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Team shooter 'Rogue Company' is now free-to-play
Rogue Company, a 4v4 team-based multiplayer shooter that arrived in a closed beta early this year, is now free-to-play in an open beta.
‘Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville’ is available today
The latest game in the long running Plants vs. Zombies series has arrived for PS4, Xbox and PC. Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville is a third-person shooter, but it's cartoony enough for older children; EA calls it "our biggest and most accessible shooter ever." Players can compete in head-to-head multiplayer matches and explore new areas solo or in split-screen and online co-op modes.
Firefall video previews Amazon Warzone
Listen up grunts, did you honestly think you'd live forever? Well, you won't. No sir, you're going to head back to the front lines of Firefall with its upcoming patch and probably die. Then we're going to drag your corpse back to the base, jolt it with enough juice to make you glow in the dark, and send your reanimated wimpering frame into even more harm. But that's the fun, eh? Firefall's posted a new video that highlights the big upcoming patch. Features incoming include the Amazon Warzone, the big game hunt, the reputation system, and improvements to loot and ranged weapon modules.
Defiance developers answer a dozen player questions
Good news, Defiance fans: Your questions have been answered. Assuming that your questions were closely tied to the 12 questions answered here, of course. Otherwise your questions remain unanswered. But if you want to know more about expeditions or the upcoming Alcatraz hub, the answers have you covered. Whether or not you'll like the answers is another story entirely; expeditions are very much about straightforward shooting engagements with a full group using a drop-in-drop-out approach to forming a party. At this point there's no exact ETA for when the Alcatraz update will be available on the game's test server, although the developers are hopeful for "soon." The answers also discuss some long-standing issues and a few bugs as well as take on the issue of character customization, which isn't going to be expanded any time soon. Even if your question isn't among the ones answered, it still would behoove Defiance players to take a peek at what's in store for the game.
Red 5 tweaking Firefall's reputation system
Firefall's latest news blurb concerns reputation. It's not all about grind and 20 different currencies that will clog up your inventory, though. In fact, Red 5 says that the work-in-progress rep system will ultimately feature reputation points that function like experience. Which, OK, is still about grind. But yay for inventory space! The devs are also enthused about the future of the rep system, which they say will make use of Firefall's NPC corporations that "aren't much more than flavor" in the current build. You can read all about rep at the official Firefall website.
Firefall is prepping an all-new crafting system
Good news for those disillusioned with the state of crafting in Firefall: Red 5 is preparing an "all-new crafting system" to replace the current setup. New crafting dev Gortok spoke a little to this on the forums over the past month, saying that as a person who's designed four such systems for MMOs, he finds Firefall's crafting both pointless and grindy. Fortunately, Gortok has ideas to make it all much, much better: "It will take some time, and my plan is to actually rip out the existing recipes and research, replace the entire thing from scratch, and implement an entirely new system for the actual act of crafting. There are a lot of great things that we lost, and I want to bring some of those feelings back without the complication and confusion" Some of the changes include restructuring research, consolidating recipes, crafting in batches, and making thumping "more desirable" again. [Thanks to Eri for the tip!]
Zombie Army Trilogy announced for PC, PS4, Xbox One
British developer Rebellion revealed a revamped third-person shooter bundle for PC, PS4 and Xbox One today, Zombie Army Trilogy. As the studio hinted in February 2014, the collection features both Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army and its sequel, stand-alone expansions of the developer's tactical shooter, Sniper Elite V2. The package also includes "the never-seen-before third installment in the series and a brand new horde mode." Both Nazi Zombie Army and the second expansion launched in 2013 for PC. Zombie Army Trilogy will include 15 missions that span three campaigns and five horde maps with up to four-player cooperative multiplayer options. The trilogy is available for pre-order on Steam for $45, and Rebellion is "offering an exclusive loyalty discount to owners of the first two Nazi Zombie Army games via Steam before launch," though it did not specify how sizable the discount will be. According to the bundle's Steam page, the trilogy is expected to launch on March 6, though Rebellion only noted that the game will launch in "early 2015." Head past the break to see Zombie Army Trilogy's first gruesome trailer. [Image: Rebellion]
Firefall's getting a LFG window, better crafting
Want to know what's coming in the next Firefall patch? Head to the sci-fi shooter's official website, then, and read all about it. Red 5 has apparently taken crafting feedback into account, as it's drastically reducing the high costs of participating and it's giving players the ability to choose prefixes on crafted items. A new looking-for-squad window will also debut in the next patch, as will a large open-world boss battle, campaign reward tweaks, and more!
Firefall's hosting another Chosen Offensive on Dec. 7
Firefall fans, it's time for another Chosen Offensive event. It's all happening on Sunday, December 7th from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST. "For the duration of the event, Chosen encounters will spawn throughout Coral Forest and Sertao including Chosen Incursions, Chosen Thumpers, Chosen Death Squads, and more," Red 5 explains via its website. "In Devil's Tusk, Chosen Encounter spawns will be ramped up above their regular rates, and Darkslips will appear and lay siege to the area's POIs. In addition, Firefall developers will be taking the form of powerful Chosen bosses to spread terror and destruction through the world."
Defiance gets new Aftermath content, Thanksgiving event
Defiance has received a free update called Aftermath that builds "off of the climactic season two TV finale," according to a Trion press release. There's new content that will "carry players across various locales from Silicon Valley to Paradise as the world teeters on the verge of all-out war between the Earth Republic and Votanis Collective," and it includes new events, contracts, pursuits, and enemies. Don't forget about the Thanksgiving-themed New Frontier Harvest, which runs from November 26th through December 10th. As well, don't forget about the Aftermath trailer that's waiting for you behind the break. [Source: Trion press release]
Defiance goes free-to-play on Xbox 360 (finally)
Xbox 360 players are no longer excluded from the Defiance party, as the game went free-to-play on the console yesterday. Players will need an Xbox Live gold membership to install the game for free, and they can then enjoy all of the content up through the aftermath of Season 2. Trion Worlds gave a bunch of goodies to Defiance owners with the conversion, including a 30-day patron pass, four character slots, and 1,000 Arkforge. This switch has been a long time coming, especially when you consider that the sci-fi shooter MMO converted to F2P on the PC back in June and on the PlayStation 3 back in August.
Firefall update 1.2 goes live today, makes facial customizations free for all
Firefall fans are eagerly anticipating the release of new content patch Together Toward Victory later today. Along with more open-world encounters and improvements to the Broken Peninsula PvP continent, this free update includes the shooter's first five-man instance, Operation: Miru. Set in a molten cavern, the operation tasks players with putting a stop to the Chosen's plan to release a colossal monstrosity on the Accord. The open world encounters include battling to protect the supply lines at Accord Skydock and repelling multi-stage enemy assaults on the watchtowers. Broken Peninsula now offers missions via the new job boards so players can contribute to their faction. Need something to help set the mood for battle? Check out the propaganda-style clip below. What's more, Red 5 Studios is changing up basic cosmetics by making all hair, facial hair, and head cosmetic choices available to all players for free. And that's permanently, folks, not just for a limited time. Anyone who's bought any of those cosmetics within the last three months will receive a full Red Bean refund for the purchase price. In addition to all this, players will be able to try out the Rhino Dreadnaught frame -- with its increased mobility and firepower -- for free from Friday, November 21st, at 7:00 p.m. EST until Monday, November 24th, at the same time.
Firefall is offering bonus rep this weekend
Firefall's offering up a reputation bonus weekend starting Friday, November 14th at 7:00 p.m. EST. The promotion runs through Monday, November 17th at 7:00 p.m. EST and includes a 25 percent boost to all collected rep vouchers. Visit the official Firefall website for more details.
Firefall teases update 1.2
An update is coming to Firefall, and it promises to be a big one. A brief overview of the game's next major update has been posted on the official site to show off some of what players can expect, starting with the new Operation: Miru. This is endgame instanced content designed for five players at level 40, featuring a combination of mechanics and gunfights that heretofore have not been present in the game. The update will also feature a new piece of open-world content via the Accord Skydock, a new form of watchtower content, and a new live event. Broken Peninsula has also received updates to make it less broken from a mechanical standpoint rather than a geographical one. You can read up on all the sketchy details here, and keep your eyes peeled for more hard information as it becomes available.
Firefall's having another devs-vs.-players event this weekend
Firefall's having another devs-vs.-players live event this weekend, with the former controlling bosses in the sci-fi shooter and the latter getting a shot at various in-game prizes including titles, currency, glider wings, and more. The official Firefall website has all the details including a list of rewards. Just past the cut we've got the full press release and a dev-produced Q&A with Scott Rudi, Red 5's director of design.
Defiance prepares its Aftermath update
Now that it's a certainty that Defiance's tie-in television series will be getting another season, are you eager to jump back into shooting things in the Silicon Valley? The Aftermath update is coming, and it will bring with it plenty of new things to shoot. Seven new missions will be added to the game, bringing players from Silicon Valley to Paradise and back; a confrontation with the Pilgrims of the Guiding Light and an attempt to start a war between the Earth Republic and the Votanis Collective both await players taking on the update. New enemies, new pursuits, and new contracts will help to round out the patch, giving players new things to fight along with new reasons to take part in the battle. There are also several planned quality-of-life improvements, including mission replay and improved co-op balancing for the season 2 maps. No release date has yet been announced, but it sounds as if players will have plenty to do when the aftermath hits.
Defiance gets third season pick-up on Syfy
Good news for Defiance players who still believe strongly in the power of transmedia synergy: Syfy has elected to pick up the TV show for a third season. The series will return for a 13-episode season next year with Kevin Murphy as both executive producer and showrunner. Defiance averaged 2.7 million viewers during its Thursday night episodes in season two. News of the TV show is of importance to the MMO, as both mediums feature connected storylines, settings, and technology.
Global Agenda 2's closed beta expected 'before the end of the year if all goes well'
When last we heard about Global Agenda 2, we learned the promised sequel to 2010's Global Agenda was in line behind profitable MOBA SMITE for attention, and that announcement was made while its developers were admitting Tribes: Ascend was unlikely to ever get more love. But Hi-Rez Studios CEO Erez Goren broke radio silence on GA2 with a slew of spoilers on Reddit yesterday (apparently before he was shadowbanned for "vote manipulation" by angry Tribes players). The highlights? It is in fact a "spiritual" successor to GA. It'll have objective-based, 5v5 PvP with stats leveling during matches. E-sports will be supported, as will spectator mode. Viewpoint is first- and third-person. "Shooting is from first person mostly." There are "no strict classes." There is "no dedicated healer class." You just "select the way you want to play and join the queue." A "dome city area" might serve as a gathering point for players. He rattles off a whole list of weapons and off-hand items. Clever Redditors surmise that the game might actually be named Global Assault. Closed beta is expected "before the end of the year if all goes well." [With many thanks to Sorenthaz for the great tip!]
Mark Kern starts new studio, raises $1M for VR MMO
Ex-Red 5 CEO Mark Kern has been a busy little bee since his departure from Firefall. Kern established a new studio called MEK Entertainment with associates from Red 5 and Blizzard, raising $1 million in seed funding for his next project. While it doesn't have a name, this project is reportedly an MMO designed for the Oculus Rift. It will use retro-style pixel art and depend heavily on "creative contributions" from the game's community. "We can't build it alone," Kern said. "I've been looking for a way to let more gamers and modders realize their own virtual worlds, and I think we found it." Kern cited inspiration from other titles such as the SNES, Terraria, Starbound, and (of course) Minecraft. You can watch a teaser for the MMO after the break.
Exclusive: Zombies Monsters Robots launches T-Rekt update tomorrow [Updated]
En Masse's not-so-massive co-op online shooter Zombies Monsters Robots heard you liked dinosaurs, so it's launching a dino-themed update tomorrow. In the aptly named T-Rekt patch, "players will find themselves battling for survival against some of the most terrifying, prehistoric beasts that walked the Earth, including a T-Rex with a rocket launcher strapped to its back" because of course it's a T-Rex with a rocket launcher strapped to its back; the game is called Zombies Monsters Robots for skies' sake. The studio also promises three new co-op maps, three new competitive maps, and new gear in the patch. We've got the launch trailer as well as some fresh screenshots below. Enjoy!
