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Daily iPad App: Kingdom Rush
I first played Kingdom Rush as a Flash game online, and it's very good in that context as well. It's pretty straightforward tower defense, in that you face a series of invading monsters, and need to build up towers to defend against them. But Kingdom Rush outgrows its simple tower defense roots with a number of intriguing innovations. Instead of just building towers, some towers provide you with actual units to control, and you can set rally points for them and line up your attack a little more carefully than just placing and forgetting. Kingdom Rush also makes heavy use of spells to mix the action up, and there's such a solid balance between spells and towers that more often than not, it's your spells that win the day. An actual talent upgrade tree helps hit that note a little harder: As you play, you earn talent points that can strengthen a certain part of your game, such as beefing up your ranged towers, or allowing your spells to be stronger or earn more gold. By tweaking that talent tree, you can play Kingdom Rush very differently from someone using different talents, and the excellent polish and production on the game (I would argue the iPad version looks even better than the Flash game) means it's lots of fun throughout the many various levels. Kingdom Rush is highly recommended, both as a tower defense title, and even as a strategy title for someone who might not have found a TD game they enjoy. The game is $2.99 on the App Store right now, and updates are planned, to add both Game Center integration (for the game's many achievements) and new content and enemies. Excellent title, definitely pick it up for the iPad if you haven't yet.
Daily iPhone App: Spellcraft School of Magic
I'll be honest: I have come down with a pretty bad case of freemium ADD. Pocket Frogs was my first real freemium hookup on the iPhone (and it's still pretty great), but since then, I've made my way through a train of freemium games, including We Rule, Tiny Tower, Battle Nations, We Farm, more Tiny Tower, DragonVale, and now all the way over to Spellcraft School of Magic. If you've played any of these before, you probably know how it goes: The game is completely free to download, and free to play, though you can spend money on in-app convenience items if you want to save time or level yourself up more quickly. But Spellcraft has caught my attention for quite a while this time, because it's a little more "game"-y than some of the other games. Instead of just managing a farm or building a city, you're actually delving through a dungeon, casting spells against bad guys and uncovering various treasures. The idea is that you're a magical student who needs to delve the dungeons to find your professors, and you can cast spells to fight bad guys from scrolls that you can carry and make. Scrolls are created from spell ingredients that at first you just find, but you can also grow them in the greenhouse, which is where the "freemium" cycle comes in: plants can be planted, and then you need to wait real time to let them grow. The gameplay itself is actually pretty well done -- the graphics are nice and polished, and there's a fun arcade-y element to casting spells that allows you to do better or worse depending on how you time your casts. Unfortunately, the in-app purchases aren't quite as "nice" as, say Tiny Tower -- your plants can die on the vine, losing you lots of money, and later in the game, you can also get pets that won't necessarily die, but will get very pitifully sad if you don't feed them (shame on Appy Entertainment for tying the sadness of a hungry animal to an in-app purchase -- that's a little below the belt if you ask me). But the game is definitely playable even without the in-app purchases, and the fact that you can lose plants does at least provide a little encouragement to log in to the game and play it. If freemium isn't your thing, you won't find much new here. This game runs about like a Facebook game, and while there is some nice polish, especially on the iPad, there's not a lot here that you won't find in, say, DragonVale or We Rule. But as is always the case with freemium, the price is right, and it's at least a game that will hold your attention and scratch that freemium obsession itch -- at least until the next fun candidate comes along.
XL releases new ArcheAge combat trailer
If you're already looking forward to the start of ArcheAge's fourth Korean closed beta test, XLGAMES has a new gameplay video that will probably launch your excitement level into the stratosphere. Though it's a short clip, it boasts a lot of siege footage (including some spiffy shots from above as player-controlled hang-gliders fly over the action). We also get a brief look at a few of the game's combat spells as well as PvE clashes with a couple of sizable boss monsters. ArcheAge is a sandpark title being developed in Korea by XLGAMES and Lineage creator Jake Song. Thus far there are no public plans for a western beta or release.
League of Legends announces ranked team play, Summoner Spell changes
Riot Games has announced that Season Two will bring ranked team play to the online MOBA title League of Legends. Previously, players have had their own individual gameplay rankings, but starting with the game's Season Two update, teams will be able to form up on either the 5v5 or 3v3 maps, and get their own rankings as a group. Teams will need a captain to create and invite or remove members, and will be able to choose a name and tag to go with their rating. The company is also tweaking the in-game Summoner Spell abilities. The Rally and Fortify spells, which Riot calls "underused," are being removed from play, and in their place will be Surge and Promote. Surge will allow Summoners who chose it to boost themselves up with an aura buff, empowering their champions and anyone around them with extra combat effectiveness. And the Promote spell has made its way over from the Dominion gametype, so players who choose it will be able to beef up a minion in the standard game now. Season Two doesn't have a release date yet, but it will also bring the long-awaited Spectator Mode to the game, which has already been seen on the servers in preview form. Odds are that we don't have too much longer to wait for the full update.
TERA play diary takes you to the Oblivion Woods
TERA news has been at a premium lately, and aside from yesterday's BAM reveal, it's been all quiet on the Arborean front for some time now. Luckily, En Masse has graced us with its latest TERA community play diary, and our intrepid hosts -- Jason "BrotherMagneto" Mical and Evan "Scapes" Berman -- are back to guide us through the upcoming title's fantasy dreamscape. This time, the pair are causing all sorts of trouble in and around TERA's Oblivion Woods, and there's a bit of discussion about new spells (including AoE heals and a crowd-control ability known as Ishara's lullaby). As per usual with the community play diary series, there are also several gorgeous screenshots to be had, so head to the official TERA website and have a look.
ArcheAge caster class detailed
AAportal has published another review of the recently concluded ArcheAge CBT3 event, this time focusing on the game's Mage class. The reviewer leveled his Mage to 21 and came away with a better understanding of the pre-defined spell schools (in this case illusion, death, and magic) as well as the corresponding special abilities. While most MMO mages are on the squishy side, we suspect that ArcheAge will buck that trend a bit, given the reviewer's observations that his Mage had a lot of hitpoints as well as a significant shield buff. Offense is, of course, the Mage's raison d'etre, and ArcheAge casters apparently pack a wallop (as well as two- to three- second cast times). It's not all wham-spam-thank-you-ma'am, though, as there is some strategy involved. Read all about it at AAportal, and check out the gameplay video after the cut.
Dungeons and Dragons Online's state of the game letter talks crafting, Update 9
It's time for the April version of Dungeons and Dragons Online's State of the Game address, and striding toward the teleprompter is Turbine executive producer Fernando Paiz. First up is a shout out to the newly assimilated French and German DDO communities. Paiz also says that all DDO clients and servers will support multiple languages via a launcher toggle. There's also some discussion about Update 9, in particular the "major balance pass" that all the game's spells have undergone. Epic content is getting some attention, as are DDO's animations. The new crafting system gets some virtual ink as well, and Paiz says that Turbine will be "incrementally releasing more crafting levels and recipes through Update 9 and Update 10" as well as soliciting feedback over time. Finally, there's talk of challenge quests and how the new content will play out over the next few months. Overall, there's a lot going on, and you've got a fair bit of reading to do, so head to the official DDO website to get started.
Turbine posts DDO Update 9 patch notes
It's update time in the world of Eberron, and Turbine's Tolero has posted the substantial patch notes on the official Dungeons and Dragons Online forums. Update 9 is currently strutting its stuff on the Lamannia test server, and among the new features are updated combat animations, a Saltire District adventure pack, and a host of tweaks to a lengthy list of spells and abilities. The list is so long, in fact, that we couldn't reproduce it here, so head to the boards and see for yourself. Update 9 also boasts a couple of class changes, notably additional early level spell points for Rangers and Paladins as well as a new Echoes of Power effect. When a player with the magical training feat is low on spell points, Echoes of Power will automatically come to the rescue with a regeneration effect.
Breakfast Topic: What's your favorite ability in WoW?
This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the AOL guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider's pages. One of the greatest strengths of World of Warcraft is its awesome sense of progression. Players level up and gain better and better gear as they progress through the game. Some people live for the raiding content, constantly striving for gear upgrades and stat optimizations. However, my favorite aspect of WoW's progression was and still is training new abilities. Leveling my warlock back in The Burning Crusade, I was amazed by every flashy ability I learned. Upon training Hellfire at level 30, I ran to the front gate of Orgrimmar and proceeded to ask a well geared level 70 character to duel. Amused, the 70 accepted and prepared to watch my futile efforts. I immediately popped Hellfire and died within a few seconds, all while laughing maniacally. "Wow, you suck," said the 70 and rode away on his epic mount. My lack of skill aside, the fun I had discovering these new abilities is unsurpassed by any facet of the game. Be it the terrifying Thunderstorm, the dumbfounding Disengage, or the hair-raising Heroic Leap, there are many cool abilities out there. And while some of them may have little to no practical application, every time I use one of them, I always think "Man, that's cool!" So what's your "Man, that's cool!" ability? Did you discover it leveling your first character, or did you see another character use one of those nifty abilities and become inspired to level that class?
TUAW's Daily App: Battleheart
There are tons of great RPG apps out lately, and I'm not sure why that is -- something about the way the App Store has developed. At any rate, here's another one. Battleheart is just out this week, and it's really amazing. The game is a real-time RPG battler. There's not a lot of story or extras to this one, but the core system, in which you choose a group of heroes and send them out to battle oncoming hordes in various settings, is designed and executed very well. There are the usual RPG trappings of extra skills and better equipment, but the bonus here is the control scheme -- the cute little heroes are super easy to drag around, set up as healers or drop spells as a magic user. The graphics are polished, the sounds and music are great, and the variety of classes and their various abilities is really awesome. Unfortunately, there's not a ton of content -- the main battle mode is all there is, and while it takes a while to play through (probably more than enough for most casual players), there's no multiplayer, survival mode or any other gameplay to check out. There's no Game Center integration at all, either. Some users have reported crashes as well, and on that your mileage may vary. But all of those things can (and probably will) be patched in later. The core game is available right now for US $2.99, and it's worth every penny.
The Mog Log: Class actions
The biggest news about Final Fantasy XIV this week, other than the somewhat mollifying UI update preview, was the addition of another 30 days of free playtime for everyone. This is the sort of thing that I don't think you can really see as anything other than a classy move on the part of Square-Enix. It's also very unexpected, but in the best possible way -- I can't help but be surprised that the company which has long been seen as completely dispassionate by Final Fantasy XI players has essentially responded to the "I don't want to pay for beta" complaints with "that's fair, we'll let you play for free." So as long as we're talking about class, let's talk about Final Fantasy XIV's classes. I'm a big fan of games that give you a broad toolbox and let you decide what you want to do with everything, and building a field class is one of my biggest joys in the game. It's not that you can't mix-and-match abilities from Disciples of the Land or Disciples of the Hand, but there's less variance than the combat-oriented classes. Let's start dipping our toes into character building, yes?
The Tattered Notebook: Merge this!
Server mergers are coming this week to EverQuest II, and with it come some serious questions about what stays, what goes, and who gets stuck with a name with a lousy X at the end. But sometimes mergers are a good thing, and I think since we're on the subject, it's worth looking at what else could be merged in the world of Norrath. In this week's Tattered Notebook, I'll consider how merging tokens, towns, classes, gods, guild halls and more could benefit EQII. Join me past the cut!
Breakfast Topic: What is your favorite class ability?
This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider's pages. With all this focus on new disasters, races, and abilities coming in Cataclysm, it's easy to forget about all the awesome things our characters can do right now. Mages can teleport, fury warriors can dual wield two-handed weapons, shaman can turn into a Ghost Wolf. Ghost Wolf --- that even sounds cool. My main toon is a holy paladin. Although I did level most of the first 60 levels as holy (yes, it went very, very slowly), I blasted through the last 20 levels and the instances that fill them as retribution. At level 80, I wanted to get into raiding. A friend somehow got me in one of the better raiding guilds on my server and -- guess what? -- shortly after, I got volun -- told to go holy if I wanted a raiding slot. I admit, at first, I wasn't a great healer. I was using a very small portion of my toolbox. I took Holy Light spam to a new level and did almost nothing else. After a time, I discovered Beacon of Light and spent much of the next few weeks declaring it was the best spell in all of WoW. Two tanks taking damage? No problem, 'cause now my Holy Light spamming was twice as effective! Now I'm leveling a rogue and falling in love with a brand new skillset. Cheap Shot and Kidney Shot are fast becoming some of my new favorite character abilities. Are you more partial to the biggest damage/healing/threat increase button, or does pushing someone off an edge with Typhoon just make your day? What abilities do you enjoy the most?
TUAW's Daily App: Monster Feed
Monster Feed is a colorful little tower defense title for the iPad, and it's a little more action-based than most TD titles. A lot of your interaction with the oncoming hordes is actually interactive, as you have not only towers to build and grow but also spells and even summonable minions fighting with you and at your side. Monsters have a few new tricks, too -- rather than just blindly following the paths, some will require you to tap on them or otherwise keep them back as you play. There are a few good ideas in the mix, and especially if you're a fan of the growing tower defense genre, this one seems like a must-see. The iPad app is on sale right now for US $1.99, which is 50 percent off of the usual price. If you don't want to jump right in, you can try a lite version for free. And while the app isn't on the iPhone yet, we're told that it will be soon. If you want to try tower defense with a little bit more actual interaction, give Monster Feed a look.
Are those 4.0.1 spells shiny enough for you?
Normally, WoW Insider brings me in to wax poetic (or at least punny) about elemental shaman -- but today, I had a grouch. I am dazzled by the new sparkles emitted by paladin friends, and I cheer on my mage friends as they try out Flame Orb and Ring of Frost. There is a gorgeous array of new spells on offer in patch 4.0.1 ... So why do I feel so underwhelmed by my new elemental rotation? The dust of patch 4.0.1 is not settled and won't be for some time if Deathwing has anything to do with it, but now we start to see the shape of things to come. I've had a chance to settle into the new abilities. I've annoyed more than a few fishers with my Earthquake. I've gleefully retrained my fingers to become reactive, in order to enjoy the full benefits of Fulmination and Lava Surge. My guildmates tell me I am too happy about Totemic Wrath and Rolling Thunder. Good times, all in all. However, I am still a grumpy shaman. I am mostly happy with the new spells, but the effects feel like an afterthought.
Spiritual Guidance: A shadowy work in progress
The Spiritual Guidance duo, Fox Van Allen and Dawn Moore, haven't always gotten along so well. While some attribute that to the natural way that the shadow abhors the light, the real reason is the time they were on The Price is Right together in 2003. I mean, two hundred dollars for a grandfather clock, Dawn? What were you thinking? Some days, I wish Spiritual Guidance was a TV show. Not only would the world be better able to appreciate my own physical beauty, but I'd be able to do one of those "Last time, on Spiritual Guidance" opening montages, filled with dramatic clips that tell you exactly what happened last week. "Fox, we need to get to level 10, and fast! Before the orphanage explodes!" "But if you're the Priest trainer ... then who's that?" "You're not casting Smite enough! Faster! Faster! More Smite NOW! Hurry, there's not much time!" KABOOM! "The orphans, they're on fire! Quick, cast Renew!" Things are often a lot more awesome in my head than in real life, I'm afraid. Still, last week, we did address the process of starting a new priest, getting him geared up with heirlooms (or heaven forfend, green items) and the basics of the early spells (Smite, lol). This week, we're digging a bit deeper, getting to 20, rocking some instances and doing some PvP -- that's right, life as a priest is finally ready to begin. Follow me after the cut. And don't mind the random explosions and orphan debris -- they're just there for next week's opening montage.
Land of Chaos Online goes loco for spell info
As we saw at GDC10, Land of Chaos Online is certainly an unusual species of MMO, blending fantasy elements, Defense of the Ancients-style matches and third-person shooter action. The title is still deep in closed beta, but fans wishing to know more about the nitty-gritty details of LOCO can now feast their eyes on The Spellbook of Laair Hathy. Apparently, Laair Hathy is a wizard with a big mouth who likes to share top secret information on her rivals. Unlike many MMOs, LOCO players assume the role of one of several predefined characters, each with their own unique array of skills and spells. Each section of the Spellbook covers one of these characters, providing us with background information, pictures and skill descriptions. This adds up to over 120 spells and skills that are now on display for inspection and discussion. If LOCO piques your interest, then head on over to flip through the Spellbook, and sign up for closed beta while you're at it! %Gallery-87942%
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Glorious roundup of community motherland
I am still deeply disappointed that we do not have more Russia-themed content... well, anywhere, but especially in City of Heroes. Having grown up during the end of the Cold War, I want more fur coats and red stars and winter wastelands with nuclear missiles. Yes, it's stereotypical, but so are steampunk Prussians, holdovers from the Third Reich, and robed sword-wielding cultists. Wouldn't it be lovely? Now, much as I might like to, my love of the odd post-Cold War Russian image that's now been inserted unceremoniously into pop culture is not the point of today's article. No, today we're focusing on a straight roundup of all the community discussions that have been taking place of late, and, as always, there's plenty to talk about. While the news about Going Rogue has slowed slightly, Issue 17 is just around the corner, and the City of Heroes community hasn't stopped finding things to talk about over the past six years anyhow. Jump on past the cut for highlights of the glorious motherland of community.
Breakfast Topic: Design a unique healing spell
There has been quite a bit of talk on the forums about the various spells each of the healing classes have available to them and how those might be expanded in Cataclysm. One poster asked when we'll see healing variants of some various DPS spells like Cone of Healing or Rain of Healing (which was actually announced for Shaman). This led to a fun little conversation here at WoW.com between Dawn Moore, Chase Christian, Elizabeth Harper and myself. We came up with ideas like Holyfiend, a pet that healed people. You could either target it or set it to "aggressive" and it would heal people at random. Another idea was a talent turning a paladin's Consecration into an area healing effect that ticked when stood in (standing in stuff on the floor is good?). There was also the idea of creating a healing wand similar to the healing rod from Final Fantasy VI that did healing instead of damage on the target you attacked. What would be some interesting mechanics you'd like to see turned into a healing ability? Would you turn the moonkin's little treants into mini resto druids? How about something like Pestilence that spread your heal over time spells to the rest of your party?
Battle of Puppets brings the fight to the marionette stage
Battle of Puppets fell through the cracks here when it was first released, and that was unfortunate -- it's a 2D real-time strategy game for the iPhone with a distinctive art style and a plethora of cool features that definitely deserves a look. The team has been updating the app often, and the latest update not only adds in achievements and leaderboards via the OpenFeint platform, but also has dropped the price to just 99 cents for a limited time. The game has a surprising amount of strategic depth -- more than you'd expect for an iPhone title. There are five different armies (each one representing an "opera" theme), each with its own strengths and weaknesses, and the little unit battles play out over 22 different theaters, where various environmental changes can actually affect the strategy of the game. And in addition to commanding your puppet troops, you can "cast spells" on the screen with gesture input, which will also affect the flow of battle. It's almost too much to handle on the iPhone's small screen, but the developers have added in a tutorial that should help you figure it out. At 99 cents, Battle of Puppets is a steal. More casual game players might get a little dragged down by the complexity, but those looking for strategy will find it underneath the cutout art designs. And if they continue to update the app at the rate they have so far, there'll be even more coming in the future.
