Latest Gaming and MMORPG Updates |
- The Secret World MMO Launch Date Announced
- The Vita’s Challenge: A History of Portable Competition
- Aion: Ascension
- ARGO Online Review
- OP-ED: Nintendo Direct Unlikely to Reveal Redesigned 3DS Tomorrow
- Gotham City Impostors Beta Begins October 5
| The Secret World MMO Launch Date Announced Posted: 22 Feb 2012 08:42 AM PST Funcom has announced the launch date for its latest MMO, The Secret World. The highly anticipated MMO will go live on 19 June, two months later than its intended April launch: "Allowing for even more time to polish the game really shows just how much faith Funcom as a company has in 'The Secret World' and how committed we are to making it the best it can be," said Creative Director and Senior Producer Ragnar Tørnquist. "The additional time will also allow us to carry out even more quality beta testing, and soon we will also be announcing several public beta events where hundreds of thousands of gamers will get to test the game prior to launch." The Secret World is set in the modern day and is based upon conspiracy theories, featuring three distinct factions: The Illuminati, The Dragon and The Templars. Read more about it and register for the beta on the official The Secret World website. Posted by: admin in Gaming News Thank you for Visiting Gameforumer.com, Hope you enjoyed the stay with us. |
| The Vita’s Challenge: A History of Portable Competition Posted: 22 Feb 2012 02:42 AM PST Today marks the official U.S. launch of PlayStation Vita. It’s a great system, but it has its work cut out for it. Nintendo’s 3DS is making serious inroads after a soft launch, and Sony runs the very real risk of seeing history repeat itself. To date, Nintendo has triumphed against every handheld competitor to challenge it since the Game Boy launched 23 years ago. We can’t predict how the Vita/3DS battle will turn out just yet, but we can certainly look to history to see how Nintendo has consistently triumphed over its impressive competitors. The Game Boy Era 1989: Game BoyShortcomings: The Game Boy was almost laughable from a hardware standpoint. Its puny processor was more than a decade old at launch, and its screen felt like a throwback to the ’70s, too, offering no color support but rather a paltry four shades of grey on a cheap LCD so prone to ghosting and blur that it rendered many action games nearly unplayable. Atari’s impressive Lynx arrived almost simultaneously with Game Boy, rendering Nintendo’s handheld practically obsolete from day one. Why they didn’t matter: Nintendo’s design philosophy rendered many of the Game Boy’s perceived flaws into strengths. That weakling of a processor and mess of a screen allowed Nintendo to sell the system for about half of what the Lynx cost, and its battery life was extraordinary. On top of that, Nintendo was at the pinnacle of its NES-era popularity in 1989, and the mere opportunity to play games like Mario, Castlevania, and Mega Man on the go was profoundly motivating. Plus, Game Boy had a killer app in the form of Tetris. Game Boy games weren’t often truly great — but they were certainly good enough. 1989: LynxStrengths: Atari’s Lynx arrived mere days after the Game Boy and, technologically speaking, blew it away. It boasted a vivid full-color screen with proper backlighting, beside which Nintendo’s pukey-looking graphics paled. Behind that screen was an impressive array of hardware, including a beefy processor and a fast 16-bit graphics chip, putting it nearly on par with the TurboGrafx-16. On top of that, Lynx featured an innovative ambidextrous design so that both lefties and righties could play it comfortably. Why they didn’t matter: With great power comes great responsibilities, and Lynx failed at living up to its demands. It cost nearly twice as much as Game Boy, and the hidden cost of batteries was even more significant: It required six AA batteries to run for four hours, where the Game Boy could run five times as long on fewer batteries. The system itself was massive and cumbersome thanks to some ill-advised focus testing. And perhaps most crushingly of all, Lynx wasn’t made by Nintendo, which meant its software library was filled with obscure games and dated arcade conversions. The sad thing is that Lynx probably would have done much better for itself had it been launched in a more timely fashion: Epyx developed it in 1986, but Atari sat on it for two years only to debut it head-to-head with Game Boy. 1990: TurboExpressStrengths: The TurboExpress was nothing less than amazing. A compact and comfortable system, it was capable of playing TurboGrafx-16 games. Not ports, not repackagings; TG16 HuCard chips slotted directly into the system and played with few compromises aside from some difficulty with saves and the different resolution of its beautiful color screen. Why they didn’t matter: Like Lynx, the TurboExpress was an incredible power hog, requiring as many batteries as Lynx for even less play time… and that was on top of its hefty $249 price tag (almost $390 in today’s money). The TurboExpress also had the misfortune to be tied to the TurboGrafx-16, a console that achieved very little success in the U.S. — and outside the U.S., its popularity was largely tied to the TurboCD add-on, which wasn’t compatible with the handheld. 1990: Game GearStrengths: Game Gear definitely offered the strongest competition to Nintendo’s handheld hegemony until the PSP arrived. Compact and comfortable with a slick color screen and a solid library, Game Gear featured all the strengths of its fellow competitors but also backed it with the Sega name — a true boon, especially in the U.S., where Genesis was eating Super NES’s lunch at the time. Another advantage: Gear Gear was essentially a scaled down Sega Master System, meaning existing games could easily be tweaked to run on the hardware and resold. It even had an optional TV tuner! Why they didn’t matter: Unfortunately, as with Lynx and TurboExpress, Game Gear was hoist by its own petard: Its power and screen devoured batteries. While it never managed to overcome its thirst for power, by the time the system was retired it had moved more than 10 million units and boasted a library of nearly 400 games: A modest success. 1992: Watara SupervisionStrengths: Rather than trying to outdo Game Boy, this device by Asian manufacturer Watara took the opposite tack by trying to undercut Nintendo’s design. It was half the price and featured similarly low-power, low-cost components. Why they didn’t matter: Supervision was too little, too late. With a paltry software library and even worse visual prowess than its competition, Watara’s effort appealed only to cheapskates and, these days, to aficionados of the obscure. 1997: Game.comStrengths: In the twilight days of the Game Boy, Tiger Electronics launched the Game.com, which offered enhanced black-and-white graphics and far more power than Nintendo’s aging machine. It sported a touch screen (a first!), and Tiger pursued aggressive licensing (presumably carried over from its simple LCD games) to bring PlayStation hits like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Resident Evil to the system. Why they didn’t matter: Game.com looked good on paper, but it was either a giant train wreck or too far ahead of its time, depending on how kindly disposed you are to it. The hardware proved to be grossly underpowered for the games it aspired to run; Sonic and Resident Evil were downright disastrous. The system felt flimsy and insubstantial, and its touch screen was strictly used in conjunction with its PDA elements, which were ill-conceived and not particularly useful. Posted by: admin in Gaming News Thank you for Visiting Gameforumer.com, Hope you enjoyed the stay with us. |
| Posted: 22 Feb 2012 02:42 AM PST
New features such as player housing, more character customizations, gliding mounts and a new expanded storyline is nothing but welcoming for Aion, which a couple of players I spoke to have been complaining about it getting “stale”. Some of the new features can be seen in the Korean launch trailer below. Posted by: admin in Gaming News Thank you for Visiting Gameforumer.com, Hope you enjoyed the stay with us. |
| Posted: 22 Feb 2012 01:28 AM PST ARGO Online is a 3D Sci-Fi MMORPG that mixes steampunk and fantasy elements. Earth lies in ruins after the fourth world war and two factions vie for control of the rare mineral Earthdium. ARGO features large PvP battlegrounds, challenging raids, and varied classes. Publisher: Alaplaya Website: http://argo.en.alaplaya.net/ Pros: +Eight classes per faction. +Varied PvP modes. +Raid instances. +Unique setting, fight with guns, swords, and spells. +Class, adventure, and nation skill trees. +Great character customization. +Plenty of quests. +Pet system. Cons: -Gameplay feels very similar to other MMORPGs. -Shop item selection limited. -Lots of grinding necessary. -Generic names for enemies. -Lack of auto movement.
ARGO Online is set in the future, a future where the world lies in ruins in the aftermath of World War 4. The two races that emerged from the ashes, the Noblians and the Floressia, have been in constant warfare ever since. Their struggle is over a rare mineral called Earthdium. The game world of ARGO mixes standard fantasy elements with a Steampunk feel. This means players will be armed with swords, spells, and plasma guns. Mounts include wild beasts, and motorcycles. The game is developed by the Korean company MGame and is already live in Korea. Argo Online is a full fledged MMORPG with instanced raids for groups and guilds to tackle, varied PvP modes including battlegrounds where hundreds of players can participate, and a back-story that will help keep gamers immersed. The game has a solid character customization options, plenty of classes, and varied skills. Factions: Floresslahs (mystical) or Noblians (steampunk) Classes: Cavalier, Bounty Hunter, Alchemist, Medic, Assassin, Guardian, Animist, Mage Taurus and Warrior – Equipped with a long spear as primary weapon to quickly defeat enemies. Their wide variety of offensive skills can slow down their effectiveness at times. Defender and Protector – This class is good in defensive battles with the ability to protect their party when under attack. They are usually armed with a sword. Elementarist and Scholar – Uses a pistol to deal high levels of damage despite its below average defense attributes. Warlock and Bombers – Considered as the long ranged class toting heavy artillery to take out multiple opponents. Sagittarius and Explorer – Also part of the long range class armed with a rifle. Rogue and Chaser – Associated with the melee class. These soldiers execute swift blows using a Double Sword. Shaman and Paladin – Possesses a variety of command and support skills to destroy foes. As a hybrid class it also has the ability to summon monsters for assistance. Druid and Priest – This class has strong recovery and aura skills. They possess the ability to summon monsters as well.
ARGO Online RequirementsMinimum Requirements: Recommended Specification: |
| OP-ED: Nintendo Direct Unlikely to Reveal Redesigned 3DS Tomorrow Posted: 21 Feb 2012 02:41 PM PST A series of Nintendo Direct events are set to take place tomorrow, as creatively announced today through Swapnote messages sent out to 3DS owners. This is the third time Nintendo Direct is taking place and as Nintendo of America and Europe will each be hosting their own videos, as opposed to a broadcast only in Japanese, we should be getting much more information that is of interest to those outside of Japan. The trend seems to be for Nintendo to showcase content through Nintendo Direct every two months. The first one took place in October, and although it did not bring with it any earth-shattering revelations, there were some newsworthy announcements. We received details on the 3DS system update adding 3D movie recordings and new StreetPass content, specifics on Mario Kart 7‘s online functionality, and new games were announced for Japan. December’s Nintendo Direct was far less interesting to the non-Japanese crowd. It spent a great deal of time on Kiki Trick for Wii, announced release dates for a bunch of 3DS games in Japan, and coincided with the release of several 3DS game demos on the eShop (also only in Japan). Numerous game trailers were shown and the upcoming Fire Emblem game for 3DS was described as an original title and given the subtitle Fire Emblem: Kakusei, which translates to Fire Emblem: Awakening. In both cases, the events were announced only a few days in advance, so the short notice for tomorrow’s broadcast is insignificant. What is hard to ignore is tomorrow is the proper launch of PlayStation Vita in North America and Europe, with Australia following one day later. That means Nintendo has a perfect opportunity to steal some of Sony’s thunder by making a big announcement of some sort. It’s not what Nintendo Direct has been used for the previous two times, but this seems like as good a time as any for that to change. If that is what Nintendo has in mind, what could Nintendo be planning to announce? Among the most popular theories is Nintendo will finally announce the redesigned 3DS that has been rumored since last August. It was late that month when a report emerged suggesting an accessory would be released adding a second analog stick to the current system; just a few weeks later we were going hands-on with it. The same report also suggested a rebranded 3DS was to be released in 2012 with less emphasis placed on the 3D effect (and presumably an integrated second analog stick). Having seen how many people decline to use 3D (in an attempt to avoid headaches or simply for lack of interest), Nintendo has not focused on that feature as much post-launch. It has even said it may create games that do not feature 3D. Even with this in mind, it seems very unlikely a redesigned 3DS is to be announced tomorrow. According to what Nintendo president Satoru Iwata had to say to investors and analysts late last month, 3DS hardware will finally become profitable again by the end of September. Dropping the price of the system last year caused the company to go from making a profit on each system sold to losing money on each one, a position the company was unaccustomed to and one which is contributing to its first annual loss in 30 years. Besides the fact that 3DS in its current form and price is selling quite well, a redesigned system could cost Nintendo more to produce. That means profitability on new hardware isn’t a guarantee, and there is no reason to sacrifice that with 3DS now being (in the eyes of many) a desirable system, something it was not last summer at $250 with very few games worth playing. Not only that, but announcing a 3DS Lite-esque system less than a year after the original system’s launch would undoubtedly anger early adopters. Getting burned in such a way is one of the risks of buying hardware early, but those people have already had their patience tested when a significant price drop was announced just a few months after the system’s release. Now revealing their device is soon to be outdated would only further frustrate them further. I know I personally wouldn’t be pleased with the news. There is also the matter of what a redesigned system would really accomplish beyond integrating a second analog stick. The Circle Pad Pro is not so bad and certainly makes Resident Evil: Revelations more pleasant to play. However, between the insubstantial support it is receiving — it’s sold only through GameStop in the U.S. and only a small handful of games are using it — and the question of where the CPP’s second set of triggers would be located, a redesigned system this early in the 3DS’ life cycle seems unlikely. So where does that leave us as far as announcements tomorrow? Leaving aside the possibility that there simply won’t be anything big, the Nintendo Network could be fleshed out and there are plenty of games that could be unveiled to convince potential Vita buyers to instead pick up a 3DS. A new Pokemon RPG would be big news, as would an Ocarina of Time-style remake of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. (The latter will probably come later, unfortunately, as Nintendo does not want to do back-to-back remakes.) Luigi’s Mansion 2, Animal Crossing, Mario Tennis, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, Paper Mario, and Fire Emblem are all without release dates in the west and represent possible announcements. In the west Monster Hunter is not the sensation it is in Japan, though we could still hear about a release of Monster Hunter 3G (released in Japan in December), while Japan’s Nintendo Direct could provide news on Monster Hunter 4. Keep in mind those are only possibilities for 3DS. Wii U news isn’t expected until E3 comes along in June, but Wii does have some life in it yet. Plenty of details on Dragon Quest X, which enters beta this week, remain unknown, and Nintendo of America may follow the lead of NoE and decide to publish another Operation Rainfall game, Pandora’s Tower or (more likely) The Last Story. Either way that would be welcome news tomorrow. Luckily we don’t have long to wait to find out what Nintendo has in store. Feel free to share your predictions in the comments below and set your alarm clock for tomorrow morning, February 22, if you want to take in the Nintendo Direct events. Nintendo of Japan’s is set for 8:00 PM JST (6:00 AM Eastern, 3:00 AM Pacific), Nintendo of Europe’s will follow at 1:00 PM CET (7:00 AM Eastern, 4:00 AM Pacific), and Nintendo of America’s will take place at 9:00 AM Eastern, 6:00 AM Pacific. Posted by: admin in Gaming News Thank you for Visiting Gameforumer.com, Hope you enjoyed the stay with us. |
| Gotham City Impostors Beta Begins October 5 Posted: 21 Feb 2012 01:27 PM PST Beta testers have just been informed by email the schedule for the upcoming PC beta of Gotham City Impostors. Steam codes have been emailed out to those who were accepted today, and although the client can be downloaded now, the beta itself won’t begin until next week — and even then, it will only be available at select times. The beta will be playable nightly beginning Wednesday, October 5. It’ll last only until October 9, and is playable from 7PM – 12AM Eastern for those five days. As it’s a closed beta, testers won’t be free to share information about the game. Once the beta has officially begun, testers will need to open the game to get a CD key that will then need to be redeemed after logging into Games for Windows Live. Gotham City Impostors is a downloadable, multiplayer first-person shooter set in the Batman universe. It was first announced in May and is being developed by Monolith Productions, the developer of the first two FEAR games, No One Lives Forever 1 and 2, and both Condemned games. It’s not expected out until early next year. As the beta is only on PC, you’ll need to make sure your computer is up to snuff. Below are the minimum and recommended system specifications. Minimum specs:
Recommended specs:
Posted by: admin in Gaming News Thank you for Visiting Gameforumer.com, Hope you enjoyed the stay with us. |
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