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'Blade Runner 9732' recreates Deckard's apartment in VR
Fans of Blade Runner can now have an interactive snoop through spacecop Rick Deckard's LA apartment thanks to a lovingly-built, fan-made virtual tour. The game, Blade Runner 9732 (the number of Deckard's apartment, obviously) has been created by super fan Quentin Lengele, who's faithfully recreated as much of the set as possible for you to explore. Yes, the ESPER machine is there, and yes, you can sit on the balcony watching the rain-lashed city.
Comedian Nick Frost makes his Gear VR debut in 'Esper 2'
Something about virtual reality and games about exploring the mind or using your mind to control objects around you just seem to go together extremely well. Case in point, the Gear VR launch title Esper has a sequel and it's out tomorrow from developer Coatsink Software. Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead fans who play it might even notice a familiar voice: Nick Frost. The English funnyman lent his voice to Esper 2, the game about agents tasked with dealing with the consequences of a recent epidemic of folks gaining telekinetic powers. The overall production values are pretty impressive, actually.
WildStar answers Esper inquiries
Continuing with Esper Week at WildStar, Carbine devs opened the floor to a wide array of questions regarding the futuristic spellcaster. Topics touched upon included the Esper's healing ability (the devs claim the class is "the best single-target healer" in the game), the lack of movement speed reduction while casting, its high burst damage potential in PvP, and that nifty Phantasmal Armor skill that was seen at the end of the re-reveal video. One fan asked if the Esper could be built as a pet class. "You also have the ability to focus yourself on a pet build," a developer confirmed. "Last week my build was based around Phantom Swarm (three small illusionary pets) and Geist (one large illusionary pet). I had tiered these guys up as much as I could so that they were doing tons of damage, healing me at the same time, and blowing up on their deaths to do AoE damage."
WildStar unveils the Esper again
While WildStar kicked off its class re-reveals with the most physical class possible, the Esper is the exact opposite. It's all about mind games. Of course, when you're talking about a powerful telekinetic and telepathic dynamo of illusions and mental weaponry, "mind games" still involves blowing things to pieces with remarkable alacrity. So perhaps it's not quite as much of an opposite as you might think from a quick glance. The Esper isn't just about creating various telekinetic blades to slice apart foes from afar, of course -- the class can also heal, crowd control, and even move around quickly through various mental abilities. It's a good thing, too, since the class is also limited to light armor and doesn't do well under pressure from a concentrated physical assault. Take a look at the new video past the cut for a better picture of this mental dynamo in action, complete with that golden armor buff you've seen from several screenshots in the past.
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*
Massively surveys WildStar's Scientist and Settler paths, the Esper class, and the crazy things Jeremy Gaffney says
So who wants to hear some cool stuff about WildStar? Thought so! Massively's Gavin Townsley recently attended a WildStar media event in San Francisco, at which he was treated to a hands-on look at the upcoming sci-fantasy MMORPG's Scientist path and Esper class. He also chatted with Carbine Studios executive producer Jeremy Gaffney, who pulls a Gaffney (I'm coining that) and can't resist leaking a bit of new info about tradeskills while filling Gavin in on how endgame will work, why we should play the Settler path, and whether talent trees are passé. If you think making 10 pairs of cotton space pants sounds boring, then yeah -- you're going to like what he's got to say. Enjoy all three articles plus the brand-new path videos we've embedded past the cut! 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. WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney on the Settler path WildStar's 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. WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney on progression, tradeskills, and endgame Jeremy Gaffney divulges the beautiful details on essential parts of the game: character progression, tradeskills that don't suck, and life in the elder game.
Gamescom 2011: WildStar reveals first three races and classes
After yesterday's unveiling of Carbine Studio's colorful entry into the MMO races, we've been understandably curious about this WildStar and could have s'more, please? Fortunately, a fan site has dug out some details about three of the game's races and classes, all of which can be seen in the hilarious trailer that Carbine released. On the racial side, players have the Granok, Human and Aurin to choose from. The Granok are hulking, cigar-chomping slabs of rage, the Humans are exiles looking for a new home, and the Aurin are cute bunny-people who must go through Q-tips like mad. As for classes, players who prefer to get up close and personal with their enemies would do well to choose the Warrior, who boasts a number of strong tech and melee attacks, which are powered by fuel cells and adrenaline, respectively. Spellslingers use a pair of special pistols to stay on top of ranged damage, relying on a balanced rotation of magic and gunplay to keep up with DPS. And finally there's the Esper, your standard Mage class, who uses psychic spells like Telekenetic Strike to do massive damage to helpless enemies. There are reportedly more classes and races than just these, and we'll keep our eyes on Carbine as more details pour out about this promising title.
Exclusive screenshots from Jade Dynasty's upcoming "Ascension" expansion
Perfect World Entertainment's Jade Dynasty really is a unique offering on the MMO market. We here at Massively have been covering it and commenting on it since we got to see it at E3, and we're always interested to hear more about the MMO that "plays itself." Well, the team at Jade Dynasty hasn't disappointed us and they've let us here at Massively check out some exclusive screenshots of their upcoming expansion, Ascension.Ascension is opening up the path for players to become veritable gods, but it's also adding two new factions, a brand new race, realm versus realm PvP opportunities, aerial combat, and much more. We've also gotten the opportunity to sit down with Jade Dynasty's product manager, Andrew Brown, and talk with him about all of the gritty details in the next expansion. However, you'll have to wait until Monday to check out that interview.In the meantime, check out these screenshots and concept art of the Divine Realm area, and come back on Monday to check out our exclusive interview about the future direction of Jade Dynasty.%Gallery-77654%
Massively goes toe to toe with Jade Dynasty's Andrew Brown
Jade Dynasty. The game that plays itself. We ran an op-ed on it a while back and even got some impressions on the game from E3, looking into the game that offers all players the special ability to run a bot to play the game and lets players gain experience while offline.Needless to say, we were interested in the game thanks to, what some would say, are odd choices in game design. However, we were recently lucky enough to sit down with Andrew Brown, the project manager for Jade Dynasty, and put him to the test. Why should MMOers try out Jade Dynasty?Well, Andrew took our hard questions and sent us back some awesome answers. He didn't shy away from our question barrage. If you were looking for some answers for why Jade Dynasty took the game design path it did, or why they believe their decisions will ultimately help the many players of their game, then look no further than this interview. And what's this new immortality ability and "hardcore PvP" server that Andrew has mentioned? You're just going to have to follow after the break and find out!
