MMO News |
- Act of Aggression
- MMO Predictions 2015 – Cutting Corners and Burning Early
- Marvel Heroes Meet The Voice: Winter Soldier
- Wyrmius Mini-Game Trailer
- Warframe Unleashes Wyrmius
- Ratz Instagib Steam Early Access is Here, and it’s Pure Carnage
- Nexon Europe Forecasts Severe Weather for War Rock
- His Majesty’s Armor Invades World of Tanks Blitz
- Bit Mass to Showcase New Cards and Castles Update at PAX South
- Primal Carnage Slashes Price as Sequel Draws Near
| Posted: 21 Jan 2015 05:37 PM PST Act of Aggression is a classic RTS game designed to be a call-back to the golden age of RTS games in the 90′s. It’s meant to be a ‘spiritual successor’ to the Act of War games. The game takes place in a near future, where economic collapse has given rise to a mysterious organization called The Cartel.  Publisher: Focus Home Interactive Pros: +Classic RTS gameplay, +Complex objectives, +Large-scale multiplayer Cons: -Limited information available
Overview Act of Aggression OverviewAct of Aggression has three factions players can choose from. Though exhausted by endless fighting across the world, the United States Army is a brute-force of veterans; they can skill up in specific roles and improve their veterancy, but use current generation technology. The Cartel is an organization of stealthy operatives born out of private military contracts, with the latest cutting edge prototypes. Fragile and expensive, but stealthy and powerful, this secretive faction is difficult to master. The Chimera is a UNO funded task-force designed to have a plan in mind for every situation. Their units can be modified through upgrades into specific roles, or be left as a jack-of-all-trades. Act of Aggression Screenshots    Act of Aggression Featured Video Full Review Act of Aggression ReviewComing Soon… Screenshots Act of Aggression ScreenshotsComing Soon… Videos Act of Aggression VideosAct of Aggression Trailer System Requirements Act of Aggression System RequirementsComing Soon… |
| MMO Predictions 2015 – Cutting Corners and Burning Early Posted: 21 Jan 2015 04:59 PM PST By Remko Molenaar (Proxzor)
Last year I predicted that the uprise of card games would change the industry, and I am happy to say that I was right. Hearthstone got insanely popular after the beta, and if you look at streaming platforms like twitch, it is one of the most streamed games of the industry. While some point to it as an extreme example, plenty of other CCGs have seen decent success, especially in the realm of mobile games. Just because you don't see a ton of press coverage or advertising for them doesn't mean they aren't bringing in the bankrolls. Seriously these card games don’t even have to be online anymore and people just throw all their money at them. Unfortunately this was one of the few success stories of 2014, as most of the online gaming industry suffered greatly. A lot of people are not happy that developers seem to be making major changes in their games with arbitrary care for community feedback. Gamers in droves began leaving their titles, only to find paywalls blocking out anticipated upcoming titles as Steam Early Access and founder pack programs conquered the 'free to play' model. The other side of the paywall has proven even riskier as indie developers on Kickstarter have started to realize the gap between their funding and game developing experience versus their expectations and promises. This creates discouragement both on the side of the developers who get labeled as frauds, and the backers that have been burned one too many times. Because of this I expect to see 2015 bring the beginning rumblings of change, even though we will still see an endless supply of early access beta tests that seem to stretch forever. Players are getting wiser by the day and far less likely to buy into just any paywall beta. The industry will be forced to react in kind, and I'm fearful that they will take the wrong road, walking forward with even less risks to maintain low but stable profitability. We have seen plenty of games in the last year that were almost direct copies to the previous title in the company's portfolio. While the most obvious culprits are the Chinese MMO publishing groups and app game store developers, even major studios are becoming guilty now. One that comes to mind is a title like Far Cry. Far Cry 3 was an amazing game, it was a game that was extremely different from the first two Far Cry games, but the latest Far Cry basically was the same game, in just a different setting. This doesn’t mean that the game itself is bad, because lets be fair it was still an awesome game, but if you really think about the development of the game, they basically had a lot of content already that could be rehashed for a fraction of the cost of producing the first game. The need to cut costs and corners at every turn is changing the game industry into a much simpler, predictable place. The warp speed rate that graphics have improved in the last decade is now peaking out. The cost of going to the next step just isn't worth it, especially when older gamers are donning their nostalgia goggles to go googly-eyed over graphics that were passible in the 1990s. Again Far Cry 4 stands as an example of astonishing graphics. They're so good, most players can't even suggest areas that they could have been improved in. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and not all companies see it as an opportunity to cut corners though. One direction that seems to be becoming a popular focus in place of graphics is a game's storyline and proper cutscene direction. Final Fantasy XIV continues to push out console RPG quality cutscenes within an MMO, complete with voice acting localized to multiple languages, and their playerbase loves them immensely for it. Some companies continue to push the boundaries of how realistic of a game world they can create, such as was done in Watch Dogs. This game showed huge potential, only to become a huge let down to the majority of the crowd that bought the game. I myself had pre-ordered the game, and even though I did enjoy my time playing it, it wasn’t what I expected. One could question, who is there to blame for this continued disparity of vision and product? And I think that we the consumers are partly to blame. While the online gaming community struggles to meet ends with early access and founder pack programs, on the other side of the tracks the console juggernauts are living easy while still pushing pre-order programs like it ain't nobodies' business. As sales quotas are met before the game even ships, inexperienced developer heads become satisfied with their product under this guise of false confidence. If there is a publisher like EA behind it, this could discourage them from implementing much needed key features, content, and polish that might make or break the game. Obviously this is not the way the world or industry works all the time, but enough small dev teams signed to large publishers have fallen victim to circumstance as is. The ever growing shorter attention span of gamers only exasperates the problem, as games are given a narrow window after launch (or even when shown in beta) to reach potential before the masses give up and move on. We have seen plenty of games that were insanely popular during the early access rush turn into full ghost towns upon release. One that comes to mind is DayZ, I myself and many other zombie survival gamers have invested into this game. It is now a bit over a year later and the game is plagued more with bugs than actual features. This doesn’t mean that the game itself is bad, I enjoyed it, and even though I didn’t get as much enjoyment I thought I would get out of it, I probably got my money's worth. However, I do know that a studio like Bohemia Interactive sticks with their games for the long run, but I wonder if they're ever going to find a positive return at this point. Most of the people that bought DayZ are pretty much done with the game, and it's far from being released. That’s a really bad thing if you think about it, the majority of the playerbase basically bought an unfinished product and were satisfied already. I hope 2015 is going to be different, there are plenty of promising games coming out this year and I really hope that many of these games are actual finished products. People love an early access, and people love investing into a potentially promising game. But lately we have also had people buying into an early access of the game, even though the full product is supposed to be entirely free. While at first the publishers may see this as a win, they soon must face the reality that when no one is left to purchase from their cash shop at launch, the game makes less money in the long term. I think the gaming industry is going to mature a lot in 2015. With faith in online gaming running at an all-time low, publishers are going to become much more wary of showing an unfinished product to the public, and may keep games hidden in the garage until the full valued product is ready for shipping. |
| Marvel Heroes Meet The Voice: Winter Soldier Posted: 21 Jan 2015 04:43 PM PST David Hayter brings Winter Soldier to life in Marvel Heroes.
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| Posted: 21 Jan 2015 04:35 PM PST A brand-new space shooter minigame is now available in Warframe for your PC!
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| Posted: 21 Jan 2015 04:31 PM PST Digital Extremes, creator of the AAA Free-to-Play title, Warframe® announced today the launch of the highly anticipated Warframe-themed; side-scrolling mini game Wyrmius for the PC version of the game. Wyrmius (Wur-mee-us), is here, and players can now blast enemies in old-school style. The year may be 2015, but players will feel like they are launching back to 1980 with the new Wyrmius mini game. Players can use Wyrm's signature laser rifle to blast through increasingly challenging enemies in this Sentinel-based space shooter. To play, gamers can visit their Arsenal and Equip Wyrm, visit 'Appearance' and select the 'W' loadout at the top of the screen….But not just anyone will find the elusive Wyrm. It isn't quite as easy as it sounds! |
| Ratz Instagib Steam Early Access is Here, and it’s Pure Carnage Posted: 21 Jan 2015 03:28 PM PST The Ratz Instagib Early Access has launched and already the servers a bursting with Ratz fighting for dominance on the leaderboards, customization unlocks, and most importantly the annihilation of their inferiors. With 6 game modes, 8 maps, 5 beam-types, and 7 frag animations to unlock, this Early Access has plenty of content to jump into. And there’s still more to come too! There are two ways to get your key and start fragging: the Solo Rat ($8.99) or the Ratz 4-pack ($24.99). MMOHuts is also giving away Steam keys, so get yours now! Early Access feedback is essential for the development of Ratz Instagib. We highly encourage players to engage in discussion on the Steam forums, get in touch via social media channels, and contact us directly via email. Thank you for your support! |
| Nexon Europe Forecasts Severe Weather for War Rock Posted: 21 Jan 2015 02:24 PM PST Nexon Europe is excited to announce that the immensely popular multiplayer shooter, War Rock, is set to receive a wintery overhaul this month in the shape of a snow covered map and special seasonal events. For a limited time, players across the globe will be able to take up arms on Winter Red Clover, a seasonal variant of fan-favourite map, Red Clover. As an added bonus, there will be +50% EXP events taking place for those who take on the snow capped mission. The heavy snowfall brings with it the Snowball Fight Event, in which players can temporarily put down their arms in favor of (deadly) snowballs. All players that participate in the event will have their character's head changed to that of a snowman's. "The War Rock team has done a stellar job transforming Red Clover from a scorching desert location into a winter wonderland," said Marcel Kim, Product Manager at Nexon Europe. "I can't wait for the community to start hurling snowballs at one another." In addition to all the frosty shenanigans, the Puzzle Event will be taking place from 21st January until the 18th February. The Puzzle Event will see players collecting 9 different puzzle pieces, which can be randomly obtained whilst playing on a variety of maps and modes. Players that successfully collect all puzzle pieces will earn themselves a Puzzle Event Box. |
| His Majesty’s Armor Invades World of Tanks Blitz Posted: 21 Jan 2015 02:13 PM PST Wargaming today announced the global release of Update 1.6 to the free-to-play mobile action game World of Tanks Blitz. This new update represents the first major release following the successful game launch to Android in Dec. 2014. Since the initial launch on Android, the game has garnered over 5 million installs on Android devices and will now offer content updates to both iOS and Android users worldwide. The all new British line will offer players a powerful lineup of nine iconic British heavy vehicles including the formidable Churchill, powerful Black Prince, quick-firing Conqueror, and rounding out Tier 10 with the FV215b. Update 1.6 will also introduce the map Castilla, allowing tankers to rush to the battlefield in these impressive British heavies on an all new terrain. |
| Bit Mass to Showcase New Cards and Castles Update at PAX South Posted: 21 Jan 2015 01:49 PM PST
Hot off the heels of the "Doorway to Madness" update—and after a very successful 2014—Cards and Castles developer Bit Mass will be featuring its latest content update, "The Ancient Hero Returns," at PAX South later this week. Attendees will be able to chat with creator Matt Siegel and play the game on the show floor! Cards and Castles, which launched on iOS and Android devices in April 2014, is the first title developed by indie studio Bit Mass. A novel approach to collectible card games (CCGs), Cards and Castles adds grid-based strategy gameplay and a number of formidable factions (Vikings, Crusaders, Warlocks, Pirates, or Ninjas) to keep things interesting. The game now boasts more than 400,000 downloads worldwide. 2014: A Banner Year for Cards and Castles November marked the beginning of a huge overhaul to the game's Challenge mode. In "Draft Mode," players were able to compete against each other in live or asynchronous matches using decks created on the fly. In December, card collectors everywhere were happy to see that Foil cards had reached their final form and could be collected by players. Cards and Castles has been featured in Apple’s App Store four times. The "Doorway to Madness" update was named one of the "Best App Updates" in 20 different countries, including the U.S. and China. The game has received rave reviews from players all over the world, with an average 4.5 rating in the App Store. "We’ve seen 1,000 percent growth in downloads since the 'Doorway to Madness' update hit last week," said Matt Siegel, founder of Bit Mass. "We expect to do even better with 'The Ancient Hero Returns.' This expansion adds a ton of single-player content, a drafting-style competition format—and neat features such as automatic deck building and a much-requested ‘Abandon Quest’ button. Slow January? We don’t think so!" |
| Primal Carnage Slashes Price as Sequel Draws Near Posted: 21 Jan 2015 01:40 PM PST Been holding out to get your hands on the best Human vs. Dinosaur, team-based, first-person shooter in video game history? Now it's time to join the fray! The online shooter Primal Carnage is now available at the everyday price of $7.99 on Steam – nearly 50% off from the previous price of $14.99. The savings don't stop there – in addition to this massive price cut, every single DLC package for Primal Carnage is now being offered at permanently reduced prices of up to a 50% discount. Additionally, those who purchase the classic Primal Carnage before the full launch of its upcoming sequel Primal Carnage: Extinction will be eligible for a special limited-time offer for a 50% discount to receive Extinction which is currently playable in Early Access. For more details, please visit the Primal Carnage forums here. |
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