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Google's Area 120 made a free, drag-and-drop 3D game builder
Google's in-house incubator, Area 120, has produced things like an app that teaches coding and tools to boost literacy. Now it wants to help gamers create their own 3D games, no experience necessary. Today, it launched Game Builder, a free platform that aims to "make building a game feel like playing a game."
Theorycrafting in Wizard101
Apparently theorycrafting isn't just for hardcore RPGers anymore. Tipa of the West Karana blog put together an interesting primer on the hidden numbers behind kid-friendly (and adult too - don't be shy) MMO, Wizard101. Want to know what damage, accuracy or power pips are and which is better? Want to know what your ideal secondary magic school might be? Want to know how important mana or health is when choosing gear? Find out the answers to these questions and more in Tipa's "need to know" guide. You can even leave a question in her comment section if you don't find what you were looking for.And we're sure there will be a lot of questions since Wizard101 recently hit the one million player mark. Perhaps theorycrafting has become a bit more important in this casual-friendly game since they recently added the player arena, where wizards can engage in a fierce magical duels against each other. Competition usually encourages more strategic thinking and planning if you want to win, and this combat primer might help as well.
Get mystical with this Wizard101 combat primer
Maybe the casual friendly, Harry Potter inspired Wizard101 has caught your eye sometime in the past, but you weren't really sure what the game entailed. Well, in that case MMORPG.com has a good combat primer that'll help you get your wands in order, as it were. While the game doesn't demand deep, tactical thinking it isn't exactly a hack 'n slash title either -- so a little bit of help isn't out of the question. Plus, it's got a free-or-pay pricing structure as well.If you're wondering whether or not Wizard101 is a game worth a little investigation, we'll be the first to answer that yes, very much so! We've got both some early hands-on time with the game, as well as an interview we did shortly before it launched last September. And if you're looking for something short and sweet to convince you to take a look: turn-based card battle MMORPG.
Electronic Arts enters the card-based MMO arena with BattleForge
With games like Magic Online and Freaky Creatures in the gaming consciousness, this variant on the concept of microtransactions is on the rise. Electronic Arts must think so too, because they've just announced their card-based MMO offering, called BattleForge.BattleForge will be an entirely Web-based card-game, where you'll build your fantasy army by the purchase of online decks, or trading them with other players, or even winning them in tournaments. Gameplay itself will feature the use of four elements and a mystical forge to do battle. Being developed by EA Phenomic, Germany-based creators of the SpellForce series, this upcoming MMO is expected to launch in the Fall of this year. [Source]
Taito introduces Surface-like arcade game
Well, it didn't take long for Microsoft's Surface to trickle down into the fast-paced world of card gaming (ala Magic). Feast your eyes on the next device your children will be shoveling money into like it's going out of style, a new Square Enix (makers of Final Fantasy) and Taito collaboration called The Wheel of Eternity. The card-based RPG appears to function much in the same way that Bill Gates described Surface's object recognition properties as working, "sensing" cards which are placed on the game area, and reacting to their status, movement and arrangement. There's no word on when or if this game is coming to the states, but with kids' unnatural obsession with card games (particularly those of a Japanese ilk), it seems likely this will be popping up on these shores before long.
Namco Bandai officially announces Warhammer
Last month, we reported that Warhammer would be coming to the PSP, but just recently Namco Bandai has officially announced it plans to ship Warhammer: Battle for Atluma, a card-based battle game, this fall."One of the more compelling card-based games to date, Warhammer: Battle for Atluma goes beyond simple player interaction and encourages an inclusive sense of community among players through head-to-head battles, card collecting, trading and strategy sessions," said John Whitmore, Director of Internal/External Development at NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. "This unique dynamic coupled with the strategic, fast-paced nature of the game certainly sets Warhammer: Battle for Atluma apart from other games in its genre."While the press release didn't offer up any new gameplay information, it did mention the game will be rated "T" for teen, and the title's developer is JV Games, which has most recently developed James Bond 007: Nightfire for the Gameboy Advance.
