dungeon crawl
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Infinity Blade: Dungeons gameplay revealed
Our friends at Joystiq have procured the first gameplay footage of Epic's followup to the popular Infinity Blade series, called Infinity Blade: Dungeons, and you can get a look at it below. As you can see, it's set in the same world as the first two games, but features a completely different take on gameplay, using gestures to fight baddies from a top-down view rather than a fixed camera. There are also some interesting crafting mechanics, like rubbing out imperfections on a blade you're making, or tapping dents in metal to clear them off. Infinity Blade: Dungeons was announced at the iPad 3 Apple event, and is supposed to be out later on this year.
Wings Over Atreia: Ode to 3.0
*cue pitch pipe* Twinkle, twinkle, little patch, How I wonder where you're at? In the East they play with ease, In the West you're just a tease! Twinkle, twinkle, three point oh, Hurry please I want you so! I've tried to be patient. I really have. I even avoided any wayward glances at Aion's Korean patch notes (translated, of course) for 3.0. That way, I could contain my excitement a little better. I mean, we already know I am dying for housing, and I also know mounts are involved. But there is always so much more, and I was trying to make the wait more bearable. I stood firm in my resolve. Then I broke down. I peeked. And oh how the many-tendriled beast of anticipation took hold of me once again! Of course there is always the requisite "fixed this bug" and "changed that appearance" filler, but when mining deeper, you also find some definite valuable nuggets. Aion's next patch has some "how cool," some "oh wow, that's really unexpected," and some "about time!" thrown in as well. From new zones to new instances to new features, there is plenty coming our way. Don't want to tax your scroll wheel and sift through the entire patch notes yourself? Wings Over Atreia delves in to uncover some of the most tantalizing treasures for you.
Wings Over Atreia: The top 19 ways to get your dungeon crawl on, continued
Ahhh. There's nothing like the feeling of facing down a formidable foe, beating it into submission, then finally conquering it and pulling from its lifeless corpse some rare and valuable treasure to hold above your head as a trophy of your victory. Of course, this feeling cannot be found in the PvP portion of Aion's PvPvE formula; sadly, neither Asmodians nor Elyos drop loot of any kind upon defeat, rare or otherwise (though I have to say adding in the ability to pluck a feather from your vanquished foe would be cool). So that leaves only one way to experience this rush, and that's through the PvE side of the game, and not just any PvE at that: While there is a possibility of valuable drops out in the world, your best chances lie within the instanced dungeons. Dungeons are a great way to get away from the masses and all the accompanying interruptions that come with sharing the world with others, such as KSing, unwanted PvP ambushes, and mob trains pulled by some idiot next to you. Think of it as an Atreian vacation! And Aion has 19 PvE instanced dungeons ready to whisk you away for a brief respite from the world while simultaneously giving you the chance at some great loot and XP. Last week we covered dungeons available to Daevas under level 40 as well as solo instances. Of course, in most cases, Daevas don't remain under 40 forever (or even for long if whole months of double-XP weekends crop up!), so there is a need for more places to scratch that dungeon crawl itch. This time around, Wings Over Atreia focuses on the gamut of choices for those advancing in their levels.
Wings Over Atreia: The top 19 ways to get your dungeon crawl on
You know 'em -- those places shrouded away from the everyday grind of the world where you can chill-out without being interrupted (excepting spouse aggro), a private nook where you know there is a definite beginning and end to your adventure, one that offers the best possible loot. They are areas often steeped in lore. They are... the instanced dungeons. There are actually 19 separate PvE dungeons currently in Aion where Daevas can get their dungeon crawl on. If you include the Fortress instances, you can add another 10 dungeons to this list. Adding PvP instances raises the number even higher. However, since fort instances are seriously lacking in lore and fort ownership is required (so availability is not assured), we will forego including them. We'll also omit the Dredgions and PvP arenas to keep the list PvE focused -- after all, there are times you really may not want to bother with fighting the enemy! This week, Wings Over Atreia explores the first half of the dungeon list for the benefit of both young whippersnappers and old-timer Daevas alike. Why would veterans need it? Because dungeons aren't just for certain levels anymore. For a change of pace or to break out of a rut, grab yourself some lowbies, mentor down, and check out one instance a day -- you'll pass two weeks before ever repeating. You might even have fun, meet new friends, and renew your enthusiasm for Aion.
The Game Archaeologist traces his Lineage: The highlights
If we judged MMOs by their numbers alone -- and I'm not suggesting we do so -- then Lineage would be the crowing rooster strutting about the hen house. It's also been one of those games that I've always intellectually acknowledged was a huge hit for some reason, but I never gave it much attention. I think it's because, contrary to many of the "big name" games we cover here, Lineage was and always will be an Asian phenomenon. That doesn't mean it should be shunned, of course, but just that it may be difficult to understand when you're on the outside of it. So let's back up the memory truck to September 1998, when a then-fledgling NCsoft rolled out a Diablo-esque isometric MMO and struck virtual gold in South Korea. At the time, gaming rooms were becoming a huge thing in the country; a recession had hit (giving people a lot of time with nothing to do), and the government was rapidly expanding the broadband network. In the face of this perfect storm, titles like StarCraft and Lineage became overnight household fixtures -- and the country hasn't looked back. Even if you haven't played Lineage and you don't know anyone who does, trust me: There are a lot of people playing this 13-year-old title, to the tune of millions and millions. As former Senior Producer Chris Mahnken said, "Lineage keeps going because it's just plain fun." This month we'll be looking back at the incredible legacy that Lineage has given the industry, starting with an overview of the highlights of these past 13 years. Hit the jump and mind the gap!
Dungeon Hunter: Alliance hacks and slashes onto PSN this April
In Gameloft's long-running series of ... borrowed game archetypes, we've yet to see a console dungeon crawler from the company. With Dungeon Hunter: Alliance, however, the French developer is setting its torch to "light" and confronting the diablos of the darkness head on. The neverending search for loot begins this April on PSN, and features both online and offline co-op play -- Gameloft promises "30 levels with an immense world of dungeons, villages and forests to explore." Perhaps "Dungeon/Village/Forest Hunter: Alliance" would've been a more apt title. It's also got a certain je ne sais quoi to it, no? That one's free, Gameloft. The next one'll cost ya.
Exclusive video of Mage class in Dungeon Fighter Online
The team over at Nexon has given us a look at the Mage class from their new 2D dungeon crawling brawler, Dungeon Fighter Online, and boy does she pack a punch!Hard hitting magical spells define this class, of course, but that's not all she can accomplish. The class also has some monster controlling abilities, like gravity wells and knockbacks, in addition to their elemental area of effect spells. If that wasn't enough, the mage can also summon elemental pets, making her the "stand back and let something else beat it" class of the game.Of course, you shouldn't take our word on this alone. We have this fancy exclusive video of the mage exploding people! Hit the continue reading, and let your eyes absorb all of the tasty monster destruction.
The Daily Grind: Instance vs. open
So here's a battle for all of you readers out there. A good way, if you ask us, to wake up the morning. Do you prefer the way of the open, massive, uninstanced dungeon crawls? Or are you more of a modern day lover of the instanced method of dispatching monsters?Now there are certainly advantages and disadvantages to both. Uninstanced dungeons create a very epic dungeon experience, as you can come across other small groups of players fighting against the hordes of monsters while you explore a huge underground space. However, uninstanced dungeons can sometimes mean overcrowding, lines to kill bosses, and generally non-immersive behavior.Instanced dungeons, on the other hand, let players enjoy the content at their own pace with no kill-stealing and no lines. But instanced dungeons don't seem to have that same flair for adventure and unexpectedness as a non-scripted dungeon does. In short, it's like riding a pre-planned roller coaster rather than having a true dungeon adventure.So what do you prefer? Let us know readers, let us know!
Double the Chocobo, double the fun
How do you like your Chocobo: hanging with Cid, or, uh, hanging with Cid? While we're clearly gonna need to choose hanging with Cid, we'll offer a caveat -- everything Chocobo has to be super cute. With that in mind, while we know you're probably more interested in Chocobo's Dungeon DS+, that trailer is tucked away behind the break, because the above video, for the Chocobo Tales sequel, is just adorable.
Roguelike updates remind us to play roguelikes
Are you one of the four roguelike fans out there? If so, and if you also can't wait for Mysterious Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer's February release, why not play NetHackDS or Powder -- two recently-updated homebrew dungeon crawler ports -- in the meantime? While NetHackDS has the edge in terms of "graphics" and name recognition, Powder has the advantage of being immediately playable in an emulator, so even if you don't have a flashcart, you can still enjoy the addictive game ... if you consider dying a dozen times while trying to figure out how to live longer than five minutes enjoyable.See also: Nethack your DSRead - NetHackDS 1.12CRead - Powder 094
Atlus goes dungeon crawling for the Wii, PS2
When the chips are down and creativity's glass feels half empty, we know we can always look to the mavericks at Atlus to come up with something just a hair shy of normal for an experience that is, if anything, unique. With surgery sim Trauma Center: New Blood's release sewn up and a pair of Japanese-style strategy RPGs for the Xbox 360 on the way, Atlus is one of the last remaining 'garage bands' of video game publishing. Now the company has announced its next project, namely a dungeon crawl-style action RPG called Baroque, describing the game as "hardcore" and "a pure RPG experience" for both the mini-game addled Wii and aging PS2. With an art style that is all its own, Baroque is set for release on both consoles in February, and is a remake of Japanese dev Sting's Saturn/PlayStation original, no doubt throwing yet another log on the fire for those weary of the Wii's growing catalog of last-gen ports. For us, we're just more interested in finding out what a trek through a post-apocalyptic dungeon has to do with excessively intricate art. Color us intrigued.
Nethack your DS
John Harris's outstanding, exhaustive GameSetWatch column, @Play, focuses this week on the topic of homebrew roguelikes for the DS. There are a few roguelikes available in retail format -- the Pokemon Mystery Dungeons, Izuna, and, soon, Shiren the Wanderer -- but those are all examples of the "Mysterious Dungeon" subgenre, and also cost money, which these homebrew versions do not (barring the initial outlay required to run homebrew.) And these games are the good kind of free, not the 'five-finger-discount' kind.Not only does Harris provide a guide to different roguelike games for the DS, he kindly offers a guide to getting them on there. If you're a roguelike player, you may not be familiar with the concept of making things easier for yourself, but you may be able to adapt.
Stay away from the Mystery Dungeon if you value your humanity
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon featured the story of a human who gets transformed into a Pokemon and ends up exploring a big dungeon with a team of Pokemon. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon 2 features the story of a human who gets transformed into a Pokemon and enters the fast-paced world of fashion design. Or does the human explore a big dungeon? We always get the two mixed up. Now that we think about it, it's definitely the dungeon one.We're willing to accept that an entire society is built around the concept of capturing animals and making them fight. We're okay with the idea of technologically rendering said animals pocket-sized for convenience. But this? Preposterous.
