By Joshua Temblett (Dontkillmydreams), OnRPG Journalist
A bare week this week however given the ambush of news we received last week it’s not that surprising. Luckily for you there’s still enough news to report, and certainly some very exciting little bits of information regarding certain games. I hope you enjoy!
Final Fantasy XIV
Information Blow Out
It’s been a while, however yet more information has been translated from Japanese magazines by the crew at FFXIVCore.com. It’s very interesting to find all of this news coming from Japanese media outlets first, and then being posted on the official website. Perhaps Square Enix should be more aware of their other audiences in the United States and Europe, and the company should start getting more information to media outlets in those regions. I’m sure Square knows what they’re doing.
The Gladiator and the Pugilist Classes
In the most recent Famitsu (a very popular and famous Japanese gaming magazine), two new classes were revealed, the Gladiator and the Pugilist.
A short summery of the Gladiator:
“The gladiator is a melee fighter that brings sword and shield to battle and boasts a great variety of one-handed swords to choose from: from short swords to long swords, double-edged straight blades to single-edged curved blades. The variety is not just in his selection of weapons, but also the way he uses them. A gladiator can take up his shield to protect his allies, or leave one hand open to focus on attack power, and this flexibility in battle is sure to become his strength. The gladiator can also throw daggers at his enemies, adding even more to this diverse fighter.”
It’s obvious that in a party situation, this class would be the Tank who stays at the front taking all of the damage. At the same time though, this class seems adapt at inflicting status changes onto the enemy, such as giving a crippling effect with a single-edged curved blade. It’ll be interesting to see what the game turns out like.
A short summery of the Pugilist:
“This hand-to-hand fighter is a master in traditional arts of self-defence. Although his fists alone could be considered weapons, the pugilist specializes is using hand-to-hand weapons to increase their power in battle. However, the pugilist must stay in close to make his he lands his blows aimed at his opponent’s vitals. Some pugilists use chakrams to gain their opponents’ attention.”
Basically the Monk Job from Final Fantasy XI, but with a little more charm. This class is all about going right up to the enemy and dealing some major damage, whilst at the same time aiming for the weak parts of the enemy and hitting them for extra damage.
Campaign Code
Also in this week’s Famitsu a “Campaign Code” was released for Final Fantasy XIV. There will be a special site opened after service for Final Fantasy XIV begins, where you can input this code to unlock an item, or something else super shiney. Could the game be getting closer to being released?
World of Wacraft
Legendary Weapon Preview: Shadowmourne
“As the Lich King continues his dark work inside the halls of Icecrown Citadel, the warriors and smiths of the Ashen Verdict scramble to forge a weapon capable of defeating the Scourge. To aid the Verdict in its cause, you’ll need to follow in Arthas’s footsteps, gambling with your very soul to gather the materials that will create the legendary axe Shadowmourne.”
You can find out more information about the new weapon here.
League of Legends
New Pricing Options
With League of Legends recent release (it launched on the 27th of October), and its critical success among reviewers (look out for an Onrpg.com review which should be coming soon) the game seems to be well on it’s on its way to victory among gamers. If you haven’t given the game a go then stop playing Hello Kitty Online and download it, as it’s certainly worth a play through.
Anyway, back on to the subject at hand. RiotChris, of the League of Legends forum, has posted up some information regarding payment options for the game. Here’s the low down.
“Free: We’ve made it fun to play without spending any money, and all the champions can be unlocked permanently without spending any money. Just playing games earns you Influence Points, which can then be used to unlock Champions.
Collector’s Pack: As you know we’ve offered a Collector’s Pack, which comes with 20 Champions unlocked right away, and a lot of other valuable content (4 runes, $10 in Riot Points and an exclusive skin).
Champion’s Bundle: For those who would like to have all 40 initial Champions available to them on the first day the store opens, there is a compliment to the Collector’s Pack with the other 20 Champions included. It will typically be available in the store for $30 worth of Riot Points, but right now we’re discounting it to $25. If you have bought the Collector’s Pack, you’ll already have $10 of Riot Points (so the total price of both the Collector’s Pack and the Champions Bundle will be $44.99 for a limited time). You will have all 40 launch Champions available immediately, but as we roll out new Champions, they will have to be unlocked.”
You can find a little bit more information, and a chart, here.
Star Wars: The Old Republic
The Imperial Agent Class
A new class from SW:TOR has been released, the Imperial Agent. “The Empire dominates scores of star systems across the galaxy, but not through the power of the dark side alone. Behind the scenes, the cunning Agents of Imperial Intelligence track down and eliminate the Empire’s enemies-from intractable Republic senators to traitorous Imperial Moffs to bloodthirsty rebels with Republic ties. Imperial Agents must master the arts of infiltration, seduction, and assassination to advance the Empire’s causes; they face the opposition of a terrified galaxy and the capriciousness of their own Sith overlords.”
You can find much more information about the class here.
Non MMORPG News
Unreal 3 Engine Available for Free!
I’m sorry that I didn’t report this last week, as it is a very big announced. The Unreal 3 Engine is now free for anyone to use, as long as they use it for non-commercial or educational purposes. You can download the Unreal Development Kit from the official website, http://www.UDK.com. The powerful engine has very reasonable system requirements and is definitely worth downloading if you enjoy moding or developing games. I downloaded it very recently and I can say that it’s incredibly easy to get to grips with, so make sure you give it a try.
Torchlight Released
Yet another game I missed last week. Torchlight is a single player Diablo-like dungeon crawler. The game is the first in a series, with the next Torchlight game being a Free 2 Play MMORPG. This very small, addictive title is simply brilliant. For $20/£15, you can’t go wrong with this game and it will keep you occupied for hours on end.
Final Fantasy XIII Release Date
Yes the next instalment in the Final Fantasy series now has a release date! Final Fantasy XIII will launch on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 on the 9th March, 2010, for both Europe and America. I can’t wait!
