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EA shutting BattleForge down in October after four years of service
Free-to-play RTS BattleForge will shut down on October 31. An update on the game's official site notes that those with a remaining balance of in-game currency are "encouraged to spend it" before it is unavailable to play. BattleForge's developer, EA Phenomic, closed in July, resulting in 60 layoffs. The game first launched in an open beta phase in March 2009, prior to receiving a price drop and subsequently a free to play edition.
Benjamin Cousins leaves EA ahead of Play4Free launch
Today marks the beginning of the closed beta testing process for Battlefield Play4Free (with an open beta set to kick off April 4) -- making the announcement of EA Easy boss Ben Cousins' departure all the more perplexing. Cousins recently announced his exit from the developer on Twitter, saying he's "very proud of what I've achieved in the last 4 years." He didn't say what his next job opportunity is, only teasing, "soon as I can, I let everyone know." Cousins was instrumental in the development of EA's recent salvo of free-to-play titles like Battlefield Heroes, Lord of Ultima and BattleForge, which actually made the transition from a retail release to an F2P title. We wish Cousins the best of luck at whatever his new home may be, and hope that he continues to make things cost zero money. You're doing the Lord's work, Ben.
BattleForge shuffling 60 new cards into August expansion
Our knowledge of the inner workings of Electronic Arts' microtransaction-infused RTS BattleForge is limited, but we're still pretty excited about the Renegade Edition expansion that's coming to the game this August. The add-on will add 60 new cards to the game, each representing new units and buildings. While we may not know exactly how those cards are used, our history with the Pokémon TCG taught us one hard and fast rule -- more cards is always a good thing.However, we can't begin to guess the purpose of the "dual orb cards and special affinities" that the expansion will also bring to the game, but the announcement post on BattleForge's blog says they'll "deepen and enrich the strategical possibilities of the decks and the combat itself." We guess we'll take their word for it.[Via Big Download]
BattleForge gets 'Play4Free' edition
We're a little worried about EA's card-based RTS, BattleForge. Less than a month ago, the game got a significant price drop, and just this morning EA announced the game will be adopting a free play model, allowing for even more old-fashioned microtransactions (a key part of BattleForge's card-based battle system), and, maybe, helping the game to survive a bit longer.According to the game's website, the "Play4Free" version of BattleForge will replace the demo version and give players access to "all game content" -- it even comes with 32 cards (four times the amount that came with the demo). EA says that the retail box copy of the game will now serve as a "points box," as it comes packed with 3000 points ready for use in EA's store. It remains to be seen whether this move will spurn those who already purchased the game or bring in enough new players to support the continued existence of it. What say you, Joystiq Biomass?%Gallery-44102%[Via Big Download]
BattleForge trailer goes all tribal drumming on us, price drops
For those of you not playing that other fantasy RTS with giant beasts on PC (*cough* Demigod *cough*), there's always the card-based strategery of Phenomic's BattleForge. The newest trailer released (seen above) showcases not just the massive scale of some rather colorful battles but also some of the most dramatic music we've ever heard. And what does the sound of tribal drumming bring with it? Apparently a price drop, as EA announced today that the game's price is lowering to a more competitive $29.99. We'd love to tell you more about the online-only PC game but when we tried to get a hands-on at New York City Comic Con, wouldn't ya know it, the servers went down. We can, however, point you to the game's website where a free demo is waiting patiently for you to download it.%Gallery-44102%
BattleForge open beta is now ... open
Considering that it doesn't sport any offline play, it was pretty difficult for us to get a read on EA's sort-of-card-based RTS BattleForge at the New York Comic Con last month when the company's nets went kaput. But no longer must you tolerate the hazy impressions of The Internet's Only Video Game News Source! We've just learned from EA the game has gone into open beta for anyone willing to put the effort into clicking right here.As we haven't really experienced the full package yet, we're relying on you to let us know what you think of the game in the comments. Don't let us down, the internet!%Gallery-44102%
WRUP: Wait, don't we write about MMOs? edition
During the day, of course, everyone piles into the Massively offices in their suits and ties, all prepared to settle into the daily grind of MMO writing. But at night? We enjoy slaughtering the undead as much as anyone -- and since a zombie MMO hasn't risen to fill that void in our hearts, we keep running back to Left 4 Dead.Brendan Drain: I'll be taking it easy this weekend and working on my university masters project, which happens to be a game. If I get time I'll play some EVE and maybe check out the new expansion stuff on the test server.Brooke Pilley: I'll be playing Warhammer Online and a bit of BattleForge beta. :)Colin Brennan: This week it's going to be battleground premades in World of Warcraft, followed by a helping of Mabinogi and Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine. Past that, it's my mother's birthday, so I'm not going to be around the computer too much. Happy Birthday Mom!Dan O'Halloran: I'm poking my head back into EverQuest 2 after a year's absence hoping I haven't been deguilded. Also going to continue my trek towards Moria in Lord of the Rings Online as well as working on my baby Hunter in World of Warcraft.James Egan: I'm meeting up with some friends for Halo 3 and Left 4 Dead, fueled by copious amounts of Jim Beam and Coke. On the MMO side I'm definitely going to spend a little time in EVE, probably exploring more trade possibilities. Kyle Horner: I'm taking a weekend break from MMOs and getting my game-on with Steam. It's Dawn of War 2 and Team Fortress 2 for me this weekend, with a strong possibility of some Left 4 Dead zombie action.Lemuel Pew: Getting the last of the Spring Fling badges in City of Heroes before the event closes on the 22nd.Krystalle Voecks: I'm going to be boring and do some much needed studying for class, so pretty much almost no gaming for me. Although I'll probably play some Left 4 Dead with Kyle so he can laugh at my crappy FPS skillz.That's what the Massively team is getting into this weekend -- but what are you playing?
NYCC 09: BattleForge hands-off / system-down
Know this: BattleForge is not a trading card game. BattleForge is an RTS. Correction: It's an online RTS -- it's not playable offline. And so, when producer Sebastian Nell connected to the server for a hands-on demonstration on the New York Comic Con show floor, the server temporarily went down, and we were left to chat in front of a blank screen. BattleForge is still in an open beta testing phase, so we'll forgive the technical outage for now -- but surely this is a key issue that needs to be avoided after the official game launch. The other issue is the general misconception that BattleForge is a trading card game. It's true, traditional RTS units are represented as virtual cards in the game, and players command "decks" -- and "booster packs" (8 cards: 1 rare, 2 uncommon and 5 common cards) can be purchased for $2.50 from an online marketplace; cards can also be traded between players. Still, there aren't physical cards to be collected, and the trading card aspect is more bullet point than innovation.%Gallery-44102%
BattleForge deals first hand on March 24
In all the rush to green our planet, perhaps not enough credit is given to games like BattleForge. Shouldn't being able to play a card-based game without the senseless murder of dozens of trees for actual cards be able to usurp at least Vampire Rain or M.C. Kids on Al Gore's Top 5 Games list?Regardless, as of March 24, you'll be able to build a jetpack out of aerosol cans or perform whatever other eco-terrorism you like, because BattleForge will be doing enough environment saving for all of us. It's got that ish locked down. That said, if you really want to be an EnergyStar, you can hop into the beta right here.
EA's Battleforge takes a nod from MMOs
Ambitious is a word that comes to mind after reading up on EA Phenomic's upcoming offering, Battleforge. A recent article on Eurogamer notes that it's something of an RTS, MMO, and TCG hybrid. On top of that, it would appear that the company is hoping to take advantage of the Eastern microtransaction model, offering their booster packs online, and giving players the ability to trade cards back and forth via their email. See? Ambitious.Sebastian Nell of EA Phenomic discussed some other interesting aspects of what they're working on to make Battleforge more MMO-like. One of the things mentioned was including co-op maps against a raid boss type of monster that will drop special loot. However, as they list the game as being for (at most) up to 12 people at a time in a battle, we're going to have to lean towards calling this on the "not an MMO" side of the house, despite their taking some aspects from the genre we love. Of course, if you're looking for an RTS/TCG with a nod to MMOs involved, you still may want to check out the beta. Sounds like it will be interesting - if only to see them accomplish all they've set out to achieve.
The Best of Big Download: November 17-23
Killing zombies is fun, whether they're the fast Left 4 Dead variety or the slow Nazis in Call of Duty: World at War. While we go back to some undead-shooting fun, you can check out Big Download's features and highlights from the past week.Exclusive features Reviews: We give our final verdicts on Left 4 Dead, Sacred 2, Quantum of Solace, Strong Bad Episode 4 and American McGee's Grimm: Cinderella. Things we love (and hate) about Left 4 Dead: Our gallery feature takes a look at the highs and lows of Valve's latest first person shooter. Beyond mods: Our gallery feature takes a look at first person shooter mods that have changed into full fledged retail game titles. Mac Monday: Our weekly look at Macintosh gaming is the casual city sim Jane's Reality. Boot Disk: Our weekly look at retro gaming takes a look at the original King's Quest. Independent Minds: Our weekly indie games feature takes a look at originality in game titles. Big Ideas: Why are so-called horror games not that scary? Our weekly look at game trends tries to answer this question. Freeware Friday: Our weekly look at free games is all about the strategy-sim title Simutrans. Contests: You still have time to enter our contests to win copies of Left 4 Dead, Sacred 2 and beta codes for Battleforge.
The Best of Big Download: August 18-24
Games Convention generated a ton of new HD trailers for upcoming PC games and we have them ready to download, along with a ton of original content and news stories. Indeed, there were a lot of new PC games announcements this week (more than at E3). Take a look at all of them on our site:Exclusive Features Reviews: Check out our reviews of the PC version of Bionic Commando Rearmed and the latest chapter of American McGee's Grimm. Hands-on previews: Check out our hands-on impressions of Aion, Battleforge and Battlefield Heroes BigVersus: Our latest game comparison column takes a look at the PC and Xbox 360 versions of Bionic Commando Rearmed. Big Iron: Our latest PC hardware column takes a look at power . . . power supplies for your rig that is. Big Ideas: Our latest column on themes in gaming takes a look at the so called "new games journalism." Alt-Tab: Our newest column takes a look at RTS gameplay conventions and how Relic could change them with Dawn of War II. Freeware Friday: Our latest look at free PC games is the classic Nethack. BigCast: It's our regular podcast with team members chatting about all things PC gaming.
Electronic Arts enters the card-based MMO arena with BattleForge
With games like Magic Online and Freaky Creatures in the gaming consciousness, this variant on the concept of microtransactions is on the rise. Electronic Arts must think so too, because they've just announced their card-based MMO offering, called BattleForge.BattleForge will be an entirely Web-based card-game, where you'll build your fantasy army by the purchase of online decks, or trading them with other players, or even winning them in tournaments. Gameplay itself will feature the use of four elements and a mystical forge to do battle. Being developed by EA Phenomic, Germany-based creators of the SpellForce series, this upcoming MMO is expected to launch in the Fall of this year. [Source]
EA announces BattleForge collectible trading card game for Fall '08
EA announced today that its German studio, EA Phenomic, is working on Battleforge, a "fantasy online real-time strategy ... collectible trading card" game. The game will release this fall and allow players to win, trade and buy virtual cards to create the "ultimate deck."Basically, it sounds like Magic: The Gathering (but totally virtual) at the moment. We'll have to wait and see what the price details are for Battleforg -- not to mention its micro transaction details, if any.
