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Intimacy of large-scale combat in War of the Roses
War of the Roses is an interesting prospect: a multiplayer-driven action game set in the Middle Ages with large-scale combat for (up to) dozens of players. And at its core, War of the Roses features a deep customization system ensuring each of the soldiers on the battlefield is incredibly unique. Battling other LAN-connected attendees at a recent event, I was given a taste of the the chaotic skirmishes featured in developer Fatshark's upcoming title. Before long, I was gleefully fighting with and falling under sword and spear. %Gallery-161340%
Lovely, synthetic tunes from Krater now available
If you haven't played Fatshark's Krater yet, you've missed out on its synth-heavy, John Carpenter-esque soundtrack. That's okay though, because the soundtrack is now available for all to enjoy. Wll, technically it's a score that was written for a film that was never made. The actual Krater game soundtrack will be made available at a later date. It's ... kind of confusing. Watch the video.Confusion aside, if you like the music, you can nab it for $11 on iTunes or pick up a boxed edition, which includes both the soundtrack and a copy of Krater, from the Fatshark store. You'll also find the soundtrack on Spotify.
PSA: War of the Roses beta now open for registration
War of the Roses is now open for beta registration, Paradox Interactive recently announced. The medieval combat game for PC went through a private alpha stage before hitting its beta test period, with the full game set to launch in Q3 2012.Those interested in signing up for the beta program can do so here. The entry form notes that by referring five friends to the program, you are guaranteed access to the beta version of the game. Show full PR text Paradox Lowers The Drawbridge For Beta Testing War of the Roses Medieval Multiplayer Accepting Applications for Early Access NEW YORK – July 6, 2012 – Paradox Interactive and Fatshark announced that, after recently completing a successful closed alpha, sign-ups for a chance to participate in beta testing for upcoming medieval multiplayer combat title War of the Roses has now opened to the public. Starting today, players can enroll to be a Knight in the King's army and help restore order to England by visiting the following link: http://www.waroftherosesthegame.com/ When signing up to guarantee their access to enter the beta, future knights will obtain a unique referrer URL from the King that can be shared across social media channels. When five friends use this player-specific link to sign up for the beta, the player who is linked to the URL will be granted a secure spot in the beta.
Snapshot: Krater (PC)
There are so many games out there we couldn't possibly review them all. Welcome to Snapshot, where we highlight games that might fall outside our usual coverage but are still something we think you should know about. Today: Krater for PC. Krater defies our usual classifications. At first glance, it appears to be a dungeon crawler, replete with monsters, spells and loot. And yet, it also has elements of real-time strategy, with players managing multiple units, each with their own abilities, strengths and weaknesses. Further still, we've got traditional role-playing elements, including an overworld map and even random encounters.What really sets it apart, however, is the way that Krater treats its characters.%Gallery-138382%
War of the Roses trailer and screens get nasty
Contrary to what Ron Perlman might tell you, war changes a lot. What is fought today with guns and drones was once fought with pointy sticks and horses. War of the Roses hopes to remind us of this fact, bringing home the ancient, raw brutality of hoof, blade, bow ... and electric guitar.
This special edition of Krater costs $10,000
Perhaps you've considered plunking down $15 for a pre-order of Fatshark's upcoming action RPG Krater and thought to yourself, this just isn't expensive enough. If your deep, deep pockets yearn for something more, Fatshark is ready to deliver – literally.Pay $10,000 (or €7,999) for Krater's "$10,000 Victor Edition" and Victor Magnuson, the game's designer, "will come to your home – wherever in the world it's located – and personally deliver the game. He will also cook a meal, and then play the game together with the game connoisseur." Victor claims to be a "great cook" and, seriously, it's hard to argue with that righteous toque. Buyers can opt for a mystery dish or choose from "the Viking Burger, Swedish Meatballs, Fisksaetra Pita Burger Special, or Ester Ore Pretto Pizza."Alternatively, you could knock 1,000 bucks off the price for "a takeout large pepperoni pizza from the nearest pizza place with 5 cans of energy drinks." Or, you could knock roughly $9,950 off the price by just purchasing a normal copy (and a pizza). Up to you.
Krater gameplay trailer looks cool, interesti -- whoa, that's a shark
We're sure Krater, the top-down post-apocalyptic RPG from Fatshark, looks like a great game. We assume it does, but we can't know because there's a vicious shark in the intro of the above gameplay video and we about died and couldn't watch the rest. If you're brave enough, give it a go yourself.
'War of the Roses' and 'Chivalry' wage war without all the nonsense
Of all the games I played this year at PAX East, two unlikely contenders stood out. They weren't indie darlings or supported by the donations of Kickstarter enthusiasts. And they weren't first-person shooters, nor character action games set against historic backdrops. Both games – Fatshark's War of the Roses and Torn Banner's Chivalry: Medieval Warfare – are about as far from my usual radar as games go. That was until I played them, of course.Both Chivalry and WotR are set in (you guessed it) medieval times, though neither employs its setting much beyond a backdrop. The games are multiplayer-focused affairs; neither has any sort of single-player campaign. Given the backdrop, you might assume multiplayer to be of the Mount & Blade variety. You'd be wrong.Both games are vicious, fast, and, most importantly, accessible. These are not the sim medieval combat affairs of many Paradox Interactive-published games. These are arcade-style medieval combat games, presented in first- and third-person perspectives, and they're like nothing else I've played in the past few years.
Dig into Krater for Windows on June 12, for Mac in July
Fatshark's post-apocalyptic crater-crawler is launching on PC this summer, the Swedish publisher has revealed. Krater, which means "crater" in Swedish, involves a military base hidden inside of a massive cr – okay, you get it. It's a traditional top-down RPG with a crafting system, explorable world and permanent consequences, like injuries and death.Krater is coming to Steam on June 12 for all Windows users; Mac users will have to wait until July. Prior to launch, pre-orders will be gain access to a closed, pre-launch beta. Interested parties can pre-purchase through Fatshark's site.
Fatshark announces Krater, a post-apocalyptic RPG coming to PC in 2012
Believe it or not, Fatshark has had the same game on its mind for ten years. It's called Krater, a top-down RPG focusing on crafting, exploration and consequence. "Consequence brings not only the ability for the characters to level up and improve themselves, but also permanent injuries and death," the press release reads. Fatshark gave IGN additional details, including the post-war-torn and bio-weapons-ravaged Sweden the game takes place in. A weapon leaves a gigantic crater in the earth, revealing fresh drinking water and an oasis in an otherwise barren land. Players should expect both single-player and multiplayer missions, and a 2012 launch on the PC via Steam. %Gallery-138382%
'Project Postman' is War of the Roses, a medieval multiplayer melee actioner
"The focus initially is gonna be on the PC," Paradox Interactive senior producer Gordon Van Dyke told me in an interview last week about the next title from Lead & Gold devs Fatshark. "Project Postman," now known as War of the Roses, was announced earlier this year by Paradox head Fredrik Wester as a "dream game" for the collaborators, but we knew little else about it. That is, until this afternoon at Gamescom, where the Swedish publisher unveiled the melee-based title. "Absolutely, it's being thought of as a franchise," Van Dyke continued, though he's not yet sure how that will play out in terms of branding. "We've been looking into franchise names. It's actually really hard to find a name that has anything to do with combat in video games." As the name implies, the game set between 1455 and 1485 -- during the "War of the Roses" era in England -- though it's not necessarily steeped in Medieval politics. Instead, it focuses on the regular battles between English houses jockeying for control of the kingdom. %Gallery-130828%
Hamilton's Great Adventure (finally) coming to PSN August 23
You probably won't be surprised to hear that Fatshark's PSN explorer-and-bird treasure hunting expedition, Hamilton's Great Adventure, won't be arriving on time -- because "on time" would have been April and that deadline has passed. A subsequent July release date also sailed on by. Today, Fatshark announced a new release date, slyly blaming the delay on protagonist Ernest Hamilton taking five weeks of paid vacation. It'll now be released on August 23 in North America and August 24 in the rest of the world -- just in time to compete with Street Fighter 3. But if you don't want to wait, you can check out the PC version that came out in May.
Ex-Battlefield lead Gordon Van Dyke joins Paradox Interactive as senior producer
After exiting the dev battlefield of DICE back in 2010, Gordon Van Dyke recently left his second EA gig at Visceral Games in favor of a different Swedish game company: Paradox Interactive. Before wild accusations start flying, know that his reason for leaving was rather heartwarming. "During my time back in California [with Visceral], I married my girlfriend from Sweden and we had a baby. We decided it was best to raise her in Sweden," Van Dyke told Joystiq this afternoon. In the process of moving, a friend of Paradox CEO Fred Wester put he and Gordon in contact. The rest is Swedish history. "I got an email from a friend introducing me to Gordon. Two days later he was hired," Wester explained of his rapid hiring process. Van Dyke, unsurprisingly, had nothing but nice things to say about his new employer, explaining that the studio "offers me more room to explore, take risk, and work on creative niche IPs."
'Project Postman' is a 'dream game' for Paradox and Fatshark
As recently as 2008, Paradox Interactive was only able to sign on for the projects it could afford to pay for at the time, rather than looking at what was best for the publisher and what fit with its goals. "Just three years ago ... we signed whatever we could afford," CEO Fredrik Wester told me in a recent interview. "Now, we actually make the games we wanna make." And why not boast? Wester's privately owned publishing outfit has been growing steadily since opening in 1998. "We grew 50 percent in gross revenue last year," he added. "And another 60 to 70 percent this year is the plan." Those are high hopes, but with Magicka's continued success and plans for what Wester calls a "dream game" with Fatshark, he may actually realize them.
Paradox CEO outs Fatshark's next project, codenamed 'Project Postman'
Fatshark's next game is "primarily a PC title to begin with," Paradox CEO (and head of snappy haircuts) Fredrik Wester told me in a recent interview at Joystiq's NYC offices. "We're doing a new game with them at the moment, which is also multiplayer-focused," Wester added. "Project Postman" is the working title for a game currently in development at Fatshark, with Paradox signed on as publisher. "We'll see about consoles," Wester skittishly noted. As you might imagine, his company is a bit wary of confirming console games that may or may not ever arrive, given past experiences. Without going into details about the game itself, Wester did reveal that the title would be "announced later this year," though he specifically pointed out that it won't be a big E3 announcement. "I think we're actually waiting for summer, or maybe GamesCom in Germany where we have more stuff to show." He also said that the unnamed game would likely have a trailer by the time GamesCom happens in August. As for why his studio names its projects after Kevin Costner films ... that's less logical. But in a good way. Head past the break for the hilarious roots of Paradox's strange tradition.
Lead & Gold update adds Appendoah Valley map, squashes some bugs
As a gesture of thanks to the community, Lead & Gold: Gangs of the West developer Fatshark has deployed a free update, which notably adds the "Appendoah Valley" map, for the game on PC -- sorry, no timetable for PS3 right now, Fatshark says. Aside from sounding like a medical procedure, Appendoah Valley supports all game modes. Lead & Gold and the new map are currently part of a free-to-play weekend promotion on Steam, which ends Monday, March 28 at 1PM ET. For the full list of changes in the latest update, mosey on past the break, pardner. %Gallery-119693%
Hamilton's Great Adventure preview: Fortune and glory, kid
What use is a great adventure if nobody is around to hear you talk about it? In Hamilton's Great Adventure (coming to the PC and PSN in April), the titular adventurer, Ernest Hamilton, is regaling his granddaughter with tales of his conquests through various regions in the world, such as the jungles of South America, the Himalayas and the deserts of Egypt -- each "story" is essentially a chapter, taking players back in time to act out that particular adventure. Each area is set up through a brief comic-style vignette, after which you're thrust into the game. %Gallery-118524%
Hamilton's Great Adventure coming to PSN and PC in April for $10
While being shown a near final build of Hamilton's Great Adventure, FatShark's puzzle-platformer follow-up due to launch in April, FatShark brand manager Gunnar Johansson revealed that the title would launch at a $9.99 price point on both the PC and PSN platforms. Of course, FatShark wants to see the game on as many platforms as possible – they always say that – but right now the plan is to hit those two platforms initially. Keep an eye out for our hands-on preview later today. %Gallery-118524%
Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 requires PSN connection (not for co-op, for DRM!)
When Capcom apologized for including anti-sharing DRM in its PSN release of Final Fight: Double Impact, it wasn't because it had a change of heart on the technology – which required players to be signed into PlayStation Network to play the game – but rather because it failed to alert users to its presence. With yesterday's release of Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 on PSN, the Big C made sure to remedy that shortcoming with the follow notice on the game's listing: "NOTE: You must log-in to the PlayStation Network each time to play the game." While Final Fight: Double Impact could at least boast an online cooperative element (in both its Final Fight and Magic Sword offerings!), Rearmed 2's co-op is an adamantly offline-only affair, like its predecessor. If you've got a religious objection to digital rights management (or a shaky internet connection!) consider yourself warned. [Thanks, Chris]
Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 review: A bionic jump backward
It might be tempting to believe that the unprecedented addition of a jump button is the defining feature of Bionic Commando Rearmed 2. Having completed the game, I can assure you that jumping neither makes nor breaks Rearmed 2 at all. In fact, given all the hoopla surrounding Nathan "Rad" Spencer's newfound ability to spring himself up through muscular effort, it's ironic that Rearmed 2 consistently falls short of its predecessor. %Gallery-113019%
