

After more than a year of development and testing, the Fenris Lair Studio team is now seeking funding for their game: Untold Universe. Blending together the concepts of building games like Minecraft and space MMORPGs like EVE Online, Untold Universe will offer to thousands of players to explore, build, share and fight in a huge and uncharted universe.

For six months now, the game have been tested by players from all around the world, as part of a private Alpha program. A successful Kickstarter will allow the team to add the various features and assets needed to bring it to the next level: the private Beta phase. Backers will see their access to this phase secured, for any pledge of 25$ or more.

Untold Universe is a space voxel-based MMORPG about thousands of players from all over the world exploring, colonising and shaping together a huge and uncharted universe.

When connecting to the game for the first time, you will be a pioneer freshly arrived from the known universe. You will discover the Border, a part of the universe that does not obey the same rules as ours, and is still to be discovered and tamed. Equipped with only your ambition and the Valhalla Digital pioneer starter pack–the basic set of tools given to new pioneers by the company leading the colonization–you will have a chance to start back your life, and become one of the most reputed industrial, commander, pilot, pirate, or anything that could make you rich, powerful and respected by your peers!

The game’s multiple small planets are made of cubes that you can remove to harvest resources. Resources that will be useful to craft goods and build new factories, spaceships or many other structures that will prove to be essential to colonize and protect new worlds. Those who prefer action to building will be able to buy spaceships and weapons directly from those who produce them, and work at defending assets and convoys or at actually attacking each other!

For more info, visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fenrislairstudio/untold-universe

DOFUS celebrates its 10th anniversary

Posted: 05 Sep 2014 11:09 AM PDT

Famous online game DOFUS celebrates its 10th anniversary this month. Ankama is organizing a big contest in honor of the occasion. The publisher is also launching a program designed to reward the loyalty of players and a new game mode, presenting a high challenge.

Launched in September 2004, DOFUS is one of the few massively online role playing games created back then still in operation and still being updated and developed. Today, it has 2.5 million active players each month, spread over 150 countries, and it has been adapted into comic books, an animated TV series, board games… A full-length movie, DOFUS – Book 1: Julith, is also in production.

With ten years of existence and so many fans, Ankama had to elaborate a program rewarding its most loyal players: the veteran rewards, implemented at the end of September. For every year of subscription, the player will get 5 gifts; the system is both retroactive and cumulative. No matter how long and how many times the player has interrupted his subscription, they will still be rewarded. So, some players will receive as many as 50 gifts (such as emotes, sets, petmounts, and pets) this month. More details on the dedicated page.

In addition to the veteran rewards, players will also be able to win items designed specifically for this anniversary via a big contest, taking place from September 11^th to October 16^th 2014. It will put to the test the knowledge of the players while doing a retrospective of the past ten years with anecdotes and other information, which will all form a timeline.

A new game mode is launched on the Epic Server: death there is permanent when the character dies in a battle against a monster (but not when fighting another player). At the end of September, players will also tread upon a new Divine Dimension, Xelorium, home of the God who controls time. On the menu: new dungeons, new quests, new monsters and new items.

DOFUS has reached a large audience over the past ten years, but Ankama does not intend to stop there. A streaming version of the game is under development. It will be playable by everyone later in September.

For more info, visit www.dofus.com

SPACECOM: Release Date Set for September 17th

Posted: 05 Sep 2014 11:08 AM PDT

11 bit launchpad – publishing platform of 11 bit studios (Anomaly series, This War of Mine) – is pleased to announce that its first game, SPACECOM, will make its debut on September 17th.

The game will be sold through various digital vendors, including STEAM, Games Republic and more. It will be available for PC, Mac OS and Linux platforms on the day of release, with six language versions (Polish, English, Russian, French, German, Spanish). Price for the game has been set at $14.99, but – as the game was made with multiplayer in mind – you can expect several bundles available (50% discount for 2^nd copy and buy 3 – get 1 for free) in particular stores.

More info about the game can be found at www.spacecom-gamecom.

Dragon Nest (EU): Assassin Class Now Available

Posted: 05 Sep 2014 11:07 AM PDT

Publisher Shanda Games International Europe updates the free to play action MMORPG Dragon Nest Europe with the brand-new Assassin class. The Assassin utilizes daggers, arm blades, chains and summons to attack his enemies from the shadows and send them to the after-life.

The Assassin can choose between two specializations when he reaches level 15 (Chaser or Bringer), which also offer another two sub-specializations each (Ripper/Raven or Light Fury/Abyss Walker) once Assassin players reach level 45. While the Chaser tree focuses more on hand-to-hand combat, the Bringer tree focuses on buffing and supporting group members with chakra energy.

The Assassin is a highly versatile melee fighter whose style is distinguished by a fast-paced combo mixture of Asian martial arts and spirit summons. While he can easily hide himself from enemies using smoke and shadows and retreat to a more passive survival, he is equally swift in striking down opponents with deadly blade, chain and martial arts combos. However, he does not purely rely on quick attack and retreat techniques but also offers valuable healing spells as well as defense and attack buffs for his group members by activating his chakra energy.

More information about Dragon Nest Europe can be found on the official website www.dragonnest.eu and on the official Facebook page www.facebook.com/DragonNestEu.

ArcheAge: Open Beta Now Available

Posted: 05 Sep 2014 11:03 AM PDT

Now available from September 4th to September 10th, ArcheAge by XLGames and Trion Worlds will be available in Open Beta.

Players can log in now and experience everything ArcheAge has to offer. Discover a great place for an ambush, establish a secret trade route, or explore any of countless other opportunities to make Nuia and Haranya your virtual home.

For more info, visit http://www.archeagegame.com/en/

RuneScape: The Road to Elf City #5

Posted: 05 Sep 2014 10:44 AM PDT

Mod Elfborne tells about the crystal-singers of Clan Hefin and the Meilyr, and shows some of the training opportunities they’ll offer.