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Aika Online adds dueling and offers special holiday events
While folks were enjoying the family, friends, and food of Thanksgiving, gPotato was launching a new update in Aika Online. Now, on top of the tower assaults, castle sieges, and general waging war, players can battle each other 1v1 in the fantasy game's new dueling system. Wondering what gear your opponents -- or allies -- are using? Check out the new player inspection tool. Other features added include auto-follow, auto-move, and color-coordinated quest markers. Besides the new features, Aika Online is also hosting a series of special events in-game. From now through November 28th, mobs will drop special boxes full of goodies and PvP kills will grant double the honor. Players can also get a complimentary item each day until December 14th just for logging in. To top all that off, experience is tripled until November 26th. So jump on in, grab your free stuff, and soak up the XP while trying out the new features. And don't forget to check out the Black Friday deals for more special Aika Online bonuses this weekend! [Source: gPotato press release]
Age of Wushu's Tangmen school boasts poison, sneaky ninjas
Are you looking to unleash your inner ninja in Snail Games' Age of Wushu martial arts MMO? If so you might want to have a look at a new website reveal that highlights the Tangmen Assassins. The Tangmen school is one of only two neutral sects in the game world, and there's a certain amount of mystery that goes along with the group. The Tangmen favor darts, daggers, and poisons, and Snail says that they "specialize in trickery and sleight-of-hand to catch others off guard." The site update also features information on a few Tangmen skills as well as video footage of said skills in action. We've embedded the Golden Snake Sting after the cut, and you can see the rest at the link below.
Age of Wulin emphasizes guild features
Noting that guilds will play an important role in Age of Wulin, Europe's version of Age of Wushu, gPotato has launched a feature to help their formation for the upcoming fantasy sandbox. Groups can now create private message boards directly on the official Age of Wulin forums, giving players a one-stop shopping experience to find a guild. Why is gPotato encouraging folks to band together? Because a number of gameplay features are accessed only through guilds. Membership in a guild offers special perks, including the ability to take on special jobs and to support one of the in-game schools. Only a guild can own, defend, and develop a castle, or conversely, attack, capture, and even burn down other castles. Castle ownership opens up the ability to offer special services to guild members, including libraries and training areas. Guilds, which can grow up to 400 members strong, can participate in massive guild vs. guild warfare with up to 1,300 players (all members and up to 250 invited allies per guild). And between major PvP battles, members can pass the time by kidnapping servants and robbing the holdings of rivals. Beta testing for Age of Wulin will begin in early 2013; the game will launch later in the year in French, English, and German. [Source: gPotato press release]
Age of Wushu invites you to be a beggar
MMO players are definitely used to being recruited to fill heroic roles, but what about jumping into the shoes of a street bum? That doesn't happen as often. Don't tell that to Age of Wushu, however, as this contrarian sandbox is looking to make an entire class out of martial arts panhandling. That's right: One of the classes in the game is the Beggar. This isn't your average drunk wino (well, not too drunk); the Beggars are tough as nails and can go toe-to-toe with the best of the rich kids. Beggars fight in a similar fashion to the Drunken Master style, using booze to fuel their flexible attacks and witty comebacks. The class relies mostly on hands and feet to do damage, although the occasional quarterstaff is wielded as well. Go slumming with the Beggars in a video after the break!
Age of Wushu provides important life lessons, like how to conduct a proper kidnapping
Video games are especially known for giving players the ability to do things they could never really do in meatspace. Thanks to Age of Wushu, you can now add kidnapping to the list of dragon-slaying, spell-casting, and other things you (hopefully) don't do in real life. A recent news post details the mechanics of kidnapping offline players and selling them for profit. When players go offline in Age of Wushu, their characters become NPCs, and those NPCs are ripe for the kidnapping. Nefarious players can attempt to knock out, kidnap, and even sell offline players. While conducting these slimy activities, players will be clearly marked for the Scumbag Steves that they are, which makes them target for both heroic players and other kidnappers. Check out the link below for full details on the mechanic or skip below the cut for a video.
Age of Wushu closed beta begins today
If you've been looking forward to Snail Games' upcoming martial arts title, Age of Wushu, then you should prepare to get your Wuxia on. The studio has announced that the game's closed beta test begins today and will go on until the 25th of November. While the beta was originally going to be open only to players who pre-ordered the game, Snail Games has decided to provide a limited number of keys to players who haven't yet bought the game. The game is being endorsed by iconic martial artist and actor Jet Li, so if that's not a big enough stamp of approval for you then we're not sure what to tell you. If you want to get your hands on some adrenaline-pumping, House-of-Flying-Daggers-esque martial arts action, you can either pre-purchase the game or request a beta key from Snail Games by e-mailing beta (at) snailgamesusa (dot) com. But be sure to act quickly, because supplies are limited!
Sevencore's Shadow Crusade update incorporates new class and race
Fledgling MMO Sevencore passed through a significant rite of passage today by releasing its first update, Shadow Crusade. The fantasy/sci-fi title, which launched last month, is fleshing out its content offerings with a new class, an additional race, crafting changes, and a PvP arena. New to the game is the Assassin class, a melee fighter that relies on high chances to crit and dodge. Assassins use daggers and dual claws, which give the option for single- or multi-target attacks, respectively. Shadowcore is also adding the diminutive but powerful Aimon race. Aimon characters get a boost to their mounts' energy and have a faster out-of-combat health regen. Finally, Shadow Crusade is looking to make waves with a 5v5 PvP arena, a new zone, a level cap increase to 95, and a new type of crafting that combines old gear to make better items. [Source: gPotato press release]
Allods Online releases its Autumn Wind update
Allods Online's 3.0.5 update is upon us, otherwise known as Autumn Wind. The newest patch to the game includes a wide variety of features, including a revamp of Goblinball, the Summerhold tank skirmish, crafting improvements, new emotes, and a makeover for one of the race's females. To celebrate Autumn Wind, gPotato is staging a giveaway for random players who are logged into the game from today through November 13th. Lucky winners will get hoodies, headsets, mice, or keyboards. For more on Autumn Wind, check out Beau's livestream this Thursday at 5:00 p.m. EDT, the official patch notes, and the following trailer.
Age of Wushu China begins selling skills
Age of Wushu China has added a new sort of item to its cash shop: exclusive skills. While the game's PvP is theoretically more about strategy and cunning movement, a couple extra shiny skills couldn't hurt, right? Players can now drop meatspace currency on the in-game skills 18 Dragons Subduing Palms and Wild Ball Fists. Purchasing the skills through the cash shop will unlock the early levels of the skills, while players will have to work in-game to keep improving them. Naturally, these skills come with unique animations to up the flash factor. While this has only been put into effect for Age of Wushu China, it'll be interesting to see whether or not this decision filters over to Snail Games USA's cash shop decisions once the game releases in the US. Skip below the cut to see videos of these bad boys in action.
Check out 145 Age of Wushu screenshots in one sitting
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, which means the following Age of Wushu gallery is worth 145,000 of them. The upcoming PvP game is heavy on gorgeous visuals, so your time won't be wasted by checking out these screenshots while you wait for the sandbox's February 2013 release. We also wouldn't be doing our jobs right if we didn't encourage you to read up on our Age of Wushu interview from GDC Online earlier this month! [Source: Snail Games press release]%Gallery-169419%
Allods previews the vehicle-based skirmish of Summerhold
Allods Online has always laid claim to having a robust system of vehicle customization with its astral ships. The upcoming skirmish available in the next patch takes that vehicle affection to the next level with the battle of Summerhold. Players who take part in this conflict won't be fighting a PvP objective but will instead be piloting a variety of vehicles to take out a rampaging prototype weapon controlled by a goblin. The vehicles are each laid out with strengths and a few crucial weaknesses to force players to work as a team; the high-damage artillery unit can't open fire unless the nimble spotter gets up close to the prototype, but of course the spotters will be ripped apart without a defensive line, and so on. Based on how fast the prototype unit is taken down, players will be awarded a variety of medals which can be exchanged for prizes including minipets and vanity items. If you're looking forward to vehicle-based mayhem, take a look at the full rundown for all the details.
Allods Online crafting professions set to merge in Patch 3.05
Crafting professions in Allods Online are getting quite a revamp with Patch 3.05 at the end of this month. Following in the footsteps of the Alchemy changes, all professions will be merged with their appropriate gathering counterparts to make for a more self-sufficient process. According to the dev notes, "the skill of their new merged profession will be based on the highest of the two that are being combined." Other changes made to crafting with this patch include simplified profession leveling progression, an improved crafting interface, tool upgrades, crafted armor, and more. The point of the crafting changes revolves around the idea of making armor that is more easily obtained for those players who put time into crafting and adventuring. Patch 3.05 is set to release on October 30th.
PointMMO goes into open beta
Despite what the name may have you believe, PointMMO is not a game but a digital distribution service specializing in online RPGs. Today the site announced that it has transitioned into open beta for those looking to test out its system and features. Currently, PointMMO's library is rather anemic, with its most well-known titles being World of Tanks, Age of Conan, Anarchy Online, and Allods Online. Some of the game pages include mentions of special promotions for signing up through the service, such as an Anarchy Online leets giveaway. PointMMO claims to offer the fastest way to get into MMOs with its downloader and comes with several social options that are integrated with Twitter and Facebook. The service is currently available only in North America, although the company plans to expand into Europe in 2013.
Choose My Adventure: You decide the MMO and how I play it
It's finally time for my second round of Choose My Adventure. The last time I helmed CMA, Lineage II was top pick, and I had a lot of fun with it. I took tons of screenshots and video to keep you in the loop as to my progress, and you can expect the same, whichever game is chosen this time. MJ's turn with The Secret World was a lot of fun to read and follow. She even livestreamed some of her shenanigans... I mean, adventures. You can bet I'll be playing with one finger over the PrtScn button and livestreaming some of my adventures as well. I hope to make this a multimedia extravaganza of epic proportions. Take a look through your choices and vote, vote, vote. And make sure to get those votes in by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday the 21st!
Age of Wushu Elite Edition presale extended, includes beta access
If you're still on the fence about Age of Wushu's Elite Edition pre-order package, Snail Games has given you more time to think about it. The offer's now good through November 14th, and you'll still get access to both of the 2012 closed beta tests as well as early access in 2013 and a handful of in-game exclusives including vanity items, a mount, and tradable potions. Snail says its extension decision is due to an "overwhelmingly enthusiastic" reception for AoW at both GDC Online and the New York Comic Con. The game features eight unique martial arts schools as well as a sandbox open world set in a mythical ancient China. Age of Wushu is slated to release in America on February 1, 2013. The Elite Edition will set you back $9.99, and you can learn more about it via the official AoW website link below. [Source: Snail Games press release]
Allods Online introduces a new skirmish in Autumn Wind update
Fall is a time of changes, and Allods Online is keeping in the spirit of the season with the Autumn Wind update. Set to launch October 30th, this newest update will not only bring new UI changes and more details to the female avatars, but will also introduce a new PvP skirmish -- Summerhold. The 3.05 patch will also continue to rework and balance crafting to benefit all professions, not just the alchemy and herbalism crafts that were merged into a single profession in the New Horizons expansion. In celebration of autumn, gPotato has released new screenshots that show off fall colors and the new female character models. Check them out, along with other Allods images, in the gallery below. [Source: gPotato press release]%Gallery-91331%
GDC Online 2012: Age of Wushu gets a new trailer
Age of Wushu's sporting a new trailer at this week's GDC Online convention, and the clip features nearly three minutes' worth of wall-scaling, roof-running, kung-fu-fighting fun. If you can take your eyes off the aerial hijinks for a moment or two, you'll also get a glimpse of AoW's gorgeous environments, which run the gamut from snowy mountainscapes to sunlit gorges and idyllic ancient Chinese villages. Age of Wushu is a free-to-play sandbox title currently scheduled for a North American release in May of 2013. See the trailer in its entirety after the cut.
Allods Online overhauls female model and animations
Female Xadaganians in Allods Online are in for a treat come patch 3.05. The devs recognized that the characters didn't look up to snuff compared to the other races and genders and thus have devoted some time to giving them (yes) a makeover. Are we in an '80s romcom montage or what? The makeover for the women includes a more detailed character model, improved animations, an additional face, and more hairstyles. The team is also tweaking hair models so that locks of hair will now be seen falling from inside of whatever helm that character is wearing. To promote the Xadaganian makeover, gPotato released a video diary starring actress Nataliya Zemtsova. Zemtsova was used for the motion capture and voiceovers of the new models and is apparently amazed that you can assign a character a name. Check it out after the jump!
GDC Online 2012: Age of Wushu's wide-open world
There are two thoughts that most people have when coming across Age of Wushu. The first is, boy that looks pretty. The second is, but is it just another forgettable Asian grindfest with a glossy coat of paint? Snail Games Associate Producer Colin Miller agrees with the first but not the second. At GDC Online, Miller sat down with us to pitch why Age of Wushu deserves your full, undivided attention -- and eventual patronage. Age of Wushu is a martial arts sandbox MMO that takes place in gorgeous ancient China. If you've ever seen a period piece from that country, you already know how graceful these stylized fights can be; now you'll see them in an online game. Developed in China, Age of Wushu is ready to stun Western audiences with the help of Snail Games and its crack dev team.
Allods Online patch 3.0.5 UI changes previewed
Allods Online isn't very far away from it's 3.0.5 update, Autumn Wind. To bide the time 'til the patch hits, the Allods team is showcasing different updates that 3.0.5 will bring to the game. After Autumn Wind hits, players will automagically hop on the last mount they used when choosing to automove to a quest location. Deposit boxes will have sorting options (much as inventory bags currently do) to save players with large deposit boxes from the clicking-finger fatigue that has always accompanied manual organization. The action bar will be combined and re-ordered for more visual clarity and easier spell activation. Players will no longer have to talk to the boring ol' Astral Hangar NPC to summon their Astral ships, as a new window will pop up the moment they enter the Astral Hangar. Some quests will have new icons to prevent confusion, quest logs will be more compact, and active buffs and debuffs will be sorted by duration. Visit the official preview for full details on upcoming UI changes, and keep an eye out for more 3.0.5 information.
