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Lara Croft: Reflections card game launches on iOS for New Zealand, Australia
Square Enix recently launched a Tomb Raider-based card game on iOS. Dubbed Lara Croft: Reflections, the free-to-play game has players dueling one another in real-time card battles, combining weapon cards to upgrade and evolve them and protecting their artifacts from thieving opponents. Reflections also includes group battles in which players work to defeat special event bosses. Lara Croft: Reflections is currently only available in New Zealand and Australia. The game is compatible with iPhone 4 and iPad 2 devices or better and requires a network connection to play. It launched just a few days after the original Tomb Raider's iOS port.
XMG Studios announces Evil Empire, Hero and one more at Macworld
Just as they were last year, XMG Studios is on the floor of Macworld/iWorld 2013 in San Francisco. XMG has three new games to talk about that aren't playable just yet, but should be released this year. XMG's Lydia Schaele told us about a big title called Evil Empire. It's darker and more stylistic than older XMG games like Cows vs. Aliens and last year's Ghostbusters title. Evil Empire is a military combat strategy game set in an alternate reality during the Cold War, in which the USSR is more powerful than it was at the time. In this wild, propaganda-filled setting, an alien creature lands on Earth. As the player, you must use various units and tactics to lead the rebels against a strong, alien military. Evil Empire is still in the planning stages, and XMG is dong its homework. The company took a close look at the App Store, and determined that going with a more complex strategy-style game would land them in the right part of the market. Evil Empire is also expected to be a free-to-play title, with in-app purchases centered around customization and extra content. The game is being designed according to XMG's new philosophy, which we were told targets four main pillars: Character, Choices, Collection and Community. Characters and story will play a big part in Evil Empire's narrative, while meaningful choices will keep player experiences very different each time through the game. Collecting will be a big part of replay value, and of course XMG has quite a bit of experience already with building up social features and communities, so Evil Empire should show off that talent as well. Evil Empire sounds fascinating, but Schaele said that XMG plans to take its time with development. We should see more on this one before the end of the year. Also in development is a game that's code-named Card Battle, which is very similar to the current hit Rage of Bahamut. It's due near the end of May, and will feature original, colorful card art. Card Battle is a card game that features an evolution mechanic and plenty of collection options. XMG wants to make a popular card game that's a little bit better quality than what's currently available, so that should be excellent. And finally, we got to see some concept art of a game called Hero, which is another card game, though this time much more character and story driven. That game will have a rarity system, with various tiers of cards to go after and collect, though the mechanics haven't been defined. Schaele also told us that XMG will attempt to beta test technique with this game. The studio may release it on Android for just a few devices, and let players try out the game on that smaller platform first, before eventually bringing it over to iOS. This isn't the first time we've heard this idea from developers -- right now, the traditional iOS beta test is to release the game in Canada before bringing it to other countries, but with cross-platform development easier than ever, a smaller Android release may become the testing method of choice. We should see more about Hero in June or July of this year. XMG's lineup for 2013 looks pretty solid, and we'll stay tuned for any more news on these titles.
Kingsisle shines some light on Wizard101 gardening
If you're a player of Wizard101, the surprisingly deep card-based MMO from Kingsisle Entertainment, then you were probably surprised when gardening made an appearance on the test server last week. I know I heard a gasp of surprise as my wife logged in to take a look! It seems as though players will now be able to grow their own plants, complete with their own personalities and faces. Well, things were still a bit foggy so we decided to fire off a few questions (with the help of our friend Fallon at Diary of a Wizard) in the hopes that our thumbs would become a little greener. Thankfully, Fred Howard, V.P. of marketing at Kingsisle, was able to answer them all. Join us past the cut for the full interview!
Massively, Blue Oyster Cult's Eric Bloom and Wizard101 walk into a bar...
Blue Oyster Cult lead singer Eric Bloom has been gaming a long, long time, and been part of a very iconic rock band for even longer. If you are familiar with the More Cowbell sketch on Saturday Night Live, you know B.O.C. I remember their music from my younger days, as my brother and I tried to learn their songs for our band to cover (pro tip: the lead in Don't Fear the Reaper is a killer). In fact, it has to be some kind of fate that I would interview him many years later, since his music also blends in perfectly with the gaming lifestyle. So, what do rock stars like to play? A bit of everything, it seems. Eric also writes for Beckett Massive Online Gamer and has songs featured in games ranging from Guitar Hero to Warhammer Online. Recently, he was asked to help design a quest for the bright and shiny card-battle MMORPG Wizard101. It turns out he had an idea for a quest, and his recent visit to Kingsisle Entertainment was the perfect opportunity to make that idea a reality. Follow past the break to check out the recording of my phone interview with Eric, as well as a sit-down with him and the developers from Kingsisle.
KingsIsle announces Wizard101 expansion details
Kingsisle Entertainment finally announced details about the upcoming Wizard101 expansion! Players will soon be able to explore Celestia, a new underwater land populated by crab people while pursuing 10 extra levels. As if that is not enough, there will be a new pet system that allows players to grow, customize, race and fight alongside their companions. There will also be three yet-to-be-named schools of secondary magic. (You can already hear the theorizing from here.) According to J. Todd Coleman, Vice President and Creative Director for KingsIsle Entertainment: "2010 is shaping up to be an incredible year for the students of Ravenwood School of Magic. Whether exploring the underwater kingdom of Celestia, or hatching and training pets to participate in the Pet Derby, every player–from the newest apprentice to the returning grandmaster–will find something compelling, engaging and fun." You can download and play the game for free (with the option of a subscription) here. Look for the update in June!
Camon Hero closed beta is in the cards
If you're one of the multitudes who grew up playing a lot of Yu-Gi-Oh or other card battling games, then we've got news about an upcoming MMO that may well interest you. Camon Hero, also known as Orka in other parts of the world, is coming to the West with fast-paced free-to-play card game MMO fun -- and a closed beta that starts tomorrow. In Camon Hero, players explore the world, attempting to rid the lands of evil, and picking up different cards along the way. The game offers a classless system based entirely on the cards you have selected at the time. In the mood to be a battle mage? Load those cards up and get to playing. Prefer to go full-on melee or pure caster? You can do that too. From there, it's all about who has the better cards as you pit your deck (and thereby character) building skills against players in PvP, or against the world in PvE. Only unlike playing a traditional TCG, the cards spring to life and fight for your side! For now, we've embedded the trailer for Camon Hero behind the break, which shows off some tantalizing hints of game play. Hopefully we'll hear some more news about this interesting MMO (or maybe score some beta keys) in the days to come.
Theorycrafting in Wizard101
Apparently theorycrafting isn't just for hardcore RPGers anymore. Tipa of the West Karana blog put together an interesting primer on the hidden numbers behind kid-friendly (and adult too - don't be shy) MMO, Wizard101. Want to know what damage, accuracy or power pips are and which is better? Want to know what your ideal secondary magic school might be? Want to know how important mana or health is when choosing gear? Find out the answers to these questions and more in Tipa's "need to know" guide. You can even leave a question in her comment section if you don't find what you were looking for.And we're sure there will be a lot of questions since Wizard101 recently hit the one million player mark. Perhaps theorycrafting has become a bit more important in this casual-friendly game since they recently added the player arena, where wizards can engage in a fierce magical duels against each other. Competition usually encourages more strategic thinking and planning if you want to win, and this combat primer might help as well.
Bamboo Blade: Sorekara no Chousen to hit PSP in April
Anime fans rejoice: Toraji "Kojir?" Ishida and his fierce clan of fighters are coming to the PSP. Bamboo Blade, the popular manga series from the producers of Gun Sword, will see new life on Sony's handheld this April in Japan, according to Saiani.net. Bambo Blade follows the exploits of luckless high school Kendo instructor, Kojir?, and his band of female trainees as they battle for all-you-can-eat sushi. Oh, and honor. Bamboo Blade: Sorekara no Chousen for the PSP is a story-driven card-battle title with voice work from the cast of the original anime, which ended in mid-2008. Card-battles? Bamboo? Does it get better than that? Well, it will if a publisher decides to bring it Stateside.
Get mystical with this Wizard101 combat primer
Maybe the casual friendly, Harry Potter inspired Wizard101 has caught your eye sometime in the past, but you weren't really sure what the game entailed. Well, in that case MMORPG.com has a good combat primer that'll help you get your wands in order, as it were. While the game doesn't demand deep, tactical thinking it isn't exactly a hack 'n slash title either -- so a little bit of help isn't out of the question. Plus, it's got a free-or-pay pricing structure as well.If you're wondering whether or not Wizard101 is a game worth a little investigation, we'll be the first to answer that yes, very much so! We've got both some early hands-on time with the game, as well as an interview we did shortly before it launched last September. And if you're looking for something short and sweet to convince you to take a look: turn-based card battle MMORPG.
Sony releases Eye of Judgment press pack
People can say all they want about how the Wii is revolutionizing the gaming industry, but the first time we saw The Eye of Judgment in action, we really knew the next generation of gaming had arrived. And with about a month before the virtual card battler is set to release, Sony has released new preview copies to journalists throughout the land.Games Radar received the awesome Eye of Judgment press pack, which includes the "magic cloth," a deck of cards the PlayStation Eye, the game, and exciting new screens and a trailer.The trailer, which we've kindly embedded after the jump, features two wizards waging war with magical beasts in a spectacular hall, where we're sure many battles of its ilk were once fought. Admittedly, it's a little unspectacular after seeing Sauron whoop Gandalf's ass with real magic, but now, there's just no other way to play the game without a wizard's robe and staff in hand.
Romance of the three card game wars
Just when you thought everything had been done with Romance of the Three Kingdoms .... Sangokushi Taisen DS brings elements of the Chinese historical novel to card-based battle action, which is apparently a match made in heaven from the success the arcade version has enjoyed in Japan. The DS game, which is slated to have WiFi multiplayer functionality, is due out in Japan next month. Dates for other regions have yet to be announced, which makes us sad after seeing some of the lush screens. The rest of us need to throw down with vast armies, too!
