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Get 7 Unreal-powered hits in Steam's Unreal Indie Bundle
Today's Steam Spotlight deal is the Unreal Indie Bundle, a steeply discounted collection of seven standout titles created using the Unreal Engine.Priced at $19.99, the compilation features the multiplayer tower defense game, Dungeon Defenders, dinosaurian online shooter Primal Carnage, and first-person puzzle game Q.U.B.E. (Quick Understanding of Block Extrusion). The Unreal Indie Bundle also includes a second tower defense darling, Sanctum, along with the first-person adventure game, The Ball, side-scrolling puzzler Unmechanical, and twin-stick shoot-'em-up Waves.Purchased individually, these games would normally set you back $79.93, making this a solid deal all around. The Unreal Indie Bundle will be available through May 6th.
IndieFort Spring Bundle on GamersGate; Arcen's library 75% off on Steam
The GamersGate IndieFort Spring Bundle is now available, offering up a quintet of indie games at one rock-bottom price. The core bundle contains Arcen Games' RT, AI War: Fleet Command, Coffee Stain's tower defense game, Sanctum, the Linux-originated space shooter Zigfrak, Legendo's Fortune Winds: Ancient Trader, and an alpha version of Stygian's turn-based RPG, Underrail.All five cost $7.99 in total, or you can add a little extra if you want to tip the developers. There are also some map packs and DLC bonuses to unlock, depending on how many copies the bundle sells overall.Steam is also offering the entire Arcen library for 75 percent off. That includes Shattered Haven for $2.49, or A Valley Without Wind 1 and 2 for $3.74, on sale with the rest of Arcen's games all week long.
Sanctum coming to Mac Aug. 13, beta now open
Coffee Stain Studios' first-person shooter/tower defense game Sanctum will be making the jet boot-assisted leap from PC to Macs on Monday, August 13, by way of Steam. In preparation, a beta test of the Mac version has opened and anyone who currently owns the PC version of Sanctum should be able to download the Mac client from their Steam library and get poppin'.People who don't own the PC version and yet are interested in the Mac version can apply for a beta key through this Google doc.
Steam Summer Sale, Day 4: Saints Row: The Third, Walking Dead, Indie Bundle 4 and more
Survival Diary, Day Four:I don't know how much longer I can keep hiding here. It was safe at first; quiet even, like a snow-packed forest or the very depths of the sea, but his footsteps continue to grow closer. Eventually, he's going to find me, and when he does the very core of me will be torn inside out and used to purchase games like Saints Row: The Third, The Walking Dead or any number of the other games on sale today.I know now that my sanctuary beneath the sofa is no longer a sufficient haven in which to ensconce myself, so I must attempt to find new refuge. There's a very good chance this is my last entry, so please, if you find this, tell the pocket watch I love her.Always,Wallet
Indie Royale bundle has a competitive price for Sanctum, Gemini Rue, more
As a companion to those modest and charitable bundles we've been telling you about, here's a regal collection of indie games presented with a competitive twist. The first "Indie Royale" bundle offers four games for a limited time: first-person tower defense blend-em-up Sanctum; Nimbus, a 2.5D platformer; side-scrolling shooter A.R.E.S. Extinction Agenda; and Gemini Rue, neo-noir adventure game set on a distant planet. With the exception of Gemini Rue, all are available through Steam, and most can also be downloaded via Desura. [Update: Gemini Rue is now on Steam too.] The bundle's price at the time of writing is $2.49, and it can be influenced in two major ways. The price rises as more people purchase it, rewarding early adopters with a tinier price tag. However, the price can also be lowered if you pay above the minimum. Venturing above the required cost will not only save everyone else money, but your magnanimity will put you on a competitive leaderboard of very nice people. Why don't you go ahead and show us your magnificent altruism? We'll get the next one. [Thanks, Kent.]
Enter at Your Own Rift: Tackling the question of which is better
From the first day that RIFT launched, an endless debate has erupted around one central issue. Players have chosen their sides and dug in deep defending them. It's led to countless arguments and a six-month battle that gets worse with each passing day. For this week's Enter at Your Own Rift, I've decided to tackle this debate head on and really look at what divides the two sides. That's right -- the time has come to finally decide which is better: Guardian or Defiant.
Enter at Your Own Rift: Are rifts in danger of collapsing?
Like many of you, I've been exploring RIFT's Waves of Madness event over the past couple of weeks -- and enjoying it, too. You can really see how Trion Worlds has taken some of the lessons learned from River of Souls and improved its second world event. There just seems like more to do, much more in terms of atmosphere (I love the dripping ceilings in Sanctum), I'm not feeling as rushed, and the event story is coming through loud and clear. One of the interesting things I've noticed is that the event's daily quests have subtly shifted our focus from single-player activities to group ones. In phase one, it was all about boring solo quests: find hidden invaders, collect eggs, defeat a few underwater baddies. But just when we started to get used to (and bored from) the routine, the successive phases have moved us toward the game's dynamic content. Namely, rifts, rifts and more rifts. I think this is brilliant, because we're now given a solid reason why we should participate in rifts above the mere rewards. I've been worried that Trion's letting its focus on dynamic content slip as it's been rushing to get other game features and endgame raids out the door, and RIFT without people playing rifts would be sadly ironic. Today we're going to look at just how much RIFT depends on its titular feature, and what Trion should be doing to ensure that it doesn't become another nice yet abandoned idea.
Enter at Your Own Rift: The "must-see" list for beta five
RIFT 's fifth beta, The Battle of the Ascended, is upon us, and this time around, we see double the number of servers and waves of new players. With launch day just around the corner, there are many who are ready to give this game a serious look. There's a lot in the game that will feel familiar to any veteran MMO player, but there are some features that might cause some sideways glances. Those entering Telara for the first time (and even those who have participated in past beta events) should check out this list of "must-see" goodies during this week's beta!
Enter at Your Own Rift: Sightseeing in Sanctum
One of the things I love about RIFT is its smaller, more intimate feel. Don't get me wrong -- there's still plenty of space to explore and get lost in, but the space that is present is used to great effect and isn't just there to make it seem bigger for bigger's sake. This is echoed in the two capital cities of the game, Sanctum (Guardian) and Meridian (Defiant). Both are gorgeously detailed and impressive in their own way, yet they're comfortable and accessible instead of sprawling and vast. If one thinks of the quest hubs, camps and villages dotting the world as mom and pop stores, then the capital cities are the Walmarts of RIFT: one-stop shops for all your character's needs. They're both fairly compact, although I found myself preferring Sanctum's beachfront atmosphere and circular layout over Meridian's underground labyrinth. Because all players will be traveling to and extensively using capital cities during the course of their in-game careers, I figured we might as well take a look at what capital cities -- Sanctum specifically -- have to offer. Jump on our people-mover as we wind our way through the sights and sounds of civilization!
Promotional tour hitting the road for Cameron's next 3D flick 'Sanctum'
It may be more than a year before Avatar is easily available for home viewing in 3D, but James Cameron's next 3D flick is already about to hit theaters. On Sanctum he's only executive producing and not directing, but don't be surprised to see his name and notes that the movie uses techniques pioneered by Avatar throughout the marketing campaign, which will include a tour hitting several southern states throughout January to show off the trailer in 3D. Scheduled to open February 4th, it's an action-thriller about a group of cave divers trapped underwater -- check out the regular 2D trailer embedded after the break.
RIFT beta powow with Scott Hartsman
This is, by any measure, a busy week for RIFT. Fresh off the second beta event, Trion Worlds has dropped the NDA for the game and announced a third beta to take place over the holidays. As the process speeds exponentially faster toward launch, Scott Hartsman and his team have a white-knuckled grip on RIFT for all the bumps, shimmies, dips and hills that such a high-profile title offers. Even with a heaping amount of work on its plate, the team has been willing to share its passion for RIFT with the press and community. During this slight lull between betas two and three, Hartsman sat down with us over the phone to jaw about lessons learned from the beta, why Trion has dropped the NDA, how RIFT's already made history, and when we might be seeing this game on the shelves. Hit the jump and let's do this thing. As Hartsman is fond of saying about the game, "S**t just got real."
Rift classes and capital city detailed
As if a bunch of free beta keys weren't enough, Massively is proud to present even more goodies from Trion Worlds' upcoming Rift MMORPG. This time we have a detailed look at the lore behind the Guardian capital city of Sanctum, a new video of the city, and a ton of screenshots related to the Archon, Paragon, Shaman, and Riftstalker classes. Archons are support specialists who steal their opponents' strength and convert that raw energy into beneficial magic. These mages bolster their allies and unleash potent kinetic blasts, quickly turning the tide of battle. The Paragon wields two weapons to perfection, devastating his enemies. Paragons specialize in dealing consistent damage, and can also hit their enemies from range. The Riftstalker is a defensive specialist who bends the planes to enhance her constitution and shift in and out of the physical dimension. These highly skilled and survivable combatants keep their opponents' focus while easily evading incoming blows. Finally, the Shaman binds the power of the icy north to her very being, wreathing herself in pure elemental force. This power augments a Shaman's attacks, making her a powerful melee combatant, and provides shields and reactive healing Hit the jump for the lore and video. %Gallery-108036%
More Ruby Sanctum information: loot, lore, and more
Today's announcement of the upcoming Ruby Sanctum raid, coming with Patch 3.3.5, was well-met, though it raised a number of questions as to the nature of the instance -- how will it work, what kind of loot can we expect, etc. Zarhym popped back into the original thread a few times to give clarification on a few points: While the instance has a similar layout to the Obsidian Sanctum philosophically, the three sub-bosses (Saviana Ragefire, Baltharus the Warborn, and General Zarithrian) will each be own encounter all their own. The "drakes-up" functionality of Sartharion will not carry over into the Halion encounter. Heroic difficulty is likely to be toggled in the same way that heroic difficulties are handled in ICC (a UI toggle). Saviana, Baltharus, and Zarithrian will each drop an Emblem of Frost, but probably not special loot. Expect loot in the instance to be "about the same item level" as the Lich King items on their respective difficulties. The loot from Halion will be offset pieces as well as trinkets and other items "of that nature." So, basically, Sartharion loot. The instance is intended to be a prelude to Cataclysm and should provide some advancement for the new expansion's storyline before the 4.0 patch, drawing on Deathwing's desire to weaken the Wyrmrest Accord prior to his emergence from Deepholm. Arthas is still considered the final boss of the expansion -- this is merely a complementary raid, like Onyxia with ToC, with ties to Cataclysm. Sounds like about what we were expecting. Keep an eye on WoW.com for more information on the Ruby Sanctum as it comes in, likely starting with the upcoming PTR.
Hands on with the Aion beta: Exploring Sanctum and Verteron
After leveling your stunning avatar to level 9, ascending to Daevahood and getting your wings, it's time to go out into the world -- well Verteron at least. But first, let's talk a little about the glorious city of Sanctum and what your new Daevic powers really mean. Join us after the jump as we take a closer look at Aion's hub city of Sanctum, the zone of Verteron and the basics of flying.
Hands on with the Aion beta: Becoming a Daeva
In the last two days, we've walked you through character creation in Aion: Tower of Eternity and introduced you to the starter zone of Poeta. Now it's time to get to the interesting bit, the Ascension quest where you finally transcend your frail Elyos form and become a Daeva. While this ascension can take place any time after you ding level 9, there are a number of campaign quests which must be completed first These begin much earlier, around level six when you befriend the Forest Lord Daminu and gain the amusing title Tree-Hugger.Becoming a Daeva and earning your wings -- literally in this case -- is one of the reasons players have been so excited by Aion. It is your destiny and an inevitable part of the game play but it has some caveats. We'll get to those in a bit but first, join us after the jump, when we take a deeper look into the Ascension quest itself.
