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Major Herokon Online update includes sequel to Blade of Destiny, new region
Denizens of Aventuria have a lot more to keep themselves occupied thanks to Herokon Online's latest update. Not only has an entire new region opened up for exploration and adventuring, but The Dark Eye fans will get to experience the sequel to the Blade of Destiny campaign. Additionally, the level cap has been raised to 45, players can earn new achievements and titles, and a new world map provides a travel system. The new land of Thorwal, located in the northwest, is home to six new types of enemies and new NPCs and allies, some of which will be familiar characters that fans meet for the first time. Players will also find many new quests and Thorwal-specific weapons and equipment. For a taste of the update, check out the artwork and screenshots in the gallery below. [Source: Herokon Online press release]
Massively's Third Annual Frindie Awards
It's time once again for me to throw out my awards for the best of free-to-play, indie, and oddball MMOs, a real niche-within-a-niche. It might seem that I am assigned many of these titles as though I were some modern day Mikey, but the truth is that I get a huge thrill out of finding a new game but get even more of a thrill when I realize that no one is covering it. I had to really think hard about the criteria for the awards this year, mainly because "indie" is quickly becoming one of those often hard-to-define words, alongside "MMORPG" and "free-to-play." Fortunately, I think I know it when I see it. I kept my choices to games that I have actually played this year. I wanted to avoid games that appear to be really cool. If you want a more broad batch of prizes, check out Massively's best of awards. (Side note: I voted for Defiance as my game of the year.) These awards are for games that are being created on a shoestring or independent of massive budgets. Some of them are connected to some money, of course, but instead of trying to define "indie," I will only repeat: You'll know it when you see it.
Herokon Online brings new features in The New Order update
Fans of the The Dark Eye fantasy RPG have another avenue to pursue their adventures: the browser-based MMORPG Herokon Online. And thanks to the newly released beta update, there is even more for fans to enjoy. The latest update offers a totally reworked hero creation system with new specializations as well as new quests, a redesigned hero sheet, a new valley to explore, more inventory slots, and new systems for attribute and talent advancement as well as magic and combat talents. Players who haven't yet tried the game can also experience the mystery of two children and the demon that pursues them in the new tutorial. More information on this update can be found on the official forums. For a deeper look at the game, check out our Rise and Shiny coverage.
Rise and Shiny: Herokon Online
I knew I would likely enjoy my time in Herokon Online, but not because I enjoy every game I come across. The truth has always been that I will gladly complain, tear up, and criticize any game that deserves it. No, I knew I would like Herokon Online for established reasons. First, I covered the game in its initial stages at GDC Online in 2012. I loved the fact that it runs in a browser (the "mobile app" that came before mobile apps) and that it came from the same incredible IP that Drakensang Online and its standalone cousins boast. The Dark Eye is one of those IPs that I have always wished I could dig into more deeply. It's been going strong for a long time, and I know that there must be layers and layers in its lore that I can hopefully dive into one day soon. So Herokon Online had a grip on me before I began to play it. It's by no means perfect, but I'll explain that.
Rise and Shiny: Prime World
Prime World, a combination MOBA and MMORTS-ish game by Nival, is a fresh take on what appears to be an ever-growing genre. Will vets of the familiar match-based games feel as though it goes too far into new territory, or will they appreciate the changes to their beloved gameplay? While I'll leave that question up to the experts over at Not So Massively, I can say that as someone who is more of an MMORTS fan than a follower of MOBAs, I appreciated the fact that Prime World gave me something to try in both. Better still, games like Prime World are enjoyable for a relative newcomer to the genre like yours truly because they encourage me to become better by being fun to play rather than by being brutal on newbies. Classic MOBA fans probably feel differently, however.
Free for All: Free-to-play and mobile at GDC Online, part 1
GDC Online was fantastic this year. Really, it's great every year, but I found more bits of goodness this time around than ever before. It's simply my favorite convention, possibly because it's aimed more at press and devs than at fans. There's a wonderful lack of loudspeakers booming dance music and only a handful of booth babes. In other words, GDC Online is quieter, smaller and more professional than a typical fan convention. For a grumpy old gamer like yours truly, it's heaven. I can actually talk to developers without having to scream over music. What did I find, and what excited me this year? A lot. We've already written up or recorded many interviews so far, but I wanted to take this week's Free for All and MMObility to recap the stuff that truly got me excited. Let's get to it... there's simply too much to see!
