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Rise and Shiny: Vendetta Online
For the record, Vendetta Online has been in development since 1998 and launched an alpha in 2002. EVE Online was released in North America in 2003. So although it might be too close to call or lost in the foggy details of gamer's memories, it's safe to say that EVE Online did not invent space, spaceships, speedy space travel, trading, or ship-to-ship combat. Still, feel free to post fill the comment section with "EVE-clone," a common phrase that pops up whenever Vendetta Online is mentioned or shown. Now that we have that out of the way, what is Vendetta Online? It's a multi-platform, twitch-based, science-fiction universe that offers free-form travel and character development. At least that's what I have read. So far in my time with the game, I have experienced only a smattering of what it seems to offer. I've traveled a lot, gunned down a few enemies, and read a lot of text. While I know I have touched but the tip of the iceberg, I still had fun this week. And yes, I pretended to "fly" my spacecraft by running through the house while playing on my Nexus 7 tablet. And yes, I provided the WOOSH and BRAKKA BRAKKA sounds myself. (That's how you know it's space.)
Some Assembly Required: Ten years warp by for Vendetta Online
If I were to start describing a game where players have zipped about one persistent universe as one of three factions in customizable ships vying for wealth and territory by mining, dodging hostiles, fulfilling missions, blasting one another to bits, docking at stations, blazing trade routes, and pirating for the past 10 years, you would say... Vendetta Online, of course! Perhaps the longest-running epic space-based sandbox MMORPG, the game hit a milestone last week that few others can boast: It turned 10! Although its major retail distribution was in 2004, Vendetta Online marks its anniversary as the day it was spotlighted in Penny Arcade during the game's completely open and public alpha (which means it basically launched since everyone could dive in and play) and the population exploded! A truly multi-platform MMORPG, Guild Software's game can be played on Windows, Mac, Linux, and even Android, giving pilots the freedom to log in when and where they may, even to surreptitiously check the markets or maybe sneak an event in while at work via a smartphone. After all, who wants to miss an event just because employment gets in the way? Luckily for those of us without an Android, Vendetta Online celebrated its decennial anniversary with some developer-run in-game events over the weekend. Always willing to join the party, Some Assembly Required strapped into a shiny new ship and blasted right into the thick of things in order to share in the festivities.
Vendetta Online to be ported to the Android OS
Google's operating system, Android, has had an odd genesis. It's been ported around for every flavor of mobile device, from phones to tablet PCs, but it's coming into a field already crowded with operating systems -- and the plethora of hardware running the system has hampered some efforts to port games to the architecture. Guild Software Inc. is making the push, however, adapting their indie MMO Vendetta Online to the Android system architecture. For proponents of the Droid over the iPhone, the good news is that it's the same operating system on your phone of choice. However, the port is specifically targeting the NVIDIA Tegra processors, aiming toward smaller netbooks and tablets rather than phones. In the official FAQ, the developers clarify that they're not currently planning to aim the port at any phones, although the door is open once the initial port is finished. It's still an exciting step for the Android architecture, however, and it continues expanding the network of MMOs available for mobile devices.
