MMO News

Smite Father Time Chronos Skin Preview
Battlefield Hardline: Getaway Coming January 2016
Ghost in the Shell: First Assault Press Preview
Counter-Strike Nexon: Zombies unleashes Christmas Nightmare
Wakfu Raiders’ New Holiday Update Is Live
MechWarrior Online Two Year Review
World of Tanks Generals – Behind the Scenes
Smite Lore: Who is Bakasura?
MechWarrior Online World Championships Announcement Trailer
Heroes of the Storm Lunara Spotlight

Posted: 14 Dec 2015 03:13 PM PST

Smite’s Chronos gets a new “Father Time” skin at the time of year when long white beards are seasonably fashionable.

The post Smite Father Time Chronos Skin Preview appeared first on MMOHuts.

Battlefield Hardline: Getaway Coming January 2016

Posted: 14 Dec 2015 03:04 PM PST

Drop the clutch, lay on the gas, and hold on to your seats, because Battlefield™ Hardline is gearing up for its fastest, most explosive expansion yet! Whether you're making a dusty, high-speed escape across the Mexican border, or closing in on a hot pursuit along the sun-drenched Pacific coast, you'll be chasing glory at top speed when you play Battlefield™ Hardline: Getaway*, coming January 2016.
A great getaway is key to a great heist. If you're a criminal wheelman, your payday is dependent on your ability to evade the cops. If you drive for the law, the fastest way to earn your badge is to take down the thieves before they can escape into a cloud of dust and burnt rubber. Ready to rev your engines? Here's what owners of Battlefield Hardline: Getaway will get…

Four massive maps: Pacific Highway, Double Cross, Train Dodge, and Diversion
New game mode: Capture the Bag
4 new vehicles
3 new weapons for the Mechanic Class
One new gadget and a new melee weapon
4 new Legendary Camos

In addition, all Battlefield Hardline players will receive a game update that includes new weapons and patches, as well as new features we'll talk about soon.
Battlefield™ Hardline: Getaway is available for Battlefield Hardline Premium members in January 2016. Visit the Battlefield Hardline blog here to learn more.

The post Battlefield Hardline: Getaway Coming January 2016 appeared first on MMOHuts.

Ghost in the Shell: First Assault Press Preview

Posted: 14 Dec 2015 03:03 PM PST

Last week I took part in the press event with some of the members of the team that is developing "Ghost in the Shell: First Assault," a tactical first-person-shooter that launches into Early Access through Nexon and Steam today (Dec. 14^th). So what did we learn while we were there? We got to try all three game maps, which were lifted and inspired by the anime it is based on (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex), and you can play as the entire cast. The group who designed the game built it for the western market and are responsible for one of my favorite PC titles, in Dungeon Fighter Online. As fans of the show/manga, they put forth a great deal of effort to make it feel and sound like the anime. The voices even sound like the original actors; it's hard to mistake Batou's deep voice for someone else. I got to play all three game modes, and even though my team only won one of those, I'm still pretty hyped for what I saw and experienced!

Ghost in the Shell: First Assault Press Preview

The gang is all here.

Though, you only get to pick one character to start with, through gameplay or real money, you can unlock the license for the other members of Section 9. From Motoko Kusanagi, Saito, Batou – all of them are ready to go! Each has a unique skill that makes them stand out, which leads me to the next thing they talked about: Skill Sync. Each character has a special skill, which has two levels. For example, Saito has a Thermal Sense, which lets him see enemies on the other side of walls. As the sniper of the team, this is a huge benefit to him. Now, Skill Syncing lets you share that skill with team members that are nearby (just the level one version of the power though). This can be done any number of times! So if Motoko, Batou and Saito are together, they can all Skill Sync if it is active, and all three can Stealth, See Heat Signatures, and fire arm rockets! This game requires teamwork and strategy; if you don't utilize this, I don't see run and gun style gameplay doing so well.

The UI is clean and concise, and doesn't try to reinvent the wheel.

There are three game modes, and five maps that are going to be rolling out with the Early Access, and each mode is quite different. They play similar to other FPS games like CoD and CS, and each was a lot of fun. The most relaxed mode is Team Deathmatch, and the map I played on was five minutes long. Pretty standard stuff, but the cool skills and the GITS IP really make it different from Call of Duty Black Ops. There's also Terminal Conquest; this is more like Capture the Flag. You have to capture the points to get the win, and each time you capture a point, your team gets a Think Tank [think a Tachikoma from the anime] and the enemy team can hack it to lower its defenses. The Think Tank will assault the other team, but it can be destroyed. This is something taught in the tutorial, which I highly recommend doing. Features here are a world of difference from your typical shooter, so don't think you can jump into it with your past experience and dominate blindly. Finally there's Demolition, a mode where you go first to a number and it takes place in rounds. One team is planting the bomb, the other team is defending. Last man standing, and it will feel kind of like Bomb Placement in CSGO. It's a really hardcore style map, and it can also be ended via killing the entire other team.

There's some nice little action moves you can use to further surprise enemies.

There's a really big takeaway from this, at least for me. First Assault definitely not pay to win; you can use real money or in-game currency to buy stuff, but while it's in Early Access, players WILL NOT be able to spend cash on store items. They do not want it to become about who spends the most money; instead, it will be whoever puts boots to asses and gets on that grind. I really appreciate that, because I'd be upset if I had to deal with someone spending a few hundred bucks to get everything right out of the gate and roflstomp everyone. It is definitely a game of skill and tactical know-how, but having better tech does definitely help.

Modification collecting should give the game plenty of replay value.

You can modify guns with a variety of attachments, and whether you win or lose, you can hack one of three "Nodes" that give you a chip that you attach to your character/loadout to give a variety of buffs or enhancements. You can get the same chip twice, but as far as I am aware, they can stack/improve. I'm certain that more maps will come as the game continues hurtling towards completion, but the team is dedicated to using player feedback during the Early Access to improving the quality of an already pretty snazzy game. Sure, you can make the argument that if you've played one shooter you've played them all, but I can't really agree in this case. There are some bugs still present, but that's the nature of testing. There are little things I don't like; some of the maps are kind of small, and I found the shotgun to do devastating, ridiculous damage. But the skill system, and the deep immersion into the Ghost in the Shell franchise really have me hyped! Make sure to check out the Early Access if you're ready leap right into the action!

Full Gameplay Image Gallery

[See image gallery at mmohuts.com]

The post Ghost in the Shell: First Assault Press Preview appeared first on MMOHuts.

Counter-Strike Nexon: Zombies unleashes Christmas Nightmare

Posted: 14 Dec 2015 02:41 PM PST

Brains are on the menu this season, as free-to-play shooter Counter-Strike Nexon: Zombies prepares to roll out a gruelling and ghoulish update that's so big it can't be contained to one occasion: Enter the Nightmare. Shuffling into homes around the world, every day for five days from the 14^th – 18^th December, huge new expansions will be coming into place featuring Zombie Scenario Boss Maps and a plethora of new items to be obtained. But are they real, or were you just dreaming..?

On day one, the 14^th December, the twisted Nightmare begins as you drop asleep after many an exhausting battle. But what awaits you in the realm of sleep may be more horrific than anything you have encountered in your waking hours with a host of Boss Zombies to defeat in the Annihilated: Nightmare room. Have you got the fortitude to tear down numerous bosses in round upon round of unending terror? Each round the bosses grow tougher and the horror more vivid.

Day two on the 15^th December will bring more lucidity to your darkened dream state, as you head to the Chemical power plant to face yet more boss zombies, this time including the likes of Revenant and Angra in Annihilated: Addiction.

In Annihilated: Illusion on 16^th December, the line between dreams and reality is completely blurred – are you awake? You'll hope not, as you fend off against the next wave of monsterish creatures, including the evil Mad Mechanic, in the strange dream world of a Catholic church from the middle ages.

The descent into feverish insanity quickens with the arrival of Annihilated: Madness on December 17^th. Defeat the next round of boss zombies headed up by Dr Rex, as your paranoia deepens. If you die in these strange dreams, do you die in reality?

On the 18^th, the sinister machinations of external forces are finally revealed on the final night of Enter the Nightmare. You must rouse yourself from the terrors of the night and take on the toughest fight yet; once and for all destroying the reanimated bosses that have returned for revenge.

In each terrifying scenario new items will be available to download, including tattoos and weapons such as the M4A1 Dark Knight and AK47 Paladin – a pair of assault rifles that use 50 rounds of .50 calibre special ammo to push back the zombie horde. The Dark Knight comes equipped with increased penetration, giving it the edge against multiple enemies, while the Paladin has a powerful semi-automatic alternate-fire mode. The special rifles can be obtained by collecting Transcendence Pieces from Mileage Decoders.

This is just a taste of things to come; for more information on Enter the Nightmare visit http://steamcommunity.com/app/273110/allnews/. In the meantime, be careful what you think of as you drift off to sleep – it may be the last sleep you ever have…

The post Counter-Strike Nexon: Zombies unleashes Christmas Nightmare appeared first on MMOHuts.

Wakfu Raiders’ New Holiday Update Is Live

Posted: 14 Dec 2015 01:41 PM PST

Fans of the mobile RPG Wakfu Raiders are in for a jolly treat this month. Wakfu Raiders, based on the WAKFU universe and franchise created by Ankama, will be decking its proverbial halls with an all-new Holiday seasonal period update which is now live.

Three new characters are now available: the cranky holiday exclusive warrior Father Kwismas, the thief Rubio Goldgun, and the gym junkie Mhandal. While Rubio and Mhandal are available in the summoning portal, Father Kwismas will only be available during the Holiday seasonal period between December 21^st and December 27^th (PST).

In addition, players will have access to new story chapters set on the fiery region of Brakmar and on the snowy island of Chillberg. The heroes of Wakfu Raiders will have to traverse a new hot and cold landscapes to discover the answers they seek in their quest, fighting new beasts and adversaries on the way.

To keep with the festive mood of the December holidays, fans will also get to amass more loot and prizes with new Christmas Bounty events, a Christmas Vortex dungeon, and Christmas present hunt minigames. These seasonal events will last from December 21^st to December 27^th(PST).

New additions from the update also include a new Hell difficulty for Crypt mode and a new 3-element combo attack that hits all enemies for massive damage.

The post Wakfu Raiders' New Holiday Update Is Live appeared first on MMOHuts.

MechWarrior Online Two Year Review

Posted: 14 Dec 2015 12:57 PM PST

MechWarrior Online looks at the past two years and what’s coming up in 2016. Don’t miss out on the World Championships announcement!