games-campus
Latest
Free for All: Ecol Tactics Online has a fun story but weak combat
I took a look at Ecol Tactics Online not so long ago and mostly enjoyed what I found. When the game recently launched into open beta, I knew I had to check it out again. It's possible that the game I experienced before the open beta would be vastly different from the one I'd find later on, but everything felt familiar even though I was given access to higher-level play and cash shop. I enjoyed the storyline and quest text much more this time around. Last time, gameplay appeared pretty standard, but now that I know what to expect with combat and performance, I can enjoy the story a bit more. But a player can ignore the story completely and still find the game enjoyable. That's an issue with many MMOs in general. A lot of the time the story has no bearing on a player's character. This time I slowed down and read up most of the quests I came across and discovered some pretty cute tales and toons. The combat is still fun as well. Of course, turn-based combat is what this game is all about.
Free for All: Taking my turn in Ecol Tactics
Last weekend, I spent some time with Ecol Tactics, a new turn-based MMO brought to us by Games Campus. It features a lot of the same mechanics we have seen before, similar art design to other titles, and a browser-based, Flash-based accessibility that is always welcome. Sure, I was able to enjoy it for only several hours, but during that time, I noted just why Anime and turn-based combat is still successful and why Ecol Tactics is wise to take such a successful genre and launch a new title within it. Anime is easy to digest. The characters on the screen feel chunky but agile. There's something instantly likeable about the characters in Ecol Tactics. They are detailed like an army of miniature soldiers. Wisely, the developers show you some high-level spells and combat before you even get out of the newbie area. I have to admit that I looked forward to the day I would be able to lay waste to a half-dozen monsters with a single swipe of my weapon. %Gallery-176948%
Legend of Edda going dark until 2012 due to revamp
Legend of Edda, the free-to-play title from GamesCampus, is temporarily closing its doors to the gaming public on August 26th until early next year. This isn't because of a dying population or financial difficulty, but rather to overhaul and relaunch the game with a much-improved version. According to a letter left on the website, EU's EYASoft developed a superior version of the game that went into open beta in Europe. Apparently this version was both so good and so incompatible with the North American version that GamesCampus decided to halt progress on the current edition of Legend of Edda in favor for the new and improved one. "Unfortunately," the letter says, "because of the extreme differences between the US version and the new version, it is impossible to update the US servers to the new game." To compensate Legend of Edda fans, GamesCampus is creating compensation packages to refund in-game currency and encourage players to try out on of the studio's other titles. We covered Legend of Edda earlier this year in our Rise and Shiny column.
Global Chat: Game design edition
Welcome to this week's Global Chat! We love hearing what you have to say at Massively, and we love it even more when we can share the best comments with all of our readers. Massively staffers will be contributing some of their favorite comments every week, so keep an eye out every Sunday for more Global Chat! This week is all about game design. From housing to combat to races, our readers had some great comments on it all. Follow along after the jump to see some of our best conversation from the week!
Games Campus announces new upcoming game, Scarlet Legacy
Action-based gameplay in an MMO once sounded like a bad joke, but these days more and more games are adopting a more active set of mechanics. Scarlet Legacy, the upcoming game just announced by Games Campus, is billing itself not just as an action-based MMO but the action-based MMO, supposedly featuring a control system to make controlling the flow of actions fluid and engaging. While that might not be everyone's cup of tea, players who are lukewarm or neutral to the idea of active gameplay can probably still get behind the idea of large-scale PvP contests or an overarching game storyline. And the game certainly sports the latter, with characters embarking on quests in hopes of ultimately saving the eponymous Princess Scarlet. Scarlet Legacy is currently set for release this summer, but if it sounds like your cup of tea, check out the gallery below or the teaser trailer just past the break. %Gallery-122504%
Rise and Shiny recap: Legend of Edda
Legend of Edda is a bright and shiny new game from Games Campus. It pits your character against uncountable, endless hordes of all types of monsters and even other players. According to my on-again-off-again education about Anime (I consulted those weird teens that sit in the Barnes and Noble reading Manga) the artstyle of the game is called "Chibi," the Japanese word for "little people." I was sure to ask if the word could be offensive, in the same way that calling any little person a "midget" could be. I have been assured that it is not used in such ways. Still, I hesitate to say that the game is cute. It is, but not just cute. It speaks to that same area of us that enjoys Domo, or that relishes in YouTube videos of puppies barking in their sleep. It's not just cute -- it's something deeper than that. I love how tough everything seems, how every character has such a low center of gravity. The standard top-down view is perfect for such a world. But, what about the grind? How about the PvP?
Soul Master entering closed beta tomorrow
Looking to mix up your MMO gaming, maybe with a dash of real-time strategy? Soul Master might be the game for you, and the free-to-play MMORTS hybrid from GamesCampus is entering closed beta on July 22nd. The beta period will last through August 4th, and you can grab a key at the official website. Soul Master features player-created structures, command units, and progression through various technology trees, all in service of a traditional persistent MMO character as well as team and FFA PvP. The game also features a robust itemization system that allows for skill and statistical bonuses to everything from the player's avatar, to their buildings, production capabilities, and RTS units. "The fast-paced combat in Soul Master combines the high-speed action of a character vs. character brawler with the tactical elements of squad-based RTS," says GamesCampus Marketing and Business Development VP David Chang.
