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Choose My Adventure: A male Dark Elf Fighter in Aden
Last week in Choose My Adventure, you voted for what kind of character I should make. I dutifully rolled him up and set off for fantastical adventures in Lineage II. Today, I bring you a dungeon video, many screenshots, first impressions, and even a livestream. It's a multi-media extravaganza! And we're also on to the next round of voting for what direction my character takes. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though. I had to start out at the bottom of the barrel. For the first 20 levels, I called Talking Island Village home, until I was transported to the mainland and a little town called Gludio. I discovered, among other things, that there are many tantalizing spots to see in the game -- if you are willing to travel off the beaten path. These spots are well worth the layover, especially if you have a powerful-enough machine. As old as Lineage II is, it's strikingly gorgeous. I didn't dawdle for too long, as I had some leveling to do, and I made a few discoveries along the way.%Gallery-141708%
Behind the Mask: Comparing the archetype bruisers
A lot of people seem to get the wrong idea about Champions Online's Gold archetypes. For the most part, the Gold archetypes are simply different options to play with. As I mentioned previously, the Master is kind of an exception, since it's the only dedicated archetype tank. However, this does not mean that the Master is the beat-all-end-all or that Gold archetypes are outright superior to Silver ones. For the most part, the Silver archetypes are better at their focused roles than the comparable Gold archetypes. This week, we're going to look at the damage-soaking tanky archetypes and compare them. I'll also give a quick comparison between these bruisers and a comparable freeform hero. There's quite a few to cover, so let's get to it!
World of Warplanes turns off the 'no forums' lights
While you can't yet throw yourself into the cockpit of a World War II-era fighter and take off for the stratosphere, at least now there's nothing stopping you from talking about it with like-minded pilots. World of Warplanes, the upcoming fighter plane MMO from Wargaming.net, has launched its official forums. The categories are quite extensive, ranging from developer feedback to a place to write poems about flying. There are even several sub-forums that cover the history of aviation if you're looking to brush up on your basics. The title is the third in the "World of" series, and is currently in closed alpha testing. By having the forums up, Wargaming.net hopes that it'll be useful for refining the testing process and to balance the title before it's ready for the masses. World of Warplanes covers combat aviation from the 1930s all the way up through the 50s. Potential pilots are encouraged to read our conversation with Wargaming.net about the game from GDC earlier this month.
Massively Exclusive: WindSlayer 2 dev diary looks at melee classes
Last week, Ignited Games announced the upcoming 2-D side-scroller WindSlayer 2. This week, the title is back for more with a new developer diary that looks at the game's melee classes. Those who prefer to go wading into battle on the front lines will have three choices: the valiant Warrior, the dexterous Rogue, or the enlightened Monk. For the full details on each of these classes, head on past the cut for the full dev diary. And once you're done, don't forget to head on over to the game's official site (linked below) to register for a shot at a spot in the closed beta test.
Anderson Silva chosen by fans as the UFC Undisputed 3 cover athlete
Reigning middleweight UFC champ (and the guy broadly agreed-upon as the best pound-for-pound fighter currently living in the world right now) Anderson Silva has been voted on by fans to become the cover athlete for UFC Undisputed 3, scheduled for release next January. The decision makes sense for a lot of reasons besides just the vote: Silva is one of the UFC's most popular fighters, and he's been on a streak that's made history and then some, roundly demolishing fighter after fighter in his division with ability that far outweighs most anyone he's ever faced. Silva's last loss was back in 2006, and since then he's gone undefeated in an unheard-of 15 fights, nine of which were title defenses. In short, Anderson "The Spider" Silva isn't just the best guy you'd want on a game about ultimate fighting -- he's the best there is. The game? Oh, um, yeah. We're sure the game is good too.
Leaderboard: Magic vs. melee
Magic and melee: the yin and yang of the fantasy world. It's hard to imagine one existing without the other, the spell-slinging wizard without the mace-wielding hedge knight, the Gandalf without the Conan. Do they exist in a strange symbiosis of mysticism and steel, or is one the clear superior of the other? On one side, magicians have all the power of the elements at their disposal, able to do supernatural feats of wonder with a snap of their fingertips. Of course, this comes at a cost: namely, a terry cloth bathrobe dress code and approximately six-and-a-half hit points. On the other side, melee fighters spend their lives honing their bodies to physical perfection, becoming the Olympic athletes of the fantasy world, if the Olympics had 50-meter Beheading as a category. Then again, fighters tend to have the intellect of a dull brick and try to solve every problem, including PTA meetings, by headbutting it. Who will be crowned the victor today: the wizard or the warrior? Cast your vote -- and the fate of humankind -- after the jump!
PAX 2011: Wakfu reveals the Pandawa class
No, it's not that MMO and its panda-people, but Square-Enix will probably forgive you if you get Wakfu's newest class confused with another game. As Square-Enix shows off its tactical anime MMO at PAX this weekend, the company is proud to announce the latest addition to Wakfu: the Pandawa class. One of the game's 14 classes, the Pandawa are tough fighters that fight best when completely and utterly sloshed. You read that right -- Pandawa change their fighting style depending on how much they've had to drink. Sober and they're great as a support class, but get them drunk and they'll open up a can of bamboo on your butt. Pandawa wield axes and use the art of the right-hook to deliver the pain. Square-Enix recommends putting these warriors on the front lines of any battle to smack groups of enemies around at the same time. Wakfu is currently in closed beta, and we'll be keeping an eye out for it at PAX.
Kick (and punch) back and check out Crytek's Ryse Kinect brawler
Unfortunately, the first teaser for Ryse, Crytek's Rome-based Kinect title, isn't much more than a concept video, showing off the game's graphic engine, and then a little bit of what the gameplay might be like, with a Kinect player using arms, legs, and even his head to throw down with a Roman countryman. The game looks pretty precise when faced with actual shield-bashing and front-kicking movements from the player. But we'll have to wait and see just how it handles our standard Kinect operating procedure: Randomly flailing our various limbs around.
Boeing's Phantom Ray soars like a terrifying, unmanned eagle
Boeing's new Phantom Ray aircraft made a covert first flight last week, taking to the skies above California's Edwards Air Force Base. The unmanned airborne system (UAS) reached 7,500 feet, hitting a maximum speed of 178 knots and flying for a total of 17 minutes -- sure, it won't outlast the Phantom Eye anytime soon, but hey, we've all gotta start somewhere. What the 36-foot long vehicle lacks in relative endurance, it makes up stealth, designed to be undetectable on radar, and thanks to a deeply embedded engine, giving off a minimal amount of heat. Boeing will be running additional tests on the autonomous vehicle in the coming weeks, in attempt to prep it for possible future surveillance and attack missions. No word on when this might actually be hitting an airspace near you, but in the meantime, it's probably best to refrain from ticking off any deep pocketed governments.
Divine Souls launches today
Divine Souls has been in the works for a while; we first previewed the title way back in March of 2010. Since then, the team at Outspark has been hard at work polishing, tweaking, and updating the free-to-play action MMO, and today gamers around the globe get to see the results. Yep, it's launch day, and very soon you'll be able to indulge in the game's detailed visuals and arcade-style fighting game functionality (including complex air- and ground-based combos). Divine Souls also boasts Xbox and PlayStation controller support and is designed to run on a huge variety of hardware configurations. The game also features a small downloadable client to get you up, running, and into the action quickly. Choose from one of three classes (Mage, Slasher, or Fighter), check out the trailer after the cut, and look for our Divine Souls first impressions later this week.
TUAW's Daily App: Battleheart
There are tons of great RPG apps out lately, and I'm not sure why that is -- something about the way the App Store has developed. At any rate, here's another one. Battleheart is just out this week, and it's really amazing. The game is a real-time RPG battler. There's not a lot of story or extras to this one, but the core system, in which you choose a group of heroes and send them out to battle oncoming hordes in various settings, is designed and executed very well. There are the usual RPG trappings of extra skills and better equipment, but the bonus here is the control scheme -- the cute little heroes are super easy to drag around, set up as healers or drop spells as a magic user. The graphics are polished, the sounds and music are great, and the variety of classes and their various abilities is really awesome. Unfortunately, there's not a ton of content -- the main battle mode is all there is, and while it takes a while to play through (probably more than enough for most casual players), there's no multiplayer, survival mode or any other gameplay to check out. There's no Game Center integration at all, either. Some users have reported crashes as well, and on that your mileage may vary. But all of those things can (and probably will) be patched in later. The core game is available right now for US $2.99, and it's worth every penny.
Divine Souls open beta starts tomorrow
The brand new free-to-play fighting MMO Divine Souls is gearing up to slash its way into open beta. As of December 14th, players can jump in and select one of three classes (Fighter, Slasher, or Mage) for intense PvP and PvE action that Outspark claims will make your console jealous. The devs have made the open beta client available for early downloads and are also treating fans to a new trailer viewable front and center on the Divine Souls website (or after the cut here on Massively, if you prefer). Check out our previous coverage for a screenshot gallery as well as another teaser trailer. [Thanks to Jimmy for the heads-up!]
Fight Night Champion screens are a knockout
EA Sports has released a handful of new images from its latest boxing game, Fight Night Champion, and while they look absolutely great, they unfortunately don't show anything from the small snippet of the game we saw in action last week.
Get a beta key, be divine: We have Divine Souls keys for you! [Updated]
Do you miss the days of the fighting, combo-driven brawlers? Do you like pounding your hand on a keyboard/joystick, trying to rip off intense combos that make your friends jealous? Do you hope that one day, your combo-riffic skills could be seen by the world, so you could be hailed for your amazing finger dexterity? Well, that day may have arrived with the coming of Divine Souls, Outspark's new action/MMO hybrid. Sure, you can team up with your friends to take on dungeons, a la Phantasy Star Online, but now you can do it by literally beating the hell out of everything that walks in front of you. If you want more information, or a key to this new type of MMO, come and join us after the break!
Building your ship in Black Prophecy
From the Millennium Falcon to the Enterprise, every space jockey knows that a well-built ship can make the difference between life and death. In Black Prophecy, players will not only get to pilot some of the most lethal spacecraft known to the Tyi and Genide factions, but be able to modify and tweak them to perfection. Recently, Reakktor unveiled the blueprints for successful starfighter construction. While each type of ship has a different look to it, the general layout of ship modules will be the same. Each fighter is made up of several components, such as the cockpit, wings and engines, and these components can house a variety of offensive and defensive tech. Weapons, rocket launchers and shield generators are all part of the ship builder's menu in Black Prophecy. However, it will take strategy and planning to properly equip your ship. Players need to level up certain skills just to be able to equip some modules, and you'll need to check that your components are compatible with each other. Reakktor claims that the chosen components will be the deciding factor in a ship's abilities, transforming it from a swift prowler to an invulnerable (yet plodding) tank depending on what's used. %Gallery-94088%
Boeing's unmanned Phantom Ray makes dramatic video debut, set to take off this December
The big new trend among wargadget makers seems to be the elimination of the fleshy operator, and we're seeing it happening with helicopters, boats, and even space shuttles. The Phantom Ray is Boeing's take on how we can do the same to jet fighters, and it's had its official unveiling in St. Louis this week. Primarily intended to serve as a reconnaissance and intelligence drone, this 36 foot-long airborne robot will be able to cruise at speeds of up to 614mph, and will even do a bit of suppression fire when you need it to. It's designed to be undetectable by radar and offers a minimal heat signature for missiles to lock on to, as its engine is buried deep within the body. Sounds ominous indeed, but the Phantom Ray will serve as the testbed for even more advanced technologies and will take its first flight in December of this year. See its grand debut on video after the break.
GDC10: First look at Divine Souls
What, you've never heard of Divine Souls? You Philistine! Actually, it's not the public school system that has failed you here -- Divine Souls is only now crossing the waters of the Pacific (and Atlantic) in its worldwide debut. Created by Korean development studio Game Prix under the title of St. Soul, the renamed Divine Souls is being brought over to North America and Europe through an agreement with publisher Outspark. Divine Souls's makeup is part steampunk, part brawler, part co-op, and part traditional MMORPG, so don't expect the normal routine in this one -- it actually feels more of a hybrid of several MMOs. Massively sat down with the game at last week's GDC to put this title through its paces. Channel your inner Karate Kid, and hit the jump for the full scoop!
The Daily Grind: What genres will never work as an MMO?
Lately we've begun to see the shooter genre creep into the massively multiplayer online game space. Titles like Global Agenda and All Points Bulletin are both equal parts shooter and MMO. Assuming the trend continues, we'll probably see more shooter MMOs in the coming years -- potentially even other genres, too. Obviously, this makes most of us wonder what other genres could hit the MMO scene. But, what we really want to know is which combinations you think are lost causes. Will there ever be a successful MMORTS? If not, why? Would anyone even want to play an MMO version of a fighting or racing game? The mind reels at the possibilities.
Massively's tour of Mini Fighter
In my heart, I really want to like fighting games. And I do, at that, but just like we have to accept at some point that we're never going to become a rock god outside of our living room, I have to accept that I'm just not good at them. At some point my responses to what's happening on the screen fall into hopeless flailing, and I'm left watching my opponent's combo number going into scientific notation. So while on a recent developer tour of Mini Fighter, I got to see a lot of my character winding up and performing some bone-shattering attacks on a target that would have been obliterated, had they not moved approximately ten minutes ago. But it was hard to get upset by that, because the game was pretty unambiguously fun despite my inherent lack of skill. The game is currently in Open Beta, but it already has a lot of polish and a lot of neat features to make it well worth playing. Skip past the cut for the details on the game and our time with it.
EQII's producer discusses the next update and scrapped features
The latest EverQuest II producer's letter has shed some light on what the next game update, Will of a Tyrant, is likely to contain when it is released on the 9th of December. Senior producer Alan Crosby freely admitted that the patch will not bring as much new content as players might be used to getting; instead, the focus for this round of updating has been to fix lots of little bugs, some of which have been mildly irritating folks since EverQuest II's launch. Crosby said that this approach was chosen to give the game a nice clean slate for the coming expansion, Sentinel's Fate. The letter goes on to discuss a couple of features (that may or may not have once been considered a part of the Will of a Tyrant update) that have been scrapped altogether. The Item Ratings system was abandoned, at least partially due to feedback from the player base, and the Fighter revamp that was in the works has been considerably scaled back. Both of these negatives do have a silver lining though -- the developers are looking at alternative ways to enhance gear, and Fighters will still see some tweaks, albeit "small changes, rather than sweeping revamps". Crusaders will be among the first Fighter classes to be looked at -- see the full letter for some early details. While the producer's letter makes Will of a Tyrant sound overwhelmingly lacklustre, keep in mind that it doesn't go into some previously announced events that should give players something new to do for at least a little while. Hopefully the decision to squash all those bugs pays off with a smooth launch for Sentinel's Fate in February.
