Latest Gaming and MMORPG Updates |
- Kickstarter: Diablo-Clone Grim Dawn Is Funded
- EA to Piggyback Origin on Popular Kickstarter Games
- What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse: Eight Games Where Danger Lurks After Dark
- Diablo III’s Launch Issues Bring its Always-Online Requirement Back to the Forefront
- Capcom Reveals 3DS Spin-off to Lost Planet Series
- Firaxis Dev Diary Talks XCOM, Rebooting A Classic
- Diablo 3 Review
- Glory Desinty Online (TW) – New Hunter class announced
- Carmageddon Dev: Kickstarter ‘Not A Trivial Undertaking’ For UK Studios
- TERA Review
| Kickstarter: Diablo-Clone Grim Dawn Is Funded Posted: 19 May 2012 06:00 AM PDT Developer Arthur Bruno celebrates with new creation, the Tri-Beer. Some of you might already have heard of Grim Dawn – way before Kickstarter was even a twinkling in Tim Schafer’s eye. It’s a project that’s been in development for a couple of years with only two permanent developers, the rest being a mix of temporary or part-timers unable to take part in development of a game that needed funding from personal bank accounts. Let’s put it in terms that matter, however. Chances are you’ve played the excellent Diablo-clone Titan’s Quest, well Grim Dawn is being developed by the lead designer of that. On to the facts: a few weeks ago Grim Dawn was set up for Kickstarter in the hopes of injecting the game with some much needed cash to bring in permanent developers and get the game finished. Crate Entertainment was asking for – which it successfully funded with around 12 days left on the clock. Stretch goals were created, interest was boosted and, finally, it smashed its final stretch goal and finished on And that’s even during the release of Diablo 3. The stretch goals will provide a whole host of content, and since they were all funded and more you can be certain you’ll get the best of Grim Dawn whenever it releases. The extra content is:
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| EA to Piggyback Origin on Popular Kickstarter Games Posted: 19 May 2012 05:08 AM PDT
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| What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse: Eight Games Where Danger Lurks After Dark Posted: 19 May 2012 05:08 AM PDT
You’d think Simon Belmont earned a well-deserved siesta after vanquishing Count Dracula in the original Castlevania. Well, think again. A double-dose of bad news quickly turned Belmont’s underdog victory over the dark lord into a hollow one at best. Not only would Konami’s vampire hunter have to tackle a second tour of duty against Drac’s finest, he’d also have to cope with a curse that threatened to end his young life. Add insult to injury in the form of distrustful villagers who often lied about where to go next, deadly creatures that became more powerful and took over formerly safe areas at night, and the task of reassembling Count Dracula simply to murder him all over again, and you’ll realize that poor Simon Belmont can’t get a break from slaying the undead.
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| Diablo III’s Launch Issues Bring its Always-Online Requirement Back to the Forefront Posted: 19 May 2012 05:08 AM PDT
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| Capcom Reveals 3DS Spin-off to Lost Planet Series Posted: 19 May 2012 05:08 AM PDT With Lost Planet’s roots firmly planted on consoles, it comes as a surprise that the series will soon be making a trip to portables in the form of E.X. Troopers for the Nintendo 3DS. Taking an anime-inspired look and featuring gameplay similar to its console brethren, it appears that the franchise will be bringing some familiar elements to Nintendo’s smaller screens. As sudden as the announcement is, Capcom seems to be taking an unexpected approach for the franchise on portables.
The most jarring element of the whole trailer, though, can be found in the game’s distinct anime style; an attempt possibly made to attract the younger demographic of the 3DS’ audience, and to ensure the portable’s 3D features will pack as much of a punch as possible. Taking a Jet Set Radio aesthetic mixed with panels straight out of a comic book, the game is taking a new approach to presentation for the series that may be a good match for the platform.
As random as this E.X. Troopers may seem, it could end up being a good match for the 3DS. With the title being developed for the 3DS (and with an anime-friendly art style at that), it’s easy to be reminded of the last big project Capcom developed for the 3DS, Mega Man Legends 3.
With Legends’ cancellation, it may be presumptuous to assume, but one can’t help but wonder if E.X. Troopers could be the remnants of Legends’ canceled development. With Legends shuddered, something had to be done with all those assets and code, right? There’s no real way to know if this may be the case, but the title will probably be on display in some form or another at next month’s E3.
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| Firaxis Dev Diary Talks XCOM, Rebooting A Classic Posted: 18 May 2012 06:59 AM PDT And is more than a little creepy… If this wasn’t the Year Of The Classic RPG then we can’t wait for when it is. Baldur’s Gate is returning, Shadowrun is springing to life and – of course – there’s XCOM on the way. Turn-based RPG players around the globe are spending 3AP drooling in anticipation. And here’s XCOM’s lead programmer Casey O’Toole talking about revitalising a turn-based classic. It’s an interesting video to gain insight into how Firaxis are looking at the XCOM reboot, however. O’Toole’s description of the original XCOM as “brutal in its difficulty” is something we can all agree with, more so the part where he talks about the first time he lost his squad to a powerful alien assault. “If you were a real man, you let those guys die” Most important is some of the differences between the original XCOM and this reboot, with O’Toole saying “we feel like we’ve enhanced the things that we liked and removed some of the things we didn’t that we thought were tedious.” He also drops a little nugget around the suppression ability, where your squad-mate will continue to fire on an enemy throughout a turn so it ‘feels’ like it’s taking on a real-time element without compromising the turn-based part of the game. There’s not much in the way of concrete fact in the video, but it’s certainly interesting for XCOM fans to watch. |
| Posted: 18 May 2012 06:39 AM PDT Blizzard’s long-awaited Diablo sequel is here, but is it all that fans have wanted? Find out in our Diablo 3 review. For all its means, Blizzard is a company that still prefers the subtle. It works behind the scenes, tweaking this and that, making sure that all the moving parts are working just right. And before you know it, you've been playing the developer's games for five years. Diablo 3 fits right into that template, as does StarCraft 2, which is now almost two years old and still going strong. Diablo 3 plays much as it did a decade ago with its randomly-generated dungeons and point-and-click combat, the majority of the changes being under the hood. But as the game goes on and the changes pile up, it becomes apparent that, yes, Diablo 3 has changed a great deal in the past decade. And yes, it's still a great dungeon crawler. The story picks up with one of five classes, each of which straddles the line between basic template and full-fledged character. Characters like the Demon Hunter are technically nameless archetypes, but their backstories are fleshed out through narrated cut-scenes, and through random dialogue. One of our favorite moments comes in Act II, when a powerful sorcerer tempts our character with the promise of power. "With your bloodline, you could be a god, you know," he taunts. Blizzard doesn't go much further than that in developing the characters, but it doesn't really need to. Imagination is more than enough to take things from there. In general, the developer is very good about not beating players over the head with its carefully crafted universe. Even the medieval audio logs sprinkled throughout each dungeon manage not to jar too heavily, adding additional color to the point-and-click bloodletting. As for the story itself, it's clear that Blizzard intends for Diablo 3 to be a grand finale of sorts for the trilogy. Old locations return, there are constant references to the battles of previous games, and the stakes feel higher than usual. The scope of Diablo 3 is greater even than that of the second game, which moved the story out of the tiny village of Tristram and into the world at large. The story is full of set-piece battles, each more grandiose than the last, which only serve to hammer home the point that, yes, this is the end. One of the best moments in the game comes amid a massive battle between human and demon, followed by a (seemingly) suicidal charge through enemy lines. It's here that Blizzard's sense of the cinematic and the pure, fast-paced action comes together to become something special. But as mentioned earlier, Blizzard deals best in the subtle, and there's never any doubt where the focus of Diablo 3 lies. Even after the final battle is completed and the credits roll, your warrior is still there, ready for the next difficulty level. AI companions are omnipresent through your adventure, and they always have something interesting to say.As such, the balance between the classes, the skills, and the loot get the bulk of Blizzard's attention, which is for the best. We can already see the debates starting to brew over whether the Barbarian is overpowered, or the Demon Hunter is underpowered, and that may indeed be an issue on Hardcore – the infamous difficulty mode in which characters can die permanently. But on normal mode at least, all of the classes are perfectly viable, and the challenge is well-balanced and engaging. Everything clicks at around level 20, which is to say that it's the point where the player starts to welcome crowds of monsters, safe in the knowledge that they have the tools to wipe them out wholesale. But at the same time, death is always just around the corner for the complacent or the foolhardy, especially when facing Heralds of Pestilence and their powerful poison attacks. The well-balanced difficulty is aided in part by the overhauled skill system, which provides a great deal of flexibility in putting together a build. Every character class has dozens of active and passive skills that are unlocked throughout the game, and every one of those skills has multiple runes that can change the very nature of the ability. It may not seem like much, but after unlocking all four active skills and all three passive skills, plus a whole of runes, the build possibilities became mind-boggling. Diablo 3 has quite a few mini-bosses and bosses. But when one of the Lords of Hell show up, Blizzard doesn't mess around.We didn't settle on a final build until the very last dungeon, constantly experimenting with this skill and that rune until settling on what felt like a good combination. Even now, we're not entirely convinced that there isn't still a better loadout for us to find, which is the best possible reason to keep playing. The other, rather nefarious, way that Blizzard keeps players hooked is through the achievements. Naturally, achievements aren't exactly new, but they do have a unique psychological effect in Diablo 3 that takes its cues from modern console gaming. Whenever players log in, they are quickly inundated with notifications that their dungeon-crawling friends have reached level 20, defeated a demon lord, or completed one of the random events. It encourages a constant back-and-forth of oneupmanship between players, and adds further compulsion to an already addictive gaming experience. But it also adds to Diablo 3's overarching online infrastructure, which effectively turns Diablo into a single-player MMORPG that's only a half-step removed from World Of Warcraft. The benefits of such a setup for Blizzard are obvious. It limits cheating (a huge issue since the beginning of Diablo), cuts down on piracy, and makes it that much easier to integrate the online matchmaking and the new auction house. Diablo III retains the demonic feel that characterized the previous games with covens and evil rituals.However, the limitations of the online-only platform have become pretty clear since launch. It has resulted in moments in which every enemy on the screen has simply frozen, then abruptly sped up, as if caught in a time warp. We've lost progress (and yes, gear) to blips in the server connection. And most galling of all, we've had intense boss fights interrupted by Blizzard taking the servers offline for maintenance. There are times when everything has gelled nicely – as when we opened up our game to the public and got a nice pick-up group together for the final boss battle – and there are times when we have had to restrain ourselves so we don't throw our Diablo 3 disc out the window. Indeed, as long as we're complaining, we're also disappointed that Blizzard is continuing the age-old PC tradition of promising a feature, then patching it in later. Both the 'real money' auction house and player-versus-player combat are much-hyped features that missed the game's launch. It feels strange to be playing such a finely-tuned machine of an RPG, but to know that certain parts are missing from under the hood. Over the next few years though, we expect that the difficult launch and the missing features will be seen as mere growing pains – and yes, we do think that a lot of people will still be playing Diablo 3 in a few years. Maybe not as many as StarCraft 2 or World Of Warcraft – hardcore Diablo players are a fairly specialised breed – but enough to warrant the occasional additional content drop. Where Diablo 3′s graphics really shine is in the art direction, which consistently delivers grand vistas.After all, Diablo 3 isn't really finished until you've hit level 60 and kitted out your character in all epic loot, which is a quest that goes well beyond the scope of the initial playthrough. It's moot to comment on whether it lived up to the long-building hype, as expectations will vary even more widely than usual between the casual consumer and the hardcore fan. However, the close attention to detail given to capturing the look and feel of the first two Diablo games – even down to using the original sound effects – should tell you all you need to know about Blizzard's approach to the rest of the game. |
| Glory Desinty Online (TW) – New Hunter class announced Posted: 18 May 2012 05:45 AM PDT  [English server] While the English server just went into Open Beta recently, the original Taiwan server announced major new content earlier today. Introducing the all new Hunter class for Spirit Tales (also known as Glory Destiny Online), which will be exclusive to the Gold Kirin Tribe. I am guessing new classes will be added subsequently to the other tribes as well. Similar to the other classes, there are 2 advancements for the Hunter to choose from. Loosely translated, the Phoenix Sniper concentrates on pure damage, while the other focus on party buffs (sort of like a Bard). The Hunter class will offset the lack of ranged damage in the initial 2 classes of the Gold Kirin Tribe.   I played the Taiwan server a while back (link) and also the Media Preview client of Spirit Tales (link), and I must say the game really attracted me, despite the haters of cutesy designs condemning it without playing.   This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Carmageddon Dev: Kickstarter ‘Not A Trivial Undertaking’ For UK Studios Posted: 17 May 2012 11:07 AM PDT UK-based Carmageddon: Reincarnation studio Stainless Games reveals how it got setup for US site Kickstarter. Carmageddon: Reincarnation developer Stainless Games has revealed the trick to getting on Kickstarter for non-US studios – setup a US-based company. “Kickstarter's really not ideally set up for anyone outside the US to start a campaign,” Stainless Games co-founder Neil ‘Nobby’ Barnden told NowGamer. “It's because the site uses amazon.com payments, which require the person setting up their account to have the necessary accompanying US tax information required to receive the money pledged. To do this, we had to set up a US company, and a US bank account, which is NOT a trivial undertaking!” Stainless spoke to Kickstarter during the process, but it isn’t something the developer would suggest to others. “At present, I wouldn't recommend trying it unless you have access to a US lawyer who can handle setting everything up for you Stateside, as we have. Hopefully Kickstarter will sort this out as the popularity of the site continues to grow worldwide, because it really has been a hassle to try and get it all set up. And it actually delayed us launching by three weeks or more.” Carmageddon: Reincarnation’s Kickstarter page generated way over half of its £252,578.46 ($400,000) target in a week, and still has 20 days to go. Notch persuaded the studio to release the game via a model similar to Minecraft. |
| Posted: 17 May 2012 11:05 AM PDT Combat has often been the blot on the otherwise seamless fantasy presentation that MMOs inimitably have the ability to conjure. No matter how refined the mystical realm, how compelling a quest or how intrinsically allied the guild, a couple of clicks followed by a flutter of arbitrary numbers has always felt disjointed by comparison. TERA's combat system dispenses with such aloof mechanisms, instead replacing point-and-click manoeuvres with tactical, intuitive and diverse gameplay. Players direct action using a reticule – a concept seemingly far more preposterous in the genre than warlocks and ogres – enabling players to not only conduct action more accurately but gain an intense gratification from the system – which works both ways of course; death is rarely a result of anything other than the player's error. Straight away the game's prologue gives players a taste of the underlying potential of combat, dropping you in at level 20 with a variety of abilities depending on the class. It's a gracious way to sidestep the usual indecision that comes with picking classes – how do you know an Archer will suit your playstyle after ten-or-so hours invested into the game? You can't possibly, so it's a gentle introduction to a hefty time investment. It's also a great opportunity to have a toy with each of the classes. The more physical of which are well balanced, each mindful of the strengths and weaknesses of each other.
While BAMs come in many forms, this one's a giant enemy crab.For instance, Slayer is a predominantly offensive class (dealing hefty damage with a two-handed greatsword) but makes up for a lack of defensive capabilities with quick movements and a dodge ability. It also comes equipped with a useful attack that knocks down enemies, enabling other players to attack en masse. Other classes follow suit. Archers are proficient in long-range attacks, while Warrior is an even balance of offensive and defensive strength. Shame then that magical classes (Sorcerer, Mage and Priest) feel underpowered, seemingly designed to support at the concession of strong attacks. But a balanced team is crucial to a significant portion of TERA's design. Dungeons – especially those reached at higher levels – require an even balance of abilities and encourage healthy strategy discussions within your party. There's plenty of design flair in these cavernous pits, housing bad-ass monsters (the in-game term for bosses – BAM for short) from basilisks, frost giants and dragons. They are exquisitely designed, awe-inspiring creations, fuelling a huge amount of anticipation and trepidation as you embark on the next raid. In fact, you'll rarely find an MMO that features such a diverse and vibrant range of landscapes as TERA, with charming inhabitants ranging from the brutish Humans and Barakas, to cutesy bear-like Poppori and bunny-eared Elin that populate each district. Magical classes feel underpowered compared to the more physical characters.It's certainly a cut above the standard design whims of MMOs, so it's a shame that it drops the ball when it comes to the story. While it significantly picks up the pace as you near the level cap (and it's certainly one of the quickest MMOs in terms of progression), the lore is often too dense and the quests too mundane to fully engage players. Professions appear to be an oversight as well, with blacksmithing, alchemy and the like requiring far too high a price of gold and demanding excessive resources to be worthy of the investment – especially when you can acquire gear on the cheap with less effort elsewhere. It's easy to overlook such quibbles, especially as Bluehole Studios has crafted a hugely impressive and staggeringly ambitious MMO for its debut. Even small touches – such as servers having multiple channels so players can switch easily, supporting players who prefer some PvE time – is indicative of a confident studio with a firm handle on what players want. However, as impressive a feat as this is, the inevitable grind still chokes long stretches of game time. Fetch quests, kill x number of that monster and collect so many environmental items are some of the outdated missions that otherwise jar with the refreshing sensibilities of the rest of the game. At the time of review a few of the features were missing, such as the Political System (enabling players to vote other players as a ruler) and PvP battlegrounds, so perhaps these elements will help relieve some of the monotony. Ultimately, TERA falls short of greatness within the genre. While the deeply involving combat system is a huge leap forward, it stumbles over too many of the small fundamentals. Nevertheless, it excels in so many other forms that there's little question it's worthy of your time. It's fair to say that there's no other MMO quite like it. |
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