Gavin Townsley

Reviews By Gavin Townsley

Massively's hands-on with WildStar's housing system and new classes

Call me a pacifist, but housing and healing are two of my favorite aspects to any MMO. Maybe it stems from a deep rooted desire for safety and comfort, or perhaps I'm just a real-life Hittori Hanzo: no longer interested in making instruments of death. Either way, WildStar's latest reveals have me excited. In the course of the most recent press beta, I scored some hands-on time with both new classes and glimpsed the newest changes to housing at a press event last week. The two new classes, Medic and Engineer, add variety to the healing and tanking game, while housing improvements turn homemaking into more than just a hobby. The upcoming MMO from Carbine Studios and NCsoft is turning out to be one rich frontier, ripe with potential for anyone looking for a new MMO home.

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Reviews By Gavin Townsley

Hands-on with SWTOR's Galactic Starfighter

The objective is just on the horizon. We're a ragtag group of journalists -- no, starfighter pilots -- and we're hellbent on taking a key objective from the enemy. The problem isn't the defending turrets; it's the five red squares that have just popped on our HUDs: Sith fighters. In a few moments, we'll lose each other in a storm of blaster fire and exploding ships. The ship to my right engages the turbo on his engines, rocketing forward. One by one, we all follow into the fray. This is Galactic Starfighter, the new expansion coming to Bioware's Star Wars: The Old Republic. The new ships, their customization options, and the chaotic, free-flight-PvP space combat make it one of the largest feature upgrades since the game's launch. It won't put you in the Death Star's trenches, but it will get you close. Join me in the cockpit as I tell you about my experience in rail-less throes of space mayhem.

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PC Gaming By Gavin Townsley

Solstice Arena comes to Steam

Growing older has two distinct disadvantages: responsibility and less free (game) time. This is where Zynga's mobile MOBA, Solstice Arena, really shines with its cross-platform access and average ten-minute match duration. It's the perfect answer for MOBA diehards who find themselves a little too busy for complexity and match length of the genre's bigger titles. And now the game is available and free-to-play on Steam. With the latest game updates, Solstice Arena comes to the PC today, opening up the game to a new branch of players and allowing their existing PC fans to play at the desktop. Despite its mobile roots, Solstice Arena boasts a lot of depth with its large selection of items and power ups, and the consistently (every two weeks) expanding hero selection. Each hero has multiple skills to utilize, as well as a variety of skins purchasable through the game. For those players more interested in quick games rather than depth, Solstice Arena provides a unique auto-buy feature that lets the player focus on the match instead of which items to purchase. The MOBA may not replace genre-fan favorites like League of Legends and SMITE, but Solstice does something well that other MOBAs haven't: gives players the power to take the game with them regardless of platform.

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PC Gaming By Gavin Townsley

Path of Exile 1.0, Steam, and sweet, sweet revenge

If you're in need of a healthy dose of monster-bashing, clicky goodness, nothing is better for you than the soon-to-be-Steamed Path of Exile. I'll let that sink in. Yes, I did. Grinding Gear Games is finally taking the game out of open beta on October 23 and simultaneously releasing on the Steam network. Version 1.0 of the free-to-play action RPG will include several new improvements such as a new prestige class (awesome: wields ethereal weapons like boomerangs!), three new areas filled with sub-zones, and new PvP modes. The release also marks the conclusion of the third act in which we face off against Dominus himself. Well, himself and legions of dead, demon-y things. And, that's just the beginning.

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PC Gaming By Gavin Townsley

ArenaNet's Mike Zadorojny reflects on one year of Guild Wars 2 and its 'absurd' content pace

Birthdays are great for a number of reasons. There's the cake, the gathering of friends, some jubilant cake-chomping, and even the ability to get violent with anyone who goes near your stack of gift-wrapped loot. If something doesn't go as planned, feel free to cry if you want to. Fun aside, these anniversaries also serve as a great time for reflection. Guild Wars 2 officially turns one today, so ArenaNet Lead Content Designer Mike Zadorojny spoke with us in San Francisco about the challenges the team faced in the first year and how it opened the doors for the living world and future content.

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Gaming By Gavin Townsley

Gamescom 2013: SMITE's latest god, new game mode, and Tencent partnership

MOBAs are great for the MMO gamer afflicted by that nasty distraction called life. They offer progression, PvP, and even some theorycrafting you can take to the water-cooler gatherings at work. In some cases, MOBAs even grant the player a variety of ways to play the game. SMITE is one of these gems. During our pre-Gamescom chat with Todd Harris, co-founder and COO of Hi-Rez Studios, we learned a few details about SMITE's coming additions of a new Match-of-the-Day game mode and the Chinese-themed god named Zhong Kui.

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Reviews By Gavin Townsley

Hands-on with Infinite Crisis' new Coast City Marina map

Superheroes always seem to find a reason to start throwing punches. In fact, their instinctual need for violence is a perfect fit for the MOBA genre. Endless arena battles with little or no consequences make for a description divined for tight-loving super beings. Infinite Crisis, the new DC Comics-based MOBA from Turbine and Warner Bros. Entertainment, is introducing its closed beta to a new map: Coast City Marina. The map is a mixture of massive-urban jungles, capture points, and even a giant-AoE doomsday device. It's as though every type of MOBA gametype were mashed into one large, everything-on-it burger. And then Batman beat you up with it.

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PC Gaming By Gavin Townsley

Guardians of Middle-earth is coming to PC

Of all the magic in Lord of the Rings, nothing makes me more envious than the elf-tossing power behind Sauron's giant mace. The look on those pretty faces as they flail through the air is just priceless. Guardians of Middle-earth, a console MOBA from Monolith Productions and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, is finally coming to the PC, and with it my dreams of throwing elves to and fro are realized. With playable characters such as Sauron, Radagast, and Elron, it's easy to see why any Lord of the Rings fan should take a look at this upcoming MOBA.

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Gaming By Gavin Townsley

Crushing MOBA community strife in S2's Strife

Strife isn't just part of MOBAs; soon it will be a MOBA. As we revealed earlier this morning, S2 Games' new game is being designed from the ground up with a more positive community in mind. For new and old MOBA players alike, I join you in a collective heck yeah! Marc Deforest, Chief Executive Officer of S2, spent time with me at a recent press event chatting about how community-driven design is shaping Strife as a game and what it means for the player. By the end, I decided he wasn't a feeder and Strife is probably one of the most thought-out new additions to the genre in years.

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Reviews By Gavin Townsley

Massively's hands-on with Strife, a new MOBA from S2 Games

My team is struggling. We've managed to hold our own after a nasty fight in the bottom lane, but then a message appears on my screen: Krytos is coming. The team at S2 Games had warned me about this giant ape and his tower-neutralizing, minion-stomping abilities. But there he was with the enemy team following in his wake. This is Strife, the new free-to-play MOBA from the company that created Heroes of Newerth. The three-lane-based gameplay might look familiar from the top down, but a giant ape is just one of many interesting mechanics Strife is utilizing to help create a more enjoyable and flexible MOBA experience. Oh, and did I mention the pets and the crafting?

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PC Gaming By Gavin Townsley

'Everything in the world is fair game': Chris Whiteside on Guild Wars 2's living world

Someday playing MMOs will be like visiting that virtual-reality club in Minority Report or stepping onto a holodeck that conveniently sits between your fridge and bathroom. Today, however, we're still playing on screens and in worlds that don't quite feel alive. That goat-herding NPC you once helped do his job? Yeah, he's still there doing the same thing he was last week. ArenaNet has tried to push Guild Wars 2 in the right direction with its "living world" philosophy -- the idea that events can come and go, experiences can change year to year, and perhaps players can even change the landscape of Tyria itself. Last week, Chris Whiteside, Studio Design Director at ArenaNet, chatted with us about how this living world, even in its infancy, is already starting to change what it means to be an MMO.

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Gaming By Gavin Townsley

WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney on the Settler path

In a world full of potential and chaos, WildStar's factions will succeed on the planet Nexus on the backs of the Settlers. The Settlers don't just build bonfires for sappy Explorers to sing around; these titans of construction will save you time in dungeons, establish bigger outposts, and open up new realms of quests for everyone. At a recent media event, Carbine Studios executive producer Jeremy Gaffney was only too happy to explain how the Settler path opens up the world, intersects with housing, and even plays a part in PvP.

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Reviews By Gavin Townsley

Hands-on with WildStar's Scientist path and Esper class

There is something exciting about taking your first steps into the mysteries of a new planet. I was anxious to mingle with the locals, analyze artifacts, and even pick a few plants -- that is, until I saw a flower burst from the ground as a giant vine-like beast. As it chewed up the slinky Aurin next to me, I decided to leave the flowers for the next Scientist. So began my hands-on experience with WildStar, the exciting and often comical new MMO from NCsoft and Carbine Studios. The half-day event gave me time to play the Esper class, build some structures on the Settler path, and hurtle myself through the air in the name of science. There is so much to talk about! Except plants. 'Cause allergies. *ahem*

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PC Gaming By Gavin Townsley

WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney on progression, tradeskills, and endgame

In the first part of our interview with Carbine Studios executive producer Jeremy Gaffney, we discussed everything we could about the Settler path. In this followup interview, he divulges the beautiful details on essential parts of the game: progression, tradeskills, and the elder game. WildStar has been setting a fun tone with each new video that's released. As it turns out, that same philosophy extends to nearly every corner of the game.

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Reviews By Gavin Townsley

Hands-on with Arena of Heroes' turn-based gameplay

During the last week, I've witnessed two excellent unions: My good friend married his college sweetheart, and a MOBA reached out to the ranks of turn-based gaming. Sure, the former had an open bar, but no amount of free booze can quench my desire for something new within the MOBA genre. Enter Arena of Heroes, a new turn-based free-to-play MOBA that can be played on PC, Mac, iPad, and eventually, on Ouya, iOS, and Android. I spent the morning with Sneaky Games CEO David Godwin and Zattikka Director of Product Alexandra Tinsman to find out why this game will make me bring my iPad everywhere I go.

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Gaming By Gavin Townsley

A door to the Marvel world: David Brevik talks Marvel Heroes

Marvel Heroes is an upcoming action RPG that allows players to sling web justice as Spider-Man or just throw a stress-relieving tantrum as the Hulk. Whatever your favorite alter-ego, the upcoming free-to-play game hopes to be a refreshing addition to the isometric genre. At a recent press event in San Francisco, I sat down with David Brevik, President and CEO of Gazillion Entertainment, to scope out the influence of Diablo vs. the Marvel Universe and whether we'll see the PvP fans are hoping for.%Gallery-181496%

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Hands-on with Marvel Heroes' combat, events, and crafting

This has been a hard year on mice. Diablo III, Torchlight 2, Path of Exile, and now another click-fest is in the works: Marvel Heroes. This new free-to-play addition to the isometric family will put you in the shoes of classic heroes such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, Storm, Wolverine, and many more from the Marvel roster. Just when my index finger was starting to forgive me! To better understand how much danger my mouse and finger were in, I traveled down to Gazillion Entertainment for some hands-on time with a few of my favorite comic wonders. Is Marvel Heroes is bringing more than just tights to the table?

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PC Gaming By Gavin Townsley

A newbie in Heroes of Newerth: How patch 3.0 improves the MOBA experience

My first experiences in the MOBA genre went something like this: "What do you mean last-hitting and how come these towers keep shooting me? I'm a hero, for freak's sake!" to which my teammate would respond, "Quit feeding and die in a fire." It was a confusing and tumultuous time. Thankfully, the genre has taken a turn for the better, adding more in-depth tutorials, bot matches, and various other aids to help new players transition into the game and beef up the competitive numbers. Heroes of Newerth is no exception. S2 Games is preparing to globally launch (yes, everywhere at the same time) patch 3.0 on January 31st, 2013, and it will include a lane full of visual enhancements, bots with customizable AI, and a stronger emphasis on teaching new players the ropes. Could HoN establish itself as the MOBA for new players of the genre? We trekked to a demo in San Francisco last week to find out.

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