Wednesday, January 16, 2013

New Games

New Games


This Pikachu-themed pimp outfit is pretty darn incredible

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 03:00 PM PST

This Pikachu-themed pimp outfit is pretty darn incredible screenshot

The facial expression of this man simultaneously dressed as a pimp and Pikachu says it all, until you notice the woman on the left of the photograph. Oh, but just wait -- if you go look at the full image, you'll then see that he's got a sparkling Poké Ball cane.

Classy, original, and even a tad bit subtle, all things considered. I respect the hell out of people who can perfectly capture the essence of a fictional character through hand-made costumes, but this is the kind of creativity I particularly love to see from the cosplay community.

[Photo by TheSpeedgrapher via Geekologie]

Nintendo restructuring to begin next month

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 02:30 PM PST

Nintendo restructuring to begin next month screenshot

According to a Nikkei report, Nintendo plans to merge its console and handheld divisions next month. On February 16, the company is prepared to bring 130 console engineers and 150 handheld engineers together under a single roof. Nintendo hopes this move will accelerate development times and make the company's products more competitive with mobile devices. 

The first corporate restructuring since Satoru Iwata took the helm in 2002, also includes the construction of a $340 million facility astride its Kyoto headquarters. The new building should be open sometime later this year.

任天堂、革新的ゲーム機開発へ体制一新 9年ぶり  家庭用・携帯型連動など探る [Nikkei via Gamasutra]

Have you used any of these weird-ass controllers?

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 02:00 PM PST

Have you used any of these weird-ass controllers? screenshot

When it comes to controllers, I try to steer clear of third-party options, as I've never once had a better experience with a knock-off versus the real thing. On the other hand, I gladly welcome any and all limited edition pads or goofy peripherals by the console makers themselves. The NES Advantage? Manna from heaven.

Even though playing with unconventional controllers may not always be ideal, some of them simply look damn amazing. Just take a glance at the 29 controllers in this Imgur gallery, stretching all the way back to the NES age. A friggin' Wu-Tang controller bundled with Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style? Hardly practical, but deliciously kitsch.

There are some prototypes that never saw the light of day, like the incredible Twilight Princess GameCube pad. Others were fairly progressive for their time, like the NES Hands Free Controller for quadriplegics. And some are still readily available, like the Sonic Screwdriver Wii Remote for an acceptable $20.

I've added a few to the gallery below, but you ought to hit the link for the full spread. Do you actually own any of these oddities?

Controllers by MarkEasty [Imgur via Dj CUTMAN]

Photo Photo Photo Photo Photo Photo Photo Photo Photo Photo

Valve scheduled to talk about virtual reality at GDC 2013

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 01:30 PM PST

Valve scheduled to talk about virtual reality at GDC 2013 screenshot

While talks at the Game Developers Conference can be hit or miss as far as finding specific information that's interesting and relevant to readers such as yourself, the presentations tend to be very insightful and generally worth attending. Valve has got two talks for GDC 2013 regarding virtual reality, and I can already picture how far the lines are going to stretch.

Joe Ludwig will be covering the company's experience with porting Team Fortress 2 to run using virtual-reality goggles, including what needs to be tweaked when adapting a game for VR. Valve's Michael Abrash has a separate talk planned in which he describes some of the issues facing virtual and augmented reality as well as a roadmap for the technology. Exciting times, indeed.

The Oculus Rift could well be the device that gets a wider consumer audience excited about virtual reality. I swear, every time I hear about the thing, I'm that much more curious, and slightly more sold on the promise. If you didn't catch it, Tested had some rather in-depth video coverage of the headset coming out of CES. Highly recommended, regardless of your familiarity with the Rift.

[Thanks, M Gross]

Game Boy sex! Parallel Processing by Danimal Cannon & Zef

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 01:00 PM PST

Game Boy sex! Parallel Processing by Danimal Cannon & Zef screenshot

I had a chance to meet the bald and beautiful Danimal Cannon (Roots, Armcannon, Metroid Metal) at MAGFest this year, and I've gotta say, he's one chill dude -- lounging at the merch table in a night robe, what a rebel! Still, for a man as hard-working as him, he deserves to dress however the f*ck he damn well pleases.

Speaking of doing as he pleases, Danimal's got a new album, Parallel Processing, on which he collaborated with fellow Game Boy chiptune artist Zef. That means not one but TWO Game Boy maestros mixing it up with different styles for a wholly new combined sound. The eight-track album is a mere $8, but you could spring for a physical release for $10.

If you want even more Danimal yogurt in your diet, Fangamer is serving up a $40 combo pack that includes both Roots and Parallel Processing, a Danimal T-shirt, and a Danimal pin. Mmmmm! That's some tasty fermented dairy!

Danimal Cannon and Zef - Parallel Processing [Ubiktune]

Office Chat: Infinite horizons and limited vision

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:30 PM PST

Office Chat: Infinite horizons and limited vision screenshot

Now arriving with an alarming consistency, I bring you the latest installment of Office Chat. In this episode, I'm joined again by Jordan Devore and Brett Zeidler as we address the controversy surrounding Star Wars: The Old Republic's forthcoming, homosexual-friendly planet. Then, speculation over the future as analysts feed the rumor mill surrounding the next wave of consoles and our expectations for the success of Disney Infinity (they're pretty high).

Brave the winter cold with the Snow Storm bundle

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:00 PM PST

Brave the winter cold with the Snow Storm bundle screenshot

It's time again for another Indie Royale bundle to arrive, this time the Snow Storm bundle. It's your usual deal; six quality indie titles are yours for a minimal cost but you'll get some added extras for going over the recommended price.

The center piece of the bundle is Resonance, the point-'n'-click adventure game that our own Fraser Brown rated very highly. Also included are retro platformer RobotRiot, real-time strategy game Project Aftermath, puzzler RoboBlitz, fantasy RPG/town builder Hinterland, and the shooter puzzler StarDrone.

The current minimum price is just £3.49/$5.49 and to receive a bonus album by chiptune artist Pixeljam, you just need to pay £5.09/$8. Despite Indie Royale bundles coming out every month, they're still great value for money. $8 for six games plus lots of music is a steal.

High Strangeness, a 12-bit romp by our very own AgentMOO

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 11:30 AM PST

High Strangeness, a 12-bit romp by our very own AgentMOO screenshot

What is the world coming to when Destructoid community members start making their own videogames? The endtimes are near! Repent! Repent!

The disarmingly charming and fetchingly fetching Ben "AgentMOO" Shostak already has a game under his belt -- Agent MOO: Maximum Overdeath on XBLIG -- but genius never rests! MOO and his buddy Steve Jenkins have joined forces for High Strangeness, a top-down action-adventure in the vein of SNES classics like Secret of Mana or Zombies Ate My Neighbors. It's been in production since at least 2009, when it was one of the very first successfully funded Kickstarter projects, and ought to land on PC and other unannounced platforms in late 2013.

I had a chance to play the demo, which was showcased in public for the first time during MAGFest 11. You run around town whacking specters with a flashlight, but towards the end you gain the ability to shift the environment from an 8-bit look to a 16-bit one (hence the "12-bit" label). You use this skill to solve puzzles and see markings that are invisible in the other view. Unfortunately, the feature was only briefly explored before the demo ended.

The art, by Sam Bennett, jumps between striking watercolor paintings and 8- / 16-bit pixel objects -- a marriage of old-school charm and modern sensibilities. Then on chiptune soundtrack duty is Rich "Disasterpeace" Vreeland, best known for his work on FEZ. Sounds like quite the package, don't it? You'll be doing yourself a favor by keeping an eye on High Strangeness either on Facebook or the development blog.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist pushed back to August

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 10:30 AM PST

Splinter Cell: Blacklist pushed back to August screenshot

Last we heard, Splinter Cell: Blacklist was aiming for a spring 2013 release, though that has since changed. In a dramatic new trailer posted by IGN -- "We're not going to stop this attack. We're going to stop all the attacks." -- a revised August 20, 2013 date was revealed.

Due to the way in which this information was announced, it's not clear what specifically is to blame for the delay. Still, we've heard just about every possible reason at this point, so I'm sure you can use your imagination. This continues to look like something fans of Conviction will enjoy.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist Release Date Announced [IGN]

Army of Two 'Overkill trailer' features a lot of shooting

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 10:00 AM PST

Army of Two 'Overkill trailer' features a lot of shooting screenshot

In case you needed reminding of what you're going to be doing in the upcoming Army Of Two: The Devil's Cartel, then this trailer makes it totally clear. You're going to be shooting lot of bullets at various bad guys (for some reason, not killing the scary massive dude with the machete) and blowing stuff up.

Considering The Devil's Cartel is a kind of quasi-reboot for the series, it'll be interesting to see if EA's upcoming title will change any core mechanics or if it's just a tonal shift. My guess is that there will be less snappy one liners and more blowing stuff up. Any of you guys interested in checking out The Devil's Cartel in March?

Aliens: Colonial Marines is finally finished

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 09:30 AM PST

Aliens: Colonial Marines is finally finished screenshot

It seems like we've been waiting an eternity for Aliens: Colonial Marines to see release, with the game having been expected as early as 2010. Today, a post on the Gearbox website confirms that the wait will only be a month longer, as the title has been certified gold and shipped to the printers ensuring the game will release on February 12, as scheduled.

The game has appeared to have great potential every time we've seen it, so my hopes are running pretty high for the title. Of course, we'll have a review just as soon as is humanly possible. 

Why not check out the story trailer for Aliens: Colonial Marines while you wait?

100% Series Retrospective: Devil May Cry

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 09:00 AM PST

100% Series Retrospective: Devil May Cry screenshot

[Read on for a description of every Devil May Cry game ever released in the US, and my completion of them all in 2013.]

2013 is going to be an exciting year. Now that I know you guys enjoy reading my Quests, I'm going to make an effort to do even more of them from here on out.

I hope that you have learned a bit about the franchises I've covered so far, as my plan is to inspire others to share their thoughts and feelings with the series of their choice as well (which many of you have done!).

In addition to Metroid, Mega Man Classic, the Mega Man spinoffs, Mega Man X, and Splinter Cell, I also have another one ready to go for 2013: Devil May Cry.

Why Devil May Cry?

All things considered, Devil May Cry is probably my favorite action franchise ever. The series is particularly close to my heart, as I remember when each game came out, and it's one of the only franchises where I rushed to buy every single game day one.

I vividly remember the first time I played the original game, the first time I played the standard version of Devil May Cry 3 and struggled on the first boss (because normal mode was secretly hard mode in the original), and the many times I watched the same clip of Devil May Cry 4's first gameplay video.

The DMC series does action right, simply put. It's the perfect technical action series, that essentially functions as a fighting game in an action-adventure's body. There's cancelling, split-second timing considerations, a heavy emphasis on combos, and a strong sense of urgency with the game's challenging difficulty levels.

It has memorable boss fights, amazingly cool weapons, sick cheesy '90s action cutscenes, tons of unlockables, and solid anime-style voice acting.

People are quick to note that the new DmC is more welcoming to newer players. I heavily agree with that, but the secret is, Devil May Cry was always welcoming.

In fact, it was one of the only action games ever to put in an "Easy Automatic" mode that allowed you to turn it down a notch if you died too many times. It was a perfect compromise, as it allowed you to execute advanced moves with the press of a button. It's a shame so many people have been turned away by a promise of an "impossible" barrier of entry.

I figured with the recent release of DmC: Devil May Cry, it would be a great time to dive into the series again, and see how the new game stacks up directly. For those of you who aren't aware, the series is widely popular, spawning a few novels, manga, an anime series, a US comic series, and a potential feature film.

Dante himself as appeared in many other games, including the Viewtiful Joe series, Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 (with Vergil), and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.

If you haven't joined me on my Quests before, the way they work is pretty simple. It's kind of like a retrospective, but rather than just give you an overview of a franchise, I'll generally let you know what I thought of the game when it was released, and what I think of it now.

If I didn't provide a complete vision of what the game is like before I replay it, I'll provide an "extended thoughts" section below each applicable entry. I'll update my progress in real time through my blog, and after I finish the entire Quest, I'll share it with you guys on the front page.

For this particular Quest, I actually finished everything in rapid succession over the course of a few days, so I skipped the c-blog portion and got right into it.

Let's go!



Devil May Cry - PlayStation 2 [Owned], PlayStation 3 (HD Collection), Xbox 360 (HD Collection) [Owned]

COMPLETED

At the time, the first Devil May Cry game was extremely fresh and unique. The simple premise of a cocky Devil Hunter engaging in demon hunting was a match made in anime heaven, and it worked. Although the game has started out as Resident Evil 4, it was eventually turned into something else entirely after the fixed camera from previous Resident Evil games was dropped for a more dynamic view.

After the development team traveled across Europe in an attempt to inject some gothic influence into the game, the project was changed entirely: the outcome was Devil May Cry.

I vividly remember seeing the first screenshots for the game, and getting extremely excited at nearly every picture. I loved the deep reds and purple color schemes of Dante and the Marionette enemies, and the ability to juggle enemies with your twin pistols was pretty unreal. Funnily enough, the concept of air juggling was inspired by a glitch in another Capcom game, Onimusha.

Devil May Cry was unique in that it was one of the only games ever to feature a "style" (scoring) system that made you self aware of your gameplay, and always challenged you to play better. But that wasn't the only challenge of mixing attacks up and not getting hit -- it was difficult in general to boot!

Starting the series tradition of unlockable difficulties and costumes, Devil May Cry was also one of the first games to offer an "extreme" difficulty mode, in this case, titled "Dante Must Die." 

It was very challenging, and naturally, very rewarding to complete -- and unlike many retro games that featured a "fake difficulty" (through bad design or software limitations), this challenge was legitimate, which made it all the more reason to power through it.

So how was my replay of the game? Well, the PS2 original is pretty choppy by today's standards, but the HD version feels just fine. While a lot of the elements found in the first game have been eclipsed (either copied, or bested by later games in its own series), it's still an enjoyable action game even to this day.



Devil May Cry 2 - PlayStation 2 [Owned], PlayStation 3 (HD Collection), Xbox 360 (HD Collection) [Owned]

COMPLETED

A common joke I like to make in Devil May Cry posts is "Yes, of course, Devil May Cry 4, the oddly named third Devil May Cry game" -- in reference to the fact that the black sheep of the franchise, 2, is generally shunned by fans into a non-existent state.

While I've beaten the other games at least ten times each (DMC 3 a lot more than that), I've only beaten DMC 2 a scant few times. So imagine my excitement going into it, seeing if it was truly as bad as I remembered.

And...it basically is. So many changes were made that weren't really necessary. For one, a side character named Lucia is introduced, and...she's not very compelling. Unlike Kat from the new DmC though, she isn't just an ancillary addition -- oh no -- she's basically forced into every facet of the game as a playable character.

On top of that, Dante changes into a less interesting, darker version of his previous happy-go-lucky self, and it isn't really fun to watch. The difficulty (a staple of the series) was also lowered, and weapons weren't as nuanced. Everything seemed to sort of blend together -- whether it was the very samey weapon collection or the similar-looking levels (there's far too much open space and not enough memorable environments).

The point is, it didn't stand out, which is generally what the Devil May Cry series makes its money on. Boss battles are extremely dull and forgettable.

If you're going to brave this, try it on the HD collection. Don't bother hunting it down and paying money for it individually. Besides, the first and third games are worth the price of entry alone for the package.



Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening - PlayStation 2 [Owned], PlayStation 2 (Special Edition) [Owned], PC, PlayStation 3 (HD Collection), Xbox 360 (HD Collection) [Owned]

COMPLETED

Devil May Cry 3 is an interesting and storied release. The very first iteration (the standard edition) featured the Hard difficulty as a standard. Meaning, Hard was actually Very Hard. As a result, I remember dying a number of times on the first sub-boss of the game (which is like five minutes in). That's a challenge, my friends, and one of the many reasons why I was immediately enamored by this game.

Some time later, a "Special Edition" was released, with new encounters, tweaked difficulty levels (it shifted every mode down one peg to understandably make it more accessible), and added the ability to play as Vergil. Yep, one of the biggest badasses in all of gaming was finally playable, and it was glorious. In fact, a playable Vergil is so appealing that Capcom opted to include a playable Vergil campaign as DLC in the new DmC.

But enough about Vergil; the game itself, even the non-special edition, is my favorite action game ever. The crux is due to two things: swappable weapons, and styles. While the new DmC has the ability to switch weapons mid-combat, it isn't instantaneous -- Devil May Cry 3's system was. Two weapons each were assigned to slots on the left and right, which would be switched using L2 and R2, respectively. As a result, you could utilize combos with *four* weapons in them at once. The kicker? All of the weapons were fine tuned, and fun to use.

Styles were another thing entirely that allowed you to play the game the way you wanted to play it. If you preferred a more defensive play-style, Royal Guard was your huckleberry. It allowed you to use split second timing and guard attacks in a traditional manner, in addition to the standard dodge mechanic.

There are suitable styles for melee weapons and ranged as well, but my absolute favorite is the Trickster style, which improves your speed, maneuverability, and jumping abilities. All of these styles level up, RPG style, and can be brought across difficulty levels, allowing you to replay the game as many times as you want to max everything out. It was a ton of fun, and there were a few nights where I'd beat the game twice in a row -- it was that enjoyable.

Of course, it also contained some of the best boss fights in all of gaming. Which brings us to the final battle -- Dante's epic showdown with Vergil. I mean, what can I say about this fight that hasn't been said a million times over? It truly is worthy of the term "epic." On higher difficulty levels, it's one of the most intense, and mesmerizing fights in all of action games (it might even be my number-one choice).

If you haven't experienced Devil May Cry 3 yet, you need to. If I had to summarize the third game into one word, it would be "gunchucks."



Devil May Cry 4 - PlayStation 3, PC, iOS [Owned], Xbox 360 [Owned]

COMPLETED

The fourth Devil May Cry game had one of the best core action engines of all time -- but you wouldn't know it, because the actual campaign had a heap of problems. Backtracking, pacing issues, and an all around lack of a compelling narrative hurt this game.

The chief complaint for me was backtracking, so much in that it basically expected you to beat the same game twice (and even fight many of the same exact bosses) with two different characters.

Like Devil May Cry 2, DMC 4 featured two characters. This time around I actually liked the newcomer (Nero), and enjoyed his different play-style, but the fact remains that the campaign itself is very uninteresting at points. It's a shame, because it's one of the best-looking games on the PS3/360.

Despite those issues though, Devil May Cry 4 shines brightest when you're playing as Dante, and switching between all four styles at will in the game's Bloody Palace mode. It's combat bliss, despite its fleeting nature.

Don't let anyone tell you Devil May Cry 4 is a bad game. It's not. It also sold very well, which makes the decision to go with a completely new studio all the more puzzling for fans.



DmC: Devil May Cry - PlayStation 3, PC, Xbox 360 [Owned]

COMPLETED

So we've come full circle now. We're past the fully Capcom developed titles and we're onto Ninja Theory.

As everyone knows, I'm not the biggest NT fan. Back when they were known as Just Add Monsters, they made a game called Kung Fu Chaos, which was basically an uninspired (and very racially charged) Smash Bros. clone for the Xbox.

Surprisingly, I found out four years later that they developed Heavenly Sword for the PS3, and went to check it out. While it had the machinations of a cool-looking game, I thought it was a pretty basic and uninspired God of War tech demo.

But still, Ninja Theory trucked on, and released Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, which was probably their most successful game to date from a critical standpoint. Even then, I still wasn't impressed.

Although Enslaved contains some of the best imagery I've ever seen in a videogame, the combat system was probably one of the worst I've ever experienced, and platforming basically consisted of "hold forward, press a button occasionally."

So naturally, I was a little skeptical of DmC: Devil May Cry. But even as Ninja Theory had hundreds of insults thrown their way, I remained steadfast, and always said I would give it a shot, because at the end of the day, I'll give anything a chance. I'm glad I did. As Jim stated in his review, the game has many redeeming qualities.

Although it isn't as innovative as the first game was for the time, and isn't up to snuff combat-wise like 3 and 4 were, I enjoyed DmC for what it was. The platforming was actually pretty good (and probably the best in the entire series), and the premise transcended a '90s action movie to the point where it would be (somewhat) universally appealing.

Despite the fact that I really didn't like the new characters for the most part, including Dante (no, not because of his hair -- I just felt like he was almost painfully generic), the world was something I could get into. Plus the combat wasn't bad at all, and is Ninja Theory's best effort to date in terms of straight gameplay mechanics.

In terms of difficulty, DmC was a bit of a letdown (like 2), and you really need to play it on the game's Son of Sparda mode (Very Hard) to get a true Devil May Cry experience -- you just have to beat the game once to unlock it.

While I wouldn't recommend the game to absolutely everyone, I would recommend it to most action fans. You might not be as wowed by it as some people, but you'll most likely enjoy it more than the average action-adventure.

Collection Photo:



Final thoughts:

Devil May Cry is a pretty weird series. It starts off with a bang, regresses, peaks, regresses a bit again, and reinvents itself over five short games. Honestly, not a lot of series have that storied a history with this kind of reputation.

Although the collection of games is far from what I'd call a "troubled" past (every game but the second has universal acclaim from fans of the genre), it is an interesting one, and one I enjoyed reliving on this Quest.

Devil May Cry 3's brilliance was no surprise discovery here, but rediscovering why Devil May Cry 4 was such a shame was a bit jarring, and disappointing. I was expecting the first game to not hold up well, but if you play the HD collection, it's just fine. DmC impressed me more than I thought it would, but there's a lot of issues that hold it back from greatness -- kind of like Devil May Cry 4.

As for recommendations, I'd probably tell newcomers to give the HD Collection a try and test out easy automatic if Normal is too troubling, and the new game, with a price cut.

So now we're in an odd spot. Capcom has a franchise that upped its presentation, but regressed a bit gameplay-wise. It's a give and take for fans, and something not all fans were willing to give.

The good news is, Capcom hasn't closed the door on an internally developed Devil May Cry 5. I mean, these two sub-franchises can coexist, right?

Right?

Photo Photo Photo Photo Photo Photo Photo Photo

MMO News

MMO News


World of Tanks 8.3 Preview Interview

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 05:15 PM PST

World of Tanks 8.3 Preview Interview with Head of Esports for Wargaming America

Image11 620x348

DizzyPW was invited to San Francisco yesterday to get an exclusive look at the changes coming to World of Tanks in update 8.3 which features brand new Chinese Tanks.  Dizzy interviews Caleb Fox, the head of Esports for Wargaming America about how these new tanks play their role on the battlefield along with other changes that were made to the game in the most recent patch scheduled to launch tomorrow.

Here are the details for the game changes in update 8.3:

Added the new Chinese tanks tech tree (17 light, medium, and heavy tanks)
The tier I light tank Renault NC-31 is added with a slot
Fixed tank model errors: T57, T28, AMX 13 75, Grille, M10 Wolverine, T25/2, Valentine GB, AC Mle 1946, SU 100Y, AT-15A, IS, TOG-2, Churchill I, Object 263, IS-2, T30, and KV-5
Fixed armoring discrepancies: T82, Object 261, M22 Locust, Pz III/IV, VK 4502 P, and Т69
Fixed camouflage cost for Type 62 and SU100 Y
Changed HE explosion splash radius: slightly increased for small calibers, practically no changes to medium calibers, and decreased for large calibers. Changes to medium calibers can be found in the vehicle changes section of the update notes.
Added new loading screens featuring Chinese tanks
Fixed incorrect visualization of permitted vehicle tiers for participation in junior and medium tank companies
Fixed some minor errors in the battle results screen
Fixed the description of the “Confederate” achievement
The criteria for crediting the “Spartan” commemorative has been brought into accordance to its description
Fixed font quality in some places of the interface
Fixed the system name of the ban at the login screen
Fixed surname duplicates in the personal data of French tankers
Removed from the store the turrets for TD/SPGs which have no turrets
Fixed the visualization errors of vehicles track traces

These are just changes from 8.2, here are the changes to the individual nations.

Changes to French Tanks
Changes to German Tanks
Changes to British Tanks
Changes to American Tanks
Changes to Soviet Tanks

Alphamon Ouryuken Arrives For Digimon Masters

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 05:01 PM PST

57363  540x400 digimon masters jan 16

 

 

Joymax has introduced one of the most powerful Digimon into Digimon Masters Online’s universe.

Players can combine Alphamon and Ouryumon through the Jogress system. Once they’ve completed a long quest chain, players will be able to Digivolve into Alphamon Ouryuken – but the climb isn’t easy.

Alphamon Ouryuken’s skills are light-element based, and include two special skills. One skill creates a large ball of light energy to slam into the enemy; the other slashes its sword with an earth-shattering impact!

Players who bring a friend to Digimon Masters during the current event period will get a full set of items to tame their own Alphamon Ouryuken. Events also taking place include a double experience boost during weekdays and a triple experience boost on the weekends.

Elsword Introduces Battle Magician Class

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 01:51 PM PST

Kill3rCombo has launched a new class for its popular MMORPG, Elsword.

The Battle Magician is a new job class for Aisha, and is a second part of the Elsword Transformation update series. Aisha is capable, as a Battle Magician, of unleashing punishing close quarter attacks, letting her now go toe-to-toe in melee fights instead of staying at range. This makes the character more versatile in both PvE and PvP modes.

While the Battle Magician class offers improved melee attacks, Aisha still is capable of strong magical attacksk.  While Aisha’s other classes involve mastery over the natural elements or dark forces, Battle Magicians have the rare ability to wield magic in its pure form for devastating energy attacks. Aisha acquires this ability through a magical pendant given by her mentor, as the Battle Magician story unfolds.

 

 

Month Long Bonuses For Netmarble Games

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:42 PM PST

 

Netmarble, the online game platform from CJ Games, is giving its fans something to appreciate. Two of Netmarble’s titles – the historical massively multiplayer online role playing game Uncharted Waters Online and intense online first-person shooter District 187 – will reward its fans with in-game bonuses this month after being recognized as the fan-favorite strategy MMO (UWO) and one of 2012′s best new games (D187). Through February, new and veteran players alike are eligible for the rewards by registering and playing the games for free.

 The special bonuses to players of the game are:

  • Uncharted Waters Online – Sailors, traders and adventurers can explore new areas, build better ships and trade for higher gains with a 50 percent skill boost, which lasts until Feb. 6
  • District 187- Gangsters and SWAT teams can easily rearm themselves with M4A1 rifles, Desert Eagles, combat knives and grenades with a 10 percent gold boost lasting through Feb. 10

 

57295  540x400 uncharted waters online 1 16

Ragnarok Online Classic Opens Doors To Lighthalzen

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 12:16 PM PST

57294  540x400 ragnarokonline lighthalzen

 

Gravity Interactive has announced a major town update for Classic Ragnarok Online.

Lighthalzen, originally introduced to International Ragnarok Online, will now be available on the new Pre-Renewal Classic server. In addition to new quests, the update also unlocks homunculus companion monsters for Alchemist class characters, and the mysterious Somatology Laboratory dungeon below Lighthalzen.

Airship routes to the city-state of Lighthalzen have opened up and adventurers from around Rune Midgard have journeyed over long distances to discover what this seemingly peaceful town has to offer. Established by the powerful Rekenber Corporation, the city-state of Lighthalzen grew from a simple mountain village to a prosperous metropolis. Though they have brought great wealth to the town, visitors whisper of dark experiments taking place behind the clean façade of the Rekenber headquarters. Players will have their hands full if they attempt to unravel the mystery.

This update allows for Alchemists to create Homunculi, user-programmable monsters that will fight on the side of their creators. There are four different kinds of homunculi, each with their own special skills and specialty. These helpful new creatures are much more than pets.

"With the highly requested Lighthalzen expansion on Classic we are giving the opportunity for players to experience more high level content "says iRO lead producer Jason Heimdallr Koerperich. "Quests, Homunculi and our Jump Start event make this a big content update for Classic!"

The Jump Start event is a two week event designed to help level new characters up to level 50. This event will help iRO fans get over the difficult early-game "hump" by reducing the amount of EXP required to level-up character and job levels from 1-50 by half – a great time to get started!

Fiesta Online Reveals Snow-Shredding New Mount

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 11:31 AM PST

Fiesta Online delighted their millions of fans today with the unveiling of an exciting new permanent mount that allows players to ride around with a wintery aura of snow. Now one can keep shredding long after the fresh powder is gone. To show off the supercool snowboard features, the game team posted this video:

 

 

All this week, Fiesta’s Game Masters will be giving away one-day free rides for players to preview the boards which go on sale this weekend in a variety of exciting designs, starting with the Fiesta and Idol Snowboard Speeder models. There will also be a downhill race for fashionable prizes including stylish snowsuits, snow hats and snow goggles. Those launch event details can be found here.

Chinese Tanks Roll Out in World of Tanks

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 10:47 AM PST

Wargaming has announced that Chinese tanks are arriving in the World of Tanks battlefields with update 8.3. The update is available today in Europe and Southeast Asia, and will be available tomorrow, January 17, in North America.

The update adds seventeen tanks used by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in the mid-twentieth century. Chinese tank designers combined the best qualities of existing designs from foreign engineers, modernizing and upgrading their technology to build some of the fiercest tanks of their time. As a result, the Chinese tank fleet consisted of modifications of classical models, as well as original combat vehicles.

Lower tiers of the new tech tree feature various foreign designs, including the Type 97 Chi-Ha, the first Japanese-made tank in the game. In top-tier tanks, heavy Soviet influences are found, along with many original Chinese models, some of which never went into mass production.

A fearsome opponent, the Chinese tanks are equipped with decent armor, impressive mobility and accurate guns with high damage potential making them a force to be reckoned with.

 

StarConflict

Posted: 16 Jan 2013 09:48 AM PST

StarConflict is a dynamic action MMO, allowing you to sit at the helm of a starship and take part in massive star fleet battles! Control several different ships from fast and furious interceptors, to powerful, hulking, frigates as you and your squad fight for galactic dominance. With a slight arcade feel, StarConflict takes dogfights to an intergalactic extreme, giving you full 360 degree control, cloaking, lasers and, who doesn’t like space nukes!?

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Publisher: Gaijin Entertainment
Playerbase: Medium
Graphics: High
Type: MMO
EXP Rate: High
PvP: Available
Filesize: ??

Pros: + Limited information available.

Cons: - Limited information available.

download nowcreate accountofficial site

Overview

StarConflict Overview

* Please bear in mind that this information can be changed or corrected. This document only reflects changes which are most important and necessary to be shown. 

Three Classes

The Empire: 

A great war machine, steadfast in its submission to the leader. This faction's policy is aimed at expansion: expanding the boundaries of the Emperor's power is their main priority.
The Empire's strength comes from the best navy in the universe. The magnificent ships are characterized by high wear resistance and combat capability. They are equipped with the best offensive and defensive techniques in their field, which were developed by the faction's scientific cabinet. Representatives of the Empire are very interested in technology, particularly military technology. The cabinet of scientists, which is formed by the best minds in the universe, is generously sponsored—Imperials don't skimp on innovations. However, the Empire isn't interested in sharing these technical innovations with the masses.
The army is the pride of every Imperial, and a successful military career is essential for anyone who hopes to achieve a high-powered position. Representatives of this faction command respect with fortitude, the ability to stand up for themselves, and solidarity. The appearance of members of the Empire is exactly the same as their character. According to them, one's clothes should be functional and reflect the owner's status.
Proud and strong, loyal to the Emperor and ready to conquer the universe every day of the year, Imperials are one of the universe's strongest factions.

Characteristics of the Empire Ships

The Empire ships are a good choice. The ship’s hull is 35% stronger compared to ships from other factions, but the shield is 20% weaker than the shields of other factions. All in all a recommended choice for all who prefere to play on strength.

Bonus for Imperial factions

“Loyalty”: +5% Reputation
“Rage”: +5% Damage on main weapons

The Imperial factions

Legion
Wardens

The Federation

Also known as the Alliance of Free Worlds. Representatives of this faction bow to no one, but have paid for their freedom with centuries of bloody wars against the Empire.
There is no rigid power structure or clear hierarchy in the Alliance. This faction doesn’t pursue a policy of aggressive expansion (except the expansion of the mind), but from time to time accept free men into their ranks when one star system or another decides to throw off the yoke of the Empire. Trade is the Federation's power and there no place in the known universe that was occupied by another faction without a Federation representative getting there first—whether to mine, sell, or explore the potential market.

The Federation cares about the development of technology. Its high quality ships are well eqipped, speedy, and convenient for travel and transporting goods. Men of the Federation use weapons primarily for self-protection, which is why the Federation keeps developing portable and stationary devices to generate solid force fields.

As for their appearance, members of the Federation are known as rather democratic personalities. Expensive fabrics of superior design, exceptional comfort, and some extravagance distinguish their favorite apparel. However, in striving for the perfect appearance, members of the Alliance don't neglect defense, hiding portable generators and power fields in their belts, or venom locators and virtual maps in their rings

Their desire for security, taste for moderate adventure, love of luxury, and exceptional nose for profit are the main features that characterize representatives of the Federation faction.

Characteristics of the Federation Ships

Ships of the Federation are characterized by high speed and maneuverability. These abilities are 25-30% higher compared to the other factions. In addition the Federation ships have good power generators allowing them to replenish energy 15% faster.

Bonus for Federations factions

“Transaction”: +5% credit income
“The perfect Setup”: +2% Hitpoints for hull and shields

The Federation factions

Armada
Vanguard

 

The Jericho

The heirs of people who were long ago banished from the Earth, Jericho are quite suspicious of and harsh toward strangers. Forced to live for a long time on huge spaceships flying into the unknown, the representatives of this faction have worked hard to improve their technology, and now Jericho is the most technically equipped faction. Jericho’s ships are fast and maneuverable. Their arms are not only superior in design to those of the other factions, but also differ from them in many ways.
It's worth noting that the men of Jericho are different from the other descendants of humanity, too. For centuries, this faction led development in the field of cybergenetics, resolving various disadvantages of the physical human body with complex implants that helped them in their struggle for survival.
Starting in early childhood, the Jericho modify their bodies, and this process seems so natural to them that people who don’t use implants are met with scornful surprise. They put their faith into the success of technological development and it has paid off.
Jericho have survived, conquered numerous planets, and returned to avenge those who drove them out. Will this faction justify its name will the people of Jericho allow the wall of misunderstanding that separates them from the rest of the world to fall? Time will tell.

Characteristics of the Jericho Shpis

Jericho ships have relatively low (approximately 15%) hull strength, but very powerful shields and strong recharge generators, which are 35-40% better than in other factions.

Bonuses Of Jericho

“Observant”: +5% more experience
“Intrigue”: +2% damage of missles

The Jericho factions

Raid
Techs

Reputation

Reputation is earned for certain actions in the game. Reputation is necessary to obtain the next rank in the faction. Reputation points for one and the same action can give reputation for both sub factions.

Ways to improve reputation

1. The main way to gain reputation points is to fight with the ships of the faction. If you are in battle with ships of different fractions, reputation points will be credited to those factions ships which took part in the battle. You may also enter the fight on non faction ships. In this case the reputation will be provided for the two subfactions.
2. An additional way to gain reputation points is to complete contracts. For the completion of the terms of the contract the player is awarded a certain amount of reputation points as specified in the contract.

Contracts

Contracts are Quests players can recieve from every faction regardless of their origin. With the completion of the contract the player receives a reward.
Contracts are a way of enhancing the reputation of the fractions. Contracts are not required. It allows you to accelerate the growth of reputation and reduce the time to achieve the next level rank in a particular faction.
At the beginning of the game the player is not available for all contracts. Availability of contracts is unlocked as the reputation for a particular faction. Contracts can be included several times in a row, but a number of contracts have a rollback time and cannot be completed in a series.

StarConflict Screenshots

StarConflict Featured Video


Full Review

StarConflict Review

Coming Soon…

Videos

StarConflict Videos

Official Trailer


Links

StarConflict Links

Official Game Site

System Requirements

StarConflict System Requirements

Coming Soon. . .

 

 

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