mercs
Latest
Tattered Notebook: Are EQII mercenaries a solo-savior or group-killer?
A couple of events this past week brought my mind back to a subject I have pondered off and on since EverQuest II's standalone expansion Age of Discovery launched back in December 2011. The first came when a Massively TV viewer expressed amazement at how our little group could decimate the triple-up heroics (a con system designation meaning hard) in a dungeon. The second came when a colleague was lamenting the difficulty of finding a group to get into a dungeon. How are these two situations tied to Age of Discovery? By the tethers of mercenaries. Mercenaries, or mercs as they are more generally referred to, are available to all players who have purchased that particular expansion regardless of their level. Plenty of Norrathians, including me, are running around with these for-hire companions. But the question on my mind is, are mercenaries a boon or a bane to EQII? The answer depends heavily on your playstyle.
Leaderboard: Yay or nay on NPC mercenaries
I recently returned to EverQuest II, and while I'm fortunate to have an active guild already in place, true newbs may find that grouping prior to the level cap is quite challenging. The game's population is pretty top heavy, and though veteran players do roll a lot of alts (there are 25 classes to choose from!), they typically use power-leveling strategies or NPC mercenaries to solo themselves to max level. For today's Leaderboard, I'd like to focus on these NPC bots, not just in EverQuest II but as an MMO design concept in general. On the one hand, they're clearly a boon to solo players. On the other, they do discourage grouping and could possibly be seen as a detriment to newer players checking out an older game. What do you think? Vote after the cut! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
Allods Online has a few good mercs for hire
Allods Online: New Horizons is, well, on the near horizon, and gPotato is shining a spotlight on the expansion's star pupils. In a new dev diary, the mercenary system is dangled right like a plump morsel in front of a starving crowd. Mercenaries work in a similar fashion to those in other MMOs. Players who are struggling to put together a full group for challenging content can hire one of these hard-working soldiers of war. Allods will give players their first mercenary contract for free, but subsequent ones cost in-game currency. Mercs last for two hours and are under control of the player who hired them. The mercenary roster includes Rowdy Brow, a tank; Matron Lighthand, a healer; Stormer the Fierce, a melee warrior; Casper Flinty, a ranged damage dealer; Lisa de Vevre, a buffer/debuffer; and Michael Grammar, a ranged spellcaster. New Horizons is on course to launch early this month. In the meanwhile, may we interest you in an exclusive interview with one of the devs?
EverQuest II invites you backstage with a pair of Age of Discovery videos
Ignore the man behind the curtain! Bow before the great and powerful Smokejumper! Oh... what? It's OK if they see behind the curtain? Come on in, folks -- SOE's totally fine with you seeing what's going on backstage during the development of EverQuest II's Age of Discovery and has a couple videos to prove it. The first video is narrated by EQII Lead Game Designer Akil Hooper, who takes us on a lightning tour of the new Beastlords and their animal Warders. Hooper shows off the new additions to the UI that make viewing, customizing, and switching between the Warders possible. Flipping over to Age of Discovery's mercenaries feature, Game Designer Carlos Mora demonstrates how the system works. Players can hire one of 10 mercenary NPCs to form a temporary party, and Mercenaries have both a hiring fee and a salary that is withdrawn from your account every 30 minutes. Mora says that a couple of the mercs are more difficult to find -- and more unique -- but are worth the search. You can watch both of the behind-the-scenes videos after the jump!
CABAL readies Episode V expansion
CABAL Online is gearing up for its latest expansion, and the meaty Episode V: Mercenaries looks to add quite a bit of content to the free-to-play action MMORPG. Chief among the additions are a mailing system, a complete revamp of the dungeon and loot drop systems, and the titular NPC mercs. The new mercenary system gives players the ability to summon an NPC ally inside of the game's dungeons, while simultaneously providing new objectives thanks to a variety of different mercs available to find and recruit. Six different NPCs will be available initially, with new and stronger flavors set for future release. Episode V is also bringing dual pet functionality to CABAL, as well as a variety of features centered around the game's dungeons. Players may now pause dungeon encounters, talk to competing groups via a dungeon chat channel, and keep track of entry requirements on the new dungeon interface. The expansion is slated for December, and we'll keep you posted as a firm release date becomes available. In the meantime, check out the gallery of new screenshots below. %Gallery-108751%
CCP Asia on innovation and risk with DUST 514
This past August's announcement from CCP Games of a new title -- DUST 514, a console MMOFPS set in EVE Online's New Eden galaxy -- drew both great interest and intense criticism from gamers. If successful, CCP Games will be the first game company to tie a console FPS in with a separate MMO. (Not entirely separate, however. DUST 514 mercenaries will fight it out on the surface of the same planets seen from space in EVE Online. Their successes and failures will ultimately play a role in the balance of power in EVE.) Since that first flurry of info about DUST 514, it's been rather quiet on the news front. However, a two-part article published at Edge Online this week focuses on CCP's new game. Edge Online's "Enter Planet Dust" is something of a primer on the core concepts behind the title but is also one of the most comprehensive pieces written about DUST 514 to date. Edge also interviewed some of the key CCP Games staff working on the game in Shanghai -- Kjartan Pierre Emilsson, Managing Director of CCP Asia and Atli Már Sveinsson, Creative Director on DUST 514.
VC Friday: Let the Games Continue
European Wii owners this week are treated to something they must have known was coming sooner or later: Epyx's Winter Games. The multi-event Olympic games seem like canonical European games of the era, and Summer Games 2 is already out. Eventually, North American gamers will get to enjoy things like this! Personally, the last time this blogger played Winter Games, it was on the Atari 7800.Also available this week for PAL downloaders: last week's North American release, Wolf of the Battlefield: MERCS. It lacks the multiplayer of the arcade game, but it's a pretty okay action game on its own, full of ridiculous attitude and 16-bit bombast. Overall, it's not the greatest week, but neither is it Urban Champion. Winter Games -- Commodore 64 -- 500 Wii Points Wolf of the Battlefield: MERCS -- Mega Drive -- 800 Wii Points Videos of the Games: CLIPS after the break.
VC in Brief: Wolf of the Battlefield: MERCS
Wolf of the Battlefield: MERCS (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)We say: download it! MERCS is a pretty badass game. It has all of the key elements needed for an action game circa the early '90s: a buff hero; explosions; and wave after wave of expendable enemy soldiers. My entire time with the title has been a treat, so if you're a fan of shmups or action games in general, you should check this out. Every week, we like to check out what's new on the Virtual Console. We offer these videos as a sort of taste to help you decide whether or not you would want the game in question. We also toss in our own two cents because we're pushy jerks.
Wiikly Wares: LIT and MERCS
Just as anticipated, this week marks the release of WiiWare title LIT, as well as one new Virtual Console game in Wolf of the Battlefield: MERCS. Each title will be available for download after 12pm ET. Keep an eye on Joystiq Nintendo for our video wrap-up of MERCS later today, if you're into that sort of thing. And now, the details:WiIWareLIT (WayForward Technologies, 1 player, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older-Violence, 800 Wii Points): Dark creatures have taken over Jake's high school, and it's up to you to guide him through each classroom in order to be reunited with his girlfriend Rachael. Existing light sources must be used smartly to create bridges of light for Jake to cross. One false step and Jake gets pulled into the darkness. Along the way he'll encounter twisted versions of his school's faculty, which must be battled in order to advance. LIT is a horror/puzzle game that requires the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controllers. It contains 30 levels, five boss battles, replay modes and several unlockables, including multiple endings, Dark Mode timed challenges and an unlockable character.Virtual ConsoleWolf of the Battlefield: MERCS (SEGA GENESIS, 1 player, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older-Mild Violence, 800 Wii Points): Following a rash of terrorism outbreaks and increasing opposition from guerilla fighters, the U.S. government has decided to hire a group of professional mercenaries to undergo secret missions, battling through enemy lines to go where no ordinary soldier would dare to go. Based on the popular arcade game, the SEGA GENESIS version of MERCS lets you play as a MERC and also adds an original mode, allowing players to choose from five different characters. Take no prisoners as you shoot, drive jeeps and tanks, and clash against huge bosses to accomplish your mission. Gallery: LIT
Mercs on Virtual Console in North America soon, Twinbee, Bomberman '94 in Australia
Capcom announced today via their official blog that Mercs, the Sega Genesis sequel to Commando, will be available "soon" on the Virtual Console in North America. It's changing the title to Wolf of the Battlefield: Mercs, which both matches the Japanese title for the game and makes the connection more explicit between this game and Capcom's XBLA/PSN release, Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3. The name change, as implied by Capcom's Seth Killian, has less to do with branding and more to do with the Mercenaries series: "Let this be a lesson kids, register your IPs!"In other Virtual Console news, the OFLC ratings board has revealed that Konami's Twinbee and Hudson's Bomberman '94 could show up on the VC soon. Twinbee for the Famicom never left Japan, though we got a sequel, Stinger.
VC Tuesday: Capcom rocks
Capcom traditionally lends lots of support to every system, no matter how well or poorly they are doing. Games like Marvel vs. Capcom, Mars Matrix, and Power Stone helped make the Dreamcast worth owning, for example. So it's no surprise that the Wii, which is actually very popular and enables companies to easily lend support in the form of direct ports of old games, is the recipient of some of Capcom's favor. It's an especially good week in Japan for Capcom fans, with both Rockman 3 and Mercs, the sequel to the classic Commando.We're very curious about this CD version of Nekketsu Koukou Dodgeball-bu. It looks pretty much like a PC Engine version of Nintendo World Cup, but ... maybe it's got good music? Rockman 3 (Famicom, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Senjou no Okami II (Mega Drive, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points) Nekketsu Koukou Dodgeball-bu CD Soccer Hen (PC Engine CD-ROM, 1-4 players, 800 Wii Points) This week's WiiWare releases include a board game sort of like Pente and a WiiWare version of a Japan-developed entry in Gameloft's mobile Nights simulation series: Tokyo City Nights (1 player, 1,000 Wii Points) Saikyou Ginsei Gomoku Narabe (1-2 players, 500 Wii Points)
Punch-Out!! developer making WiiWare card game as well
Next Level Games, the Canadian developer behind the Super Mario Strikers series, is currently at work on an extremely high-profile game: the Wii update to the classic Punch-Out!! series. According to an OFLC listing spotted by Spencer from Siliconera, they've decided to work on something else while they've got the Wii devkits out: something called Jungle Speed. Rather than a Donkey Kong-themed racing game (which has been tried on the Wii to little success), Jungle Speed is most likely a Wii version of a card game of the same name, in which players must get rid of all their cards while racing to take possession of a totem. We suspect that this title will end up on WiiWare: Jungle Speed also has a rating on the American ESRB, which lists its publisher as Playful Entertainment. Playful states on their website that they have "multiple, unannounced titles" planned for WiiWare.In bonus OFLC news, Mercs, Enduro Racer, and M.U.S.H.A. have also been rated! Awesome games from Sega consoles incoming![Via Siliconera]
November's Japanese VC lineup: Ogres battle Mega Man
It's a pretty light month for releases on the Virtual Console in Japan, but it's still a good month, mostly for one reason: Mega Man 3. Even though we'll be happy with any Mega Man games that Capcom decides to put on the Virtual Console, Mega Man 3 is, generally speaking, from the period before Mega Man games started to go downhill. So it's actually good! We'd love to see how new Mega Man 9 players react to a game designed with sliding in mind.The other really big news is Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen, the first Ogre Battle strategy game, and a classic of the genre. Personally, we're happy to see Mercs, Cadash, and the CD version of the Kunio soccer game! The full list is after the break.%Gallery-32143%
Proximity alerts controversial in EVE Online
EVE Online is a brutal game. There should be no question in a player's mind about this, regardless of whether or not they believe themselves to be completely safe in Empire space. The first podding or two pounds that lesson into your head. Still, for most, life in Empire is relatively safe. But there are two main threats that loom large for carebears these days, particularly for industrial-types. One is JihadSwarm, the GoonSwarm effort to suicide bomb as many Empire miners as possible, which they've drenched in zealotry. The other threat is receiving a wardec from another corp. Once war is declared upon a corporation or alliance, they are fair game to all aggressors and Concord will not intervene to protect the war targets. In effect, nowhere outside of a station can be 100% safe to a war target. But, what if you could run a program that gives a proximity alert when hostiles enter your system?
Joystiq hands-on: Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 (XBLA/PSN)
Call it another old-school remake/update; Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 will be out on XBLA and PSN this Spring. The angled, overhead shooter draws on its MERCS origins, bringing three-player destruction to those systems for $10 or 800 Microsoft Points.At a recent demo, I played the 360 version of the game. Controls felt good, with walking assigned to the left stick and shooting to the right. I lobbed grenades and launched super attacks with other buttons; the arsenal held my interest. Vehicles should be a big part of the game, too. In my demo, we drove in an armored truck, shooting from our different seats, and floated down a river raft. Hopefully the full game will feature lots of these breaks, since on-foot battles could grow monotonous.%Gallery-18256%
XBLA to get Commando 3 (AKA MERCS)
Eurogamer reports that Capcom plans to release a third game in its Commando series on Xbox Live Arcade. Better known as MERCS in the United States, Commando is a top down arcade shooter. Commando 3 is set to feature 3 uniquely equipped characters as well as co-op vehicles. The game is being developed by Backbone (they seem to make everything on XBLA, don't they?) and is scheduled to release this winter for 800 MS Points. Naturally, it will support online leaderboards and the like, though online play has not been confirmed at this time. We're going to go out on a limb and say the feature is probably in there.[Thanks, Tony]
