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Global Agenda influences include City of Heroes and Team Fortress 2
Global Agenda is an upcoming 'spy-fi' shooter MMO that's garnering a fair amount of attention as it gets closer to release. It's the brainchild of Erez Goren, an entrepreneur who channeled his successes in the IT industry (including Point of Sale systems with game-like interfaces) into his own dream project, becoming its founder, CEO, and lead designer. Global Agenda will be the first game to be released by Hi-Rez Studios.The title is a blend of sci-fi shooter and MMO where player actions can impact the game's world. Goren tells PC Gamer's Evan Lahti: "We were inspired by the fluid, action combat feel of [Tribes and TF2], but wanted even greater diversity of classes and devices and set our game within a persistent world of player-driven conflict where the results of combat matches really affects the world."
Games Radar lists five things MMOs are doing wrong
The following slipped through the cracks a few days ago, but like Lewis Black we're going back to it because it's worth a look. Games Radar ran a feature called "Saying no to the MMO," listing five evils embedded in the genre's culture and design that have really got to go.Read it for yourself, of course, but the five things include gold farming, elitist endgame content, unhealthy addiction, drab action-bar-and-auto-attack-based combat, and the continual bleeding of players' pockets via monthly fees and microtransactions.The genre needs an infusion of fresh ideas to progress, but Games Radar's list is controversial. For example, a lot of people like the elitist endgame content. But maybe raiding games don't need to go away; maybe there should be new (or old) types of MMOs with different philosophies, and maybe those MMOs could co-exist with the EverQuestian standards. It's food for thought.
The Daily Grind: I'll take one box of fug, please
Yesterday, Games Radar ran a piece on the ugliest video game box art of 2007, which got me to thinking about some of the MMO boxes sitting up on the shelf next to my desk. Now, one of the earliest things that ever drew my best friend into EverQuest so long ago was the presence of a hottie blond elf babe on the cover. Being a dutiful friend, I joined him -- and I have to admit, she's definitely not hard on the eyes. Since then we've seen a lot of box art across the genre; some truly excellent, some utterly pathetic. This morning, we'd like to ask what your personal choices for best and worst MMO box art are? For me, best would be hard to pick because I really love fantasy art and I think there are some talented artists doing MMO boxes on that side. That said, I can pick worst out pretty easily. My personal worst would have to go to the person who did the box for Fury. I'm probably going to get some hate for kicking them when they're down, but to be honest, the box design was poor from any standpoint other than being prophetic. For those of you who haven't seen it, take a gander at it above. It looks like it borrowed heavily from the Lord of the Rings Online in it's fire-on-brown theme, but whereas the LotRO box has the ring any fan knows and loves, and the helm faded into the background. The Fury box art has a great big flaming F on the cover, the title, a quote, and some overall blah elements. As far as generating excitement that makes one think of PvP butt-kicking, that certainly isn't it. So what do you think? Are you equally as fond of hottie elf chicks, or do you prefer the stark name only on your game box? Perhaps you think the hot chick on the cover is overdone and would rather see something new altogether for MMO box art?
The heroes and damsels of Final Fantasy Tactics
You should know by now, but Final Fantasy Tactics is coming out next week. If, for some reason, you need a primer of the characters in the game, Games Radar has you covered. They have bios of all the major players in the game, including the bonus characters, like Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII and Balthier from Final Fantasy XII. The details aren't too spoiler-ish, and help satiate us while we wait for the game's impending release.
Final Fantasy Tactics statues being given away
And not by us. We're a little jealous of Games Radar. Somehow, they've secured these awesome statues from Final Fantasy Tactics. But hey, we want the best for you: we're telling you to got Games Radar and enter their contest. Don't worry, we'll still be here, waiting for you.All that's needed is a bit of creativity. They want you to look at a screenshot and write the most clever caption you can think of. Shouldn't be too hard for you, right? Good luck! (And hopefully, our upcoming giveaways will beat Games Radar's!)
Sony releases Eye of Judgment press pack
People can say all they want about how the Wii is revolutionizing the gaming industry, but the first time we saw The Eye of Judgment in action, we really knew the next generation of gaming had arrived. And with about a month before the virtual card battler is set to release, Sony has released new preview copies to journalists throughout the land.Games Radar received the awesome Eye of Judgment press pack, which includes the "magic cloth," a deck of cards the PlayStation Eye, the game, and exciting new screens and a trailer.The trailer, which we've kindly embedded after the jump, features two wizards waging war with magical beasts in a spectacular hall, where we're sure many battles of its ilk were once fought. Admittedly, it's a little unspectacular after seeing Sauron whoop Gandalf's ass with real magic, but now, there's just no other way to play the game without a wizard's robe and staff in hand.
PlayStation Eye video quality is lookin' good
Games Radar has had their hands on the upcoming PlayStation Eye for a while and have posted an article with some quick impressions and a short video showing off the video quality of the PS Eye (embedded after the break). The video is on the small size, but even so it looks like the quality of the camera has definitely increased. A lack of compression artifacts make the image amazingly clear and smooth compared to the EyeToy of yesteryear. Hopefully GR will update their hands-on with more information soon - intrigued fans want to know more!
Shocking and outrageous game release parties
Wow, so this is what we miss on press junkets? GamesRadar listed some of the most ridiculous press launches of games and, believe it or not, the Sony goat incident didn't even make the list! After the break, a NSFW image of one editor at a Rumble Roses XX event at Tantra Nightclub in London getting vodka "injected" into his mouth. Games Radar explains the effect of this event resulted in "lots of breathless, flushed journalists eager to get a copy of Rumble Roses for some review time, and very few stories, because nobody wanted their girlfriends to see them." Who needs girlfriends when press junkets offer up events like this? And never forget the Australian hookers! Some of the other events on the list is the Call of Duty 3 launch in a "Nazi brothel," the Backyard Wrestling event with guys actually stapling each other (pictured, obviously), and the Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater event where Hideo Kojima was offered roasted snake. We wish more PR companies would tape these things and release Geeks Gone Wild!
Which PSP game has one of the worst intros of all time?
Games Radar recently did a feature on the 10 worst game intros of all time. A PSP title had the dubious honor of being in the list. That game is Pocket Racers, and it came in at number 8. I watched the opening for myself, and besides looking terrible, it doesn't seem to make a bit of sense. Some cult leader uses soul power to shrink cars. Or does he fuse car owner's souls into the cars, to give them mini-power? I honestly can't figure it out in any way. Do any of our readers own Pocket Racers? Also, post your theory as to what the heck is going on in the game's opening.See the opening video for yourself.
UK gamers left waiting for PSone game downloads
I've complained from time to time about the selection of downloadable PSone games for PSP in the US, but right now the UK has it much worse. At launch of the PS3, there are zero PSone games on the PlayStation Store for download to PSP. Sony hasn't made any statement as to when they'll show up, but the US had to wait a little while for this feature. Still, since the UK launch was much later than in Japan and the US, one would think Sony would have titles lined up for day one. In any case, let's hope for the sake of UK PS3 owners that the wait isn't too long. [Via Games Radar]
Metareview: Puzzle Quest
If you weren't able to quite tell from the demo whether you liked Puzzle Quest or not, maybe the reviews of others will help you. Other than these reviews, we'll have a review of Puzzle Quest up soon. But enough of that for now, what did the critics say?
