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E3 2010: Might and Magic Heroes Kingdom preview
On Tuesday, we caught up with Chris Early, Ubisoft's Vice President of Digital Publishing, to chat about Heroes of Might and Magic's future with a new browser-based MMO. I must admit, I'm personally a bit skeptical about whether browser-based games can supplant full-fledged applications, but after talking with Chris, I'm sold on the concept -- at least insofar as Might and Magic Heroes Kingdom is concerned. First up, the basics. Just what is MMHK? Ubisoft calls MMHK a "strategic casual MMO." It's turn-based with more of real-time strategy vibe than we've seen in other MMOs and it's designed with people who may only have a few minutes a day to play in mind. Think of something along the lines of multiplayer Civilization with thousands of other people and you'd be near the mark. Now, whether "casual" turns into hours of "just one more turn" is another matter entirely. Gameplay and lore from the Might and Magic franchise we all know and love -- the goal with MMHK is just to throw more players into the mix. Want PvP? You can do that. Want PvE? You can do that. Want to advance as a merchant-type character purely for the pursuit of wealth without killing your fellow players? You can do that, too. Browser-based, which means you can play it on your PC, your Mac, or even your shiny new iPad -- wherever you've got an internet connection.This means there's no software to download or install. Free to play with an optional subscription fee. (Though Ubisoft hasn't announced pricing for the game's North American release, it's currently live in France, where a monthly subscription runs five euros.) If that sounds like something that might be up your alley, read on for more details. %Gallery-95376%
Heroes of Might and Magic Online beta announced
The Might and Magic franchise is coming to the MMORPG genre, courtesy of publishing giant Ubisoft and the Chinese development studio known as TQ Digital. The original Might and Magic series, considered by many to be a classic example of the early PC roleplaying game genre, was rebooted by Ubisoft in 2006 with Heroes of Might and Magic V, and later with Dark Messiah of Might and Magic. The new MMORPG, Heroes of Might and Magic Online, is slated for closed beta in May 2010. The game will marry elements from an early entry in the franchise, Heroes of Might and Magic III, to the visual upgrades established in the last two Ubisoft games, culminating in a 2.5D massively multiplayer experience featuring a turn-based persistent world. (Perhaps similar to the 3D but turn-based Atlantica Online.) The game will feature eight factions, sixteen classes, and a variety of campaign missions. Additionally, TQ Digital will be hosting a variety of PvP events, including Team PK, Extreme PK, and various Guild combat events. You can register for the closed beta as well as visit the official website, and don't forget to stay with Massively for more info on Heroes of Might and Magic Online as it becomes available.
Wax nostalgic over King's Bounty website, screenshots
King's Bounty. For the younger set the name might not mean much, though it's more likely that you're familiar with the series it later gave rise to in New World Computing's Heroes of Might and Magic. King's Bounty, released for personal computers in 1990 and even ported to the Sega Genesis a year later, was an early take on the turn-based strategy genre. Now, nearly two decades after the game's release, European studio 1C has decided to knock the dust off the old girl and give her a new coat of paint with King's Bounty: The Legend for the PC.1C describes the game as a "true rejuvenation" of the PC classic, though we're having to balance enthusiasm for revisiting our youth with the fact that the game is being coded by a completely unknown outfit known as Katauri Interactive. Still, judging by the title's newly launched website, which is home to details, videos, and enough screens to choke a horse, we can't help but be a little interested. Atari is set to publish the game when it's released, though it's currently anyone's guess when that will be. Even so, with both this, and Ubisoft's previously announced Heroes of Might and Magic Kingdoms in the pipeline, those of us at Joystiq proper with a thing for strategy are feeling a sensation all too uncommon. Is this love?%Gallery-17829%
Ubi brings free Heroes of Might and Magic MMO to the web
When looking for games, the web browser is the sort of place we expect to find casual knock offs or children's MMOs. It's certainly not the first place (or even the twelfth place) we'd expect to play the next big strategy release from Ubisoft, yet that is exactly what the powerhouse is planning with Heroes of Might and Magic Kingdoms, an upcoming free to play web-based entry in the long-running HoMM franchise. According to Ubi, the game will not require players to download or install any software, and just to make things a bit more strange, Kingdoms is described as a persistent MMO, meaning you may soon be defending your castle walls from assault by a preteen boasting an unhealthy cocktail of vitamin-R and bone dragons. Heroes of Might and Magic Kingdoms is expected to make its online debut worldwide next spring, though Ubi notes that Heroes of Might and Magic: Complete Edition, which ships today in Europe, will include beta keys for those eager to get a jump on the rest of us.
