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Alpha gameplay video introduces Finnish fantasy MMO WarCaster
If you didn't have the chance to scout all the offerings at Gamescom this year, you probably haven't heard of the new massively multiplayer online strategy game WarCaster being developed by Helmeni Games of Finland. But thanks to this new alpha footage video you can come to know more about this upcoming fantasy game. In the world of Kalderon, WarCasters (the players) derive their magical power from dragons. The game entails finding your tower that stores your magical power and taking care of your dragon as well as gathering and trading resources to build up your realm and strengthen your force. The next generation 3D free-to-play online strategy game also includes personal missions and campaigns between coalitions in browser and mobile platforms. You can get an early glimpse of the gameplay in the video after the break. Interested players can then sign up for early access on the official site now, and a Q4 2013 launch is planned.
Firaxis' Haunted Hollow appears on, disappears from the App Store
There's good news, bad news, and the best news on this one, and I'll give you the good news first. Firaxis' Haunted Hallow appeared on the App Store this morning, which means the game is just about ready for prime time. The free-to-play strategy title was one of my favorite games I got to see at GDC a few months ago. It's a board game, basically, in that you move various monsters around a board trying to claim and conquer space as best you can, though there's a fun house-building mechanic as well, in the way you choose which monsters to summon and fight for you. Firaxis, the creators of Civilization and the recent hit XCOM: Enemy Unknown, are some of the most experienced strategy developers out there, and Haunted Hallow is a free-to-play gift from them straight to the App Store, so it's great to see the game is almost done. The bad news, however, is that while I was writing this post to let you know the game was out, the title has disappeared from the US App Store. It is still available on the New Zealand App Store, so if you want to change your country to download the app from there, you can do that. But presumably this means the app wasn't supposed to be live on the US Store yet, so either there's more testing to be done, or we'll have to wait until this evening, as new App Store titles go official across the world. The best news is that Haunted Hallow is just the beginning. Firaxis has also announced that it's porting XCOM to the iPad in the future, and there are some other, not-yet-announced exciting strategy titles on the way as well. Firaxis has some great things planned for iOS, and this game is only the first. At any rate, Haunted Hallow is almost ready, and that's worth getting excited about. It's free to play (you get a certain number of monsters to start with, and you'll be able to buy more via in-app purchase), so whenever it is ready to download in your region, it'll be a must grab for sure. Update: 2K has confirmed that this was an accidental release. The game will be available worldwide next Thursday, May 2. So we just have a short wait until then!
End of Nations dev diary explains lore
Chaos. Turmoil. These are the terms developers of the free-to-play MMORTS End of Nations use to describe the upcoming game from Trion Worlds and Petroglyph Games. Yesterday, the studios released a new video dev diary in which the developers discussed the background and lore of the game. Audio Director Frank Klepacki explains the setting of the game this way: "What would the very near future be like if the economy actually did collapse, if the world really gave rise to a military power that controlled everything?" Petroglyph President Mike Legg explains that the the villain of the game is the oppressive Order of Nations, which strips civil liberties from the population. The team then describes the rise of the two rebellious factions, the Shadow Revolution and Liberation Front, which must try to set aside their own fighting to team up against the larger foe. You can watch the video, which also includes a good dose of gameplay footage, after the break. [Source: Trion Worlds press release]
Siege in an all-new way with the Heroes of Gaia: Ascension expansion
Snail Games has officially announced the fourth expansion for its strategy game Heroes of Gaia. Ascension allows players to rise to five new levels of fame, access new cooperative instances, hire temporary mercenaries for castle sieges, and adopt three new command styles for castle development. However, HoG is not done expanding. As Snail Games USA Director of Operations Mark Hill explains in a resent press release, "This is only the first of two major expansions we have planned for Heroes of Gaia. We have an extremely dedicated group of players on HoG, and we are proud to offer them these new and exciting ways to experience the game." Let's get real: Who hasn't wanted to own a castle? Now you can, and with the new Ascension expansion, the developers have redesigned the tutorial and an adjusted novice gift pack, which will allow a new player to gain the skills and equipment he needs to compete with more veteran players. Check out all the latest on this and future expansions for Heroes of Gaia on the official website... and have fun storming the castle!
Crush the Castle for iPhone free today only
I'm not much of a gamer but I adore Crush the Castle. It's a medieval themed game where you use a trebuchet to knock down your enemies who inhabit an increasingly difficult arrangement of fortifications. It's a good test of skill and your knowledge of the physics of heavy airborne objects. Today only, the full featured game is free, and in Uncle Mel's view it is definitely worth grabbing. It's great for passing the time in an airport, and can help you conquer your daily build-up of frustrations. The sound effects are super, from the screams of your victims to the subtle environmental sounds that match the locale in which a particular round takes place. My only regret is that there is not yet an iPad version, but it doesn't scale up too badly and is still fun to play. If you haven't played this game, I recommend trying it. If you have only been using the 'lite' version, here's a chance to upgrade at no cost. Thanks to Bill for the tip!
Massively catches up with SOE Tucson director Dan Kopycienski
Sony Online Entertainment surprised us recently with the announcement that they'd acquired Octopi -- creators of the collectible strategy game PoxNora -- and that the studio would now be known as SOE Tucson. We had some questions about what this acquisition might mean for SOE moving into the future, as well as what changes are on the horizon for PoxNora.Massively caught up with the former president of Octopi, Dan Kopycienski, who is now Director of Development at SOE Tucson. Although SOE Tucson is still very much a studio in transition, he was kind enough to speak with us about where PoxNora is today, and what it may become with the newfound backing of Sony Online Entertainment.
Shelley on the history of Civilization
Ensemble Studios' Bruce Campbell Shelley has been a force in strategy gaming for over 20 years (PC Gamer proclaimed him a "Game God" in 1999). Anyone who's ever played Civilization I and II, the original Railroad Tycoon, or the Age of Empires and Age of Mythology titles should be familiar with his work. What you may be less familiar with is the iterative design process he and former MicroProse colleague Sid Meier used to craft the very first Civilization game. In a recent interview, Shelley offered a little history lesson on the "design by playing" methodology -- a process he and his design teams still use at Ensemble today. The strategy pioneer fondly recalls being the second person ever to play the first Civilization prototype on a 5 ¼" floppy disc, and also describes how working with Sid Meier is like going to a game design university. In discussing the influence of Civilization on AoE, Shelley had this to say: "There is certainly some Civilization in the Age of Empires series. The vision for the original Age of Empires game was something like the historical and economic aspects of Civilization merged with the gameplay of Warcraft and Command & Conquer."See also: Metareview - Age of Empires III vs. Civilization IV
Rise of the Witch-King box art revealed
Electronic Arts has released the box art for The Battle for Middle-earth 2: The Rise of the Witch-King, and it looks like the top game publisher hasn't yet bought into the whole Games for Windows promotional strategy. EA continues to use the standard bland, redundant bar label that has adorned their PC packaging since earlier this year -- which most likely means their games don't meet all the branding guidelines set forth by Microsoft (widescreen, parental controls, 360 controller support, etc.). Competing standards basically defeats the purpose of easier product recognition for consumers, and you have to wonder if Microsoft should have just called their marketing initiative what it really is, "Games for Vista".Witch-King is scheduled for a Nov. 28 release, but an Xbox 360 version hasn't been confirmed. Read GameSpot's recent interview with EA producer Amir Rahimi for more details.See also: Middle-earth expands to the Middle Kingdom Steve Gray discusses LOTR: The White Council
