location-based-mmo
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MMObility: Find yourself in this updated list of location-based MMOs
Location-based MMOs have a long way to go. I can only imagine how the genre will appear in 10 or 15 years and how common it will be to load up a virtual world on our mobile devices. Even with the advances that still need to be made, location-based gaming is pretty darned impressive. Think about it: These are games that use the real world as a playing field. While most do not employ the literal square mileage of the Earth in exact scale, most of these games can boast a very large map. These titles can also utilize the weather and other events that happen on it at any given time, blending them with our real world so that it appears there is a secret, veiled world right beside us. I wanted to recap some of my favorite location-based MMOs for those who might need some advice on which ones to try. My favorites are marked with a "latest update" marker, but all of them are worth checking out. So pull out your phone or tablet and get to it!
Grey Area announces Shadow Cities, first location-based iPhone MMO
Searching for a new MMORPG for your iPhone? Look no further than the platform's first location-based massively multiplayer title, Shadow Cities, courtesy of Finnish developer Grey Area. Virtual World News checks in with some interesting information about the game, including the fact that the it tracks your location via OpenStreetMap and creates a game world based on your city before populating it with various enemies. Gameplay consists of exploring, hunting down rogue spirits, and obtaining new spells as you level. Casting spells is accomplished by drawing rune-like shapes on the iPhone's screen, and players can also join one of two factions and battle other players in the same area of the game world. The game is slated to be released in late 2010, and you can sign up for an email notification on the official Grey Area website. You can also view a brief teaser trailer after the cut.
WWDC 2010: Insurrection 2035 impressions
Ever since the iPhone was introduced, we've been looking for a good location-based MMO -- a game that could rely on location information direct from the iPhone to let many different players interact with each other on a grand scale. There have been a few contenders so far (MyTown is definitely the most successful to date, and Shadowforce's Gunman has loyal fans), but I don't think anyone's really nailed that feeling of hunting players and exploring in real-life that we all dreamed of. Paranoid Games, however, is going to give it a shot with Insurrection 2035, an interesting idea for an iPhone game that's due out in early July. I got to see the game in action this week at WWDC, and while I didn't get to play it (the game is basically a map interface so far, and a lack of players means there's not a lot of action going on quite yet), Sam M makes a good pitch. The idea is a virtual version of the Assassins game, where a group of players hunts each other around real-life locations. In Insurrection, there's a "Big Brother-themed backstory" that has players working against each other, trying to predict and report other players' movements to an authority. You check-in to the app while out and about, other players can see your check-ins, and vice versa, and then if you're able to check-in and "report" someone from the same place that they're checking-in from, they're "arrested." They get a timeout from the game, and you get points towards local and worldwide leaderboards. Read on for more...
