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The Game Archaeologist uncovers Shadowbane: The highlights
Way back when I used to haunt the corridors of Gamestop and not shun the place due to its stinky evil, I remember being enticed with these fancy-pantsy "MMORPG" boxes when I'd see them on the shelf. I must have picked up Shadowbane a dozen or so times to check out the blurbs on the back, mentally weighing whether or not this would be the one to introduce me to online gaming, but ultimately it was not to be. It's probably for the best, considering that Shadowbane was primarily PvP and I'm a PvE guy at heart. Plus, the title never really took off the way that publisher Ubisoft had hoped, spending most of its six years of operation lurking in the background of the MMO industry instead of sharing the spotlight. But still, six years! That's far longer than any of the titles we've been talking about these past couple months, and considering that Shadowbane won last week's poll to become this month's topic, there are obviously strong feelings lurking among you. What did Shadowbane try to do differently, how did it stay alive as long as it did, and what was its downfall? Hit the jump to find out!
The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: Climax's Warhammer Online
Let's begin with a little personal history. Back in 2008, I decided to get into the blogging scene by jumping on board the latest MMO hotness -- in this case, Warhammer Online. As I was growing increasingly tired of World of Warcraft, WAR seemed to offer a refreshing alternative: a darker world full of brutal PvP and awesome new ideas. So I joined the elite ranks of bloggers (hey, stop laughing so hard) and spent the better part of two years jawing about Mythic's latest fantasy project. And while Warhammer Online was, in my opinion, a solid product, it certainly failed to live up to the extremely high expectations held by both the development team and the players. No matter how it turned out, I really enjoyed talking about WAR, especially in the days leading up to its launch. One of the first articles I ever wrote for my blog WAAAGH! dealt with the first attempt to bring Warhammer Online into the MMO genre (as a fun aside, it was one of the first times I got my name on Massively!). It's a "what if?" tale that's tantalizing to consider -- an entirely different studio, Climax Online, creating a much darker version of Warhammer than we've ever seen online. The tale of the game's rise and fall (and subsequent rise and fall again) captivated me, and I wanted to expand my old article as part of our recent series into exploring MMOs canceled before their launch. So what if Climax had brought Warhammer Online to bear? Would it have eclipsed Mythic's vision or been its own animal? Hit the jump and let's dive into the pages of ancient history!
Stargate Worlds interview with Cheyenne Mountain studio head
GameZone recently spoke with Dan Elggren, studio head at Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, about the upcoming title Stargate Worlds. The interview topics range from the challenges in moving the IP forward while remaining true to its origins, to the fact that sci-fi MMOs generally aren't as well-received as fantasy titles. Elggren goes on to explain how Cheyenne Mountain has tried to merge the feature set and gameplay expected from an MMO with the more visceral feel of tactical shooter. A key aspect of their business model is that it's predicated on regular content updates. "We'll be adding new story, new levels, new archetypes and, obviously, new worlds about every three months post launch. This will be free content that we're giving away on an aggressive schedule," Elggren says. The interview also touches on Stargate Worlds having opt-in PvP at launch, which he states should later evolve into 'platoon-on-platoon large scale PvP events'. Check out the GameZone interview with Dan Elggren for more info from Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment on what we can expect from Stargate Worlds. [Via Blue's News]
Funcom endorses Age of Conan graphic fiction
GameZone is producing a series of original fiction set in Age of Conan's Hyboria, which deals with the world's characters and lore. The series is created by Michael Lafferty and is a blend of short fiction, comic art, and graphic panel storytelling using in-game screenshots. Lafferty has Funcom's blessing on this; an announcement at the official AoC community site leaves no doubt that they've given their express permission.Lafferty's fiction begins with 'In Service to a King' and continues with 'Deliverance from the Sea' and 'In the Shadow of the Volcano.' More stories are to follow. GameZone has one caveat about the series, though: "Some of these stories may contain spoilers for quests, so by Crom, be forewarned!" It's doubtful that spoiler quests will keep people from checking out the series, so have a look at Michael Lafferty's work and sound off if you like what he's doing.
Warrior Epic developer sits down for a chat
Only a year or so ago it seemed like like subscription-free MMOs were a fantasy -- what free titles we did get were either shoddy, based on cheap retail merchandise, or likely both. The last year or two has seen a deluge of new free-to-play MMOs that, while usually no challenge for their cash-laden counterparts, can still be pretty damn fun to play. In a recent interview, GameZone raked Possibility Space's Brice Lucas over the coals, trying to glean from him what it is that separates Warrior Epic from the growing crowd of other free MMOs.Lucas cites such features as unique player halls, casual-friendly missions, and soloability as the primary things that make Warrior Epic different, though we can't help but be skeptical, as that doesn't sound terribly different than what games like NCsoft's Dungeon Runners are offering today. Still, the game is early in development, so we're going to have to give them the benefit of the doubt. Warrior Epic will be going into closed beta within a few months, so you're encouraged to sign up on their website if you're keen on being among the first to get a good look at the title. I know I am.
Smackdown returns, do the load times still suck?
Smackdown is out today. I was originally going to do a Metareview for this game, but I decided: why not focus on the one crucial flaw of last year's game? The load times. As you may remember, WWE SmackDown! 2006 got smacked down by the gaming community by having quite possibly the worst load times of any game in recent memory. Is this year's iteration of the popular wrestling franchise any better? Let's find out: Gamespot (79/100) - "Load times are still a big issue, as well, though not quite as humongous an issue as they were last year. Prematch load times are still long and annoying, especially when you have entrances set to on; menu transitions, especially in season mode, take longer than they ought to; and creating a wrestler can still be a time-consuming process, thanks to the loading. Again, Yuke's did improve this aspect somewhat this year, but load times continue to get in the way of the game." Games Radar (80/100) - "The developers remembered this, too; they made a focused effort to drastically reduce loading. And it worked: the loads aren't lightning quick, but they are far faster, now measuring in double-digit seconds instead of minutes." GameZone (85/100) - "On to the bad news, the game suffers from heavy lag that just doesn't pertain to the Ad Hoc multiplayer mode but throughout the single-player mode as well. This, of course, is a major annoyance that often leads to missed punches or choke slams. Secondly, the long load times are back, although - on a lighter note -they're not as frequent as the first game." The critics say the load times have improved, but are they tolerable yet? I'm placing an open challenge to all readers: if you own this game, please make a similar video, for PSP Fanboy fame, and maybe even a little swag, or something.
Valhalla Knights details in lengthy interview
GameZone recently interviewed Jimmy Soga, Assistant Localization Producer of the upcoming PSP-exclusive RPG Valhalla Knights. Like in most RPGs, the main hero seems to have lost his memory, and must go on a journey to find out the truth behind his past. And also like in most RPGs, his destiny will most likely intertwine with the fate of the world. Pretty dramatic, no? The interview is very, very long, so for those of you that are too lazy to read it all, here are a few excerpts: Character customization is key: you can customize the main character, and all the playable characters that join your party. "You are able to select the race, gender and job class of additional party members you hire (create)." Each character can carry more than one weapon: "Backup weapons can also be equipped on a character and can be switched out almost instantaneously during battle. For example, if your thief starts running low on HP during melee combat with a sword, you can back him away and switch to a bow and arrow to continue with ranged attacks from a safe distance." The game features a relatively unique leveling mode, where your physical strength and class skill level are independent of each other. So, if you switch classes, you won't lose any of your physical strength. (Read the full interview for a good example.) "Valhalla Knights offers a 2-player versus mode as well as a co-op mode... The co-op mode features 30 co-op missions exclusive to the multi-player mode." So what do you guys think? It seems like the game's going to be loaded with features. The game was one of IGN's favorites at Tokyo Game Show, and I can see why.
Metareview: Gangs of London
Gangs of London is the biggest release for PSP this week. Sony's been hyping the game through extensive advertisements and elaborate contests. They even printed tons of demos so that people would pick up, play and think "man, this game is a winner." Unfortunately, the plan backfired as I got tons of comments from readers trashing the game. Chris Powell asked me what I thought and I called it "laughably bad." It looks like our negative first impressions of the game were right as the game has been ridiculed by critics the world over. Let's check out some reviews from all over the world: Pocket Gamer UK (40/100) - "Don't put Gangs of London on anyone's Christmas list. Whether it's stealth, driving or shooting, the game feels limited and unengaging, is hampered by unresponsive controls and completely lacks the necessary polish of a modern production." Sydney Morning Herald (60/100) - "With such clumsy controls, the limited intelligence of both friends and foes, and a lack of mission variety, most players would have a lot more fun with GTA Liberty City Stories." GameZone (50/100) - "Gangs of London is a pretty dull game that can border on frustrating due to the clunky controls, lame missions and weak AI. Definitely more 'Swept Away' than 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'." I'm somewhat disappointed at how this game turned out. If Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories wasn't around the corner, I'd be pretty upset.
