General gaming

General gaming

Crytek Turning to Free-to-Play Indicative of a Larger Trend

Posted: 11 Jun 2012 06:39 PM PDT

Crysis 3

Crytek is a developer associated with high-end shooters -- beautiful games like Crysis -- and game engines known for the gorgeous visuals they're capable of making possible. After spending its early days as a developer of PC exclusives, it decided to go multiplatform in 2008 as a result of it "suffering" from piracy. Once Crytek finishes up with the current slate of games it has in the works, including Ryse for Xbox 360 and Crysis 3 for 360, PS3, and PC, it will be shifting to a model that doesn't fit on consoles, at least as we currently know them: free to play.

To some gamers, that description is one worthy of bemoaning. Free-to-play games are associated by some with games which either contain the same level of interactivity seen in FarmVille or offer unfair advantages to players willing to fork over money for boosts and better items. While the model may have once upon a time been one which automatically designated a game as unworthy of core gamers' attention, that is no longer the case. Quality games have adopted the model or been built around it. League of Legends and now Dota 2 show how well free-to-play DotA-style games can work. Even after converting to free to play, Team Fortress 2 remains one of the best multiplayer shooters on the market, and it received better post-launch support -- all of it free -- in its fourth year than many games do in their first. Numerous MMOs, like Lord of the Rings Online, have found far more success as free-to-play titles than they did when they carried subscriptions. And the recently launched Tribes Ascend is a great deal of fun without ever spending a dime.

Dragon's Dogma Review: Ambition Enough to Trump Flaws

Posted: 11 Jun 2012 04:03 PM PDT

We'd been exploring the wilderness on our own for about three hours, maybe more. The Duke's men had given us some mission or another once we'd arrived in Grand Soren, but our party ignored their mandate in favor of seeing what lay out there in the vast headlands of Gransys. The rolling hills and sparse woodlands slowly gave way to paths hemmed in on either side by impassable cliff faces and trees that grew ever thicker as we moved further from the capital city. Soon, the foliage overhead began to block the afternoon sun. Gripped by an ominous sensation, we advanced with caution into the thicket -- only to find ourselves beset by a ferocious chimaera.

Bearing the trebled heads of a goat, a lion, and a serpent, the beast quickly overwhelmed us with its assaults. We would fall, rise again, and repeat our efforts, only to be struck down again. Eventually, our best strategy began to take form: The Arisen would mount its back and strike at its vulnerable heads as her stalwart Pawn companion played the role of tank, drawing its baleful attention. Meanwhile, the temporary members of the party -- two Pawns specializing in sorcery -- would alternate heal and buff the team while taking magical potshots at the foe. At last, on our sixth try, the beast succumbed to our tactics. Wounded, weakened, and practically bereft of supplies, we staggered ahead to a nearby camp where we could rest and recover from the ferocious battle.

Gungnir Review: A Reason For Strategy RPG Fans to Turn on Their PSPs

Posted: 11 Jun 2012 10:57 AM PDT

If the past few years prove anything, it's that Sting is quite comfortable making strategy RPGs. Their best efforts--Yggdra Union and Knights in the Nightmare--were both interesting, creative tactical games. But if Gungnir proves anything, it may be that Sting has become a bit too overconfident.

Being the latest entry in Sting's nine-part Dept. Heaven series, Gungnir is content to rely on many of the storytelling tropes established by Yggdra Union and Knights in the Nightmare. The story features a young fighter named Julio, who stumbles upon a mysterious young woman in the midst of a war against a brutal Empire. Soon enough, Julio finds himself heir to the heavenly spear Gungnir, which he then uses to stab a long succession of enemies both mortal and divine.

gungnir

While ostensibly the ninth episode in a series, Gungnir's story is only loosely tied to that of Yggdra Union and Knights in the Nightmare. As such, neither is required to follow Julio's story, other than as context for the heavenly conflict at large. The story itself stands up well enough on its own, and tends to be melancholy in its depiction of the senseless violence of war, making it somewhat more mature than the average Japanese-developed RPG, even if it is a a bit heavy-handed. It slowly unspools across text heavy sequences between battles, and will likely prove to be delightful for some, and dreadfully slow for others.

Posted by Shri Krishna

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