Emil Vazquez

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Stories By Emil Vazquez

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    Reviews By Emil Vazquez

    Massively's hands-on with MMO brawler Forge

    Forge is definitely an intriguing game that invites exploration. The upcoming MMO-brawler hybrid from indie developer Dark Vale Games is emblematic of what I see as a trend in multiplayer gaming: The era of the niche game is well upon us. Forge isn't a game that will appeal to everyone; its tendency toward "all PvP, all the time" might be enough to scare away a hefty segment of the MMO crowd already. And the game has a nonexistent grind and gear system. For some gamers, that might be a deal-breaker. But there's a lot to love about Forge, and I think that anyone who gives the game a fighting chance will find something about it to keep him around.%Gallery-162207%

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    Hands-on with MechWarrior Online

    Last week, we sent San Francisco freelancer Emil Vazquez to the MechWarrior Online Community Day event to get some hands-on time with the game. This article reflects his opinion of his experiences! The MechWarrior franchise is, unsurprisingly, one that centers on giant mechanical battle-beasts beating the un-living daylights out of each other. Like a lot of mech games, MechWarrior Online makes "big" its modus operandi: You pilot a giant mech with colossal weaponry that unleashes biblical levels of destruction on its surroundings. It really should be obvious what you're getting into when you slip behind the controls of your own insanely customized mechanical soulmate, and for the most part, the surprises are few. But there are a few things that I came to appreciate during my time with the hands-on demo of MechWarrior Online, and it's the little things that make MechWarrior Online (and the MechWarrior franchise in general) more than just a mech simulation.

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    Taking a deeper look at Salem (and living to talk about it)

    We recently sent San Francisco freelancer Emil Vazquez to a demo of Salem, the upcoming colonial-styled, permadeath MMO from Paradox Interactive. This is Emil's impressions of the game; the opinions might not reflect those of Massively as a whole. I was mildly disappointed that I didn't get to personally play Salem at this demo session until I saw the complexity and depth that was par for the course in publisher Paradox Interactive's new crafting-based sandbox. Had I been put behind the wheel of my very own little gothic pilgrim, it would have looked a lot like a beginner's first few hours in EVE Online and been about as productive. Instead, game designer Bjorn Johannessen took me on a tour of Salem's Lovecraft-inspired re-imagining of 18th century America, complete with farms, smithies, and chthonic earthworms.

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    Hands-on with Marvel Heroes

    Earlier this week, Gazillion Entertainment invited the press to participate in a hands-on demo of its upcoming MMO, Marvel Heroes. Massively sent freelancer Emil Vazquez to try the game out and tell us what he thought. I went into the Marvel Heroes demo fully expecting the game to reflect the design influence of David Brevik, the esteemed co-founder of Blizzard North (of Diablo and Diablo II fame) and now Gazillion's president. In that, I wasn't disappointed. Though the game proudly touts a stable of MMO buzzwords -- grouping, instances, shared worlds -- it's easy to see Marvel Heroes as a sort of spiritual successor to Diablo, and Brevik's influence shines through. It might be massively multiplayer, but it's a loot-based brawler at heart. And it's going to be free-to-play.

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    Hands-on with End of Nations

    Real-time strategy games aren't exactly in vogue at the moment. The genre is far from dead, but modern RTS games, with the notable exception of StarCraft, don't tend to appeal to as broad an audience as do MMOs. Trion Worlds and Petroglyph's proposed answer to genre stagnation is the upcoming MMORTS End of Nations. In fact, Trion thinks that what's really lacking in the RTS genre is a persistent world, one filled with robots and post-apocalyptic fascism. The team behind End of Nations has some serious industry cred. Publisher Trion Worlds is notable for its remarkably smooth-launching MMO, RIFT. Developer Petroglyph's pedigree is no less respectable (if a little dated), with titles like 1992's Dune II (widely credited for having inspired the Warcraft series of RTS games) and the original 1995 Command and Conquer under its belt. My time with this game was spent during the alpha testing phase, and many things might change between now and launch. Still, the bones of the game were there, and I'm happy to share my findings with you, discerning readers. From what I saw and experienced, End of Nations just might have what it takes to become the first "triple-A" MMORTS.%Gallery-96732%

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