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Leaderboard: Do you need to spend money to enjoy Marvel Heroes?
I think I might play me some Marvel Heroes. Which is somewhat odd since I'm neither a Diablo nor a Marvel fan. It's not that I have anything against the latter, it's just that I've always read Batman comics and nothing but, so my knowledge of the Marvel-verse is restricted to The Avengers flick and Bryan Singer's old X-Men films. Anyway, Gazillion's game is of course free-to-play and I'm installing it via Steam as I type. My question for you, though, is should I spring for any of the cash shop bundles or should I just take what the devs are giving away? Which route did you go, and was it the right decision? Vote after the cut! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
Marvel Heroes prepping for big patch, Big Ten weekend
Gazillion has collected player votes regarding Marvel Heroes' top 10 game events from the last 10 months and is bringing back all of them this weekend. Whether you're partial to the game's Christmas, Easter, or Valentine's events or you prefer the Buy-One, Get-One promotion for heroes, they'll each be available starting Friday morning. Marvel Heroes' latest patch will also be debuting at that time. It's bringing with it a new hero -- Invisible Woman -- as well as Squirrel Girl and Black Widow updates and a complete powers pass. Read all about it on the official MH forums. [Thanks Steve!]
The full scoop on Marvel Heroes' team-ups
Massively: Last week Marvel Heroes added a new feature to the game in the form of "team-ups." While we know the basics of this new system, we wanted to go into more detail. To help us with this, Gazillion Community Manager Ryan Collins sat down to answer a few questions. So Ryan, let's strip away the game-specific terminology: Are team-up heroes NPC companions? Pets? If you had to compare them to another game's features, what would it be to help us understand what they're like? Ryan Collins: Team-ups would be most similar to companions or hirelings. Like Diablo II's hirelings, team-up heroes have their own gear (with four brand-new item types just for them) that allow you to customize your team-up's stats. Some team-up items even convey bonuses to your hero directly. Team-ups also have a power tree that allows you to customize the way they function, the powers they use, and the passive bonuses they have. The first choice you get to make with your team-up is how they behave, for which there are three "modes."
Marvel Heroes now featuring Team-Ups
Gazillion has unveiled a new Team-Ups feature for Marvel Heroes. You can now recruit a few of your favorite heroes to battle by your side, according to the game's latest website update. Current Team-Up possibilities include Spider-man, Falcon, Firestar, and Magik. More heroes will be added "in the weeks, months, and years ahead," Gazillion says. Team-Up heroes have "their own unique set of skills and abilities," as well as a few other specifics that you can learn about by reading the FAQ. [Thanks Sounder!]
Marvel Heroes adds Dr. Strange and Shuri
Marvel Heroes' roster has grown by two characters over this past weekend (sort of). Dr. Strange, the "Sorcerer Supreme," is now available in the game as is a gender-bending costume for the Black Panther that will make him Shuri, the first female to take on that character. The game is also running a "buy a hero, get a hero" promotion that lasts until the end of Monday. Through this, the purchase of any hero (other than Dr. Strange) will give the player a second, random hero (other than Dr. Strange) for free. If the player gets a duplicate of a hero he or she already owns, the bonus will then be a token to upgrade that hero's ultimate power. You can check out the Dr. Strange trailer after the jump!
Marvel Heroes doesn't fear the reaper
Seasons don't fear the reaper, nor does Iron Man or the Thing or Squirrel Girl. Phoenix is probably on a first-name basis with the reaper at this point. And Marvel Heroes doesn't want you to fear the reaper either, as the game is running a special event dubbed Don't Fear The Reaper. No, the event will not involve Romeo and Juliet being together in eternity, but it will instead feature increased rewards from a variety of challenges while also offering increased experience and item find rates. X-Defense, Terminals, Midtown, and Holo-Sims will all feature enhanced rewards on a rotation schedule from now until April 1st. The bonus reward changes every few hours, giving you reason to change what you're doing, and the entire game will benefit from improved experience gain and item find rates while the event is running. Check out the announcement for the exact schedule of rewards so you can be ready to fly -- which might not be all that different from normal, come to think of it.
Savant Ascent mixes arcade shooting with music album, coming to PS4
The "Savant" in D-Pad Studios' Savant Ascent is drawn from a close friend of the indie developer, electronic musician Savant (Aleksander Vinter). The arcade-style, 2D action shooter's protagonist is even pulled from the cover of Savant's fifth album, Alchemist, designed by D-Pad Studios' art director Simon S. Andersen. Recently announced for PS4, Savant Ascent has players dispatching enemies in tune with Savant's music, which provides varying upgrades as tracks are unlocked. In the game, Savant is cast out of his tower by a "malicious orb," which turns his surroundings into enemies. Players must guide Savant back up the tower, which certainly explains the "Ascent" part of the game's title. Savant Ascent first launched on PC, Mac and Linux via Steam, GamersGate and the Humble Store as well as iOS and Android in December 2013. [Image: D-Pad Studio]
Former PS All-Stars devs form Dead Alien Cult, introduce Viking Ghost
Indie developer Dead Alien Cult introduced its first game on Steam's Greenlight service this week, Viking Ghost. The developer comprises four people, two of which are former PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale developers: Andrew Marquis and John Lawrence. Viking Ghost is listed as an "Arcade Action Adventure-Dual Stick Shooter-Dungeon Crawler-Rogue-Like-Lite" game with weapons, abilities and an experience point-based upgrade system. The developer cites the Zelda series, The Binding of Isaac and Spelunky among its inspirations for the game, which has eight locations and procedurally-generated levels that liven up every playthrough. Marquis and Lawrence's former developer Superbot parted ways with Sony in February 2013 before downsizing in April. [Image: Dead Alien Cult]
Marvel Heroes promises a weekend of luck and legends
March 17th is St. Patrick's Day, and that means it's time for everyone to get lucky. Especially players of Marvel Heroes, since the game is running its Lucky & Legendary Weekend in celebration. And what does that boil down to? Why, it means you have a lot of options to get lucky with legendary items in (potentially) legendary ways. You might need to get a bit lucky to get everything you want, though. The biggest element of the weekend event is crafting the legendary Pot of Gold, crafted with dropped pieces of rainbows that can be found during the event. There's also a new random costume case that allows for a chance at all sorts of different outfits for your heroes and a game-wide reworking of drops to be more festive for the duration of the weekend. So if you feel like staying up all night to get lucky in the game, you've at least got some convenient reasons for doing so.
Marvel Heroes brings closed beta access for Mac players
Gazillion Entertainment has released Game Update 2.31 for Marvel Heroes, and with it comes a special gift for Mac enthusiasts: closed beta access. Said access will be open to Mac players throughout the rest of the development process until the game's launch later this spring. An open beta is also planned.
Moon Knight joins Marvel Heroes roster
The mysterious and mystical Moon Knight has surfaced in Marvel Heroes, joining the game's growing collection of superheroes. Moon Knight is a masked vigilante who was given a little supernatural assistance by an Egyptian God. Gazillion is selling the Moon Knight in a hero pack with two costumes and other assorted goodies. Marvel Heroes is also throwing a combined Carnival and Mardi Gras celebration in the game. Players will get a daily gift for logging in, discover themed drops, and have the chance to buy Halloween items and costumes on sale. [Thanks to Spacejesus3k for the tip!]
Marvel Heroes introduces new game mode in Training Day update
Over the weekend Marvel Heroes launched Game Update 2.3, also known as Training Day. This latest update introduced an all-new game mode for players to enjoy. The S.H.I.E.L.D Holo-Sim game mode lets players dive into a high-tech holographic simulation room either alone or with a friend and face waves of enemies and iconic villains; the more waves of enemies defeated, the better the reward. The update also includes design reviews for both Human Torch and Daredevil (the latter of which also got a snazzy new Noir costume) as well as item, crafting, and loot changes. Full details can be found in the Training Day patch notes. [Source: Gazillion press release]
Marvel Heroes adds Asgardian-themed crafting, Mac client coming
Marvel Heroes' Game Update 2.2 is now live. Otherwise known as Forge of Asgard, the content drop features additional item customization, character outfitting, and an Asgardian-themed crafting system. Gazillion is celebrating with a weekend full of bonuses that include increased drop rates and login prizes. Marvel Heroes is also coming to the Mac platform, with closed beta testing slated for late February of 2014. [Source: Gazillion press release]
Nightcrawler live in Marvel Heroes
As promised earlier this week, fan favorite Nightcrawler is now available for play in Marvel Heroes. And just like you'd expect from the acrobatic blue hero, his Ultimate Power Brimstone Blitz instantaneously teleports him to his targets and unleashes a flurry of attacks. Nightcrawler can be unlocked via direct purchase from in-game store or through the alternate in-game currency Eternity Splinters. The cost is 900 Gs in the store (or 1,800 if you go for the Hero Pack with both costumes) or 400 Eternity Splinters.
Classic run-and-gunner Metal Slug 3 coming to Steam in February
SNK's run-and-gun action game Metal Slug 3 will launch on Steam in February. The arcade game first arrived in 2000, later leaping to multiple platforms like XBLA in early 2008, the Wii Virtual Console in May 2012 as well as iOS and Android in 2012. The Steam version will feature online cooperative multiplayer, leaderboards and cloud save support. In addition to the mobile ports, the Steam version was handled by DotEmu, a specialist in retro game adaptations. The developer previously brought the Double Dragon Trilogy to mobile and also took Another World to Mac, iOS and Android. DotEmu is currently hosting a closed beta for Metal Slug 3 on Steam.
The cows come home in Marvel Heroes Game Update 2.14
Game Update 2.14 hit Marvel Heroes over the weekend and introduced a few more goodies to the superhero game, including the new tundra zone of Bovineheim where Skrull cows are plotting great evil and must be stopped. Also, the most experienced heroes will find more challenging content thanks to the new Cosmic Terminals. On top of that, both Captain America and Hawkeye have new abilities and build options. Players can also don the new enhanced costume of Kate Bishop as Hawkeye, with all new voice-over, emotes, and animations. You can see Bishop in action in the trailer below. If you'd rather play Nightcrawler, Gazillion Entertainment announces that he should be making an appearance later this week. [Source: Gazillion Entertainment press release]
Conception 2 hits North America on April 15, spawns new trailer
Conception 2: Children of the Seven Stars will launch April 15 in North America. Atlus recently gave players a glimpse at the seven eligible heroines in the 3DS and Vita game, and offered a teaser trailer for baby-making RPG today. Conception 2 has players assuming the role of a young Disciple with powers gifted to him by a Star God, who must birth monster-fighting kiddos to save the world by befriending the aforementioned heroines. The trailer includes brief looks at how Conception 2's combat system looks in action, using footage from the 3DS version. First-run editions of the game will include a 10-track album by composer Masato Kouda of Devil May Cry and Monster Hunter fame, which features the song heard in the trailer.
Choose My Adventure: Back in the saddle again edition
Yeeehaw! Now that Mike has finished his ride, they're lettin' me back in the saddle for another round of rootin' tootin' Choose My Adventure fun! And the opportunity has come not a moment too soon: I've had my spurs on and been raring to go for weeks now. As you know, this ain't my first CMA rodeo, and I'm sure as shootin' excited for this next wild romp through a new world. Of course, I won't be doing this alone. This ain't a one-woman show, and you ain't just spectators. I'm the rider all right, but y'all actually have a hold of the reins and will be leading me through the adventures. I'll wrangle up some options each week, and y'all will make the choices for what we do, where we go, and how we get there. Our first choice: which game we're going to tame! I've corralled a herd of titles that ain't seen their time in the spotlight yet (or at least, not for a long, long time). We've got an assortment of breeds to choose from -- some I've the barest hint of experience with; with others, I've none at all. Look 'em over, size 'em up, and then tag the one you want us to spend our next six weeks in. Y'all have until 11:59 p.m. EST on Saturday, January 25th, to make your selection. Then we rope the winner and get this ride started.
Tips and tricks for surviving WildStar's active combat
All gamers have areas of interest when going into an MMO beta test, the things that they want to see and the content that they want to preserve for launch. Personally I hate going through quests and spoiling the story while in beta, so if there's a way to skirt around that, I take it. That's why my time with WildStar has been so very combat-centric, as I've been happily grinding on both PvE mobs and PvP competitors during my sessions like the archaic dinosaur gamer that I am. Because of this, I've gotten very well acquainted with WildStar's combat system during these rough-and-tumble initial 15 levels. I'm no expert, mind you, but I definitely have a good feel for how these encounters work and what are the right and wrong ways to go about tackling them. So today I'd like to share with you some observations and lessons to help you survive your first few days on Nexus, whether as a beta tester or a player in live.
RaiderZ now available on Steam
If you're looking for a Steam title that ends with 'Z,' you could follow the crowd and pick up DayZ's early access. Or you could pick up RaiderZ and indulge in some of Perfect World's Monster Hunter-style action combat mayhem. RaiderZ initially launched in November of 2012, and you can read what we thought of the game's lengthy beta process as well as its Broken Silence expansion.
