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Prime World dishing out $38M of in-game currency to players today
Prime World might only be in "beta," but it's getting the star treatment from publisher Nival today in the form of a massive giveway. Over $38 million in cash shop currency will be distributed among beta testers today at 4:00 p.m. EDT. When the giveaway happens this afternoon, each registered tester will get 3,000 gold worth around $100 that can be spent in the cash shop as well as a free exclusive skin. We're giving you a heads-up because you can get in on this too as long as you register before 4:00 p.m. on the site or through Steam. Nival is hosting the giveaway to show off the game's progress, including a reduction in matchmaking queue times and the merging of the Russian and English populations of the game. [Source: Nival press release]
Prime World videos show off new heroes and new skins
If you wanted a fight in style with a new outfit for the holidays, Prime World has got you covered. Nival just released patch 9.12.5, bringing new skins, a new hero, and a new report system along with other fixes and tweaks to the MOBA-esque game. The skins offer a variety of looks for both male and female characters (Brawler/Meijin can be seen above). The new hero, Da'ka/Ha'ka, fills the role of protector and costs 850,000 silver to hire; players also need a level 36 castle to acquire him. Players will appreciate the simple new built-in report system that allows misbehavior to be reported more easily instead of taking screenshots, collecting battle logs, and sending complaints to technical support. Full details on this system and the other changes can be found in the official patch notes, but you can get a glimpse of the hero and the new skins in the videos below. And to learn more about the game, check out Massively's launch impressions. [Source: Nival press release]
Prime World launch impressions
So here I am again in Prime World. It's probably my first real "Facebook game" other than that thrones game, but this one has more substance than its more social counterparts. This is a game I've gotten to play with Russians and other westerners during beta, and I've seen the game grow quite a bit in that time, even through casual play. It's the only MOBA I've had motivation to play lately. It's not the best on the market -- it suffers from a lack of features that I consider key for any online game, let alone a MOBA -- but it still appeals to me a bit more as an MMO fan than as a MOBA fan. While studio Nival calls the game a beta, the Steam page lists it as released, so if you haven't tried the game yet, bear in mind that's it a bit of both.
Prime World introduces two witchy heroes with new videos
Just in time for Halloween, Prime World has introduced two new heroes to the MOBA that fit right into the witching-hour theme: Witch and Moira. While both ride a broom and are accompanied by an iconic black cat familiar, the two couldn't have more different beginnings; Witch had a life of privilege in a castle, whereas Moira had it rough from day one in a small Andornian village. How do these two enchantresses play? Watch these two gameplay videos for a look at each hero's various talents and skills in battle and to glean some hints and tips for playing these newest additions. [Source: Prime World press release]
Prime World patch slips you some skins
Call out "New skins! New skins!" to the MOBA crowd and just watch as they come a-runnin'. Nival's added a bunch of new skins for Prime World with its patch 9.10, giving additional looks (and gender options) to familiar heroes. Patch 9.10 has a ton of changes beyond just the cosmetic. There are talent and skill changes, of course, as well as a search feature for co-op challenges, challenge quests, and new monsters. The team also explained a rather major change to the battle start UI: "In the future, we plan to add new features, like playing against bots in other modes, as well as new modes. The interface in its recent state was overloaded, and it was not wise to load it even more with new elements. The new interface, however, will spare us many troubles in the future." [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
Returning to Prime World in its English open beta
Back in April, I had the opportunity to explore Prime World in its Russian beta. Now, the game is in open beta for English-speakers, so I wanted to update my impressions. Unfortunately, Prime World has developed less than I had hoped in the interim. For example, the screenshot above shows off my mate's Prime World home in contrast with the one I showed you last time. My friend is a bit of a nature lover, so I told her we'd try the red team this time. It's a lovely layout, but this playthrough marked the first time I've seen it because we couldn't see each other's bases -- just as in the old Russian beta. Playing with other English speakers this time instead of Russian players means I could have chatted about this with them about it but for the game's deafening loading screens (no, really, take off your headset when loading a match; volume control is mute or nothing). A lot of the non-MOBA complaints from my last review sadly still hold true, as do a few issues with the tutorial. While the new additions to the game greatly increased my satisfaction with the combat parts and I want to talk about the new game modes, I still must readdress my issues with the game that haven't changed at all.
Heroes V: Hammers of Fate goes gold
Strategy fans will have no shortage of new releases to pick from this holiday season with expansions available for Empire at War, Battle for Middle-earth II, and Dawn of War. If dwarves are your preferred faction, you'll be pleased to know that Hammers of Fate -- Ubisoft's first expansion pack for Heroes of Might and Magic V -- has gone gold and is on target for a Tuesday release. Independent fan site Age of Heroes has some unofficial details about our bearded friends, as well as the new renegades for hire and neutral units that debut in Hammers. Which strategy title is at the top of your list?See also: Metareview - Heroes of Might and Magic V
Metareview - Heroes of Might and Magic V
It's been a trial by fire for Ubisoft and Russian developer Nival Interactive as they have attempted to revitalize the Heroes of Might and Magic franchise. The re-launch of one of the longest running strategy series has suffered delays, beta tester petitions, and negative previews, but Heroes V has finally made its way to store shelves. The game includes a slick new 3D engine, lengthy campaigns, and six colorful factions that fans will instantly recognize. In addition, most of the critics agree that Nival nailed the fundamentals of the traditional Heroes of Might and Magic combat formula. However, a major criticism of Heroes V is its small number of maps, as well as the initial absence of a map editor (due this summer, according to Nival). GameSpot (82/100) was impressed with the enhancements to online multiplayer: "Heroes V makes a few efforts to speed up online play by offering options for quick stat-based combat resolution, timed turns, straight hero-versus-hero duels, and the new 'ghost mode'." GameSpy (70/100) did a lot of camera spinning: "The switch to 3D, while a successful one, has its drawbacks. The camera is a tad finicky when moving on the underground map. It can be hard to place the camera where you need it and it's also too easy to miss objects that are hiding behind a tree or a mountain." Yahoo! Games (70/100) cautions new players unfamiliar with the sometimes complex attack orders and unit stats: "The biggest failing of Heroes V, which you can almost anticipate from its emphasis on looking so good, is that it's stingy with information. And the bad documentation here kills a lot of what makes the series great."
A first look at Heroes of Might and Magic V
Following a petition by frustrated beta testers to delay Heroes of Might & Magic V until improvements were made, Primotech has added a rather negative preview of the game to Ubisoft's list of criticisms. The reviewer cites problems with the battle system, the resource trading process, and the time limits imposed on town management. So how much time does developer Nival have to polish up this reinvented franchise? Gamespot lists an April 4 release date, the Ubisoft site says May, and Amazon's projected availability is June 30. Unless we see some positive press soon, the later date is probably the safer bet. [via GameBanshee]
Might & Magic V: new screenshots
Yesterday, we reported that Heroes of Might & Magic V would be making its way to the Mac this Spring. Today, Italian game site Tiscali has provided us with over 20 new screens from Ubisoft and Nival's continuation of the classic strategy franchise. [via GameBanshee]
Heroes of Might & Magic V to the Mac
Apple enthusiasts already have plenty to be excited about this week and now Mac gamers have reason to rejoice. Freeverse has announced it will publish the Mac port of Heroes of Might & Magic V, to be released shortly after the PC version ships at the end of next month. Licensed from Ubisoft, this latest release takes the classic series into fully 3D animated environments with a new Active Battle System and a variety of customizations for your heroes and armies. Check out Ubisoft's official game site for more details. Now, about that other new Might & Magic game - the one that uses the Source engine. Freeverse? Aspyr? MacSoft? Anyone? [via GameBanshee]
