twitch-tv
Latest
Rise and Shiny revisit: Star Stable
Sometimes you just need a place where you can chill out, jump on the back of your favorite four-legged friend, and go off on an adventure. During my week's revisit to Star Stable, I've simultaneously been researching zombie MMOs for an upcoming article, and after the third post-apocalyptic game filled with cursing juveniles, I had to cleanse myself by jumping back into the friendly, non-competitive world of Star Stable. It's a world in which you'll play a young girl who is loaned a horse. It's your job to work your way through a series of linear, story-based quests until you pay the horse off, save the town from evil corporations, help build a bridge to a new area of the map, explore, make friends, join clubs, and take care of your horse. And fashion. Let's not forget fashion. It's hard for me to find fault in the game, at all. Seriously. That's because I'm playing the game exactly as it's meant to be played.
WildStar to debut new build in Saturday livestream
Carbine is planning a Saturday livestream dedicated to one of the classes in WildStar, and while the class itself won't be a surprise, the studio is promising a pile of new information as well as a glimpse of the class in action. Carbine also noted that Saturday's livestream will offer the public a glance of WildStar's "brand-new" game build, which is set to go live for beta players in December. WildStar fanatics can check the stream out live on the official WildStar Twitch channel at 3 p.m. EST (12 p.m. PST). [Thanks to Becca for the tip!]
Rise and Shiny: Path of Exile
I've never been a huge fan of dungeon-crawlers. I've enjoyed them in the past, but overall I don't get much of a thrill out of tweaking my character with weapons and armor just so I can do it all again when I hit the next dungeon. Sure, some of the games from this genre are a blast to play for a bit, but not for a long time. Even with the linear storylines and sometimes fantastic special effects, they just feel more like work for me. I don't like to feel as if I am working when I play an MMO. Path of Exile comes from the olden days of hardcore gameplay. It's been in development for seven years (some of the designs, like the minimap, show its age), but it launched just last month. I was very eager to at least try it out since I haven't really given a game like it a go for a while. Next thing I know, I am eagerly clicking away at monster after monster, collecting more loot than I knew what to do with.
Minecraft gets Twitch-y with new partnership for integrated streaming
Twitch and Mojang have partnered to deliver an integrated streaming experience in indie sensation Minecraft, the companies announced at MineCon today. Players on PC and Mac with a Twitch account will be able to easily stream their games to their Twitch.tv channels "soon," according to a press release. Matthew DiPietro, vice president of marketing at Twitch, said in the same press release that Minecraft has "struck a very powerful chord" with Twitch users. "Its constantly escalating popularity illustrates that people love to watch video games outside of the headline-grabbing eSports titles. Expect a watershed moment for both players and spectators once the ability to easily broadcast gameplay directly to Twitch goes live." While this announcement is for PC and Mac users, it's important to note that the Xbox One will be getting its own version of Minecraft, and Twitch is integrated into Microsoft's next-gen system. So the possibility is there for Twitch streaming from a console version of the game. You know, unless a creeper comes by and blows everything up. Sssssssss.
Rise and Shiny: Heva Clonia Online
Heva Clonia Online, by publisher OGplanet, is a cutesy, Anime-style MMORPG that offers tons of combat, a lot of quests (mostly from kill-X-rats territory), a bunch of other players to join up with for dungeon-running, a pet collection system that borders on Poke-something, and quite a few other activities. I've seen my share of games from Korea, China, and Japan and know that the details of each game are what set them apart from each other. The foreign games can seem the same, just as many Western titles can, so to know the difference, you simply have to play them. I gave my usual Rise and Shiny treatment to the game and enjoyed it over the last week, casually poking around town, jumping into dungeons, collecting monster DNA, and trying to understand some of the strange, mistranslated quest dialogue. As I finished up my time with the game (for now), I discovered that I had quite a bit of fun, but I also ran into many of the same problems that I have had with other titles from the same area.
Rise and Shiny: World of Battles
World of Battles starts off strong, it looks pretty cool at first glance, and it appears to allow you to control massive armies of riders, archers, giants and other fun units as you clash against equally massive armies. You do see a lot of combat in the game, and it is from the massive-army school of design, but unfortunately, the game quickly and regrettably drags itself down into a standard pit of grinding. I started to see the end of this tunnel of drudgery near the end of my week with the game. It started off by giving me some basic tutorial tips and then pushed me into quest after quest that had to be completed before I was able to move on to the next one. Each step sucked the fun out of the game and made it seem as if I would never be seeing the massive battles and castle bombardments that the game's trailer promised.
Rise and Shiny: Rise of Mythos
I am surprised at how much I have enjoyed Rise of Mythos, a free-to-play browser game published by GameFuse. It's not as though my years of exposure to games from all sorts of genres and publishing houses has dulled my senses against browser-based games; it's that all of those years and all of that exposure has given me the ability to sense when a game will suck. Generally, I am correct. But this time, I thought Rise of Mythos would be a much simpler game, one of those click-once-to-do-everything types that have no depth to them. It turns out my senses were wrong in this case! Rise of Mythos is roughly animated, sure, and the fact that it exists within a browser is enough to give many gamers a reason to run, at least those gamers convinced that the way a game is delivered is some guarantee of its quality. I found its easy access, interesting and surprisingly in-depth gameplay, and tons of activities to be a powerful mixture. Call me gleefully wrong about this one.
Twitch gets $20 million in funding, Take-Two among investors
Twitch has earned $20 million from investors, the company announced. Among the Series C, or third round of investors is Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two, though it is uncertain how much the publisher invested in the video game live-streaming company. The investment round is appropriately timed ahead of the PS4 and Xbox One launches, as Twitch will offer its streaming services on both consoles. Twitch added that its viewership has grown to 45 million unique visitors per month, and expects that number to increase thanks to these next-gen, broadcast-capable systems. Twitch noted that the investment round was led by Thrive Capital, with Take-Two and WestSummit Capital "participating" in the funding. Current investors Alsop Louie Partners and Bessemer Venture Partners also invested more money into the company.
Rise and Shiny revisit: Wakfu
One of the great benefits of this job comes from revisiting worlds that have gone unchecked for a while. These are games that I already know I enjoy but want to check back on in an "official" manner, every year at least. Honestly I visit many of them several times a year, but not in the same way I would if I were working. Wakfu is on the same list as Ryzom, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, Champions Online and many, many others. This time around I wanted to get out more and explore the surrounding areas, and I found that Ankama has made many improvements to the game that help make exploration possible. Granted, the changes that I noticed were not significant but notable, and overall the game appeared to be just as smooth, interesting, and original as before. The only problem is that many of the same issues I had with the game are still there, and I doubt they'll disappear any time soon.
Rise and Shiny: Ensemble Online
I always love it when a new indie MMO comes across my virtual desk. I never know what I'm going to get, even though I think I can tell a lot from its name or even the font that the name is written in. Ensemble Online is one of the newest ones, and I assumed it would be a sci-fi sandbox. In reality, it was indeed a sci-fi sandbox but mostly felt like a more cartoony, gentler Wurm Online. I was even able to sit down with the developers during my livestream of the game. Thanks to the fact that the team seems to be really up on social media and appears to pay attention to things like the press (unlike many indies), I learned a lot from that livestream. Be sure to watch it; it's embedded in the article. Ensemble Online holds a ton of potential. It's not there yet, but I'll tell you why I think it can stick around for a while.
EVO 2014 brings the fight back to Las Vegas July 11 - 13
Premiere fighting game tournament EVO Championship Series will return next year. Shoryuken has announced EVO 2014 will be held July 11 - 13 at the LVH Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The tournament will one again be streamed on Twitch. Last year's EVO tournament was full of heated contests and surprising upsets, with over 3,000 individuals showing up to compete in Las Vegas. 1.7 million spectators signed on to watch EVO 2013's furious fighting action this year on Twitch, making it the most-watched fighting game tournament ever broadcast through the site.
Rise and Shiny: Vega Conflict
You might be familiar with Kixeye for many different reasons, but this week I am discussing one of the games from its line-up: VEGA Conflict, which is typical in many ways but can definitely be surprising when it needs to be. Many of my favorite MMOs are made up of mechanics we've seen before, but those mechanics are delivered so smartly that the end result is a game that is worth more than it should be. As far as browser-based MMORTS titles go -- and there are scores and scores of them -- VEGA Conflict is a fun and unique blend of strategy, city-building, and Gratuitous Space Battles. It implements none of its designs flawlessly, but the game is almost perfectly balanced between casual play and powergaming. I did receive a wad of coins from the developer shortly after I spent 10 dollars on some myself, and those coins bought me resources and sped up development and building. It's not directly a sell of power and is typical for the genre, but some might find it distasteful. The community didn't seem to mind the model much.
Rise and Shiny: City of Steam
The first thing that people say when they see City of Steam is, "Wow, this is a browser game?" I've seen the comments on videos and even talked about it during my own livestream (you'll find it embedded after the cut), but in the back of my mind I know that browser-based games have looked good for a while now. Still, the game does look good. It looks darn good in many places. It's a world of oily, smoky machinery and grimy dungeons, and the graphics do their job. With the dirtier styles and dungeon crawlers, however, comes the risk of repetitive design that toes the line between neat and bland as cold porridge. City of Steam mostly wins in the graphics department but does fail occasionally. It's still fun to tell people it's a browser game. The beginning intro alone feels like a well-made MMO, while some of its staging and tutorials make the game feel as if it cost more than it did to make. The rest of the game isn't bad, either, aside from occasionally repetitive gameplay.
PAX Prime 2013: SMITE's graphical updates, 10v10 mode, and e-sports
I found myself in unfamiliar waters as I waded into the Twitch booth at this year's PAX Prime. All around me were gamers -- but not just any gamers. These guys were wearing jerseys with sponsorship logos and carrying custom gaming mice and headsets. These guys were pro gamers, and they were there to play SMITE. I had a different agenda, so I tracked down Hi-Rez chief operating officer Todd Harris to talk about upcoming changes to the game. He admitted to me that his team isn't doing a lot of big changes, but that is largely due to the game's continuing success. He did have a few things to show me, though.
Rise and Shiny: UFO Online
I really enjoyed taking a look at UFO Online a few years ago at E3, but the game has been stuck in what seems to be that standard gamigo tunnel of time, where games go to be semi-released. What do you get when you start playing? Well, if turn-based, squad-based combat is your idea of a good time (mixed with doses of factional control), then you will enjoy the game. Unfortunately it's still a bit rough around the edges and could really use a pass with the text and control brushes, but I'll cover that in a minute. First, let's talk about why folks enjoy squad-based gaming so much.
Rise and Shiny: Herokon Online
I knew I would likely enjoy my time in Herokon Online, but not because I enjoy every game I come across. The truth has always been that I will gladly complain, tear up, and criticize any game that deserves it. No, I knew I would like Herokon Online for established reasons. First, I covered the game in its initial stages at GDC Online in 2012. I loved the fact that it runs in a browser (the "mobile app" that came before mobile apps) and that it came from the same incredible IP that Drakensang Online and its standalone cousins boast. The Dark Eye is one of those IPs that I have always wished I could dig into more deeply. It's been going strong for a long time, and I know that there must be layers and layers in its lore that I can hopefully dive into one day soon. So Herokon Online had a grip on me before I began to play it. It's by no means perfect, but I'll explain that.
Rise and Shiny: Prime World
Prime World, a combination MOBA and MMORTS-ish game by Nival, is a fresh take on what appears to be an ever-growing genre. Will vets of the familiar match-based games feel as though it goes too far into new territory, or will they appreciate the changes to their beloved gameplay? While I'll leave that question up to the experts over at Not So Massively, I can say that as someone who is more of an MMORTS fan than a follower of MOBAs, I appreciated the fact that Prime World gave me something to try in both. Better still, games like Prime World are enjoyable for a relative newcomer to the genre like yours truly because they encourage me to become better by being fun to play rather than by being brutal on newbies. Classic MOBA fans probably feel differently, however.
Rise and Shiny: The empty MMO section on the RT marketplace
As many of you know, I have been in love with portable devices for a while now. I am always perfecting my all-in-one experience, trying to find a device that allows me access to my favorite job and hobby (MMO gaming) while actually getting some work done. That means I need to be able to communicate, type, and create content all with the same small computer. My 3G Nexus 7 was glorious for a while, but mainly as a mobile gaming platform and social network connection. I needed something larger, and I took the destruction of my 7 to mean it was time to get out of my comfort zone. So I got myself an Asus VivoTab RT, a 10-inch tablet with a 4G LTE connection. It came with the keyboard dock for only $300 US. I'll save the explanation for buying such a device -- especially considering RT's shaky footing -- for my other blog, but I have really been enjoying RT and the fact that I still have access to Flash, browser-based games, and a larger screen. Searching for MMOs in the Windows Store has been a nightmare, though, mainly because there are none. I'll show you what's being offered and will look at the 8.1 preview to see if we can expect changes.
Hearthstone: The Forge livestream
The Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft livestream detailing The Forge mode happens today! Right now, in fact. What are you waiting for? It's linked above. This is the mode of the game where you are given cards at the start and must build your deck from what you are given, so if you want to see just how it works now is your opportunity to do so! For questions, commentary, and community, make sure to mosey on over to the livestream Reddit thread, which goes live at the same time as the event. Sounds like a splendid way to spend your Friday, if you ask me. As long as it won't get you fired.
Hearthstone live stream scheduled for July 26
Blizzard has announced a new Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft livestream scheduled for 10:00 am PDT Friday, July 26th on their Twitch.tv channel. The broadcast will focus especially The Forge in Hearthstone, one of the four game modes available. The Forge mode in particular is designed to test players' deck-building skills, by providing a set of cards at a match's beginning from which the participants must then build the deck they use in the match. Once a player has completed their set of Forge duels they are allowed to keep the cards they used to build their decks. So far this particular mode has not been showcased, so this Friday's Twitch.tv cast will be the first we've seen of it in action. The developers also plan to discuss some of the evolution of The Forge, and how they've tweaked and changed it since the mode was first announced. Make sure to mark your calenders for 10:00 am PDT this coming Friday, and learn all about The Forge mode in Hearthstone.
