:: DEEP SPACE
What this means is that the developer has made all premium areas free to access. Now anyone can quest, loot grind, or pointlessly emote in each of the six exclusive zones (Sandstone Caves, Skeller's Return, Croc Feud, Frozen Nightmares, Shadow Caves, and Wyldwood). Those who've dropped some cash to access these areas already have no need to fret. All players who have paid to unlock these environments will be getting a special in-game vanity helm (the Frozen Crown of Gratitude) to lord over all those plebeians who didn't show their support monetarily. Similarly, everyone will be able to purchase a special 2012 Anniversary hat during the event which can bestow tiny clones of itself atop the heads of those who wave to the original wearer.
Star Legends users haven't been forgotten either. Bird, Elf, and Bear "Bobble Head" masks will be available throughout the week-long celebration. Anyone curious to see what all the fuss is about, get back to a game they might have been absent from for a while, or might just be between marathon sessions can check out both MMOs for absolutely free. Just act fast if oddball hats are a priority. The festivities will only last through the end of next week.
This is a synchronous MMO game, with social elements. Players can build gardens and fight zombies. It's two mega-popular gaming trends all rolled up into one package! Players can design their home gardens in their own designs, and plant defenses to ward off zombies and other players. The game is based off of real-world maps, but it is not particularly location-based, as it's possible to go to any location and operate there. The game is currently locked in to the continental United States only, but this is because of ongoing work to expand the servers. According to Self Aware Games' Seppo Helava when I spoke with him at GDC, some users once tried to walk from the US to Madagascar. The servers did not handle this well. Hopefully soon, this dream will be realized. Until then, the iPhone update for Fleck Touch is available now.
It’s by no means a done deal, says Lagrave, speaking to Eurogamer,
"Here's your platform, you've got to put an interface, what do you do? So yes we have [looked into mobile] and we always are. Maybe we'll stumble on the great way to put WoW on the phone - maybe we won't, but we're certainly looking into it.”
As we’ve all come to expect from Blizzard, they won’t release an iOS port until they’re confident it meets the same quality and upholds their reputation,
"We won't do it until we think it's decent...When we have an epiphany, everyone will know...but for now, no epiphany!”
There are Blizzard apps currently on the App Store, one specifically for World of Warcraft. The World of Warcraft Mobile Armory allows players to access stats, calculate talents, access the Auction House, and more. Blizzard also has a mobile authenticator app to help protect accounts.
Is World of Warcraft what Blizzard should really be focusing on for an iOS port? There are plenty of great RTS games on the App Store, but imagine a Starcraft or Warcraft port to iOS.
:: THE DONIt's a little bit dark, it's a little bit sexy, it's the first teaser trailer for the upcoming MMORPG, Dark Legends. This MMMORPG (mobile massively multiplayer online role playing game - you heard it here first, folks --Ed.) centers on secret factions of vampires, werewolves, demons, and the humans trying to exterminate these undead threats. The player plays a recently awakened vampire under the direction of the vampire that turned them in a fight for survival against the human mobs that have recently been alerted to the existence of the undead.
The trailer doesn't reveal much in the way of gameplay, but it does set a certain tone for the upcoming game. Dark Legends is being developed by Spacetime Studios, who also developed the critically acclaimed MMOs Star Legends and Pocket Legends. Dark Legends is set for release sometime in the first quarter of this year for iOS, Android, and Chrome. Take a look at the teaser trailer below to get an idea of what's in store.
Dark Legends is set in a world ripe with conflict. The existence of vampires has only recently been acknowledged and the vast majority of humanity is rather... displeased upon hearing the news. This isn't one of those "trying to find a peaceful coexistence" kind of scenarios; the non-vampire population is aiming to wipe out the blood-sucking "menace." It's kind of like True Blood, only if the majority of the human population was as quick to judge as that weirdo church/cult.
Players take control of a newly raised child of the night as they attempt to survive in this hostile new world and unravel its mysteries. And when I say "unravel its mysteries," I mean exactly that. Dark Legends will be much more story-focused than Spacetime's previous offerings, allowing players a more personal look into the narrative along with some Quick-Time Events during some cutscenes. That's not to say that the combat hasn't been tweaked as well. Fighting is definitely action-oriented, giving players some new abilities such as draining enemies (a given) and charge attacks.
Dark Legends is still missing a concrete release date, but it's penned for the "first quarter of 2012." So soon. Soon-ish, anyway. It's also going to be available for Android, Google Chrome and (of course) iOS users right from the get-go.
:: OBEY THE FIST
:: FLAWEDThe hype for the first free to play mobile MMO, Conquer Online, continues to build. Not content with there being just one sneak preview trailer, a new trailer detailing more information about the gameplay within Conquer Online has been released.
Gameplay looks like it's been optimized pretty well for the iPad with touch based controls working well and keeping action easy to get to grips with. Hopefully the graphics will remain as fast paced and lag free as depicted here. The social features have also been expanded upon with the potential to dance, chat, hug and kiss other players in order to develop friendships, love or even marriage in the game world.
Only time will tell how Conquer Online fares on the iPad but with the promise of being the first free to play MMO and the already solid userbase of 10 million fans of the game, it's looking pretty good.
Conquer Online will be released later this Fall.
Star Legends, nee The Blackstar Chronicles, is by SpaceTime Studios, makers of the highly regarded Pocket Legends MMO. This new game, set in a fantastic scifi universe, promises to bring the same seamless massively multiplayer action to a whole new genre and audience, improving upon an already successful MMO system. There is a ton of backstory and a whole new universe of content planned for the game, so we're hoping for a nice long run of it. When we previewed the game at GDC, there were tons of art and backstory hung on almost every wall of the suite we met with the dev and PR team, making our inner scifi geeks squee with delight.
Here's the description form the team's Facebook page. Can it get any more exciting!?
The doors of the UCS Blackstar will soon open to privateers who have come to make their fortunes and fame, perhaps at the expense of their very lives! Rumors abound that the residents of UCS Blackstar have discovered an alien presence on a nearby colony. Seeing an opportunity to turn a quick profit, countless privateers leap into action to carve out their fate among the stars.
There was a delay in getting the iOS version of the game out, as the Android version has been out for quite a while.
The iOS version is a Universal app, and is available right now in the App store for free. Various in-app purchases are available, though if Pocket Legends is any guide, they should not be necessary for gameplay. Stay tuned here for our full review soon.
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Grinding our way through the latest iOS genre darling, Freemium games, is becoming somewhat of a turn off. There may or may not be a backlash to the developers or their games, but I'm feeling a definite slacking off in my interest in these types of games.
First off, let's be clear on what freemium even means. Wikipedia defines the term as " a business model that works by offering a basic product or service free of charge (such as software, web services or other) while charging a premium for advanced features, functionality, or related products and services."
In the iOS app world, and more specifically, the gaming app world, Freemium has been hailed as the next big thing for companies wishing to make money. Some developers I spoke with at GDC seemed to think that the entirety of the iOS gaming market was going to a Fremium model, though I tend to agree with Tracy Erickson over at Pocket Gamer, who posits that Freemium games will continue to be a successful niche of the gaming market, and not be the whole of iOS gaming's future.
Rather than repeat what better minds have already covered, I'd like to focus on the consumer end of the equation. As an avid gamer across all platforms, I've seen my share of games. And, to be honest, Freemium as a business model doesn't inspire me to play a game. The ephemeral "fun" factor is, however, something that motivates me. I'm assuming it will motivate other players as well.
What is it, though, about this mechanic that turns me off? The artificiality of it, for one thing, bugs me. When I invade in ZombieFarm, I have to wait another couple of hours before I can invade again. Or, of course, I can go ahead and purchase an upgrade for a invasion recharge. This isn't fun. Another thing that bothers me is the continual reminders. I stopped playing We Rule and GodFinger mainly due to the constant notifications. I don't need more things telling me that I have to take care of them. I have children and pets for that, thank you very much. I don't want to feel obligated to launch a game - don't we all have enough obligations in our lives?
When are we going to see a Freemium game that isn't like this? Where's the incredible gaming experience that is free or low cost to enter, but then offers thrilling and fun gaming experiences? Where's the World Of Goo Freemium? The Rolando Freemium (oh, yeah, they couldn't figure it out)? The Flight Control Freemium?
Like most difficult questions, I don't believe this one has a definitive answer. We need the premium, buy once, play forever games as well as the free to play, mechanical freemium games as well. But we also need something new, if the freemium model isn't to crush itself under its own weight and continued copy-cat-ism that reigns in the space. Who's gonna step up? Will it be you? Let us know in the comments.
:: MASSIVE :: AWESOME :: Read Review »
Pocket Legends, while a game with its own growing pains, has become a definite hit on the iOS scene, boasting a huge fantasy styled MMO that just works, and works well. The company has released updates and expansions consistently since the apps original launch.
Blackstar is their next big project for mobile devices, utilizing the original science fiction IP from the original contract with NCSoft (all legally and above board, so users need not fear it getting shut down). Blackstar is be a global, cross platform MMO with an epic storyline and an equally impressive art pedigree: some of the concept artists went on to work on TRON: The Movie. What we were able to play of the game showed us a similar control style as Pocket Legends, on both iOS and Android devices, with a planned PC client in the near future, if all goes according to plan. Spacetime Studios will launch the game as a free to play MMO with 15% of the planned gameplay ready for launch, which equates to three separate zones with rapid leveling systems, quests, and character customization. They plan to release the game in Q2 20011.
My own reaction to the game ranged from awe at the fully fleshed out science fiction universe, high end conceptual artwork, and a thrill at the potential of playing this thing on any device I might potentially own or come into contact during the day. The play build we saw was not production level by any means, but it ran smoothly, connected to the Blackstar servers across three different devices in the room, and controlled in a very familiar way, since I've played Pocket Legends since it first came out. I have only the best of hopes for this game, as it can only get better from here.
Enjoy the below screenshots and stay tuned right here for more details as we get them.
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The Witcher is an incredibly popular PC RPG franchise, and now Chillingo is hoping to bring that popularity to iOS. The company has announced a partnership with developer one2tribe which will see The Witcher Versus landing on the App Store in the near future. The game will be based on the browser-based title of the same name which was also developed by one2tribe.
“The Witcher franchise is one of the industry’s most popular PC RPG games and we are proud to collaborate with one2tribe to bring this new version of the browser-based MMO dueling title to the iPhone and iPod touch,” said Joe Wee, Co-General Manager of Chillingo. “We aim to provide consumers with a variety of game genres to choose from and The Witcher: Versus shines as one of our best MMO titles to date.”
Neither Chillingo nor one2tribe have offered any details on pricing or a potential release date, and they also haven't stated if there are any plans to create an iPad version of the game. We'll make sure to keep an eye out for any new info as it becomes available.
The announcement should be welcome news to iPhone and iPod owners at the least, because if the same level of care goes into creating the mobile version as it does the computer and browser-based editions of the game then we're in for a real treat. This is definitely a title to keep on your radar moving forward.
