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The Game Archaeologist: Kingdom of Drakkar
You'd think that by now I would be running out of older MMOs and their kin to cover, but I just keep discovering more. Some of those discoveries are helped by Massively readers, who have urged me from time to time to investigate certain games. One such commenter, Space Cobra, has been after me for quite a while (as in years) to do a write-up about Kingdom of Drakkar, and I finally caved. Here you go, good buddy! Kingdom of Drakkar, also known as Drakkar or Kingdom of Drakkar II, is a really odd duck in the MMO history books. While being very small potatoes for the industry as a whole throughout its entire lifespan, it's notable for an extraordinary long run (it began in the 1980s, people!) that's traversed through several format changes and handlers. I've seen it described, somewhat unkindly, as a "shoddier Ultima Online," but I think that is a surface judgment that doesn't take the effort to get to know the game or its legacy. There must be something to this game if it's been around for three decades, yes? Let's find out!
Two Wii U games you didn't hear about today: Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper, Funky Barn
Nintendo had a lot to talk about today, what with the release date, price and specs of a new console and its hefty software launch lineup. It's not surprising it couldn't specifically show off every game headed to the Wii U during its launch window, November 18 - March 31. Two of these games, Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper and Funky Barn, are notable after the fact because of their assets – one for having a full trailer and gallery, and the other for featuring chubby piggies.Tecmo Koei's Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper will incorporate the WiiPad in local two-player co-op, hacking and slashing across two screens, the above video shows. It includes characters from other Tecmo Koei franchises, and includes a duel mode, which is new for the Wii U.%Gallery-165297%
Fury not dead, just on life-support
Last week we reported on a widespread rumor that, due to Fury's commercial flop, Australian developer Auran was going to be the subject of a big lay-off, and that a significant chunk of Fury's development going forward was going to be out-sourced to China. Auran CEO Tony Hilliam recently addressed these concerns, and his comments were posted on Auran's official forum.While promising to revolutionize the way PvP in MMOs works, critics have lampooned the game for its muddled combat, and the fact that it only loosely qualifies as an MMO in the strictest sense. Interestingly, though Hilliam tries to take an upbeat tone in his remarks, he really doesn't deny any of rumors he claims to be debunking, saying, "The future will focus on a smaller, more agile core team of Fury developers." That's fairly transparent executive speak for "all non-essential personnel are being laid off." He also confirmed rumors that much of the future development is being out-sourced to China.Perhaps the only solace for these non-essential Auran developers is that neighboring Aussie developer Tantalus is looking to snatch a few of them up to help develop DS and Wii titles. That's at least one bit oh holiday kindness, amidst a pile of bad news.
