Monthly Archives: January 2011

Rusty Hearts

Do you ever think of playing a hack-slash game on your PC while sharing the thrill of dungeon crawling with all your friends? Rusty Hearts is calling all of today’s PC gamers to join a fast paced action, multiplayer online experience with anime-inspired visuals. Unleash devastating sets of combo attacks as you fight your way through an army of vampires and monsters!

Face Lord Vlad, leader of the vampire armies, as he wages war against humans and half-Vampires alike to carve a pure-blooded future. Will you make a stand against Vlad and his fanatical followers?

Features

  • STYLIZED GRAPHICS

Cel-shaded characters, beautiful background and seamless cut scenes

 

  • MEET UNIQUE HEROES
    • Angela – a sassy witch specialist of elemental magic
    • Tude – a mysterious, monstrous past and a clear taste for close range melee weapons
    • More to come…

 

  • BEAT EM UP EVOLVED

Fast twitch combat with fast and furious combos that determine your survival

 

  • EPIC DUNGEON CRAWLING BATTLES

Engage a wide variety of bosses with 4 difficulty levels

 

  • PLAYER VERSUS PLAYER (PvP)

Various PvP to suit every taste including Arena, Guild Battle, Tournament System and more

 

  • CONTROLLER SUPPORT

Optimized to work with any PC gamepad

City of Heroes MetaÂ’s Verse: Producer’s Letter 1.0

City of Heroes Meta’s Verse: Producer’s Letter 1.0

 

Something new was started on January 10th, 2011. A monthly letter from the Producer to us, the fans and loyal minions. A lot was covered in this short letter and at the same time it seems like they’ve done nothing more than say thanks and to inform everyone that more is coming.

 

First, before the letter even began we were given an introduction to our new Producer, Nate Birkholz, aka Second Measure. Jesse Caceres, aka Ghost Falcon announced he would be joining the suits on the Business team with the introduction of Second Measure who is stepping into his job.

 

The letter started talking about all the new things that had come out recently. The new animations, the new art, the characters…well the list could go on forever. Needless to say if you haven’t noticed anything new in City of Heroes recently you haven’t been playing. “…early this year, we’re going to be giving you a pretty “wild” new look, and later this year we’ll turn up the pressure.” I’m not really sure what either of these mean but I’m excited about it! Wild can never be a bad thing. And the number of things it could refer to have left me sitting here wasting fifteen minutes while I gleefully think of the possibilities. (My favourite is the animal booster pack…or maybe its something more to do with Praetorian Devouring Earth…anyway.) Woo! New stuff! Turning up the pressure…I honestly have no idea what that could possibly mean. Still, all around exciting stuff!

 

City of Heroes Lmbda Sector MMORPG

 

You can’t talk about the future of the game without discussing the next upcoming issues. Which sadly weren’t named yet. But we did get a general idea of what would be in them. In Issue 20 we will see Incarnate trials which will open up the next levels of Incarnateness. And Issue 21 will continue storylines that have already been started. I think I speak for a large population of City of Heroes when I say I hope that means Praetoria.

 

The second most exciting news to come the letter (no I haven’t said the first yet) is that the Rare and Very Rare tiers of the Alpha slot will be released in “just a few short weeks.” For anyone who eats up new content the moment it comes out this is exciting news as we’ve now had the first to tiers of the Alpha slot for some time now and we’re ready for more! Yep, this means more task forces and Hamidon raids.

 

Good news for anyone who plays more than one NCsoft game and well everyone else too really. City of Heroes will be added to the NCsoft Launcher. This will bring improvements in downloading the game and the updates. Anyone who has had to download the client more than once can tell you that this is a blessing. It will also bring the various communities closer together. There is no release date on this so mark it in your calendar as a “SoonTM

 

Due to popular demand more information will be released about the Praetorian Hamidon at PAX East this year. That’s mid March for anyone who is wanting to keep track. Maybe now we can finally find out about the random tentacles that can be spotted beyond the borders of Praetoria. Or where that mysterious road, the only road out of Praetoria leads to. I for one will be watching the news coming out of PAX for this in particular.

 

Because 2010 was such a busy year with so many things going on it seemed like the crew had stopped paying attention. This simply wasn’t the case, and it’s the New Years Resolution of everyone to be more vocal on the forums. This really is the best outlet for getting yourself heard. And now, maybe if you’re lucky and have been a good boy or girl you’ll get a red name answering your post.

Even More Lambda Sector City of Heroes MMORPG

As this letter will be a monthly thing, Second Measure is asking that you, me and even little Snuflé go on the forums and say what you’d like to see in future letters. This is an exciting new way to keep in touch with the people who are making our second home a place that we all might just move to and make our only homes. Sure, who needs real life anyway, right?

 

The Seventh Anniversary of City of Heroes will be here soon. Of course we didn’t get told anything about it other than the fact that it will be this Spring. But you know what, that’s ok. I am ok with not knowing something. Because, what I’ve saved for last, what is my number one absolute best thing about this letter is…..

 

Double XP Weekend has been announced for January 27th-31st.

 

Yep, that’s a Thursday to a Monday. I really do love how the folks at Paragon Studios define a weekend. I wish I could get weekends off like that! So get planning now folks!

 

If you want to read the whole letter or even post some ideas on the forums go to http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=249579

 

Meta - City of Heroes MMORPG

Meta’s Verse is written by Meticulous Meta who lives in Atlas Park with her dog Snuflé

Player Beats Perfect World International, Hits Level Cap For Free!

Player Beats Perfect World International, Hits Level Cap For Free!

 

Perfect World announced that the 105 level cap in its flagship mmo, Perfect World International, has been achieved. As a testament to the free-to-play model, the character who reached this milestone did so without the use of real world money, instead opting to trade with other players.

 

“While reaching level 105 is a milestone for Perfect World International , doing so without spending a dime is a testament to the name free-to-play,” said Jonathan Belliss, Director of Marketing for Perfect World Entertainment Inc. “Perfect World Entertainment’s games are designed to be truly free-to-play and when compared to subscription-based games, offers players the best entertainment value available on the market today.”


Perfect World announced that the 105 level cap in its flagship mmo, Perfect World International, has been achieved.

 

Perfect World Entertainment is committed to providing all players with new and unique online gaming experiences on an ongoing basis and recently unveiled details on its latest Perfect World International expansion. Perfect World International: Genesis will offer a plethora of new content for players to enjoy, even after the level cap.

Martial Empires: Balancing Has Been Improved

Martial Empires: Balancing Has Been Improved

At the end of 2010, gamigo, the publisher of the MMORPG Martial Empires, asked its players what they thought the game’s strengths and weaknesses were. That survey showed that the main points of criticism were the speed of leveling and the balance between the difficulty of a quest and its reward. This invaluable feedback has now been implemented in the latest update.

 

Martial Empires Balanced MMORPG PvP PvE

The first result is that enemy HP has been adjusted and the speed of leveling increased by 10-30% in some level steps. Players will now also receive considerably better rewards in the form of gold and items. This will fix the issue that lower-level players were unable to pay the high prices for healing and mana potions. Finally, skills now require between 10% and 50% less mana, regardless of level.

More adjustments will apparently follow in the coming weeks. We ran a review not so long ago of ME. See what we thought of the game back then.

Information about the game can be found on the official website.

Top 10 Silly MMO Facts

Top 10 Silly MMO Facts

By Kei Beneza (dividelife), OnRPG Journalist

 

Since the dawn of MMO time, silliness has spawned from different  MMO worlds. Whether it’s the war-filled plains of Novus or the adventurous land of Azeroth, no one is safe from the absurdity and wackyness of the MMO genre. It’s not just something that has been started by the MMO community but by the games themselves. What are you waiting for? Check it out!

 

10). The Blacksmith Is A Scammer And Is Always Low On Supplies

Yes, poor Mr. BlackSmith. Although he IS the resident smith and has been there much longer than any player in the game, he always seems to be out of supplies and can only offer a set of cheap common items at a steep price (what a rip-off). I understand that the world is going through some rough times, but why must he order everyone to get the materials he needs just to be able to craft an item? The fact is that players are often better at smithing than the resident blacksmith. Maybe he should just give it up and work as a town guard, because those people are useless aesthetics to begin with.

 

Blacksmith MMORPG Top 10 Facts Silly

 

9). The Town Hero Is Nothing But A Bum Who Orders People Around

Each MMORPG has their own respective Hero. Whether it’s RF Online’s Lothan III, WoW’s King Varian, or LOTRO’s Aragorn, the only thing they’re capable of is staying in one place saying quotes over and over again. If they are really the epic warriors they claim to be, why don’t they take matters into their own hands and aid the soldiers (players) in battle? They also seem to enjoy ordering people around, asking them to slay dragons and battle ogres that they themselves won’t have a problem beating. Lazy bums.

 

8). That Hot Elven Chick Is A Guy

If you enjoy hitting on every hot bloodelf or darkelf out there, I just want you to know that unless you hear them talk on voice servers, there is a 98% chance that these destructive babes are guys (better known as Chicks with Eggs). If a heavily armored babe rescues you from a pack of renegade gankers, don’t fall in love just yet, because you might be in for an epic trap LOL. Here’s a tip: If they ask you to do quests, there is a 50% chance that they’re real women. If they say “Let’s pwn sum nubz” then don’t hesitate to call them dudes :)). Remember, girls only like playing as elves, high-elves, night-elves, white-elves, dark-elves, and blood-elves :3

 

MMO Silly Facts WoW Elves

7). More Skin Means Stronger Characters

This by far is one of the most senseless features in MMO history. How exactly does less steel and more skin be stronger and much more expensive than the regular non-stylish-but-highly-protective gear? If that’s the case, then it would probably be wise to just enter a dungeon in your underwear. It IS logical, yes? Better yet, if more skin and less armor makes you stronger, then why not go all the way and just go nude?

 

More Skin Means Stronger Characters

6). Elves Mass Produce Like Crazy

Have you ever played an MMO that features an elven race without seeing nine to ten elves every minute? I guess not. It seems that a high percentage of newbies really want to look cute and sexy, hence the elven population. Whether they are bloodelves, dark elves, white elves, broze elves, or whatever, you are bound to see a lot of them in almost every MMO.  Storywise, elves are hot to begin with, so I’m not really wondering how they managed to mass produce like crazy.  I’m just saying that if other races want to be played, then they seriously need to consult their dermathologist for a scheduled facelift, or better yet, plastic surgery :)).

 

Elves Mass Produce Like Crazy MMORPG

 

5). The Cuter The Characters, The Darker The Story

Sometimes, I just can’t help but wonder why MMOs with cutesy characters often share the same melancholic background. How do these characters stay cute and perky with all the death and destruction going on? Here’s something I got from Luna Online…

 

Lunar Online

“The race of the Demons had unleashed their incredible power to solve their problems, causing unending violence. Families were torn apart, friendships had gone awry, and relationships turned sour. You can never be too sure who to trust.”

 

Families torn apart? Unending violence? Jeez, the next time I encounter a cutesy character in games like Luna Online and Dragonica, I will be sure to give them a pat on the back. It’s just so depressing, and I’m sure everyone of them needs a shoulder to cry on 🙁

 

4). Eight out of Ten People Do NOT Use Non-HP and Non-Mana Potions

Congratulations! You just picked up a stamina potion thats grants you +3 dex for 3 hours! What? You’re selling it? Weird enough, the MMO world gives you tons of items that most people find irrelevant. Sometimes I find myself wondering if these items are just there for fillers. Kind of like what those fire, cure, and thunder spells are in Japanese RPGs. They are there, but noone really uses them. Well, at least they’re worth a couple of coins :P.

 

3). Sephiroth Is In Every MMO And Server

Here’s a fun fact… Before playing an MMO, me and my crew would usually check if the name Sephiroth is still available. After reviewing tons of MMOs, we never found an MMO that lets us hog the name for laughs.

 

Sephiroth MMORPG, Final Fantasy

Here’s a good example: http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/search?q=Sephiroth%20&f=wowcharacter

 

Although we were unable to meet the infamous One-winged-Elf/Dranei/Darkelf/Human/Tauren/Hobbit/Orc/Dwarf/Warforged/Angel ingame, we managed to meet one of his clones (someone named “Sepheroth”). Sepheroth was actually pretty nice despite us laughing like hell on the other side of the monitor. Things also started to get interesting when his friend “Cloudd” logged in next to him :)). After enduring a series of “Sup Sephee” and “Yo”s from us, the One-winged-Elf/Dranei/Darkelf/Human/Tauren/Hobbit/Orc/Dwarf/Warforged/Angel decided to call it quits and ran off with his best-bud-ebar.

 

2). The First Requirement To Be An MMO Hero Is To Kill Defenseless Creatures

Sometimes I wonder if MMO Heroes are really heroes. First of all, they kill and loot defenseless creatures upon starting their aventure. Wouldn’t Porings (Ragnarok Online) be better off as pets? The WWF (World Wildlife Foundation) will definitely get their hands full if they enter the MMO world. In World of Warcraft, an Orc’s first quest is to kill 6 poor boars just to be able to recieve their next objective. How barbaric! It’s not like they plan to eat these pigs; instead, they kill them for sport :(. Maybe they should make these monsters look a bit more menacing, just to justify the fact that they are to be butchered mercilessly by newbs :((.

 

Platewearer MMO Silly Facts

1). Silly names mean SERIOUS business

And finally, we have my personal favorite. On a normal basis, a character with the name “IPWNNUBZ” will technically OWN a character named “Azgald”. This fact also applies to guilds, as I have seen countless guilds with absurd names like “DaddyLongLegs” clear dungeons without fail, while serious guilds like “ChildrenoftheMoon” and “DarkScions” ragequits like there’s no tomorrow. I myself am not sure as to why characters and guilds with silly names function extemely well both as a unit and as an individual. I guess you’ll just have to join one to find out.

 

MMO Silly Facts WoW

 

Not Enough?

I know I wasn’t able to name all, but I only had space for 10  of them. I’m sure everyone of you have your own silly stuff to tell, but I hope I managed to tickle some bones with this. Thanks for reading :).

Extensive Changes to NADIRIM Following The Start of Closed Beta.

Extensive Changes to NADIRIM Following The Start of Closed Beta.

 

Four weeks after the successful start of the Nadirim closed beta, Digital Reality and Twisted Tribe have announced work on a new version of the browser-based, free-to-play MMORPG. The extensive planned changes will affect almost every aspect of the game: the server, the client, the main quests, the combat system, the graphics, the zones, and other features which have not yet been implemented in the current beta test.

 

The Nadirim team has also decided to suspend registrations for the closed beta on the official website starting immediately. Those who already applied for the testing will receive their keys in waves, based on the time of their registration. In the current version, the only new content to be added is a third, brand-new zone, Zenithar, the capital of the Empire, opening for testers in January. All other resources will be focused on the continuing development of the new and improved version, in order to complete the work as quickly as possible.

 

‘The current version is good, all feedback from the closed beta testers and media representatives were overwhelmingly positive, however we truly believe we can make it even better. We want to create a virtual world that will not only enthrall players for a long time, but will also meet their high expectations,’ explains András Peller, CEO of Digital Reality.

 

Nadirim is a browser-based, free-to-play MMORPG, which places players in a fantasy world full of Arabian myths and fabulous creatures, inspired by the tales of the 1001 Nights.

 

More information can be found on the official web site at www.nadirim.com.

Mythos Europe: Best of the Quest

Mythos Europe: Best of the Quest

 

The lovely Mythos Europe team over at Frogster have sent us the following update on questing in Mythos:

 

The Mythos quest system lets players play a part in the story of the first worldwide hack ‘n’ slash MMO. The many diverse quests can be carried out either by plucky lone adventurers, or in groups of up to five players. There are rewards to be had in the form of abundant experience points, or special items which will also enable faster levelling.

 

Simply the quest

To fulfil the quests players can enter gloomy dungeons to teach monsters the meaning of fear, or travel the fantasy laden world of “Uld” to search for raw materials. On their travels players can also complete errands, save NPCs or use special abilities to dispatch nasty boss monsters. Since manufacturing items is also a component of many quests, products from the virtual blacksmith’s hammer can be crafted from either gathered or looted raw materials. Successfully completed quests will earn adventurers some useful rewards and also valuable objects handed over by the grateful NPC population. Through the experience points they receive at the same time, players not only increase the value of their inventory, and also move on more quickly to the next level.

 

The Mythos quest system lets players play a part in the story of the first worldwide hack 'n' slash MMO.

 

For those for whom experience points or valuable armour and weapon components aren’t enough, they ought to keep an eye on the numerous factions in the game. This is where the player can take on special tasks in order to raise their reputation within a faction. Once the player has achieved a certain level, they then gain access to special merchants who can offer them a range of exclusive and powerful items.

RIFT Beta Event First Impressions

RIFT Beta Event First Impressions
By Tully Ackland, OnRPG Editor

 

RIFT is on the radar of the majority of MMO gamers out there right now and you don’t have to look too far to be swamped by player’s first impressions of the game. So here I am to add to that ever increasing list to give my two cents on what I’ve seen so far.

 

RIFT Choose your Origin MMORPG

If you’ve played Warhammer Online you’ll have a familiar feeling starting up in RIFT. This isn’t a negative per-say. Warhammer nailed many aspects of early environmental and atmospheric tones in the starter zones and RIFT takes inspiration from that quite clearly. While many out there will compare the two games and make similarities in a negative fashion. I’ll be avoiding such comments as the most important factor is: Has it been conducted correctly?

 

RIFT Character Select MMORPG

RIFT takes the medal for most complete and polished post-release of a MMO that I’ve ever seen. I participated in the BETA events as a Druid/Warden/Justicer in an attempt to recreate my most beloved class from Dark Age of Camelot, the Friar. RIFT’s Soul System (Which is the process of selecting classes) is a fantastic take on the tired old repeated class choices featured in most games today. It allows the player to tailor character creation to their own preferred play style. Of course it goes without saying that there will be cookie cutter builds bound to pop up and it will be a tough job for Trion to ensure that no specific Soul choices will be miles beyond the rest.

 

RIFT Talent Tree MMORPG

Spending the weekend moving through the starter areas was a pleasure with a clean User Interface and spectacular character animations adding to the overall experience. Graphically RIFT is dark and dirty. In a good way, she might not have the extremely high polygon count of Aion but by no means is it an ugly looking game.

 

RIFT Posing MMORPG

In RIFT there are events called rifts (I know, just stay with me), and these are Trion Worlds’ take on Public Quests with a twist: Dynamic events which give you the feeling your making a difference in the world, it is here where a firm opinion of the game will start take place and mine was an exceptionally good one. It felt extremely engaging defending a city against an invasion with a group of fellow players.

 

RIFT Undead Decapitation MMORPG

I’m well aware that PvP is what the majority of people looking at the game are interested in the most right now and I’m afraid my initial impressions were rather neutral. While fighting against Players in any game is an exciting experience in RIFT you can already see the severe impact that poor class balancing will have on the entire game if Trion don’t regularly tweak soul combinations. It’s far too early for me to say at this point; as I’m sure the experience is entirely different at a higher level.

 

I’m keeping an eye open for RIFT’s retail launch, it’s a game that doesn’t make promises to change MMOs forever but is a good candidate to house another of my virtual lives.  With launch just around the corner, it won’t be long to see if this is a world where I can grow roots.

Genesis AD Review: Twitch Based Shooting is Making a Comeback?

Genesis AD Review: Twitch Based Shooting is Making a Comeback?
By Michael Sagoe (mikedot), OnRPG Journalist

 

Remember twitch based first person shooters like Quake 3 Arena and Unreal Tournament? With the simple concept of FPSs centering on fast reactions and accuracy, they were the kings of LAN parties and the rulers of PC tournament gaming.  But nowadays, mainstream gamers would rather play a slow and “tactical” shooter like Call of Duty: Modern Whatever.

 

Every other twitch based shooter released between now and then hasn’t been spectacular enough to make gamers relive the good ‘ol days, but that’s not going to ijji from bringing out a new one.  Genesis AD is a multiplayer shooter with a distinct sci-fi theme. While it brings popular features found in both shooting games of now and then, will it be enough to make for a unique and long last experience?

 

Starting Out

Your tour of duty in Genesis AD starts with typing in your desired player name and heading straight for the tutorial. As with any PC FPS game, you’ll move with the WSAD keys, jump with the space bar and fire with your mouse buttons. You’ll also be shown how to boost, cloak yourself and make use of your handy dandy blaster knife. The tutorial ends off with a battle against a couple of alien creeps that go down real easy. All this will take you no less than five minutes.

 

Genesis AD Lobby

Main lobby

 

After the tutorial, you’ll be dropped into the lobby where you can chat, search or create games, browse   shop/inventory menus and tweak settings. The amount of game types at your disposal is pretty average but still adequate. You have your standard team deathmatch, the ever popular bombing run mode a la Counter Strike, a sniper/knife only mode and a CTF mode. Bumming around in the shop will let you choose between several different weapons, armors and equipment, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. There’s also a tune up system where you can tweak some of your weapons with a couple of enhancements such as scopes or grenade launchers.

 

 

 

Gameplay

 

Before starting a match, you have a choice between three playable classes: Assaults serve as front line soldiers with exclusive access to assault rifles and shotguns, snipers can bring sniper rifles along with them to pick off enemies from afar and suppliers can play the role of support units with scanning helmets and energy cannons that can heal teammates.

 

Genesis AD’s core gameplay handles like just about every FPS out there but keeps things frantic like twitch shooters of old. Running and gunning in Genesis AD isn’t going to be enough.  You’ll also have to double tap the strafe keys to perform dodge jumps and perform wall hops using the spacebar. Both assault and supplier classes can also make use of booster jetpacks that will hurl your character straight forward over moderate distances by double tapping forward.

 

Genesis AD

 

While snipers can’t use boosters, they can use cloaking suits to move around with near invisibility and radar stealth.  Whenever your character gets killed in battle, you can switch between classes during before you respawn.

 

I’m fond of how backpack equipment and movement abilities are all taxed by energy points and stamina, so any movement techniques are kept in check. Energy points can be regained by defeating enemy players while stamina recovers automatically during cooldown periods after use.

 

Presentation

 

Even with the visuals set to max, the game looks like a dated Source engine shooter.  I wasn’t too fond of the character modesl with their animations looking stiff, but at least they all have wacky ragdoll physics whenever they get blasted, which tends to hilarious to watch. Oh, and there’s gibs! Yeah, remember those? Well this game has ’em!

 

Genesis AD

Good ‘ol fashion ragdolls death

 

The radio command voice overs were poorly done here, because they sound as they’ve been voiced by some guy trying to imitate Buzz Lightyear. There’s not much memorable music to listen to, except for a dramatic lobby tune that I kind of wish played during matches.

 

My Thoughts

Some of my favorite things about the game include the small touches with movement such as bunny hoping after boosting or dodge jumping to retain your speed. Boosting, dodging and wall hoping all give the game quick pacing while making map knowledge an important factor towards skill curve. I fell in love with how useful blaster knives are in this game: The secondary attack used with blaster knives emit a green blast of energy that can take out enemy players in one hit whenever you’re in close range, but that same energy blast, when pointed at the ground, can be used to perform a high jump as well as a fall breaker from tall heights when timed correctly.

Genesis AD

There’s a huge lack of content available at the moment, with only two maps to play on per game modes and very few weapons and equipment to pick out, which is strange since there was so much more available in the previous tests.

 

Genesis AD follows the trend that most free-to-play shooting games have and my biggest pet peeves with MMOs in general: Timed items. All the items in the shop can only be kept for certain amounts of time (30 days being the longest),  forcing you to play for considerable amounts of time just to make sure you’ll have enough in-game money to buy it back the next time you play.

 

Since many elements in Genesis AD are already found in other FPS titles, a lot of the systems aren’t particularly fleshed out, such as the class system where the only differences between classes is what weapons they can bring along with them when matches begin. Plus game modes do not have any unique spins on them so they’re pretty average.

 

Conclusion

While Genesis AD may not be the major throwback to those twitch based shooters that I’ve enjoyed so much back in the day, it is certainly a fun game to pick up and play every now and then. While I can’t see a real competitive scene getting behind this one, give Genesis AD a try if you’re getting tired off all those modern shooters out there.

 

Pros:

Fast, twitch based action

Three available character classes

District sci-fi theme

Gibs!

 

Cons:

Unimpressive visuals

Timed equipment

Average game modes

Class system lacks depth