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Rise and Shiny: Eldevin
Sometimes, this column scares me. I eventually had to learn to play the games I write about week after week ahead of time, else I could end up with a really boring, crappy or broken game that I have to suffer through for a week. Occasionally I cannot vet a game and go old-school R&S by jumping into a game without looking. If I'm lucky, I stumble across a real gem. This week, I took a chance on Eldevin, a browser-based MMO by Hunted Cow Studios (maker of Fallen Sword and other titles), and I got lucky. Really lucky. It turns out that Eldevin is a great example of good indie development. Sure, the game isn't perfect, and many modern or younger players might be initially turned off by its older looks and isometric camera, but for those of us who enjoyed Ultima Online or RuneScape, Eldevin is a fantastic title. Heck, it should be a good game for anyone who gives it a chance.
MMObility: Legacy of a Thousand Suns goes mobile
Legacy of a Thousand Suns by developer 5th Planet Games is a relatively simple game that is very similar to Dawn of the Dragons, its sister title. I found Dawn of the Dragons to be strangely appealing even though it's not much more than an interactive story with very basic combat. It helped that I was given a massive pile of in-game currency and so was able to play at a non-stop rate, but even a small investment into either title buys a pretty good chunk of in-game cash and energy to spend on actions. Legacy of a Thousand Suns is essentially a sci-fi themed Dawn of the Dragons. Gameplay is so similar that a player could jump between the two instantly and a new player could be gaining levels literally within minutes. I'm not sure how to describe the appeal of a game that consists mainly of pressing a button several times, taking a break, and coming back after the energy pool fills back up to do it again. Let me attempt to describe its appeal anyway and to figure out whether the mobile version is really a good thing or not.
Dungeon Defenders dev announces cross-platform shooter Monster Madness Online
Dungeon Defenders developer Trendy Entertainment and its new indie subsidiary Nom Nom Games announced a new cross-platform, RPG-like shooter called Monster Madness Online today. The free-to-play game places combatants in the shoes of one of four minors in Suburbia City, which has been overrun by invading Martians whose powerful Monster Tokens apparently don't affect the kids of the town. Monster Madness Online is billed as the first 3D action game to use Mozilla's asm.js technology, which enables Nom Nom Games to take advantage of a higher level of JavaScript development. This offers developers the ability to insert physics, 3D graphics, multiplayer networking, advanced animation and other beefier game elements into their browser-based projects without the use of a proprietary plugin. Trendy Entertainment Co-Founder and CTO Jeremy Stieglitz explained the developer's use of asm.js in a separate trailer, found after the break. The game is expected to fully launch in May 2014 for PC, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS and any web browser of choice. An online, pre-alpha PvP version of Monster Madness Online is available to try out now on the game's website.
Next SOE Live hits Vegas August 14 - 17, 2014
If you're still kicking yourself for missing the big reveals of SOE Live 2013, you've got plenty of time to make preparations for next year's convention. Mark your 2014 calendars for August 14th through the 17th; that's when fans from the whole arsenal of SOE games will descend upon Las Vegas to mingle with devs, participate in contests and tournaments, attend player and dev panels, and catch reveals of upcoming content in their favorite games. SOE Live 2014 will also features access to beta programs as well as plenty of in-game and real world swag. The annual fan convention will return to Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, and tickets will be available for purchase in early 2014. Additional information will be forthcoming later, but you can catch the reveal trailer below. [Source: SOE press release]
Side-scrolling Blade Hunter starts alpha tomorrow
What do you do when you just have an urge to log in and beat something up? R2Games invites you to come try Blade Hunter, a new free-to-play fantasy side-scroller billed literally as "The beat 'em up MMORPG." This browser-based action title begins alpha on Thursday, December 12th at 10:00 a.m. EST, and interested players from all over the world can sign up on the official site to be a part of the testing. In Blade Hunter's alpha, players can be either a Knight, a Rogue, or a Valkyrie. The game can be enjoyed solo, thanks to independent companions that can be gathered and equipped, but greater strength is achieved when forming parties and guilds. Players can also unlock Bladesouls, which are spirits of war that can change the course of encounters by creating such things as time-limited multiplayer events and ranked cross-server PvP duels. Check out the action in the official trailer below. [Source: R2Games press release]
Glitch fan remembers Tiny Speck title with massive avatar poster
MMOs come and MMOs go, and while every game was someone's favorite, there are a few enormously influential MMOs that continue to be enormously influential long after they've closed down. Star Wars Galaxies was one. City of Heroes was another. And while Tiny Speck's Glitch was only around for a fraction of those titles' long-lived lifespans, it nonetheless made an impression. Don't believe me? Check out artist Cami Avellar's contribution to the one-year anniversary of Glitch's demise. It's a poster featuring over 250 Glitch avatars, and it took over three weeks and 100 hours to make! [Thanks Danielle!]
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MMObility: Windows 8 tablets help MMO fans go mobile
One of the most interesting parts of covering the mobile gaming industry for this column is watching technologies move at such blinding speeds. Just over the course of this column's run, I have seen my own tech double and triple in speed while halving in size and weight. I've also had to try to predict how the market will go so I can keep an eye on games and genres. In one of the stranger turns of recent events, I've watched as Windows 8, RT, and 8.1 have slowly crept into the market in an attempt to pull people back to the desktop... sort of. This is all possible simply because the desktop PC has reimagined itself in a smaller form, something that I am fond of seeing. Even though I predict that gamers will one day do everything on a tablet (with an optional dock or larger-screen connection), I have to admit that I am surprised at how fast Windows tablets are moving into the spotlight. Sure, they are claiming just a single-digit percentage of the marketplace according to this report in April, well behind Android and iOS, but the numbers continue to rise. That's pretty startling. What does this mean for MMO gamers?
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Free for All: Ten of my favorite in-game items
I love things. Truly I do. Only specific things, though. Over the last year I have doubled my efforts to catalog most of the best things in my life, from pictures and artwork to writings and songs I have played on. It's a sort of meta-hobby. As part of the effort I want to organize many of my favorite MMO in-game items, simply because I have played MMOs for so long and they are such a part of my life. I have a lot of favorite items, but some tend to stick out in my memory like a favorite smell or place. After I finished an initial list of MMO items (it was well over 50 items in the beginning), I was surprised at how much variety there was in the items and in the games I listed. I think it reflects my character a lot, but also shows that I am a sentimental plod most of the time. I cut the list down to these 10, but I am sure I will wish to adjust the list again in the future. Feel free to add your own favorites in the comments section!
RuneScape opens 2013 Premier Club, donates $90K to charity
If you've got the cash and interest to spare, then RuneScape would like to convince you to invest in one of its 2013 Premier Club packages. Jagex has unveiled its new limited-time Premier Club membership tiers, which offer extra goodies in exchange for committing to a multi-month subscription. The bronze package is $23.50 for three months, the silver is $44.50 for six months, and the gold is $86.50 for a full year. Extras include exclusive pets, bonus spins on the squeal of fortune, and access to a VIP server. Jagex congratulated the community on donating in-game wealth via the Well of Goodwill that was translated into a real-world donation by Jagex to several charities. The studio split $90,838 between seven charities. RuneScape also just added a level 92 slayer, the Airut, for players to defeat.
The Soapbox: Seriously, we have enough fantasy MMOs
Let's play a game. I'm thinking of an MMO that features magic, monsters, humans, and a vast fantasy world full of steamy swamps, grassy plains, and deep, dark dungeons -- can you tell me which MMO it is? If you answered RIFT, you're right. You're also right if you answered TERA. Or World of Warcraft. Or Guild Wars 2. Or Neverwinter. Or... you get the idea. We're people who play MMOs. Our hard drives are practically bulging with games featuring wizards and warriors. We've plunged our swords into millions of orcs and gnolls. We've looted more imaginary copper pieces than anyone could possible imagine. We've even slain so many dragons that you have to wonder why dragons even bother showing up anymore. It's not the gameplay but the setting that can make the whole exercise so soul-crushingly boring.
League of Angels announces beta events, releases trailer
You've heard of League of Angels, a new browser-based game that starts closed beta this Wednesday, but what's the story behind it? GTArcade answers that with a new trailer that takes viewers on a brief tour of the history of the angels, from their betrayal to their triumphant return. See it play out in the video below. Additionally, the studio has announced a number of special events during the seven-day closed beta that players can participate in, each with prizes that will carry over even when all other player data is wiped. The various prizes include free VIP access for leveling, free diamonds for slaying select NPCs (as well as diamonds raining down from the sky twice a day!), and more items to level your angels with the more angels you collect. Specific events will also be held rewarding players for things such as bug hunting, guide writing, and helping other players. [Source: GTArcade press release]
EVE Evolved: Donate your old spaceships to charity
The Philippines recently suffered its worst natural disaster in living memory when typhoon Haiyan made landfall on November 8th, leaving over half a million people displaced and millions without food and basic supplies. Countries and organisations around the world have been sending relief aid into the region, and gamers have once again proven to be a generous bunch. Several livestreamers have been running donation drives; the developers behind Luvinia Online even promised to donate 100% of the income from three new in-game items to the Philippine Red Cross. EVE Online has now also joined in the fundraising by reactivating its popular PLEX for Good scheme. CCP started the PLEX for Good scheme back in January of 2010 as a way for players to donate in-game assets and ISK to help people in the real world. EVE Online players have collectively donated over $150,000 US in aid following 2010's Haitian earthquake, tsunami devastation in Japan, flooding in Pakistan, and tornadoes in the US two years ago. Players hope to smash all fundraising records this time around with dedicated fundraising auctions, events, and liquidation firesales happening across the game. There are even ways for ex-players without active subscriptions to donate their idle in-game assets to charity. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the PLEX for Good scheme, the fundraising efforts players are using to help out a country in need, and how you can donate your ISK to charity even if you've long since quit EVE.
One Shots: Find the chicken
Will there ever be a game as visually distinctive and memorable as Glitch? Considering that I'm still getting screenshots in from a game that was canned almost a year ago, I doubt it. Reader Phinneas gave me this maddening puzzle that has consumed my days as I pore over it looking for the chicken. Where? Where? Where could it be? Under that tentacle-plant-thing? Under the next? Lurking beyond the frame? Oh, what trickery is this? "This picture is of my favorites of the game's last few days," Phinneas said with an implied taunt in his voice. "I still hold out hope that it will be resurrected someday." As I continue to look for the chicken, you can move on to the rest of our week's submissions!
MMObility: Elemental Kingdoms is almost a unique game
We've all had our share of trading card games. It's a popular genre, and there are always new titles popping up. Frankly, it's hard to tell many of them apart. That's sort of the point, I guess. The fact is that the basic design is so successful because it can be so fun to play with. Tweak the formula a little bit and you might have a very fun game that is easy to get into yet hard to master. It's also possible that you'll have yet another boring trading card game. I tried Perfect World's Elemental Kingdoms this week and found a very familiar title that sits a bit apart from the rest of the pack but still has plenty of issues. It attempts to be too many games at once and still does not go far enough as it's asking you to gather cards, craft decks, enhance cards, and fight enemies.
MMObility: Battle Command is similar in a good way
Spacetime Studi.. er I mean Spacetime Games has been branching out lately. This time, they are working on a new way to kill hours with your mobile device. Instead of controlling a literal avatar by pressing on-screen buttons, the company's newer titles will have you building defenses and raising mighty armies to smash your enemies. To keep with tradition, they have found a working formula in the form of Battle Dragons. I enjoyed the game before but now that I see Battle Command, essentially a re-skin of the dragon-based former title, I wonder if a switch of graphics will make a difference? It sort of does. I liked the "tower-defense-in-reverse" mechanic of Battle Dragons but it is pretty cutesy. Battle Command puts you in command on miniature, futuristic armies instead and I have to admit to getting into it a bit more because of the switch. It's still the same game as Battle Dragons, though. Is that a bad thing?
League of Angels starts closed beta on December 4th
Who doesn't need a guardian angel watching over their party at times? In the upcoming turn-based League of Angels, players get just that -- a literal angel as a member of the party providing buffs as well as firepower. If that sounds intriguing, you don't have long to wait before you can check it out for yourself; today, GTArcade announced that closed beta testing will commence on Wednesday, December 4th. Additionally, the studio will be providing daily updates on the game's progress starting this week. Some of the features of this browser-based game include mounts with buffs, fishing (which provides soulstones that can enhance your heroes), a daily match-three game that can net you gems for gear enhancement, and dragon races. For a look at some artwork and screenshots of the game, check out the gallery below. Then for a chance to test out the dynamics, sign up for beta on the official site. [Source: GTArcade press release]
'Classic MMORPG' Arcane Hearts launches
Looking for a brand-new MMO to play today? G4Box probably wouldn't mind if you checked out Arcane Hearts, which transitioned from open beta to launch on this momentous date. Arcane Hearts is a self-described "classic MMORPG" that mixes medieval settings and mythological motifs. The free-to-play title works in a browser and challenges players to explore the world from an isometric perspective with three classes: Warrior, Mage, and Shaman. Among the standard features are guild battles to establish dominance, an auto-hunting function that allows you to "level efficiently" without the grind, and party teleport so that members can meet up with each other easily. G4Box is celebrating the launch with in-game events and giveaways. [Source: G4Box press release]
MMObility: Excalibur provides old-school arcade action
Excalibur, a new mobile MMO by R2Games, promises to provide fun side-scrolling action that is sure to remind you of older arcade classics like Golden Axe. I can't help but giggle when I think of the actual playerbase for many mobile titles and how the average age is not sufficient enough for any of them to have ever stepped foot in an actual arcade, but nostalgia always makes for good PR. The game is set in the King Arthur world of knights and magic and even promises intense co-op action and many hours of gameplay. I did play it for many hours and enjoyed most of my time, but the game's issues pop up almost immediately.
InnoGames' The West receives item balancing patch
InnoGames' free-to-play, browser-based, cowboy-centric MMO The West has been updated with a new patch, bringing with it some extensive item rebalancing as well as "more than 280 new items," which the devs hope will "allow for a more streamlined character progression." On top of that, the patch introduces "an improved social interface." The press release notes that the item revamps in this patch are "part of the preparation for the upcoming level cap raise and the third part of the [game's] recently introduced main story." For more information on The West and its new patch, just click on through to the game's official site. [Source: InnoGames press release]
Cute adventures in Alfheim Tales Online begin November 26th
If you've been sitting back and thinking, "Gee, I just don't have enough cute in my MMO diet," we've got some news for you. You'll be able to serve yourself up some on November 26th at 9:00 p.m. EST: Alfheim Tales Online, a new browser-based fantasy world with a heaping helping of cute, is opening up for adventurers. Produced by the Hong Kong-based Ray Media Group, this game sports cute characters with cute pets romping about the fairtytale-esque world of Carlyl on cute mounts. And if combat can actually be considered cute, this game probably has a lock on that as well. [Source: Ray Media Group press release]
