beta-impressions
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Asker Online beta review says Korean game 'missing something'
Curious about the new Korean action-MMO Asker Online? One tester says that you really shouldn't be. Steparu spent time in the first closed beta and reports that the game is treading over familiar territory. He noted that while he's disappointed with Asker's choice of gender-locked classes (with only three classes in total so far), he found the boss fights challenging and enjoyable and the graphics pleasing to behold. "After spending a couple of days testing the game, Asker Online felt like it was missing something," Steparu writes. "I couldn't really get into the game as much as I thought I would have. Mainly because it didn't have anything new to present. The breakable environment and combat is a lot similar to Vindictus. The size of the maps are extremely small which reminded me of Dragon Nest or Continent of the Ninth. Asker just didn't have much of a flare or impact on me."
Massively's first impressions of Black Gold Online's beta
Do you prefer a steampunk or fantasy flavor in your MMO? With Black Gold Online you don't have to choose! And for those who vehemently dislike one or the other, you're welcome to express that distaste on the battlefield; Snail Games' upcoming free-to-play game features realm versus realm warfare that pits machine against magic. With these two different genres represented, the game looks to please a broader spectrum of players than the traditional single-genre titles that populate the MMOverse. The question is, will it succeed? Even though we've perused available news and watched a variety of videos about everything from the various classes and different races to action combat to guild vs. guild systems, nothing beats getting into the MMO and experiencing it for yourself. Closed beta for Black Gold Online began mid-May, so I jumped in to get a taste of what awaits players when the game hits open beta this summer. What I found is that while the game excels in some areas, it comes up short in others. Here's a run-down of my first impressions.
The Elder Scrolls Online beta is absolutely nothing special
I've always had a profound antipathy toward the Elder Scrolls franchise. Part of this may very well be timing; the first three major installments released when I didn't have a computer that could handle them (I was generally more of a console gamer), and so I've no memories of happily chugging away across Tamriel as a young lad to sustain me. But I've also never seen anything that's reached out and grabbed me, no inspiring bits of lore, no systems that particularly grab my interest, just the promise that "you can do anything you want" without a great deal of encouragement. The point I'm making here is that the franchise is not my jam. But that's part of the reason I wanted to try out The Elder Scrolls Online in the first place. Sure, at a glance, it seemed like a fairly generic fantasy RPG that had the weight of a franchise behind it, but that's an evaluation based on nothing but bits of story and gameplay videos. So I settled in over the past weekend to play the beta and see what all the fuss was about, to give it a more fair evaluation than one based simply on the name of the franchise and what I saw at a glance.
The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV beta phase 1 and 2 - quests
We know now that the next test phase for Final Fantasy XIV will not be until June. This is good insofar as the next test will contain a lot more stuff and bad insofar as I want to play. Those of you living vicariously through impressions articles such as this one probably have less of a struggle with this scenario. And there is still a chunk of the first two phases to be discussed, obviously. If combat is the usual "how" of MMOs, quests are the usual "what." Final Fantasy XIV started out with a handful of quests and gained several more during Naoki Yoshida's tenure, but quests still weren't the main leveling content in version 1.0. That was a function reserved for guildleves, which have taken on a new role in the beta phases just as quests are enjoying an expanded importance. But it's not as simple as that change might imply.
First Impressions: Marvel Heroes isn't a heroic marvel
Despite my best efforts, I couldn't get into Diablo. I tried several times, but whatever strange alchemy kept turning me off from other roguelikes was still in full effect. Despite that, I can respect that the game has made an enormous impact on gaming as a whole -- even disregarding the effect it had upon MMOs and RPGs in general, we're currently amid a glut of Diablo derivatives (including Diablo III itself). This is relevant because Marvel Heroes is very clearly meant to be Diablo: Online With Superheroes Edition. So I'm not fond of the design style. But I'm very fond of superheroes, and especially fond of the Marvel universe. A well-done Diablo-style game could have easily won me over and convinced me that while this wasn't the Marvel game I necessarily wanted, it was good enough. The trouble is that the game doesn't have the marriage of playstyle and source material that it needs; it wants to be Diablo with a superhero skin, and it misses both marks.
The Road to Mordor: Reactions to Rohan
Judging from the comments in last week's column, I gather that many players are not too rankled with Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan's delay. Many even support the move. It's not like Turbine moved Rohan a half-year down the road; October's in, like, a month. I think we have a good chance of surviving until then. But what I wanted to go into today were the impressions from beta testers now that the NDA has dropped. I think it's a really good sign that Turbine felt confident enough to kill the NDA on the day of the delay announcement because it nullifies suspicion that the studio is trying to hide a major clusterfudge from us. Mmm... major fudge. So let's go to the street, where emboldened testers are going door to door and letting everyone know everything about the expansion, warts and all. Is there more good than bad? Is mounted combat really all that and a bag of horse apples? Does this expansion represent Turbine's finest hour or just a speedbump on the way to Mordor?
What do you want to know about the next Guild Wars 2 beta?
We've triple-checked our paperwork, so we're sure it's safe to tell you: Massively has been invited back for another glimpse of Tyria in the upcoming Guild Wars 2 beta! We'll be jumping back into the action very soon, and we can hardly wait to tell you all about it. While we're busy clearing out our schedules, why not ponder what it is that you want to know? We want to know what you good folks are most interested in having us explore and what kind of specific information you're looking for. Leave us some questions in the comments here or shoot an email to elisabeth@massively.com and we'll do our best to satisfy your curiosity! Additionally, after the NDA lifts early next week, we'll be opening up a Q&A on our livestream to answer other questions that come up and further share our experience. So what are you burning to know?
ArcheAge CBT3 review talks crafting, labor points, and nautical exploration
If you've been curious about the crafting and gathering systems in XL Games' forthcoming ArcheAge sandbox, you'll want to check out the third and final part of ArcheAge-Online's extensive CBT3 review. The piece has a detailed breakdown on the game's labor point system (a third point pool, if you will, much like more traditional health and mana pools). Labor points are somewhat scarce despite regenerating over time, and most of the game's non-combat activities require them (harvesting apples from apple trees, chopping down said trees, building furniture and boats, etc.). It's a unique system, and ArcheAge-Online goes into the nitty gritty of the mechanics and offers up plenty of opinion as well. The review also features commentary and video footage on sailing and nautical exploration, with interesting tidbits about boat construction and the discovery of player settlements on uncharted islands off the beaten path. Head to ArcheAge-Online for more.
ArcheAge PvP, dungeoneering discussed
Ready for some more ArcheAge CBT3 impressions? If so, AAportal has your hookup in the form of a new article that examines the recently concluded beta event. While Massively poked around the world of ArcheAge in wide-eyed newb wonder last week, AAportal had been there before, and its new posting compares the team's impressions of CBT3 with the earlier CBT2 event. In addition to investigating interface, character customization, and world changes, AAportal notes that it was able to send a full team of level 20 characters delving into the deeps of one of ArcheAge's dungeons. Explorers will be pleased to know that the dungeon was a labyrinthine experience that left the adventurers unsure as to whether or not they'd managed to see it all. Also on the discussion table is world PvP, and here AAportal reports that player skill trumps zergs quite handily. The game's physics apparently play a big role as well, and the article illustrates the differences between a knock-back ability in World of Warcraft (which happens the same way every time regardless of terrain) and an ArcheAge knock-back that is affected by the character's surroundings. Finally, the article concludes that ArcheAge is not a very solo-friendly game as it currently stands, with coordinated groups required for premium content like ship battles and dungeons runs. Check out all the details at AAportal.net.
Massively Exclusive: The sweet and sour of ArcheAge's third closed beta
Forgive me for getting this out of the way up front: I frickin' hate betas. Loathe them. Avoid them like the plague, usually. Why then, did I find myself foregoing sleep for the better part of last week to log into XL Games' third closed beta test for ArcheAge? Curiosity, for sure, and maybe just a hint of desperation. As the MMORPG genre moves farther and farther away from the types of games worlds that drew me in a decade ago, the chance to get a preview of what some fans are hoping is the next great AAA sandbox was enough to overwhelm my betaphobia. It's been quite some time since I've glanced out my window to see the sun rise while playing an MMORPG through the night, and ArcheAge definitely has its claws in me at this point. Is it the next great sandbox, though? Is it even a sandbox at all? Can XL successfully meld two design philosophies (sandbox and themepark) that are, in many ways, polar opposites? Those questions are difficult to answer, but join me after the cut and I'll give it a shot.
Rise of the Godslayer: The Gateway to Khitai and Alternate Advancement
It's an exceedingly rare feat when a game company, particularly a maker of MMORPGs, manages to capture the spirit and substance of a pre-established intellectual property. The landscape is littered with many a well-intentioned but misguided attempt at bringing a beloved novel, film, or multiverse into the realm of video gaming. While Funcom's Age of Conan suffered through a launch that contained a generous helping of bugs and negative forum buzz, one thing the game has always done well is transport the player into a lushly realized digital Hyboria, where lore and Howard references abound for those who care to look. As we draw nearer to the May 11th street date for the Rise of the Godslayer expansion, Massively has managed to snag some time at the controls of the beta client, and we're happy to bring you our impressions of life in the eastern wilds of Hyboria. We touched on the extensive feature list for the new expansion in our earlier look from GDC as well as our Craig Morrison interview, so this time around we'll focus on the major mechanical addition, the AA system, as well as the general look and feel of the beta. Walk this way for more on Khitai and the new mechanics and be sure to check out the gallery below. %Gallery-92189%
