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Heatwave opens free trials for Gods and Heroes
Following fresh on the heels of Gods and Heroes' recent content update, Heatwave Interactive announced today that it is beginning a free trial promotion. The free trial gives three days of access to all of the game's currently available content. Anthony Castoro, CEO of Heatwave Interactive, states, "The free trial unlocks the Gods & Heroes experience - it's our invitation for anyone passionate about mythology and legend to immerse themselves in this epic adventure of ancient Rome." If that sounds like your cup of tea, then you can access the new trial at the official site.
Scout out Gods and Heroes' patch 1.0.38.3
The newest Gods and Heroes patch from Heatwave Interactive is a doozy, so hang on to your galeas, folks. Alongside the variety of bug fixes, quest adjustments, and quality-of-life improvements that players expect, patch 1.0.38.3 brings a surprise: a spankin'-new class. Players can now jump into Rome as the wily Scout. These followers of Apollo or Diana use survival skills, stealth, and deadly aim with a bow to wreak havoc upon their opponents before they're ever spotted. Their knowledge of the wilderness also grants them the ability to scavenge up food and drink to keep their party nourished and fighting strong.
Heatwave CEO talks Gods and Heroes population
Fans of Heatwave Interactive's recently launched Gods and Heroes MMO will be happy to note that the dev team is not sitting idly by now that the game has launched. Heatwave CEO Anthony Castoro has penned an update post on the official forums that features a lot of frank talk about the game and its immediate future, including the need to "begin a promotion that will drive thousands more players to the game and turn Baccus, Mars, and Jupiter into communities bursting at the seams." Castoro doesn't elaborate on what the promotion might be, but he does say that even though Gods and Heroes doesn't need 500,000 users to turn a profit, "our current growth rate isn't good enough." Finally, Castoro notes that the game has "an awareness issue and our pricing model doesn't seem to be tantalizing enough." Whether Heatwave is looking at a freemium conversion or simply a price reduction coupled with more advertising, Castoro's post makes clear that the team is in it for the long haul. Check out the blurb on the official forums for a list of Heatwave's immediate priorities.
Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising releases new combat trailer
There's a new Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising video in town, and it's taking no prisoners. The new one-minute clip is centered on the game's combat mechanics, and there's plenty of whirling, slashing, stomping, and even a nifty hey-get-off-of-my-back move to whet your violent appetites. Though the clip is short, there's a good sampling of PvE mobs on display, all of them with a distinctly mythological flavor and all of them waiting to meet the business end of your weapon. You'll also get a glimpse of the game's minions (the Gods & Heroes version of the traditional MMORPG pet mechanic) as well as some nice-looking environments. The game has been selling well since its June launch, and you can check out the new trailer after the cut.
Gods & Heroes outsells RIFT on Steam, claims weekend top spot
Well someone's certainly playing Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising, the newly launched fantasy MMORPG from Heatwave Interactive. It's a safe bet that said someones are playing via Steam, as Valve's digital download platform is reporting that the Roman mythology-flavored MMO outsold all challengers over the weekend. Despite some predictions of a lukewarm reception due to the glut of fantasy MMOs and a hefty box fee (as well as a subscription model), Heatwave's game sold well enough to outpace RIFT as well as Guild Wars, DC Universe, and EVE Online, all of which could be had at or lower than Gods & Heroes' $39.99 price point. Is it a case of a better-than-expected game or another example of how MMO players will buy anything and everything if it's new and shiny? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Gods & Heroes sells Centurion helmet on Amazon
If you're anything like the folks here at Massively, it's hard for you to figure out the right outfit to wear for gaming. Sweats? Too pathetic. Suit and tie? Too formal. Boxers or briefs? We don't want to know. Fortunately, Heatwave Interactive has come to the rescue with the definitive gaming accoutrement for Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising players: a $220 replica of a Roman Centurion Helmet. This "fully wearable" helmet is now available for pre-order on Amazon, although you'll have to be quick and lucky to get one, as there are only 200 available. It's described as having "a pronounced red plume and is made of heavy gauge high carbon steel complete with brass accents and fittings." No mention is made as to whether this would be useful in a real-life battle or not, so buyer beware if you're purchasing this in the hopes that it will protect you the next time you jump into your time machine and go back to the second century. Gods & Heroes launched last week, and Massively has you covered on all the details. Except your head. We do not cover your head.
Gods & Heroes going worldwide on Steam this week
Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising is coming to Steam. The mythology-inspired MMORPG, launched yesterday by Heatwave Interactive, is now available on Valve's North American digital distribution platform and will available worldwide later this week (June 24th, to be exact). Aside from the convenience of avoiding a retail purchase, Steam customers will also receive a traditional platform-exclusive in-game item, in this case a mythical minion called a Gorpal. The Gorpal is a damage-dealing Phorcid pet that "protects players by fighting with claws and a poisonous bite," according to a Heatwave press release. Check out our Gods & Heroes launch day coverage for more on the game, and don't forget to stop by the official website as well.
Gods & Heroes launches today
It's Tuesday, and that means that somewhere in the wild hinterlands of the internet, an MMORPG is probably gearing up to officially open its doors to the public. Today's starlet is Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising, and the long-in-development title from Heatwave Interactive is finally ready for its close-up. Whether you're into Roman mythology, you yearn for traditional class- and quest-based combat, or you're curious about the title's ancestral estate system (that's player housing, if you're wondering), you'll want to partake of our launch-day roundup that recaps our best and most current Gods & Heroes coverage. We've got screenshot galleries, hands-on impressions, dev chats, and videos galore, not to mention info about the game's payment plans and pre-order details. What are you waiting for? Hop past the cut for details.
Gods & Heroes releases estate system screens
Current-gen MMOs that ship with player housing options are seemingly a dying breed. Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising, debuting next week courtesy of Heatwave Interactive, is bucking that trend by launching with something the devs are calling an estate system. In a nutshell, your Roman hero will inherit his very own ancestral estate. Unfortunately you'll take possession of the place after it's been razed to the ground by the evil machinations of the Telchinist cult. Part of the Gods & Heroes progression experience involves rebuilding your home, which in turn affects the power and quality of your NPC minions as well as other as-yet unnamed benefits. The rebuilding process takes the form of various quest lines throughout the game, and you'll get a glimpse of what's in store by checking out our new estate system gallery below. %Gallery-118322%
THQ signs German publishing deal for Gods and Heroes
Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising is only a few days away from release, and THQ Germany has just announced that it will be publishing the Roman mythology MMO in, you guessed it, Germany when the title hits retail on June 24th. "Gods & Heroes offers an outstanding MMO experience and is the perfect fit for our THQ Partner's distribution portfolio in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. We're very excited to be able to send MMO fans on an unforgettable journey to ancient Rome," said THQ managing director Stefan Krings via press release. Gods & Heroes was developed by Heatwave Interactive and features personal ancestral estates, 130 unique minions, and traditional MMO combat. You can learn more, as well as pre-order the game, at the official website.
Heatwave announces Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising subscription plans
Launch day is coming for Gods & Heroes, and Heatwave Interactive has just announced its introductory subscription options for the North American market. The game, which debuts June 21st, will feature the standard month of free gameplay along with retail or digital download purchases. Subscription deals start at $9.99 for a monthly pass and include three-month ($27.99), six-month ($54.99), 12-month ($99.99), and lifetime options ($199.99). Gods & Heroes allows players to take on the role of heroic demigods battling mythical monsters, commanding squads of minions, and customizing their personal estates, all set against a backdrop of classical Roman mythology. You can learn more about the title, as well as check out pre-order bonuses and sign up for the ongoing beta, at the official website.
Gods & Heroes dev chat video details next beta patch, estate system, and more
The newest Gods and Heroes dev chat video is now available for your viewing pleasure. The devs gather 'round a table with beer and pizza -- which is frankly how any dev chat should be done -- and answer their internet audience's questions, which span a great variety of topics. They discuss the upcoming beta patch, which is said to be the biggest patch so far and includes the new quest guide, a full pass on the Mystic class, tweaks on the first 10 levels for each class, and some server-side changes to improve performance. In addition, the team discusses the mechanics of the fast travel system and the quest guide, which functions similarly to many quest-helper mods for other MMOs. An interesting twist, however, is the fact that if you choose to do the quest without asking for the quest guide's help, you receive a bonus. What this bonus will be hasn't been decided yet, but experience and money were both suggestions tossed around. The team also goes into detail about the game's estate system, which allows you to take a razed villa and rebuild it from the ground up, populating it with minions and customizing it to your liking. For the full details on all of this as well as answers to questions such as what the team most regrets not being able to implement at launch, whether the devs play their own games, and whether the game will support addons at launch, visit Ustream to view the recorded chat.
New contest for Gods and Heroes offering a toga getaway
To look at most of the screenshots for Gods and Heroes, you might think that life in ancient Rome was nothing but gladiators fighting mythical monsters and one another. But if you went to college (or watched Animal House at some point), the first element of Roman culture that springs to mind is the toga. Heatwave Interactive is capitalizing on just that by offering fans a chance to spend a weekend in Las Vegas with all expenses paid -- just for wearing a toga. Running until June 6th, the contest asks for players to don a toga, upload a photograph to the official site, and then take part in the voting to determine who looks best in a tastefully arranged bedsheet. The full rules are naturally a bit more elaborate than that for legal reasons, but the important point is that you can get a free trip just for dressing up in a ridiculous but appropriate outfit. That's something any Gods and Heroes fan can get behind.
Gods & Heroes dev blog talks class balance, lifts NDA
Hot on the heels of its GDC updates, Heatwave Interactive has released a new dev blog detailing further aspects of Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising. The mythological MMORPG boasts four unique character classes (the Priest, the Soldier, the Gladiator, and the Mystic), and today's dev blog offers a look at a few class-specific issues through the eyes of senior content designer Todd Bailey. Bailey discusses how the Soldier and Gladiator differ despite the fact that both focus on close-range melee combat. He also talks about why the Scout and Nomad classes won't be available at launch. "The honest answer is that the Nomad was completely overpowered as a class and just felt like it was the catch-all for abilities that didn't go anywhere else," Bailey explains. He also says that combat tuning and balancing is an ongoing process, noting that the overall combat feel is much improved even though a few new wrinkles have been introduced during the tweaking process. Head to the official Gods & Heroes website for the full dev diary. In still other G&H news, Heatwave has officially dropped the game's NDA, so beta players can now freely talk about the title here and elsewhere!
GDC 2011: Gods & Heroes hopes to give its audience something unexpected
The in-game story for Gods and Heroes begins with a Roman general returning home after his time in war only to be thrust into battle again. The history of the game itself mirrors this journey: In October 2006, the original creators of the game, Perpetual Entertainment, shut down. However, in August 2010, independent developer Heatwave Interactive picked up the rights to develop and distribute the game. Our hero's journey started once more. Just as your character in G&H returns home to an estate in ruins and a craving for revenge, Heatwave developers are fighting back the old gods and attacking the game with renewed vigor. At GDC 2011, our editor-in-chief Shawn Schuster discussed the rise, fall, and rebirth of the game with CEO Anthony Castoro, Lead Designer Tim Schubert, and Community Manager Donna Prior. "I think a lot of people expected us to go free-to-play and microtransact the minions then put it out there. But in early alpha tests and beta tests, people really wanted a full game out of this and expect us to treat it a certain way. We are working really hard to do that," said Castoro, who went on to assure us that he is not just out to make money -- he hopes to deliver a great game too. Follow after the break to find out what is going to make this game victorious in the gladiatorial arena. %Gallery-118322%
Get your gladiator on with our Gods & Heroes beta key giveaway
If you've been wanting to check out the godlike powers and classes of Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising but haven't made it into the closed beta as yet, we've got a giveaway you're going to love! Heatwave Interactive has sent over 750 more shiny new closed beta keys for those seeking an adventure in historical-themed lands but who didn't manage to snag a key the last time we gave them away. All you need to do to snag your very own closed beta key is to pop by our Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising beta code giveaway page and click the button at the bottom of the page. From there, just follow the step-by-step instructions we've tucked behind the break to get your account started and download the game. After that, it's off for adventure in the MMRoman empire!
