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Massively Exclusive: Make your nation proud with Wakfu's newest dev diary
Now that Ankama Games' tactical MMORPG Wakfu is live and operational, it's probably about time for players to start getting familiar with the World of Twelve. Thankfully, the fine folks over at Ankama have provided us with a brand-new dev diary to help players to wrap their heads around the nations and territories of Wakfu. For the uninitiated, the World of Twelve is the shared universe of Wakfu and its predecessor, Dofus. Lots has happened in the World of Twelve since the time of Dofus, however. Most importantly, a daft ogre by the name of Ogrest (presumably the older brother of Ogre and Ogrer) gathered the six primordial Dofus and used their overwhelming power to devastate the world, drowning all but seven major island nations beneath the sea. It's up to players to run these remaining nations and restore the World of Twelve to its former power. Of course, it can't all be sunshine and butterflies between the seven nations; we need a reason to kill each other! Aside from the seven main islands, there are also a number of smaller islands that contain valuable -- and sometimes exclusive -- resources. The seven nations, of course, all want to claim these precious goods for their own. Players will have to represent their nations in the battle for these minor, resource-rich islands in order to bring prosperity and bragging rights to their respective homelands. So there you have it, Wakfuians (that's totally a word, we promise). Now click past the cut for the full dev diary video, then get out there and make your countries proud!
Have a bloody good time with Wakfu's Sacrier and Xelor classes
Ankama Games' quirky tactical MMORPG Wakfu went live about a week ago, but the studio is continuing its steady drip of promotional material. Today Ankama is giving players not one but two new videos highlighting a couple of the game's classes. In the red corner, we have the Sacrier class. These bloodthirsty berserkers channel pain into power and will stop at nothing to ensure that their enemy doesn't make it out alive. Meanwhile, in the blue corner, we have the Xelor class, which brings the power of chronomancy to the table. Thanks to their ability to expertly manipulate the flow of time, the disciples of Xelor are a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. To see the Sacrier and Xelor classes in action, check out both new videos after the cut.
Rise and Shiny: A bit of Wakfu, a smidge of Spiral Knights, and some Lime Odyssey
This week in Rise and Shiny, things did not go as planned. This sort of thing actually happens often enough to almost be a problem: I pick out a title or am tasked with taking a look at a certain game, but communication lines are crossed and the game I was supposed to give a first impressions-style look at closes down its beta in the middle of the week. Like I said, it does happen, enough to force me to plan out my articles on a month-long calendar. Even then, things can change. So instead of talking about the game I said I was going to be this week, Seven Souls Online, I decided to go over the three games that I gleefully jumped into over the last few days. This will not be a typical first impression-style piece but instead will hint at the specific adventures I had while playing these games. These wonderful, wonderful games.
TUAW's Daily iPhone App: Hero Teams
Hero Teams is a turn-based action strategy title for the iPhone, but you will probably recognize what all of that means a little better if I just say it's a lot like Worms. Basically, you put together a team of characters who get placed on a 2D map, and then you can throw, fire, and generally toss a bunch of different weapons at each other, blowing up the environment and your enemies until the best man wins. Unfortunately for Hero Teams, Worms already exists on the App Store, and since both games are just US99 cents, I don't have a lot to recommend this one over that one. But the look of the game is definitely different (it's sort of a hand-drawn thing, slightly above stick-figure level), and the levels are a little bit more close-quarters than Worms' were. The game also offers 50 different levels to play through, and Bluetooth multiplayer as well, so if you're full up on Worms but can't get enough of this type of game, there you go. Neither of these games has stepped up with Game Center integration or online gameplay, unfortunately. It'd be nice to see that added in the future -- a game of turn-based combat like this, sent back and forth with push notifications, would be a lot of fun.
Square Enix to host Wakfu panel at Anime Expo 2011
Do you like a little tactical strategy in your MMORPG? Are you planning on attending Anime Expo 2011 in Los Angeles? Then boy howdy do we ever have an announcement for you. Square Enix, publisher of the upcoming turn-based tactical MMO Wakfu, is slated to host a panel at the massive California anime convention. Producer Franko Fonseca will be present at the panel to discuss the upcoming title and reveal new information on the game's development. To top it off, panel attendees will have a chance to win some adorable Wakfu plushies. So if you're looking to attend Anime Expo 2011, be sure to swing by the panel and let us know how it goes (and win us a plushie while you're at it!).
Choose My Adventure: Fizzles aren't fair edition
The votes have all been tallied, and my fellow Wizard101 players have spoken! When I asked which secondary school I should go for, you all told me, "Life!" Some thought this was a silly idea -- a Death wizard with a life secondary school? -- but I like it. After all, what better way to rub my enemy's face in it than by stealing his life, adding it to mine, and healing myself every time he hits me? I think I'll learn an evil laugh just for moments like that. It was also decided that I ought to keep my current zombie pet at my side. This was great news, since I've already grown pretty attached to the little rotten guy. What does all of this mean? Well, I will save the explanations for secondary schools and pets for next week's installment. In the meanwhile, I need to tell you all about the busy week I just had in game. It was pretty epic, filled with steam golems, awesome new weapons, and discovering the secrets of deck building. (Well, some of the secrets.) If you want, you can give me all sorts of advice in the comments section. Follow me past the cut to read up on my adventures!
Square and Ankama gear up for Wakfu closed beta
Lest you think Square-Enix is solely committed to sprawling, spikey-haired, single-player productions or much-maligned MMORPGs, we're here to tell you that the famed development firm is gearing up to unleash Wakfu on an unsuspecting gaming populace. The new tactical MMO will be opening the doors of its closed beta on January 31st, and Square is inviting you to check out the game's 14 classes, turn-based combat, and an evolving eco-system in which killing a monster may mean ridding the game world of it for good. While Square is handling publishing duties for Wakfu, the brains behind the game is a company called Ankama, better known to international MMO fans as the creators of Dofus. Aside from a propensity for wacky titles, Ankama is making a name for itself via the various multimedia projects surrounding the release of Wakfu including comic books, card games, and an animated cartoon.
Massively takes its turn with Atlantica Online's new patch
As we waited on the conference call for the Atlantica Online developers to start our virtual press tour, a fellow journalist and I chatted about the possibilities of virtual tabletops. I told him about my desire for a real virtual tabletop game, one that would allow players to take turns setting up scenery, adding armies and destroying each other. Little did I know that I was about to see something that would make me feel the same satisfaction as a tabletop does, despite their being different in a few ways. Atlantica Online's new patch will allow players to participate in the new Tactical Battle System -- essentially a turn-based strategy game of moving pairs of soldiers across a map, avoiding and setting traps, and defeating mighty enemies. During most of the interview, I found myself asking questions that were already covered, since I was just having too much fun playing the game to hear our hosts speak. Frankly, I wasn't embarrassed. After all, isn't becoming immersed in strategy the point of a game like Atlantica Online? Read on and I'll tell you the details of what I found, including the scoop on the eagerly awaited housing system.
Sacred Seasons: The flash-based MMO
We're not entirely sure how this one slipped under our radar. Perhaps it was a quiet launch, or perhaps it was a flash based massively multiplayer game, but we somehow failed to mention Sacred Seasons.So now we're going to take the time to correct that error -- enter Sacred Seasons, an MMO that runs entirely in flash and entirely in your internet browser. The game tells the story of the Heartlands, a world that's much like ours except in hyperbole, where the seasons dominate so strongly that they resonate in humanity itself. The people of the world have broken off into four separate tribes, one each dedicated to one of the seasons. All of them ally together, however, to fight a plague spreading across the world -- the growing corruption of the badlands, areas of nothingness.
Grimwell takes a look at Atlantica Online
Atlantica Online is one of those MMOs that people always seem to talk about, but never really get fully in-depth with. Insight into the game recently came from an unexpected source: Craig "Grimwell" Dalrymple, a noted MMO blogger and senior community relations manager for Sony Online Entertainment. Craig just recently spoke up about the turn-based MMO, relating his experiences and gripes with the game on his blog.For him, the strong points of Atlantica are the turn-based combat (as it allows PvP to be a bit more tactical rather than a fast paced gankfest,) the mercenary system (which is different from the NPC system of Guild Wars, as you actually build up your mercenaries like second or third characters,) and the crafting system (which features both the ability to craft any item in the game and learn crafting skills from other players rather than NPCs.) The game's swift advancement seems to also be in Grimwell's liking, as he's hit 61 out of the 120 levels since he's begun playing in October. For the rest of his experiences with Atlantica, including his two gripes with the game, check out his blog post on the matter.
