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World of Tanks launching April 12th
After nine straight months of intensive beta testing, the end (and the beginning) is finally in sight for fans of Wargaming.net's World of Tanks. The World War II-based action MMO is officially launching in both Europe and North America on April 12th, and die-hard testers "who did a long way from [closed beta] to release will get some bonuses" according to a post on the game's website. World of Tanks looks to blend the fast-action gameplay of its squad-based modes with the large-scale strategy of the clan wars mechanic to create the definitive heavy armor MMO title. The game features destructible environments and authentically rendered combat vehicles from a variety of nations, and it's all wrapped in a free-to-play package designed to allow curious gamers to try before they buy. "Our team has been working really hard to create a unique blend of action, strategy, simulation, and RPG in World of Tanks, and now the moment all fans across the globe have been waiting for is right around the corner," says Wargaming.net CEO Victor Kislyi.
World of Tanks Clan Wars signups begin
Since our GDC sit-down with Wargaming.net CEO Victor Kislyi, we've been quite anxious to get our hands on the World of Tanks Clan Wars mechanic. Happily, the system is just about ready for prime time, and the company has put out a press release announcing official clan signups for both European and North American servers. The Clan Wars action takes place on a global map that is divided into several provinces. Each province features its own particular revenue stream, and Wargaming.net intends for hundreds of clans to duke it out for territorial control rights. Clan Wars will also feature economic and diplomatic systems, making it an entirely new play option for fans of World War II-based armored conflict. "Clan Wars is not just a new game mode, but rather a separate gameplay layer or meta-game designed to provide years of fun and action for those fond of strategic thinking, politics, alliances, and intrigue," Kislyi explains.
Massively Exclusive: Cornered Rat talks longevity, simulations, and the future of Battleground Europe
It's P-Day across Battleground Europe, as today marks the official introduction of World War II Online's 1.33 patch. The update is something of a milestone for Cornered Rat's stalwart MMOFPS simulation, and Massively sat down with the game's high command to chat about the past, the future, and of course the spiffy new infantry models that 1.33 brings to the table. Join us after the cut for an exclusive interview with producers Steve Daniels, Al Corey, and Dana Baldwin, as well as Cornered Rat president Jim Mesteller and community director Amy-lynn Smith. %Gallery-119028%
WWIIOL: Battleground Europe readying 1.33 patch, infantry upgrades
MMO shooters are a dime a dozen these days, and whether you're into sci-fi, spy-fi, modern warfare, or post-apocalyptic mayhem, massively multiplayer gun battles are pretty prevalent across the genre. Not to be outdone by the parade of young whippersnappers is World War II Online: Battleground Europe, and the granddaddy of MMOFPS titles is still going strong after nearly a decade in service. Cornered Rat's 1.33 version update is nearing the end of its open beta phase, and the new patch is bringing a bevy of changes to the game including brand-new infantry models as well as memory leak fixes, performance tweaks, and an upgrade to the core audio engine, just to name a few. Due to the extensive work required to revamp the infantry models, Cornered Rat has delayed a few of its planned features to a future patch (these include emotes, lean, and high command uniforms) but is nonetheless enthusiastic about the new models and anxious to get them in players' hands as soon as possible. You can read more about the update on the game's official website and be on the lookout for an exclusive Massively Q&A session with the developers later this week.
World of Tanks open beta starts January 27th
Ladies and gentlemen, start your tank engines. World of Tanks is officially rolling towards release, and Wargaming.net has just announced that open beta will kick off on January 27th. The World War II-based heavy armor MMO has been undergoing closed beta for the past six months, and the devs have decided that after 260,000 players (20,000 of them concurrent) and 40 million bombed-out vehicles, it's high time to kick the tires and light the fires. "We've been very pleased to get such a response from our players, that means the direction we are moving in goes in line with the views of our community," says CEO Victor Kislyi. World of Tanks features upwards of 150 authentic American, German, and Russian vehicles, all designed for action-packed 15 vs. 15 battles featuring a mixture of action, strategy, and simulation. You can learn more at the official site as well as sign up for the beta.
World of Tanks rolls out American armor
The World of Tanks beta just got a bit bigger, as Wargaming.net has released a good-sized update that features tons of new vehicles as well as two additional battlegrounds. The Monastery map boasts both rural and urban landscapes, while Sandy River shows off desert terrain. The patch also introduces American tanks of various classes including light, medium, heavy, and super-heavy units, plus artillery that offers new options for expanded gameplay and tactics. "The tanks that we have in the game at the moment form the backbone of the American armored fleet that will gradually grow bigger and stronger. Such legendary vehicles as the Pershing, M10 Wolverine, and M18 Hellcat are already in development and will join the ranks soon," says Victor Kislyi, Wargaming.net's CEO. Check out the gallery of new armor below as well as a trailer after the break. You can also sign up for beta on the official website. %Gallery-96260%
First Impressions: World of Tanks
World of Tanks is one of those games in which you have to wonder how large the target audience is. An MMO revolving around tank combat seems like it would only appeal to hardcore WWII enthusiasts or military hardware geeks. Aesthetically, the tank theme might not appeal to everyone. However, WoT is remarkably easy to get into and enjoy, even if you have no idea what PzKpfw stands for. At this juncture, I would hesitate to call World of Tanks a true MMO. Wargaming.net is focusing on the gameplay elements for the closed beta, so Westerners have yet to experience the clan war political system that will be in the final release of the game. I'll be honest, though -- I don't really mind. The game is that fun to play all on its own. %Gallery-96260%
Players get to start placing objects in WWII Online: Battlefield Europe
WWII Online: Battlefield Europe is getting a bit long in the tooth, but that certainly hasn't meant development has ceased on the game. Quite the opposite, in fact -- the old-school MMOFPS has recently rolled out a massive patch aimed at a system-wide overhaul, one that we had a chance to talk with the development team about, and they're going even further with new additions via player-placed objects. Referred to as PPOs for short, the objects will allow characters to start altering the landscape they're fighting in via new temporary structures. It started with the addition of a Field Reinforcement Unit -- essentially a stationary version of the game's trucks, useful for reinforcements and freeing up the actual trucks for other tasks. With all the coding that went into making that function, it was a short step to making PPOs that allow infantry to reinforce their position via cover and temporary shielding. The full rundown of the feature, including a loose idea of what benefits will be provided (albeit without hard numbers) can be found here, which should provide many happy dreams for players of WWII Online: Battlefield Europe.
Exclusive WWII Online: Battleground Europe team interview
As we mentioned last week, WWII Online: Battleground Europe is still going strong. In fact, Playnet and Cornered Rat Software are on the verge of a massive update for the game. Update 1.31, currently in open beta, has been in the works for many months and is set to overhaul the graphics of this old-school MMOFPS. It might even give newer games a run for their money! We were lucky enough to sit down with several members of the Battleground Europe development team -- Amy-Lynn Engelbrecht, Dana Baldwin, and Geof Evans -- and fire off some questions about the visual overhaul, as well as a few questions about the weather -- that is, the game's new weather system, which will actually affect land and air conditions in PvP! Click past the break for our exclusive interview with the team!
A look at leveling in World of Tanks
World of Tanks is in a class by itself -- if you want to play a vehicle-based MMO focused around motorized armor units, there simply isn't another option available. And while there were more than a few jokes at the time of its announcement, successful games with a strong vehicle focus exist already. But the core of a game like this is going to be the vehicles themselves, both their diversity and their interesting traits to set each one apart from its peers. The developers have released the access trees for all three main nations in the game -- Germany, the USA, and the USSR -- giving hopeful players an idea of what they can use to thunder about the countryside. Spanning the period between World War II and the Korean War, the list is fairly exhaustive, showcasing the diversity of tanks on the battlefield. The German progression path even includes the Maus, an experimental tank of absurd size that should please fans of bizarre WWII machinery. And if rolling around in a two-story tank doesn't get you excited, well, you're probably not the target audience. All three progress charts can be found on the official site for World of Tanks.
World of Tanks rolls onto the MMO battlefield
Who needs a human avatar when you can just roll around in a tank all day? That's the idea behind World of Tanks, a new MMO wargame simulation that's putting players behind the pedals of over 130 tanks in World War II. While the game has just been announced, their website is already featuring a swath of in-game screenshots and their first contest -- design your own tank motto. Players can submit mottos for the tanks at large, or for specific models. If their motto is chosen, they'll win an unspecified gift from the World of Tanks crew. The game appears to be another hybrid title, meshing a tank simulation with an RPG, as you can upgrade and modify your tanks to your heart's desire. Up to 60 players can roll across an instance at once, and the game will feature a territory control system that sounds like Global Agenda's conquest mode. For all of your tank information, check out the game's main website. Also, because no post on tanks isn't complete without a bad pun, "Tanks for reading Massively.com."
One 'Order of War' comin' up Sept. 22
Square Enix's "first release of a Western-developed game outside of Japan," Order of War, serves up the World War II carnage and strategy starting September 22. The PC-only RTS is being developed by Wargaming.net and currently has a "Road to Paris" demo available for those who'd like an appetizer of the full experience. The game features two different campaign modes, along with multiplayer deathmatch and skirmish modes. No word yet if the main bad guy has gorgeous, flowing gray hair or if the protagonist is suffering from a case of amnesia, but is destined to win the war.%Gallery-50286%
Red Orchestra: Heroes of Stalingrad announced
We're as tired as anyone of our seemingly never-ending tour of duty in the Great War, Part Deux. Still, given the unconventional road Red Orchestra has traveled we're just a teensy bit curious what developer Tripwire Interactive has tucked inside its pit helmet. The Georgia-based studio has officially made known Red Orchestra: Heroes of Stalingrad, the sequel to 2006's Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45, itself based on the company's celebrated Unreal Tournament 2004 mod, Red Orchestra: Combined Arms. And, breathe.Heroes of Stalingrad will again find players seeking shelter in gun-pits as bullets fly between German and Soviet forces, this time during the historic and bloody Battle of Stalingrad. Setting expectations, Tripwire promises "gritty, vicious combat" and "unrivaled accuracy and attention to detail." While there will of course be multiplayer, the dev also notes players will lace up in the boots of a German soldier as part of a solo campaign told from the Axis point-of-view, something Tripwire claims as a "first" for the FPS genre. No release date has been announced, though armchair soldiers can find out more in the pages of May's PC Gamer.
Call of Duty: World at War ships off this November
For those of you looking to get your hands (or your Zapper) dirty in the Pacific theater, know that the Treyarch-developed Call of Duty: World at War will be hitting shelves this November, according to OnlytheGames. They're claiming an Activision PR rep divulged this info to them and we're inclined to believe it. November seems to be a good month to release games.Joystiq managed to pry a statement from Activision: "we haven't made any announcement about date other than fall of 2008." Oddly enough, November falls right into that timeframe.[Via Joystiq]
WWII Online: Battleground Europe to honor servicemen and women
World War 2 Online: Battleground Europe will be holding cease-fires today at 2 PM and 8 PM CST to honor the men and women who gave their lives during the actual World War II. This will mark the culmination of a week's worth of activities and events centered around the celebration of the game's seventh anniversary.The treats began on the 6th with seven days of free game time, and continued with events such as the veteran's brigade challenge on the 7th, and the best fighter pilot challenge on the 8th. The following days let players take arms against Cornered Rat employees in various locales, with the chance to win big prizes. Full details are available on their site.The cease-fire will last for 15 minutes and be held on the bridge at Dinant, and is open to all players, whether Axis or Allies.[Thanks, Al!]
Birds of Prey hunt the DS
European PC publisher 1C is trying its hand at the current-gen consoles and handhelds, including everything except the Wii in its latest venture, IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey. Browsing through 1C's resume, we didn't find anything of note, but the again we're not really in-the-know when it comes to PC gaming. If former endeavors are any indication of future performance, the fact that the company's previous IL-2 Sturmovik games rated well on Metacritic is a bit soothing. We'll be interested to see if 1C can translate its PC success onto the DS, although newbie DS developer DiP Interactive isn't the most confidence-inspiring of choices. As for the game's premise, IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey is a World War II flight simulator that lets the player engage in five airborne battles: The Battle of Britain, Stalingrad, Berlin, Sicily and Korsun.Since 1C is a European publisher, we're going to assume that this game is only for Europe until we hear differently.
Call of Duty 5 in 'new military theater', returns series to PS2 and Wii
Although we still don't know definitively who's developing Call of Duty 5 (rumors suggest Treyarch), Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith said the next game will be changing settings again. In a conference call yesterday (35:00 mark), he said, "We'll bring the intensity of the recent Call of Duty: Modern Warfare title to a new military theater." Also confirmed were plans to launch "on all four platforms we've participated on in fiscal 2008" -- that's Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows and DS -- as well as PS2 and Wii. We're hoping the "new military setting" isn't related to World War II as the recent Treyarch job listing suggested.
Sky Crawlers screens soar past our expectations
We have one word to describe Sky Crawlers: Gorgeous. Yes, looks aren't everything, but we're too busy mopping up our own drool to care about such technicalities. Also, since the game is being made by the same people behind Ace Combat, we're going to bet that the gameplay in this will be just fine. At the very least, the controls sound solid. Simply enough, you move your plane around with the Nunchuck, and then point and shoot with the Wiimote. The best shots of the game are in our gallery (below), but some more Famitsu screens are posted after the break. So, click away if you're looking for some nice Wii eye-candy.*Note: The pictures look best when viewed in their full resolution, so make sure to click here to see them in their glory. If you prefer, you can also click on the "Hi Res" button in the gallery.%Gallery-18921%
Ace Combat team making Wii flight sim
Click for larger version. Remove Petit Copter from the equation, and pickings are awfully slim when it comes to Wii flight sims. So what's a budding Biggles to do? Pray for a Wii update to the absolutely flawless* Pilotwings 64? Well, that's one option (and something we do on a daily basis anyway), but Bandai Namco is hoping to provide another in the form of Sky Crawlers, a flight game based on an animated film that's to be released on August 2nd in Japan.The latest edition of Famitsu has the first shots of the title, in which the Wiimote doubles up as your throttle, and the nunchuk is used to steer. Even though the film is based on a fantastical premise -- youngsters fighting a war organized by adults as a form of entertainment -- the game features realistic visuals.In summary, we're keen to see more of this, particularly as it's developed by the same team behind the Ace Combat series. With any luck, we'll be able to banish the craptacular likes of Wing Island from our memories forever.* Seriously, don't argue with me here. Like, seriously. I have maimed for less.
New Battlefield Heroes trailer hits the beach
When last we heard, there was no other information about the upcoming casual MMO Battlefield Heroes other than 'It's in development'. Well, now we have more -- a lot more.According to the trailer, BH is completely free to download and play, features full leveling of your character, a matching service that ensures that you only play against others of your level, an overarching 'metagame' to measure your progress against, and it's still slated for a Summer release.It's worth checking out the website for the developer blog, as anyone who's interested in how a game like this comes together will find items of interest both now and going forward. Perhaps our earlier question about whether or not the WWII setting will feel limiting is mitigated by the fact that for all intents and purposes, you'll be playing an olive drab colored online version of Mario Kart. [Via Joystiq]
