Melting World Online showed off their Early Access footage, where dozens of mechs can be picked for tactical battles, where you can play alone or with a team up to 4 players in duels and PVP arenas. There is also a team of hired pilots to pick from, where you can develop and improve their skills and perks. Not to mention hundreds of equipment items, and paints to customize your Battle Mechs.
Monthly Archives: June 2018
Insane Robots Impressions
by Jason “Evil Robot Master” Parker (Ragachak)
I love a good card game, but the real tedious part is all the farming to create, craft, and crack packs to get the cards. That’s where “Insane Robots” has all those games beat. It’s less of a card game and more of a card battler. Those cards you use you just have access to, and are ultimately a means to an end. They are your attacks, defense items, how you hack and plot against the other robots who are just trying to stay alive. But if you are to live, they must perish; that’s the law of the land. The game was initially created with a pile of old business cards, and the developers at Playniac took inspiration from digital and physical means to create this card battler that has all the stuff I love (tactical gameplay, fun robots knocking the screws out of each other) and none of the stuff I hate (the endless, eternal hopeless grind that someone will ultimately beat with spending real money). They described it as “FTL meets Battle Royale in a card game” and I can totally see that. The final goal is to overthrow the malevolent robot, “The Kernel” (Hah, I get it!) and to do that, you need to unlock other styles of robots, build decks, and be the last bot standing.
The cards are “tokens” and there are only 22 of them, so there are not weeks of research that has to be done: You can honestly just jump right into Insane Robots and get crackin’. I don’t feel like any of the robots so far are “better” than each other, and ultimately comes down to what robot is the coolest to you. It will feature online and offline play, and we had an opportunity to play the Steam Demo. This featured the first four Tournaments featured in the single-player campaign. It also has local 2-player battles (where you can share a controller or have two plugged in) but I did not get a chance to try this. If it’s even remotely like the PVE, it’s sure to please. The writing is top-notch, very funny, terribly clever, and the characters are adorable little killing machines. There are tons of robots to unlock (I believe the current number is 46) and well over 100 augments to unlock with in-game currency (and not real money) which will power you up and customize your playstyle.
After picking your robot and learning a little about the tokens/cards, you dive into the Tournaments. These are held on grid-based maps that will feel familiar to Battletech/Fire Emblem fans, as you can move a certain amount of spaces. There are several robots on them, and they’ll be fighting each other as you start hunting them. Only one robot can take the top spot, and defeating one in a card battle will move you up that Tournaments ladder. That leads me to the actual battle itself, which is pretty damn interesting. You’ll receive a handful of cards, and as turns go on, you’ll gain energy, which lets you use more cards. In order to deal damage, you need to equip an Attack Token, though it’s much better if you pair it with a second Attack Token. You also have Defense Tokens, which the higher the energy on it, the more damage it can absorb. These robots do not have a lot of health either, so it’s imperative you have a solid defense. You can also hack/be hacked! You have hack/glitch cards that can raise (for you) and lower (for them) your energy on your cards. That’s indicated by the yellow lines on them.
When you declare an attack (if you have the energy to do so) it will calculate how much energy your Attack Tokens have versus their Defense Tokens. So you want the bigger number with them having the lowest, which makes sense. There are also Boost Tokens which raise attack/defense. There’s a lot going on for such a simple game. You, for example, can also merge cards together to have a new/stronger effect, and it seems pretty simple from the outset, there’s a lot of tactical options going here and I absolutely love it. The best part? The goal is not only to win but to obliterate the other robot! Overkill is encouraged to the point where you get more points for Overkill, and those points are spent on your various Upgrades. So, kill as many of the other Robots as you can without getting killed yourself, and deal the absolute most damage you can. What I love about this, is that the math is easy enough that even I can do it. No ridiculous, complicated algorithms and high-math, just Attack, Defense, and violence. I do love the ol’ Ultraviolence. Not to mention, your moves on the map also have random events, and it can affect your standing in the tournament. You don’t want another robot to get all the kills and not leave enough for you to climb, now do you?
Insane Robots is coming on July 12th, and if you love card battles, adorable robots, and tons of robot-on-robot violence, this is the game for you. Playniac has a real hit on their hands here, and a roguelike card game really appeals to me on a personal level. I know I’ve said it already, but it bears repeating: These little robots are awesome, and the dialogue is very clever. I’d like to see a lot of people get their hands on it to see what they come up with as far as strategies go, and I won’t have to wait long. Insane Robots is an absolute hoot, and I’m very much looking forward to progressing further and blowing up all the weak, sad robots that are lining my path.
Sky Noon Launch Trailer
Sky Noon, a Wild West themed aerial shooter, is now available on Steam Early Access.
Star Trek Online Victory is Life Giveaway (PC)
We’ve partnered with Perfect World & Cryptic to celebrate the launch of Star Trek Online: Victory is Life on PC!

Star Trek Online is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online game where players can pioneer their own destiny as Captain of a Federation starship, become a Klingon Warrior and champion the Empire through the far reaches of the galaxy, or rebuild the Romulan legacy as the commander of a Romulan Republic Warbird. In Star Trek Online, players have the opportunity to visit iconic locations from the popular Star Trek universe, reach out to unexplored star systems and make contact with new alien species. Star Trek Online is currently available on PC, PlayStation®4 and Xbox One.
To download and play Star Trek Online today for free, visit http://www.startrekonline.com
Star Trek Online’s fourth major expansion, Victory is Life, is now available on PC. The update takes Captains on a journey to the Gamma Quadrant, where they will team up with crew members from Deep Space Nine to battle the Hur’q. This includes Quark (Armin Shimerman), Odo (René Auberjonois), Kira (Nana Visitor) and nine other characters voiced by the actors who originated the roles on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The expansion also introduces a brand new Jem’Hadar playable faction, increased level cap, seven new episodes and an all-new Gamma Quadrant Sector Battlezone.
The Gamma Vanguard Starter Pack equips players with everything they need to join the fight against the Hur’q with the Dominion.
Pack content includes:
- T6 Jem’Hadar Vanguard Dreadnought Cruiser*
- Playable Jem’Hadar Vanguard Species*
- Jem’Hadar Tactical Uniform
- Title: Victory is Life
- Title: Plain and Simple
*Available for Dominion Captains only.
To Enter The Raffle:
- Visit the official entry thread. If you don’t have one, you will need to sign up for a forum account to enter.
- Post a reply to the thread telling us what your favorite part of the Victory is Life update is!
- Winners will be announced on Wednesday, June 20 and awarded their code via PM on our forums.
Official Sea of Thieves Developer Update: June 14th, 2018
The latest Sea of Thieves developer update focuses on the closing out of The Hungering Deep campaign, and also introduces the first Bilge Rat Adventure. It also features the latest color blindness options, which should be very handy for those pirates in need!
Wreckfest – Official Launch Trailer
It’s official – Wreckfest is now available! Starting at 10 am PST, the PC version will be available and owners of the Early Access version will need to download an update. Patched-together, old vehicles that ooze style and power are there to be picked up and driven in neck-to-neck fights, from American gas guzzlers to more agile European and Asian designs, there’s something for everyone. Tons of customization, and insane online multiplayer awaits! It’s a true-to-life physics experience crafted by Bugbear, who also brought FlatOut 1, 2 and Ultimate Carnage to life.
Sudden Strike 4 Moves the Battle North with Finland – Winter Storm
The next chapter in the World War 2 strategy title Sudden Storm 4 is going to be DLC based around Finland. Finland – Winter Storm releases today on Steam/GOG and is based on the Russian advance into Finland during and after the Winter War, up until the Vyborg Offensive in 1944. Winter Storm will feature two new mini-campaigns and six missions, faithfully recreating some of the most critical conflicts between Finnish and Soviet forces. This update is available now on PC for 9.99 and will be included in the upcoming release of Sudden Strike 4: European Battlefields Edition on Xbox One starting on June 26th, 2018.
In the Soviet campaign, players will attempt to capture the village of Suomussalmi, protect the railway to Murmansk against a German-Finnish offensive and break through the Finnish defensive lines during the Vyborg Offensive. In the Finnish campaign, you must retake and hold the village of Suomussalmi while crushing Soviet reinforcements, seize back the Lähde sector and hold the final defense line in the Battle of Tali-Ihantala.
Ragachak’s E3 2018 Winners and Losers
by Jason Parker (Ragachak)
Okay, so E3 is officially over. That’s not just a dream I had, right? I disagree vehemently with this decision to make half of the important announcements over the weekend, but that’s the timeline we’re in. Overall, I did not find myself bowled over by this year’s announcements. There were spots here and there that made me gasp with excitement but as a whole? Eh. It was okay. In particular, Nintendo, Square-Enix and Sony all had terribly lackluster presentations. I get it, they wait for the Japanese shows like TGS, because they’re Japanese companies. I understand, it makes sense, but people were desperately waiting for Final Fantasy XV-2: Battle Royale Edition and Final Fantasy X-3: Auron’s Day Out, and received nothing of the sort. Maybe those are just what I was waiting to see though. . . The biggest news? Smash Bros. Ultimate. Every. Single. Character. RIDLEY IS IN. Daisy is in (as an Echo)! Inkling is in! I guess! I wrote a whole piece about why that’s amazing, right over here. I also wanted to briefly touch on Spider-Man, because that’s going to be a blast. I’m not big on Sandbox titles, but it’s worth mentioning, cause it’ll be awesome.
Please note that these are opinions stated by Ragachak.
The Good:
While MMOHuts has to focus mostly on Online Gaming, over here it’s a whole different ballgame. There are way more things to talk about for OnRPG, so I’m going to talk about the stuff I’m excited about, and some stuff that maybe. . . Not so much. It’s going to be a very exciting year for video games, and though I wasn’t blown away by the show as a whole, there are a pile of games that I absolutely cannot wait for. Let’s start strong, with the ol’ Ultraviolence. Doom: Eternal, and Wolfenstein: Youngblood. Sure, Smash is going to be amazing, and their community will still, without a doubt, crap all over it because that’s what fighting game communities do, the biggest announcements could be these two. Wolfenstein: Youngblood takes place in the current timeline (Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, et al), and is a co-op Wolfenstein game. That means you can team up and murder Nazis with a friend! You play as BJ’s twin daughters and one seems to be up close and personal and one seems to be a sniper, but I imagine you can play however you like. Then we have a sequel to the latest Doom (2016) title. I’m always down to murder more Demons. Way more demons, lots of new ways to kill them, and Cacaodemons have arms now. When Quakecon rolls around, I’m sure we’ll learn more, but man. Doom. Love me some Doom.
How could I possibly forget Dragon Quest XI? That’s another I’m insanely excited for. It’s a mainline Dragon Quest title, and we haven’t seen one in quite some time. I’m bummed there wasn’t more (RE: anything) about Dragon Quest Builders 2, but that’s what TGS is for, I suppose. Dragon Quest X was the last “mainline” title, and it was an MMO that Japan didn’t even have the heart to share with us. I’m not bitter, honest. I’m not bitter. You know, not much. Some other sites have prattled on about how it’s going to be a typical, standard fantasy RPG, and you know what? That’s fine! It’s Dragon Quest – you know exactly what you’re in for, and that’s what their fans want. Dragon Quest fans aren’t howling for new, updated graphics, sixteen endings, and a pile of DLC chapters. They want adorable enemies, a ridiculously challenging final boss, and a hokey storyline. Friendship, exploration, stuff like that. We’re going to get what we’re after, and it’s going to be beautiful. There’s a really good reason that Dragon Quest is the most popular RPG franchise in Japan.
Another Square-Enix title I’m pumped for is Octopath Travler. There is no way I could forget this one. It’s a sprite/pixel turn-based strategy game with that 16bit style I love with more modern technology. Character classes, a gripping story, I am waiting for Octopath with baited breath. I don’t really know a lot about the first “Beyond Good and Evil”, but I will say that the trailer and gameplay on offer was beautiful. I’m excited to learn more, but what they teased promises a lot. The last game I want to focus on as something that could be a sleeper hit is Maneater. I’ve described it more than once as “Jaws for the Gamecube but good”, and that’s probably the most apt description there is. You play as a shark, consuming violently wildlife and people, and evolving. Do I really have to say much more than that? If “play as a shark and eat stuff” doesn’t appeal to you, I don’t know what else I can offer. However, it’s time for everyone’s favorite part of these: Where I pick apart your favorite announcements with disdain!
The Bad:
There weren’t as many “bads” this year as there are things I’m indifferent to. I think the worst thing I saw the entire show sadly, belonged to Square-Enix. The Quiet Man I guess is about a deaf man that goes around kicking the crap out of people and … delivering takeout? I’m not really sure what’s going on there, but it was definitely strange. The acting in the trailer felt awkward and clunky, the gameplay seemed pretty standard for a sandbox beat ’em up. We’ll just have to see where that one goes. But let’s get down to something that’s going to surely upset: I’m less than excited for Jump Force. I love anime/manga, and I love Shonen Jump. Does anyone even remember the last Jump game that came out, and it was 3D? Of course, you don’t, because no one bloody played it! So they’re going to up the ante just a bit more. Sure, it looks neat, but I think it could have been so much better as a 2D anime fighter, that actually, you know, looked like the anime/manga it came from! Drawn in the correct style, instead of given this 3D makeover. I am sure the game itself will be fun, but eh. Pretty disappointed by that one, I won’t lie to you guys.
The Indifferent:
Kingdom Hearts 3. I’m not sorry, guys. But I was never a KH fan to start with. But the delays upon delays upon delays, I feel like there is absolutely no way it will live up to the hype that was built. And why introduce Frozen footage here? I think they should have gone with a franchise that everyone loves, and not “a lot of people” love. I’m not saying it’s going to be bad, so please don’t flood my Facebook Messenger or Twitter about it, I am just personally not excited at all. Will I play it, and probably even review it? Smart money is on “Yes”. But I’m not feeling any measure of hype after something like 10 years. I’ve said it before and will no doubt have to again, but without the Square-Enix characters, I’d probably have fallen in love with Kingdom Hearts also. But Setzer Gabbiani, legendary gambler, and owner of the worlds only airship, as a beach bully? Come on man. He deserves better than that. Devil May Cry 5 is also on this list, sorry friends. It looks like it’s going to be insane, and will probably be awesome fun. But as someone who never really got into the DMC franchise, I’m not really feeling anyway about it. Maybe I’ll sit down with the earlier games, and it might change my mind. Forza, FIFA, and Madden are also on this list. I’m sure all of these games for their fans will be awesome, but I don’t get the appeal, I’m sorry to say.
There are simply so many things to cover from E3 this year, and I don’t really have the space or time to dissect them all. There’s lots of stuff I’m cautiously optimistic about, Babylon’s Fall, Battletoads, Nioh 2 as just a couple of examples. There were simply so. many. games this year! What about you? What did you enjoy, what let you down? Are you afraid/excited that Halo Infinite might be a Battle Royale/Open-World Destiny experience? I’d love to know about it below!
Strikers Edge
Strikers Edge is a 1v1 or 2v2 online multiplayer game requiring players to serve and return deadly weaponry to achieve victory. Choose your champion and master their way of play to find success – it’s a matter of life or death. Available for Windows.
Features:
To Discover a Main: There are 8 diverse characters to pick from, find your favorite and perfect their technique!
Get Bit: Enjoy classically inspired pixel art graphics as a backdrop to intense dueling action.
Adaptable: Learn to excel on 4 different maps changing up the way you formulate game winning tactics on each one.
Temtem
Temtem is a MMORPG featuring expansive creature collecting and non-RNG turn-based battling. Discover and capture a variety of adorable companions to build out your team and challenge the likes of an evil organization, a group of elite dojo masters, and the ultimate competition: other players from around the world! Available for Windows.
Features:
Gotta Find ‘Em All: Mix and match from a wide variety of Temtems out in the wild each featuring their own unique strengths, weaknesses, types, techniques, and evolutions.
Making it Mine: Customize your character with cosmetic items and rearrange a house to your heart’s content!
Going Next Level: Fight on the world stage where there’s a pick & ban system in place as well as zero randomness to get in the way of complete tactical domination.





