minigames
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'Super Mario Party' is ready to ruin your friendships October 5th
Nintendo is reviving Mario Party. Super Mario Party will be released this October 5th and from the looks of it, the game will make use of special Switch features we haven't seen before. One section of the video showed two Switch screens laying face up on a table. From a top-down perspective, the screens resembled a board game, with players entering one familiar green warp pipe on one screen, and popping up on the other screen via said warp pipe. Apparently you can align the screens differently to create different paths.
New Kickstarter sandbox Identity promises 'complete freedom and a focus on player interaction'
Who's ready for some new Kickstarter MMOs for 2015? How about an ambitious modern-day sandbox? That'd be Identity, an MMO by indie studio Asylum Entertainment, headed up by Mortal Online vet John "Paratus" VanderZwet. The game promises a dynamic, player-run open world, player-driven economy, player housing, minigames like karaoke and paintball, and what sounds like open PvP complete with "player police force, gangs, cartels, [and] businesses." The title's business model isn't discussed in detail, but it appears to be buy-to-play; VanderZwet says it won't have a sub and won't be pay-to-win: "We hate 'pay to win' games as much as anybody, and will always ensure that items and upgrades purchased with real money will not give a notable advantage in-game." A 10 CAD pledge is the cheapest with game access; pledges run all the way up to 5000 CAD. Asylum is seeking 150,000 CAD. Closed beta has not been announced, but pledge awards are scheduled for "delivery" by December 2016.
The Daily Grind: Do you hate minigames in MMOs?
A reader in my last Working As Intended column made an off-hand comment about minigames that struck me as interesting. "I loathe how [minigames] have invaded MMOs in the last few years," Zuji wrote. And he's right: Minigames have become a huge part of MMOs. Upon reflection, I find I half agree with Zuji in that I could do without approximately half of them. Farming? Check. I always like farming. Hacking? OK. Tag? Sure. Card games? Those too. Vehicle combat? Ug, yeah. Pokemon? I guess so, but if I never heard the word Polymock ever again, I'd be delighted. Chicken hockey? Wait. Chicken hockey? So here's the question of the day: Do you hate minigames in MMOs? Are they a plague on the industry or a clever way of adding creative non-combat content to a genre that desperately needs it? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars 2 features that time forgot
It's hard to believe it's the middle of June already. School's out, E3 has come and gone, and all that's left for us Guild Wars 2 fans to do is to pick up our World vs. World Spring Tournament rewards and kick back with a tall glass of omnomberry juice (pro tip: don't). We're still two weeks out from the start of the living world's second season, and ArenaNet has so far been especially cryptic where the future is concerned. We've speculated all there is to speculate for now, and summer heat makes me cranky, so before we blast off to any new horizons, let's take a look back at a few of the unfinished, unimplemented, and underutilized elements of GW2 that could really use some catching up.
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite MMO minigame?
Tuesday's announcement by Jagex that it had implemented a bank heist minigame into RuneScape struck a personal chord. I love MMO minigames, and here's one I haven't really seen before! I'm not sure how it will stack up to EverQuest II's aether races, Vanguard's diplomacy, or Lord of the Rings Online's music system in terms of my personal favorites, but it sounds pretty slick. What about you, Massively readers? Do you dig minigames in your MMOs? Which one is your favorite? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
RuneScape gets a bank-robbing minigame
Jagex has added a new bank-robbing minigame called Heist to its long-running RuneScape MMO. "Players form two teams and are pitted against each other in a contest of espionage, deception, and grand larceny," the firm explains. While the setup is pretty simple, Jagex says that the Heist minigame requires skill to master. "The best robbers will be able to mimic the island's citizens to fool the guards," the company says, "while the most successful guards will be the ones who can spot suspicious behaviour a mile off. Start your adventures in bankrobbing by climbing the airship ladder north Falador, and hit up the RuneScape home page for further details.
Nintendo reportedly planning mini-games and content for its biggest rival: the smartphone (updated)
Japanese newspaper Nikkei has a generally good record for getting the scoop on Nintendo, and this one could be pretty important. According to this report, Nintendo will announce plans to create "progressive" content for smartphones -- the very devices that many reckon is chipping away at the company's casual gaming audience. We won't be seeing a full-length iteration of a Zelda title, but it could include background stories (video content is mentioned), offer a tour of in-game worlds and (least interestingly) the very latest news on retail games headed to Nintendo's own hardware. Mini-games would introduce new characters and, as Nintendo has apparently told it to Nikkei, would be free to try, at least for a short period. The report adds that Nintendo will hold off on paid-for games and in-app purchase, instead hoping that its smart device morsels would whet the appetite for full-version -- full-price -- console game purchases. CEO Satoru Iwata had already mentioned late last year that the company needed to "take advantage of [smartphones'] existence." Nintendo hasn't confirmed or denied the report yet: we reached out for comment earlier today. Nikkei says that Nintendo will announce these plans later this week, when Iwata-san discusses the game maker's Q3 financial results. (Spoilers: there's going to be some bad news.) Update: Not so Sega. Not yet.
Guild Wars 2 celebrates the Queen's Jubilee
Citizens! Queen Jennah, ruler of the human kingdom of Kryta, is preparing to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of her reign in ArenaNet's latest living story update for Guild Wars 2. All of Tyria is invited except bad guys, presumably, but we're beginning to notice a pattern in these little celebrations and won't be shocked if some show up to crash the party anyway. If you're not bent on the subjugation or destruction of the entire world (or can at least keep quiet about it for the first act or so), you're welcome to hitch a ride in one of the nifty hot air balloons Her Majesty has provided to take guests to the brand-new Crown Pavilion in the human home city of Divinity's Reach. Fighting stuff is de rigueur for any Tyrian social event, and players can earn rewards through single combat in the Queen's Gauntlet, where the value of the rewards increases as challengers take more risks and fulfill special conditions. The crown is also employing a new technology known as watchwork; players will be able to gather it themselves for use in crafting new recipes and purchasing the new Sovereign weapon set. Completing the meta-achievement for the event will earn you a sweet miniature replica of one of Jennah's intimidating Watchknights. They're pretty creepy-looking, but they seem a lot less prone to putting their feet in their mouths than Logan Thackeray is.
Massively's Guild Wars 2 Cutthroat Politics patch preview
ArenaNet's next patch for Guild Wars 2, titled Cutthroat Politics, will allow players directly affect the living story by giving them the ability to vote in an important election. During the Dragon Bash storyline, Theo Ashford was murdered, causing a vacancy on Lion Arch's prestigious Captain's Council. Two candidates have stepped forward, Ellen Kiel and Evon Gnashblade, and players will cast votes using support tokens to decide the winner. While choosing which NPC will become a more prominent figure in the game is a nice twist, apparently there is more at stake. The winner of the election will express his or her gratitude by reducing the cost of certain goods and services, bringing back various minigames, and even sponsoring Mist research so players can re-live one of two historical events. This Cutthroat Politics game update goes live on July 23 and is full of new events, rewards, and features, so check out the preview video after the cut to hear me dissect all of the details. We've also got a screenshot gallery to accompany the official site release!%Gallery-193932%
Patch 5.4: Hearthstone game board model datamined
The folks over at MMO-Champion have uncovered a Hearthstone game board while datamining the latest patch 5.4 PTR build. With the Hearthstone beta starting Soon™, we're wondering how the model will be integrated into WoW. Will it serve as a simple doodad to decorate inn tables or will it play a part in an in-game Hearthstone event? Let the speculation begin. I haven't had the opportunity to try Hearthstone yet, but from what I've seen so far, I'm definitely excited about the game. And if Blizzard manages an epic in-game tie-in to WoW for the beta or release, even better. Would you participate in an in-game cross-promotion? Even if I didn't give two hoots about Hearthstone, earning a mount or a pet is all the convincing I'd need.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Guild Wars 2 Bazaar of the Four Winds patch primer
In continuing with its two-week content release cadence, ArenaNet is set to launch the Bazaar of the Four Winds patch today in Guild Wars 2. Yesterday, we teased the new features, but today I want to talk more in-depth about my experiences during the preview event this past weekend. The Bazaar of the Four Winds features a ridiculously beautiful zone called the Labyrinthine Cliffs, where players can trade wares with some unusual and shady vendors. The Zephyrites have docked their floating airship, the Zephyr Sanctum, and seek terrestrial supplies from the land-dwelling inhabitants. Sun, moon, and lightning adepts are scattered around the new area and are eager to teach players special movement powers, which are locked inside sky crystals. These movement skills will allow players to reach special areas in a vertical scavenger hunt and compete with each other in a race called the Sanctum Sprint.
Guild Wars 2 announces the Bazaar of the Four Winds
After four hours of tantalizing speculation, Guild Wars 2 has officially announced the game's next major update, the Bazaar of the Four Winds. Once again, there's something coming in from the sky, but this time it's not a group of pirates that seek to murder you and take all your stuff; it's a group of traders and merchants on the Zephyr Sanctum, bringing a new air of excitement to the normal proceedings of the eponymous bazaar. In a more practical sense, the update offers three new minigames (with one sticking around as a permanent addition), a reward system for account achievements, and a new PvP map. The improved achievement UI should help getting those rewards a bit easier, while the addition of Build and Repair Mastery in WvW should help out players more prone to smashing one another with weapons. So get ready for drinking, racing, exploration, and trading when the update touches down a week from today.
Review of WoW TD 2 for StarCraft II Arcade
WoW TD 2 is a tower defense map for StarCraft II Arcade. Designed by player PinkyBlue, it is playable even if you only have the StarCraft II Starter Edition, which is free. An interview with the designer can be found on the StarCraft II blog. There are two difficulties to choose from for WoW TD 2: normal and hardcore. You can play the game cooperatively or by yourself. When you first enter the game, you choose the difficulty and what your tower builder is going to be. They range from a basic energy builder with no benefits up to an ArchAngel that can attack enemies as well as build units. Most of the "towers" in the game are WoW-related units. Night Elf Archers, Orc Warriors, Goblin rogues are a few of your choices. The Night Elves are females that even have their bouncy idle animation.
Roguelikes inspire EVE Online's revamped hacking minigame
June 4th is coming up fast, and with it EVE Online's new Odyssey expansion. The content drop will feature improved explorer pursuits, with particular emphasis on removing the "'sit and wait' aspect of exploration gameplay" in favor of "something interesting to do." In the case of today's dev blog, the interesting thing to do is hacking, and CCP says that it drew inspiration from roguelikes for the new minigame's "procedurally generated levels, turn-based combat, and permadeath." You can read all about it on the official EVE Online website.
Asian-themed browser-based MMO Yitien hits open beta tomorrow
Sometimes, one has a particular sort of gaming itch in need of scratching. If your recent itch happens to have been a Chinese-themed high fantasy browser-based game, you are so, so lucky. Yitien, a new title from R2Games, happens to fill that niche ever so nicely, and it's launching into open beta on April 9th. Yitien is about mastering two legendary weapons, going on quests, slaughterfying other players, mastering the subtleties of Yeti disguises, and minigames. The game already boasts a marriage system, which "provides awesome stat bonuses." So there's... there's that. [Source: R2Games press release]
Vendetta Online releases iPad launch date and trailer
At GDC we learned that Vendetta Online for the iPad will be available this spring. Well, guess what? It's spring! Guild Software has announced that iOS system is launching in less than two weeks; come April 17th, iPad users will be able to explore all 30 star systems in the game and participate in twitch-based space combat with all other denizens of the vast universe. On top of that, players on the iOS have access to a single player "free play" mode where they can practice flying and play various minigames even while offline. Vendetta Online will be available on the iPad App Store for just 99 cents, which includes one month of free play. After that, the monthly subscription is $1.00. Wondering how the game looks from the mobile device? Check out the trailer after the break. And for more impressions, check out Massively's hands-on experience. [Source: Guild Software Press release]
Chinese browser MMO Yitien launches alpha on March 29th
R2Games will be bringing Yitien, a Chinese-themed MMORPG, to browsers starting on March 29th. The developers promise a variety of play, from turn-based battles and multi-player arenas to PvP events and a version of the ever-familiar rock, paper, scissors. In one event, players can sign up at a certain time and enter a zone that transforms every player into a yeti. There will be no way to distinguish players from NPC yetis, but points and treasure are earned as NPCs are defeated and player attacks are successfully repelled. Attacking other players, however, will award you no points. Players will also participate in a simple board game, rolling dice and moving a number of spaces. The first player to reach a certain location on the board wins the game. Players landing on the same square will battle, while players who run into mysterious warriors will have to fight using rock, paper, scissors for the chance to win lucrative trinkets. Already available in China, Yitien has accrued 20 million total registered players with an average of 500,000 users logged on at one time. (How many bots are involved with those numbers, we'll never know.) You can sign up now on the official site. [Source: R2Games press release]%Gallery-184260%
Revolutionary new minigame datamined in patch 5.3
We've asked for other minigames in WoW, but so far there's been no official word of anything on the horizon. The Plants vs. Zombies minigame is loads of fun, and the battle pet system is by far the most expansive minigame that's ever come to the game. Not everyone has the interest or time to invest in pet battling, so it was very exciting to stumble across the newest WoW minigame, just datamined in patch 5.3. It's a game any player can have fun with. A game many of us have enjoyed ... Say hello to Rock, Paper, Scissors! That's right! Forget about the Singing Sunflower. Whether you're bored or want a new and improved way to decide who get's that Thunderforged weapon, this is it. OK, so this may not really be a new minigame -- datamining is a fickle thing -- but the spells are there for one purpose or another. We can dream, right?
The Perfect Ten: Creative MMO minigames
Few people are without opinions on minigames in MMOs. Some love 'em, some hate 'em, and some just ignore 'em. Some even despise that I won't type "th." Takes all types, really. Personally, I'm all for including new types of enjoyable systems that can be repeated, particularly if it benefits my character in some way. There's also this perception that minigames are just for kids. It's true that more kid-centric titles like Free Realms and Clone Wars Adventures thrive on minigames like you thrive on deep-fried butter balls, but these little diversions exist all over the place in "grownup" titles too. Holidays are a favorite time to trot them out, although there are plenty that exist year-round. Today we're going to look at 10 creative minigames that have tickled my fancy over the year. Yes, I used the word "fancy." Whatcha gonna do about it?
Land and Hand: Crafting and gathering in Final Fantasy XIV's relaunch
When I was playing Final Fantasy XIV's pre-launch beta, it was gathering that made me realize I was in real trouble with this game. Normally I consider gathering to be a necessary evil, a part of the game that exists and only occasionally overlaps with what I like to do. But the first time I started chopping away as a Botanist, I knew that something special was going on here. Of course, gathering and crafting also needed an overhaul. The former was a frequently luck-based minigame that could be intensely frustrating to decipher with few skills that seemed to do much, and the latter was obtuse even if you ignore the fact that you didn't have a recipe book. So the relaunch had the unenviable task of reworking both systems while at the same time retaining what made them such a breath of fresh air. If you liked Final Fantasy XIV's crafting or gathering before, I'm happy to say you still will -- and odds are good you'll like both even more because the new systems in place are solid improvements of what came before.
