mutants
Latest
One Shots: Mutant masochists
One of the quickest ways to my heart -- and to the top of a weekly One Shots column -- is to send me in something that I haven't seen before or an MMO that hardly ever makes it to my inbox. That's why I'm kicking off with this submission from Zulika featuring Auto Assault, the post-apocalyptic vehicle game that lived but for a brief time. "Notice the faint quest marker above the head of the lady suspended by chains and hooks. If I remember correctly, this was taken in some quest hub full of mutant masochists. Even though it was just in a game, it still felt odd," wrote Zulika. Odd in most situations, true, but for MMO players it's just the latest in a long calvacade of weirdness that we witness every day. Let's get this parade going!
Engadget giveaway: win an Xbox One Sunset Overdrive Bundle courtesy of Microsoft!
If you've been waiting for a game that's equal parts X Games and Tromaville, then you probably know that Sunset Overdrive (exclusively for Xbox One) is rolling out today. If you haven't already dropped some cash on the pre-order, though, you may want to hold off for another day or two and try your luck on this week's giveaway. Microsoft has given us an Xbox One Special Edition Sunset Overdrive Bundle and it's going to find a home with one lucky Engadget reader this week. So, stock up on your energy drink of choice and get ready to experience Sunset City 2027 in all its mutated glory. With this bundle, you'll get a Cirrus White console and controller, along with the full game download and Day One Edition in-game content giving you a head start in this anything-goes apocalyptic wonderland. All you need to do is head down to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning. Just make sure you don't slake your thirst with Overcharge Delirium XT or you may experience some side effects... Winner: congratulations to Brandon W. of Maple Grove, MN.
Nether adds crafting, creature mode, and tribes
The mean streets of Nether are easing up a bit on players, as Phosphor Games has patched in a slew of helpful systems for its February update. The trio of new features includes crafting, a creature mode, and tribes. Crafting encourages players to scavenge from their adventures and fashion gear and weapons to use and trade. If being a bad guy is your thing, then the new creature mode allows users to step into the twisted role of a nether to stalk victims. And tribes, Nether's version of guilds, are now in the game with bases, a skill tree, and special objectives to be patched in later in the month. Players who join a tribe from now through February 15th will earn special bonuses including currency and a free uniform. We've got a video showing some of the February update features after the jump, so get a move on, little doggy! [Source: Phosphor Games press release]
Nether's January update introduces dirt bikes and group options
The survival horror world of Nether continues to take form and shape as the devs are introducing the year's first update this week. The big addition that will come in this patch is the dirt bike, which gives players a faster means of navigating the post-apocalyptic landscape. Of course, when you do so you'll be making an awful racket and since the enemies are very sensitive to all sound, any riders will probably enjoy a few breezy minutes of transportation followed by a few painful minutes of being disembowled. The patch is also including group features such as group chat, invites, nametags, and locations on the map. There are also some new cosmetic items to check out (Russian hat, anyone?) and plenty of fixes for various bugs. We've got the video of the dirt bike in action after the break.
Perfect Ten: Why we need more post-apocalyptic MMOs
With the recent re-release of the 1988 classic RPG Wasteland and the development progress of Wasteland 2, my mind's swimming in post-apocalyptic wonderment these days. Aside from those titles and the insanely popular Fallout series, post-apoc hasn't proven to be as popular a setting for games as it is in, say, film, TV, and novels. And when it comes to MMOs, the only major effort that's been made to produce a similar title has been limited to Fallen Earth (and in a lesser sense, Defiance and Xsyon). Now, I love me some Fallen Earth, especially as of late, but every time I log in it makes me think of just how rich and fertile this setting is for MMO studios. Considering just how rampant fantasy titles are, I feel strongly that devs need to be exploring outside this well-trod path to other genres, and the post-apocalypse is a perfect place to start. Here are my reasons that we need more post-apoc MMOs, and no, I'm not going to list "rampant prostitution and drug use" because that would also apply to a Los Angeles MMO.
See the dark side of survival in Nether's live-action trailer
Last month, we gave you a deeper look into the post-apocalyptic survival game Nether being developed by Phosphor Games. Today, the studio announced that pre-orders for the game will grant early access and allow players to try their hand at survival against the mutated monstrosities starting (fittingly) on October 31st, 2013. Additionally, pre-orders will net 72-hour game keys to share with friends, as well as other in-game perks. Creative Director Chip Sineni stated, "As an online multiplayer game, we feel strongly that the focus is on community collaboration so we want to reward the early players with solid pre-order incentives and really make them a part of the future of the rich, urban environment that is Nether." Along with the announcement, the studio released a new live-action trailer. If you want to get a feel for the game, check out the video after the cut. Then if you like what you see, join the community and help direct the development path of future content in Nether. [Source: Phosphor Games press release]
Nether gives unique twist to post-apocalyptic survival
Stop us if you've heard this game before: It's some time after the apocalypse, and you're one of the final survivors scrounging about for parts and gear to carve out a niche of safety. While that might sound like every zombie survival game that's come out in the wake of DayZ, Nether is eschewing zombies for something more insidious -- and interesting. The titular creatures are mutants that hunt by sound and teleport around, requiring players to adopt new strategies as they try to make it. The newly announced Nether is a persistent MMOish (well, 64 players per server) game where players explore West Chicago in the hopes of finding that one weapon or crate of goods that's needed to survive another night. Or you could just go to Chicago right now in real life and do the same thing. Phosphor Games Creative Director Chip Sineni says his title won't be the same-old zombiethon: "Our focus is to veer away from some of the 'traditional' survival-horror offerings in order to provide something new for the genre, with a great urban setting, a different type of story and an experience that excites us as fans and will be something definitely fresh and new for gamers." Nether is in alpha testing with an eye on a fall 2013 release for the PC and is currently accepting beta signups. You can check out its reveal trailer after the jump!
Defiance video spotlights mutants
Those planning on picking up Defiance and spending some time in this war-torn world come spring should be prepared for the horrors that they'll face. This is why Trion Worlds has delivered a new video highlighting one of the enemy races of the game, the mutants. The mutants used to be human soldiers, but have since been transformed into raging, muscular monstrosities. These creatures retain their former training and -- more importantly -- their weapons. While powerful, the mutants aren't invincible and can be taken down with a little aggressive persuasion. Check out the short mutant spotlight video after the jump!
Survarium challenges players to survive 'the green apocalypse'
If you're one of those bummed out by the lack of the apocalypse in 2011 because it meant that you couldn't exercise your survival skills, then Vostok Games' Survarium might console you. The team took many of the concepts that it was developing for the (now canceled) single-player Stalker 2 and decided to create a free-to-play MMOFPS out of it instead. In an interesting interview with PC Gamer, Lead Designer Alexei Sytyanov paints a picture of "the green apocalypse" that hits the whole world, causing mutations and a ravaged ecosphere. Sytyanov says that players will need to band together to overcome the odds: "On top of the story and game tasks, there is communication and competition between the players, all to add dynamics and unexpectedness to the gameplay. Each game session differs from the previous one. The game constantly encourages players to show their inventiveness and skills, abilities of strategy to achieve victory." From the sound of it, Survarium is a lobby-based MMO with timed sessions (Sytyanov says that these will go from 15 to 60 minutes based on the mode). Players can choose from PvP, co-op, or free play modes to explore the world, attempt to achieve objectives, and generally survive the best they can. Even with the lobby structure, Sytyanov indicated that there will be player actions that will persist: "Ultimately, the side accomplishing more tasks will impact the story. Therefore, it will decide whether that story object is to get preserved or destroyed for the entire world of Survarium."
Radiated Wasteland mutates into an MMO
The post-apocalyptic MMO genre is about to be one title richer, as Pixel Pandemic announced the creation of Radiated Wasteland. Radiated Wasteland will be a browser-based free-to-play title that is also being developed for Facebook. According to the game's backstory, the world has gone up in a cloud of nuclear smoke, and the only survivors have to fight mutants while struggling to survive through any means necessary. Movements, action, and combat will take place in a turn-based system, and players will be able to customize their characters with gear, skills, and perks. Pixel Pandemic describes Radiated Wasteland's world as "an ever-evolving organic virtual world consisting of thousands of tiles." The studio says that the game will offer co-op play in such a way that Facebook has yet to attain. [Source: Pixel Pandemic press release]
Xsyon celebrates its first year of Prelude
One year and counting. Crack open the waterskin and raise a toast to Xsyon: Today the post-apocalyptic sandbox by Notorious Games celebrates its first full year of launch. Well, the first year of the official launch of Prelude, a limited first release of the virtual world. Come to think of it, even that date seems a bit nebulous as the pre-order players in the first phase of Year Zero (basically beta) actually had their most significant change on March 11th, 2011 when the second phase launched and totems were introduced. Semantics aside, Xsyon has come a long way from that official first day. Unlike many games where gameplay is neatly laid out, this indie title gives players only the canvas and a few tools before setting them loose to fashion their world. As the year continued, additional tools were provided and the world became more vibrant and dynamic. Initially barren without any critters (other than your surviving neighbors) to hunt, the world is now populated with large creatures that roam the land, threatening the lives of travelers and hunters alike. Even the lay of the land itself is different as players manipulate and alter the terrain, build settlements, and plant trees. Communities are forming; groups are supporting and even entertaining each other. Civilization is slowly rebuilding. And that's only the beginning.
X-Men Destiny preview: Designer genes
Silicon Knights founder Denis Dyack is happy to hear that X-Men Destiny looks unlike many of the games already based on Marvel's mutant universe. "We've been collaborating with Marvel and Activision to do things very differently," he says. In most X-Men games, you pick a familiar hero, like Wolverine or Gambit, and then explore the world from his or her point of view. In X-Men Destiny, however, Dyack and his team have been given free reign to separate powers from characters. Your custom-built hero can play through the RPG-driven side of the game by equipping powers as you would gear. You could combine Cyclops' eyebeams with Juggernaut's charge, or Wolvie's healing factor, all while finding a place in the campaign somewhere between the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants. Unfortunately, while there are a lot of interesting touches in the story and powers system, X-Men Destiny's core game struggles to hold the higher ideas up. The graphics look only marginally better than those leaked screens, and even in the short demo I played the game's combat and enemies teetered on the verge of becoming notably repetitive.%Gallery-128867%
Choose My Adventure: Destination - Apocalypse now
So my bags are packed (what exactly do you pack for an apocalypse? I vote toothbrush, regardless!) and I'm setting out for the Lake Tahoe region. Yup, our itinerary is set -- Xsyon has won the hearts of the readers for this next escapade in the Choose My Adventure series. I find this kind of exciting, as I grew up frequenting this area out here in the real world and look forward to seeing it represented in the game. Now, I have a confession to make: I watched the vote carefully. Too carefully. OK, I was obsessed with it! I don't think I can even tell you how many times I clicked refresh in one day; it was quite addicting to watch the numbers creep up as the readers cast their votes. And since six weeks of my life was on the line, I had a vested interest in the outcome. At least, that's how I tried to rationalize my maniacal refreshing. Xsyon commanded the lead straight off, but Pirates of the Burning Sea had a good showing and maintained a solid second place throughout the contest. Four games kept running neck-and-neck: DC Universe Online, Earthrise, EVE Online, and LEGO Universe. I admit to rooting some for the underdogs as well -- each game has special and unique features I would enjoy delving into. Think about it: Can you imagine life as a LEGO? But in the end, no one could topple the promise of a vast wasteland filled with mutants and an empty canvas for players to fill in. So now that we have the setting, all we need is the character. Unlike many games, Xsyon demands that you pick things such as your crafting skills at character creation, so please forgive the number of polls attached to this week's article. Head on past the cut to learn a bit about Xsyon and vote to make me build the CMA creature of your bidding!
App review: Rage HD (iPhone)
The iOS App Store might already have its fair share of addictive and compelling games on offer, but when John Carmack comes calling with his latest megatextured shoot-em-up, you've got to sit up and pay attention. Rage HD: Mutant Bash TV isn't so much a full-fledged game in its own right as it is a teaser for the forthcoming Rage FPS for the PC, and yet even in its pretty limited running time, it managed to woo and thrill us with its visceral gameplay and arresting visuals. It's easily the best-looking game we've yet seen on a mobile device and provides a fine demonstration of just how far Apple's hardware -- on the iPhone 4, iPad, and fourth-gen iPod touch -- can be pushed when some appropriately adroit hands are at the graphical controls. But, of course, games are supposed to be fun to play, not just to look at, so why not join us after the break to see how well Rage HD handles its mutant-bashing duties?%Gallery-107875%
City of Heroes launches the Mutant Super Booster
With all the characters growing organic spines and shooting bio-electricity at foes, the new City of Heroes Mutant Super Booster seems like an addition that the game has long been awaiting. While yesterday saw a giveaway for several codes by the Paragon Studios team, today is the official launch where everyone can enjoy the new costumes, emotes, and bonus power. The first is the most eye-catching of the setup, naturally, and we've included a gallery of both the in-game art and concept art for the new Bioluminescent and Organic Armor costume sets. New costume change emotes are also par for the course, with this booster adding a triad that includes the supremely freaky Rapid Boil emote. (The Facebook video does it justice in both accuracy and freakiness.) Last but not least is the new innate power Secondary Mutation, which allows you to unleash the latent power of your DNA for a random effect, usually involving self-buffs of varying duration. City of Heroes players will find plenty to enjoy with the newest booster, so check out the gallery and start boiling yourself a new costume. %Gallery-96158%
An advance peek offered for the next City of Heroes Super Booster
The fifth Super Booster for City of Heroes has been the point of some debate. Players have known for a long time that it was going to be a mutant-themed pack, but that doesn't imply a great deal beyond having something vaguely organic going on. Luckily for players, the Facebook fan page for the game has been posting preview images to help players get a sense of what's going into the pack. And the best part isn't just that it has a set release date of June 24th -- it's that players might get to pick it up for free a day early. On June 23rd, the City of Heroes team will be giving away two codes per hour via their social networking outlets -- Facebook, Twitter, and the official forums. Where the codes will appear in the five-hour timeframe is a mystery until it happens, encouraging players to stay alert and keep their eyes on all of the above. For US players, the codes will be given away between 1 PM and 5 PM PST, while EU players will see the codes being announced between 5 PM and 10 PM British time. Keep your eyes peeled for your chance to get the newest booster a day early!
Earthrise dev blog shows off the beauty and horror of the Cascade Mountains
The first MMO we're going to see from independent game developer Masthead Studios is Earthrise, a post-apocalyptic title that's bringing some new things to the table in the sci-fi/post-apocalyptic genre. If you've played games like Fallout 3, the setting of Earthrise will be quite different from what you might be expecting. The game will take place on a sprawling island called Enterra, with regions and environments ranging from lush jungles to futuristic urban centers. Of course Earthrise will have the requisite shattered city environments we'd expect of a post-apocalyptic backdrop, as well. Masthead Studios recently explained how terrain will impact gameplay, having written about some of the game's man-made environments like the Industrial Area. Now they're ready to discuss more about Enterra's natural environment with the Cascade Mountains, the focus of the latest Masthead Studios dev blog they've written for MMORPG.com.
Earthrise wallpapers show Eastern Gardens denizens and tamed mutants
Masthead Studios just got in touch with us and sent over two new wallpapers for their upcoming post-apocalyptic game Earthrise. One image shows off a group of kabuki-masked freaks denizens of the Eastern Gardens, one of the more outwardly utopian zones to be found in Earthrise's island setting of Enterra.
Fallen Earth rated M for Mature by ESRB
Fallen Earth is the upcoming post-apocalyptic massively multiplayer online game where players will soon be carving out a living in a world ravaged by viral and nuclear armageddon. Not that we really thought a game where fending off packs of mutated anarchist bikers out in the wasteland Mad Max-style was really going to be "family-oriented entertainment", but Fallen Earth LLC has now made it official. Circatrix from the Fallen Earth team writes, "Thought you all should be the first to know that we've received our rating from the ESRB board and we're classified as an M (Mature). You'll start to see this in our ads and videos moving forward." We're glad to hear that they're not toning down the game's themes simply to reach a younger audience, and Massively will be keeping an eye on Fallen Earth as it gets closer to launch.
Fallen Earth dev diary focuses on introducing new players to PvP
Fallen Earth is one of three post-apocalyptic massively muliplayer online games currently in development that are a far cry from the fantasy titles which have proven most popular in the MMO world. IGN scored an exclusive two part developer diary from Fallen Earth writer and content developer Wes Platt who discusses creating the PvP starter town of Terance. Namely, he explains how and why the Fallen Earth team has been putting so much work into Terance and the challenges and pitfalls faced in differentiating the PvP-centric area from other more standard towns in the game. The first part is "Building the Town of Terance". It paints a picture of a post-apocalyptic aftermath setting where a psychotic artificial intelligence, long since sealed away underground by its corporate progenitors and forced into a century of dormancy, is woken with dire consequences. Now powered up, the AI -- TETRAX -- prepares once again to work towards the extermination all human beings in its vicinity. Human beings in Terance may find themselves on the run, hunted by AI-directed zombies called Diggers, as well as mutants and vermin.
