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Aion gets reviewed: Let the drama begin?
If there's anything that gets MMO fanboys and trolls engaged in a cacophony of epic proportions, it's an official review followed by a score. Oh, and +1 drama if it comes from Eurogamer after that whole Darkfall / Ed Zitron hullabaloo. Oli Welsh of Eurogamer recently reviewed Aion based on his open beta experiences, giving it a 7/10 or 'Good' score. It's not as controversial as a 2/10 or "it has no soul," that's for sure!Oli basically sums up his Aion experience with a string of key-presses: "2, 2, 3, 3, 5, 2, 3, 4, 5." We guess he didn't figure out how to make a one-button macro to simplify things even more! Actually, many players are saying this same criticism can be applied to almost all MMOs.In terms of pros, he found the world beautiful and polished but in terms of cons it was quite grindy and the focus on PvPvE might not appeal to everyone. It seems we're experiencing a bit of an MMO conundrum since World of Warcraft gained such international popularity: Make an MMO too similar and you're dismissed as derivative; Make it too different and you're not mainstream enough to be accepted. One wonders when the paradigm will shift and MMOs will be judged by their own merits; or at least compared to a new benchmark.
Uncharted 2 plundering Europe October 16
The time is almost upon us to saunter back into ancient ruins and murder hundreds upon hundreds of mercenaries in Naughty Dog's upcoming quarter-tucked adventure, Uncharted 2. Stateside Nathan Drake enthusiasts have known the date their bread would be buttered on for quite some time (October 13) -- now, Sony's confirmed to Eurogamer that the title will be hitting European store shelves just three days later. (Whoa, don't hurt yourself. That's October 16.) If you're on the fence about your Uncharted 2 purchase, you'll be able to check out the game -- along with MAG, Heavy Rain and God of War III -- at the Eurogamer Expo, which runs October 27–28 in Leeds and October 30–31 in London. Tickets to the event are only £6, which we're fairly certain translates to about $0.16 in real currency. What a steal!
Eurogamer wants you to get games from its new service, 'Get Games'
The digital distribution arena gained one more challenger recently, after Eurogamer announced its new PC game distribution platform, "Get Games." Like IGN's DIRECT2DRIVE, the service will offer downloadable PC games paired with editorial content from the "mother" site (Eurogamer). Partnering with UK digital distributor Mastertronic -- and in turn, company boss and totally not a video game character, Andy Payne -- the idea is to harness Eurogamer's "quality editorial content and eyeballs" as well as Mastertronic's "five years and vital experience in this space."GamesIndustry.biz says Get Games will host free-to-play, indie, classic, and new titles. No mention of Eurogamer's relationship with existing partner Metaboli (a very similar service) has been made and it remains to be seen whether Get Games and Metaboli will coexist on Eurogamer's site.
New details surface about MechScape
Ever since Massively first learned of Jagex's sci-fi follow up to RuneScape at GDC 2009, a project codenamed "MechScape" -- and that it will be more than "RuneScape in space" -- we've wondered what to expect from the game. Jagex has given us a few hints though: four distinct species; choice of alliances which affect player adventures; and the potential for cloning, player-built vehicles, perhaps even spaceship construction. There's now more info out there about MechScape through a Eurogamer interview with the game's Chief Designer Henrique Olifiers. Eurogamer's Rob Purchese learned just how different a spin on MMOs MechScape might be. Olifiers said, "From the beginning we didn't want to make another RuneScape: it can't be another fantasy game, so no more elves... no more orcs, no more dragons." This sci-fi game will not share some of the standard MMO game mechanics we've come to expect.
Star Trek Online preview a solid overview of the game
Massively has been following along with the development of Cryptic Studios' upcoming Star Trek Online, and we're seeing that more previews are being written about the game in recent weeks. The latest preview is from Eurogamer's Keza MacDonald, who recently spent some time checking out Star Trek Online. It's a nicely worded look at the game as it exists today, an MMO title where "Cryptic is creating a flexible yet faithful interpretation of the Star Trek universe that stands a good chance of living up to even the unrealistic expectations of the faithful," writes MacDonald. The Eurogamer preview hits upon the balance between ship combat and away missions, the importance of tactics in space combat, and the kind of experiences players can look forward to on planet surfaces. There are no revelations of new features here, but what Keza MacDonald has put together is an excellent overview of the game, and worth a read for fans of Star Trek Online.
Splash Damage has big plans for Brink franchise
We've spoken to Splash Damage's Richard 'Rahdo' Ham in the past, so we know he's no stranger to a certain amount of exuberance about the game he's working on, Brink. In his latest interview with Eurogamer, his excitement reaches a fever pitch and he confirms plans for a "second and third" in the Brink series. "We already have big plans for that," Ham said. He hopes that Brink's integration of online play -- a combination of Burnout Paradise's freeburn mode and an FPS -- will best reigning multiplayer kingpins Halo and Call of Duty. Of course, upcoming new entries in each of those franchises are certain to put up a fight before succumbing to Mr. Ham's ambitions.%Gallery-64854%
Guild Wars 2 previewed at GamesCom
Guild Wars broke a lot of standard MMO conventions when it first came out. It teetered on the peripheral to the point of nearly not fitting within the established definitions of the genre. ArenaNet was all right with that, and apparently, so were six million players. It doesn't appear that Guild Wars 2 will be completely conforming to the MMO norms either based upon a new GamesCom preview by Eurogamer. It's as if the developers have been taking notes from our Redefining MMOs series (or so we'd like to think)!If there's one buzzword for the MMO genre in 2009, it's probably "story." Lead Designer, Eric Flannum explains that ArenaNet is throwing their entire bag of tricks at the story in GW2, which will combine a mix of instances and persistent world events. Don't expect to find any exclamation marks in this MMO. But do expect crafting, jumping, underwater exploration, and other welcome additions in the sequel. Of course, PvP remains this franchise's bread and butter and players will be able to test their mettle against each other in instances as well as a new open-world area called The Mists. For all the gory details, head on over to Eurogamer's official preview and don't miss the amazing GW2 trailer. We can't stop watching it!
Funcom announces Rise of the Godslayer expansion for Age of Conan
With GamesCom has come the announcement of a brand new boxed expansion for Age of Conan -- Rise of the Godslayer. Age of Conan fans rejoice, you have been loved.Rise of the Godslayer, however, will not be an expansion as your normally understand it. Instead of expanding the game vertically, like so many other MMOs, RotG will be expanding the game horizontally. The level cap of 80 isn't changing, but expect RotG to be adding much more meat to the lower levels of the game's content -- specifically from level 20 (and the end of Tortage) up until 80.RotG will also be adding Robert E. Howard's vision of the far east -- the Empire of Khitai -- and the brand new race of the Khitan. Khitans will be starting in Tortage, like all of the other slaves, but don't expect to magically appear in the empire once you get done. Khitai will be reserved exclusively for higher level characters, while lower level characters will have to make a great trek across the lands.For even more scoops than we could fit into this post, head on over to Eurogamer and check out their first impressions of the new expansion. Or, if you love us, you'll jump over the break and check out the first trailer for the new expansion, embedded right in this post![Thanks, JP!]
Fallout 3 gets the timelapse treatment, still not auto-tuned
Ever wonder what Fallout 3's Capital Wasteland would look like set to dramatic music, timelapsed, and shot in super high resolution? Now's your chance to find out! Eurogamer's Digital Foundry has given just such a treatment to the game via the PC iteration, cranked up to 11. (Is that even possible?!) The idea behind the video is to show what Fallout 3's engine was capable of -- and we think you'll agree that it meets some very impressive results. Check out the full video here ... or go get auto-tuned. Will you take the moral high ground or lounge in the gutter? The choice is yours!
Assassin's Creed 2 playable at Eurogamer Expo, major publishers backing show
We're a bit wary of more convention-style events in the already event-filled year, but the Eurogamer Expo this year is promising something we've yet to do at any convention before -- get our hands on Assassin's Creed 2 before its November release. Taking place in both Leeds and London (October 27/28 and 30/31, respectively), attendees will be treated to a smattering of playable titles from a handful of major publishers.Though we might argue that the show could come a bit earlier in the year -- didn't that other convention in October not do so well? -- a chance to play a mess of major holiday releases early sounds perfectly fine to us. Microsoft, Sony, Capcom, EA and a few others will be there, so for our friends across the pond who can't make it all the way to PAX, this seems like your best bet. %Gallery-49869%[Via GamesIndustry.biz]
The making of the World of Warcraft
Eurogamer has a nice long look at the early days of World of Warcraft, way before Northrend and Outland and even Molten Core, back when the question wasn't just how big the game would get, but whether Blizzard, a company known for their polish rather than their size, could pull off an entry in this new MMO genre. They've interviewed some of Blizzard's luminaries, and the piece offers a really good look at what it was like at Blizzard even before WoW's release, when they were hashing out some of the ideas and mechanics that have now set the bar with World of Warcraft: the stylistic Warcraft look, and questing as storytelling (originally, they thought they'd only do quests through the starting levels, and then have the game move to a grinding, monster-killing stage towards the end, but players said the game was boring without quests).There are all kinds of great little tidbits in here: originally, Warcraft III was planned with the over-the-shoulder look that WoW now has, and that's one of the reasons they wanted to create a more straightforward RPG game. Tom Chilton showed up on the team about a year before WoW's release, and to his surprise, the game was almost completely unfinished -- the level cap was only 15, the talent system wasn't implemented, the AH or mail systems weren't in, PvP wasn't in at all (of course, even at release it was pretty barebones), and endgame raiding was nonexistent. Most of the things we think of as intrinsic to the World of Warcraft -- even things like the Horde and Alliance not speaking to each other -- were debated and almost not in at all as they moved towards release.
Warhammer Online gives up a point in re-review
MMO reviews are a funny thing. Besides the fact that they're ripe for subjectivity and personal bias (like all reviews), they're also judging a type of game that is always changing. Maybe that's why Eurogamer does re-reviews. They originally scored Warhammer Online with an 8/10, calling it a worthy, if not fragile, competitor to World of Warcraft. The second time around, another reviewer gave it a 7/10, calling the game something quite different from WoW altogether.The gist of the second review is that while WAR is an extremely accessible game that players can jump into and out of for quick rows of skull-thumping, it lacks any depth to keep those players around. The reviewer's opinion is that the game feels less like a world and more like a collection of numbers, icons, and systems. It's actually just as interesting to re-read the first review because it was posted nearly a year ago (a week before WAR officially launched). A statement like "...until it's been out in the wild a while, this extremely well-made and highly enjoyable MMO remains unproven," is all too haunting in retrospect.But hey, this blogger isn't taking Eurogamer's word for it! Stay tuned as I journey back into WAR for a month. I'll explain why I left, what drew me back, and what has changed. At the end of the month, I'll even choose whether or not I maintain my subscription. Expect part one of "Snafzg returns to WAR" this Thursday.
Dave Perry discusses canned Atari project, 'Plague'
Dave Perry will always have a place in our hearts, and so it's a bit difficult these days to write pieces on the man who created Earthworm Jim. Doing his usual job of outlandish claim-staking, the man now known mostly for his company Gaikai and its streaming game service recently spoke to Eurogamer about a canceled game of his, named Plague. "It was a little too big for Atari," he says. Allegedly, he was working with an author and intended to make a movie of the game. "It was a big deal," he added. He goes on to say that it included "nano-weapons" that would "generate objects and delete [them] in real-time." He even teases that the game idea is "nowhere near done." Unfortunately, he's a bit busy at the moment trying to get his unicorn-powered magic carpet off the ground to work on it.
Activision details Tony Hawk Ride's 'celebrity' roster
Though we could call the list of folks showing their faces in Tony Hawk Ride a whole mess of things, one we wouldn't call it is "celebrity." Rather than drop in famous folks like Steve-O or, umm, Wolverine, the list that Eurogamer nabbed features more actual skateboarders than anything else. From Steve Nesser to Dustin Dollin to Mike "I beat up four dudes by myself" Vallely, the roster features little in the way of traditional Tony Hawk tomfoolery. Don't let the halfway-there hoverboard fool you, dearest reader, this is clearly a more serious skateboarding entry in the Tony Hawk game franchise. Peep the entirety of the list after the jump.
Bungie says Halo: Reach is its last Halo game, working on new IP with new publisher
Let's face it, folks -- ten years is a long time to be working on a single franchise. That ten years could feel like a lot more when you're rarely on break, back in the development seat for another new Halo nearly every two years. Such is the tale for ex-Microsoft developer Bungie Studios, who told IGN UK at this week's San Diego Comic-Con, "After Reach that's it for us." Meaning that after next year's Halo: Reach ships to stores, Bungie is out of the alien killin', FPS genre -- at least those starring members of the UNSC, that is.Though Bungie's Lars Bakken doesn't go into tons of detail about the studio's next game, he does say, "We're already working on a new IP that we can't talk about yet ... we've done a lot of different styles - first person to third person to RTS - so it could be anything." Eurogamer found out earlier in the day from Bakken that the upcoming game has yet to find a publisher, though Bungie is currently in talks with various companies and he says, "those talks are, I guess, close." Future Halo titles (you thought Reach was the last?) will be handled by 343 Industries, the recently trademarked, Microsoft-owned studio.We contacted Bungie for comment on Mr. Bakken's comments and were told, "While it's great to see so much public interest over what the future holds for Bungie, we're not ready to talk about any plans or games beyond Halo 3: ODST or Halo: Reach. It's no secret that we've had multiple projects in development nor that we've also been working on original IP in tandem to our Halo titles but our focus right now is on our two upcoming releases. We'll have more to say when the time is right."Source 1 - IGN UKSource 2 - Eurogamer
Eurogamer finally posts Darkfall re-review, game now 4/10
Hands up who remembers the Darkfall/Eurogamer scuffle about a certain low score? If you didn't and just to recap: reviewer Ed Zitron gave the game 2/10 and dev Tasos let forth his unhappiness with a vengeance. He accused Zitron of only having played the game for a few hours, most of which were spent designing characters or screenshotting. Eurogamer's editor-in-chief, Tom Bramwell, then promised to re-review the game, this time entrusting journalist Kieron Gillen with what had to be a very unenviable task. I admit to taking a personal interest in this since the story broke; like many other British games journalists I've done a stint writing reviews for Eurogamer and I know both Ed and Kieron both professionally and personally. Indeed within the British games industry, Kieron Gillen is something of a minor celebrity whose opinion is trusted and respected.
thatgamecompany's third Sony project is 'something you've never experienced before'
thatgamecompany, aside from giving us a chance to start this paragraph off with a lowercase letter for once, is currently hard at work on its third contractual Sony project. At the Develop Conference in the UK this morning, tgc's Jenova Chen had a handful of artfully abstract information to drop on conference attendees regarding the upcoming game. He said the project "feels like a natural progression" from the company's other titles and will be "something you've never experienced before." So, Flowest confirmed? Not quite."In the future there's a lot of feelings that video games haven't explored that are open for us to find," Chen said -- he specifically cited God of War as "a really good game about hatred." As Eurogamer points out in its coverage of the conference, Chen repeatedly cited the iteration time necessary for a game concept to go into full production -- he says that the concept for Flower took about two years -- and as such, may very well not have any solid information to talk about regarding his company's next game. Have you considered the fourth dimension, Mr. Chen? Hmm? [Image]
Craig Morrison discusses Age of Conan's improvements and future
Craig Morrison spoke with Eurogamer recently about the state that Age of Conan; what's been going on over the last year and where the game is headed in the future. This is of course one of many interviews you can expect to see regarding Age of Conan as Funcom is in the middle of their summer blitz to get people to come back and check out all the changes.As it turns out, a whole lot has changed. We've mentioned it on our podcasts and in our posts, but Morrison is keen to continue to emphasis the improvements and updates here as well. The latest update has quite possibly been the biggest and equally subtlest improvement yet, as it completely reworked the item system to be less obtuse and make items more desirable.But you really don't need to take Morrison's word for it, since the two free weeks campaign is in full effect. You can be sure Massively is jumping head first into Hyboria to get a taste of AoC's new flavor.
BioWare says Mythic will help with Star Wars: The Old Republic
We told you a couple of weeks ago about Mark Jacobs' departure from EA and the formation of a new (as yet unnamed) studio which will absorb BioWare and Mythic. Well, Eurogamer got the chance to talk to Greg Zeschuk, who has revealed Mythic will help out with Star Wars: The Old Republic but BioWare might not reciprocate on Warhammer Online: "Ray (Muzyka) and I (have) both played Warhammer, and actually I've still been playing it on and off for a while, so I think for us it's not to much a popularity boost as just the fact that we can probably bring perspectives to the table that will be new and perhaps helpful to the guys from Mythic in the same way from an online perspective they can certainly share with us. To give credit to the Austin team [making Star Wars: The Old Republic], we have a number of serious MMO veterans on there, so it's certainly not neophytes, but there's absolutely opportunities to share and learn things back and forth."
The first video of N+ dev's 'Robotology'
In fairness, Metanet Software's first video for Robotology (found after the break) is more physics demo than it is gameplay demo -- or even proof of concept, for that matter. Though considering the pedigree behind the game (Metanet made N+, this week's Xbox Live deal!), we're willing to overlook the less than thrilling minute-plus video in celebration of the sheer tenacity with which Metanet attacks its game development.In fact, according to the Metanet website, the action in the video represents, "almost 800 lines of code, painstakingly hand-transcribed from graph paper and Flash mockups" -- oh my! Here's hoping it all pays off when the game ships ... eventually. And now, friends, we play the waiting game. [Via Eurogamer]
