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InnoGames' The West receives item balancing patch
InnoGames' free-to-play, browser-based, cowboy-centric MMO The West has been updated with a new patch, bringing with it some extensive item rebalancing as well as "more than 280 new items," which the devs hope will "allow for a more streamlined character progression." On top of that, the patch introduces "an improved social interface." The press release notes that the item revamps in this patch are "part of the preparation for the upcoming level cap raise and the third part of the [game's] recently introduced main story." For more information on The West and its new patch, just click on through to the game's official site. [Source: InnoGames press release]
Rise and Shiny: The West
I've been on a browser-based kick, more so than normal. Thanks to my Chromebook series, I have been rediscovering the joys of all-in-one gaming. I'm so tired of messing with bloated, heavy machines that do nothing but suck up my money. The future of gaming is light, thin, and still capable of playing MMOs. I've had just as much fun now as I ever have on larger machines. One of the unique games I've rediscovered is The West, a browser-based sandbox set in the wild West days of the United States. Gameplay is simple yet effective, and I love how the game uses basic graphics alongside deep gameplay. Innogames, the game's publisher, has been offering a unique batch of games for a while, all available within the browser or mobile. Let me tell you what I found while crawling through the great vistas of The West.
The Daily Grind: Would a wild west MMO work?
Whenever the topic of alternative MMO genres comes up, my mind almost always shoots straight to the wild, wild west. Westerns have experienced a little bit of a renaissance in Hollywood these past few years (True Grit, Django Unchained, 3:10 to Yuma), and even video games (Red Dead Redemption) have not been immune to the allure of the rough-and-tumble frontier. But here's the thing: Would it work as an MMO? If it could, I think it'd be an awesome game with plenty of evocative elements. At the same time, the devs would certainly have to deal with the not-so-politically correct aspects of the era, including the treatment of slaves, minorities, and indigenous peoples. Throwing that at a community that isn't always best-known for being respectful toward others seems like a bad idea to me. So what would need to happen to make a western MMO work? Would it have to be sent into space, a la WildStar, or into the post-apocalyptic future, a la Fallen Earth? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Squids Wild West hits this summer, free preview update for iOS out now
The Game Bakers' mobile, PC and Mac RPG title Squids is getting a rough 'n rowdy update this summer with a new chapter: the Wild West.To prepare players for the Wild West, Game Bakers launched a free update on the App Store today, featuring three western-ized levels in Seawood, a new Squid hero named Cleef and a new enemy, the Buffalo Shrimp. The update also brings a higher level cap, a new Game Center achievement and improved social media functionality.We hope it also demonstrates how tumbleweeds blow across a dry dirt street in a fully underwater environment.
Red Dead Redemption screens introduce the locals
Rockstar has an exclusive -- wait, how can Rockstar have the exclusive on its own game? Anyway, there's a set of screens for Read Dead Redemption over at Rockstar's site. The screens take a noticeable departure from the usual media we've seen coming from the game, trading in the requisite gunplay and horseback riding for brief bios on some of the world's inhabitants. Above, you can see Nigel West Dickens, the kindly old gentleman who promises to cure what ails you through one of his many tonics. Is there anything that drinking didn't fix back in the old west? So mosey on down to Rockstar's site to see all them thar screens if you please, cowpoke.
Is Fallen Earth our answer to a Wild West MMO?
I grew up on Clint Eastwood movies. I grew up on Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings songs about cowboy career prevention. Gunsmoke, A Fistful of Dollars and anything else by Sergio Leone are what helped mold my appreciation for what we refer to as the American Wild West. Even in modern day, I find myself drawn to those settings that mimic the Wild West. Stephen King's Dark Tower series is one of my all-time favorites, and I fly my Browncoat flag high. But this setting is not often the most popular in gaming culture. Sure, we have single-player games like GUN and Red Dead Revolver, but the massively multiplayer side is left primarily unexplored in that genre. Wild West Online is a recent example of an indie game set in that era, but its popularity is minimal, at best. Enter Fallen Earth. This recently-released post-apocalyptic MMO has been hailed for its gritty environments, extensive crafting system and its unique implementation of skills and combat. The game is praised by many who try it more than a few hours, and its notoriety is spreading like... well, like a plague.
Dev raises price of $3 app to $40 just to spite customers
I like the way Schiau Studios thinks -- when customers complained about the price of their $2.99US App Store game Alchemize, they raised the price up to $39.99. Over on the TouchArcade forums, they make their case: most devs, they say, when faced with complaints about price, will just lower their price even though their software is already cheap. So they wanted to buck the trend, and instead raised it up to almost $40 (which, incidentally, is slightly more than what you might pay for a handheld console game). Lest you simply complain that they were greedy, they say they were only out to make a point: everyone who purchased the game at the higher price point will have all of their money go to charity, and now that the game's back at the $2.99 price point, 33% of all the profits to be gained will go to the same charity. Regardless of whether the game's any good or not, we like their thinking. Can we all agree to stop griping about price points? I've actually heard this come up lately on a comedy podcast of all places -- when Chicago broadcasting legend Steve Dahl (and one of my favorites) started up a podcast about a month ago, and introduced an app to go along with it. Steve was inundated with comments complaining about the $2.99 price, which he responded to with a great argument on the show: he's put a lot of money into the app and the show behind it, and if you're already a fan of his, paying less than the cost of a cup of Starbucks should not even be an issue. Sure, when the App Store first started up, it was the Wild West -- both prices and quality were all over the place. But at this point, Apple's review system has more or less settled down, and blogs like ours are full of recommendations, with enough free apps to last any rabid app user most of their iPhone time. If you have any interest in an app at all, a couple of bucks shouldn't be enough to give you pause -- either pick it up and make sure the dev gets their due (small as that may be), or move on to find an app you'd rather buy.
New Damnation multiplayer trailer features acrobatic cowboys
So here it is, folks. The second game in 2009 to have an individual and somewhat unique premise with a less than flattering visual accompaniment (not to mention bland, seen-it-before looking gameplay). But hey, let's give it a fair shake -- we haven't laid our grubby, jaded mitts on the game yet, so it'd be unfair to prejudge.What we can glean from the trailer is this: the totally sweet, Raiden-esque sword action seen in previously released clips seems to have all but left in the multiplayer-combat focused video above. In it's place? "Verticality." At least we can still flip around like most ... cowboys. That's what cowboys do, right? Right?!
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood trailer has sweet music, dead cowboys
The latest trailer for Ubisoft's Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is available for your viewing pleasure, and if you enjoy slow, toe-tapping songs and pistols being drawn at high noon, then we suggest you get comfy and soak up the near two minutes of footage Ubisoft has dropped on us. You know, we often think about living in the old west, and how cool it would be to answer to no one (and have them answer to your gun), but we'd probably just die of dysentery or something. Beats being shot to death, though, which is the grim fate suffered by no less than six fellas in the video above.
Rockstar goes west with Red Dead Redemption
Rockstar San Diego is kicking the dirt off its boots and returning to the American west with Red Dead Redemption. Developed using Rockstar's proprietary RAGE engine, the sequel to 2004's Red Dead Revolver promises an open-world complete with "strong plotlines in a massive vibrant, rural environment" when it pulls into town this fall for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Few gameplay details have been revealed regarding the upcoming title, which looks to cast players not in the role of Revolver's bounty hunter lead Red Halow, but instead a former outlaw named John Marston during the turn of the 20th century. Open world. A bad guy turned good. Just throw in Miss Kitty and her band of hookers and we're all set for GTA in the Wild West. Yee haw!%Gallery-43816%
Ask Massively: Babies, rings, and the Wild West
Thursday again, and that means its time for round two of our new advice column, Ask Massively. This week we're tackling what will happen to Lord of the Rings Online in 2008 (with guest shots from almost all the Massively staff), as well as creating some MMO offspring, and why cowboys and indians haven't jumped on the MMO bandwagon yet.If you'd like to ask a question of Ask Massively, it's super simple-- just leave your question as a comment on this post to get it answered next week, or leave us a note via our tipline. This week's Ask Massively kicks off right after the jump, so click the link below!
The Wild West as you've never seen it before [Update 1]
We've got a bunch of screens for the Wild West, Majesco's new DS shooter. Looks like there'll be shoot outs, mine cart rides and cow herdin' a plenty in the budget title. Navigation, aiming and shooting will all be handled through the stylus, of course. They've really tried to keep things historically accurate, with 30 foot robots and killer bats populating the game, but hey, you'll be able to defend yourself with your trusty machine gun. Oh, and you're a lion.Click through for the screens.
Bang! Howdy now in open beta
Those on the lookout for an online game that doesn't involve orcs, elves or magic may find Bang! Howdy refreshing. From Three Rings, the makers of Puzzle Pirates, Bang! Howdy is a western-themed online strategy game.Although we featured it in our MMO roundup, it's not the same sort of MMO as Puzzle Pirates -- it features small-scale multiplayer strategy matches rather than a large persistent world. It's a Java-based game, meaning it runs on PC, Mac and Linux happily, and today it entered open beta. The game itself will be free, but with micropayments for various in-game features.
