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Vostok aiming for Survarium beta by the end of 2013
Vostok Games has updated its website with a 2013 development timeline for Survarium, an online shooter said to feature PvE, factions, and task and auction systems. Vostok, which is staffed by veterans of the much-loved Stalker series, says that the title will go into open beta before the end of the year. The timeline also mentions an alpha due in Q2 of 2013. The build will feature PvP, four game maps, and two playable factions. Survarium is something of a spiritual sequel to the post-apocalyptic Stalker games, and the new title will incorporate concepts planned for the defunct Stalker 2 project.
MMO Burnout: Revisiting Gotham City Impostors
Remember that scene in 2008's The Dark Knight where those nerdling Batman-wannabes were running around in imitation capes and cowls shooting at criminals with shotguns? That's pretty much what you get when you log into Gotham City Impostors, Monolith's garish, goofy first-person shooter set against the sprawling backdrop of DC Comics' legendary mythos. And for all you MMO historians in the crowd, yes, that's the same Monolith that originally developed the late, great Matrix Online. %Gallery-174397%
The Firing Line: Arctic Combat hands-on
Poor Arctic Combat. It's not that there's anything majorly wrong with Webzen's new 8v8 shooter. It's actually a fun little diversion. Unfortunately, it went into open beta close to PlanetSide 2's launch, which means that a lot of PC shooter fans are probably still embedded on Auraxis and unaware of AC's existence. I first saw the title at last summer's E3, where the PR folks at Webzen and the devs at Battery Studio were kind enough to let me get some hands-on time with a pre-beta build. Fast forward six months and I found myself messing around with the open beta and launch client this week. I also found that my opinion of the game is largely unchanged.
Heroes & Generals' Eisenhower update tweaks features, network code
Heroes & Generals has updated its beta client to the Eisenhower build, and a new dev diary video features all the specifics. Chief among the additions are a new matchmaking system and ignore functionality as well as improvements to the in-game scoreboard and mounted machine gun handling. Reto-Moto also says it has "optimized the network code quite a bit," and the result is that each H&G mission can now handle 32 players. The devs are also "working on increasing that number." Heroes & Generals is a free-to-play browser-based World War II shooter featuring infantry, armored, and air combat as well a tactical mode and state-of-the-art production values. You can view the complete Eisenhower dev diary after the cut.
Reto-Moto partners with Square Enix to publish Heroes & Generals
It's been a while since we last reported on Heroes & Generals. The free-to-play World War II shooter is alive and well, though. As of yesterday, it's even sporting a new publishing arrangement with gaming behemoth Square Enix. Heroes & Generals is being developed by Reto-Moto, a danish firm founded by the creators of the ultra-successful Hitman series. The game mixes squad-based first-person shooter combat with a deep tactical mode, and it does so with state-of-the-art visuals and a browser-based delivery method. H&G is also renowned for the amount of community feedback its developers solicit (and act upon), and Reto-Moto says that partnering with a big publisher won't change that. "We'll continue to run a community-driven development [environment], and the main difference to how we've run things so far is that Square Enix will be handling marketing and PR. Oh, and we'll also be able to deliver a lot more content and expand the game a lot faster," the firm says. [Thanks to Reesracer for the tip!]
The Firing Line: Exclusive Blacklight Retribution Evac Q&A
It's been a while since The Firing Line took a look at Zombie Studios' Blacklight: Retribution title. The sci-fi shooter, published in conjunction with free-to-play giant Perfect World, has added quite a bit of content since that pre-launch preview, and more is coming this week courtesy of the Evacuation Update (including a new map and premium/private server functionality). Join us after the cut for an exclusive chat with Zombie devs on that and more. %Gallery-126205%
Aeria accepting Born to Fire closed beta signups
Aeria Games has issued a press release about its latest free-to-play effort, a lobby shooter called Born to Fire. The title features five classes and three game modes (deathmatch, bomb defusal, and siege), along with 12 distinct maps. The game also boasts a replay function that works from either player perspectives or a free-floating camera. Classes include the Ranger, Sniper, Heavyfire EX, Point Man, and Dual Gunner. You can read further details on each archetype at the official Born to Fire website. Aeria is also accepting closed beta signups. [Source: Aeria press release]
