Yearly Archives: 2009

Champions Online Launch Date Announced

Atari and Cryptic Studios announce ship date for Champions Online.
 
Who:
Atari, Inc., one of the world’s most recognized videogame publishers, and Cryptic Studios, a leading developer and publisher of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), announced today Champions Online for PC systems will be available worldwide July 14, 2009.
 
What:
On July 14, European and North American gamers will be able to pick up their copy of Champions Online and dive into a massive world of super powered heroes, villainous Nemeses, ancient gods, underwater civilizations, alien invasions, and much, much more!
From Cryptic Studios, the creators of the acclaimed City of Heroes and City of Villains, comes one of the most exciting new MMOs of 2009… Champions Online! Powered by the groundbreaking Cryptic Engine and based on the award winning Champions setting from the HERO System of pen & paper role playing games, Champions Online taps into a rich and established universe of heroes, villains, and intrigue.
 
Champions Online takes the MMO genre to new heights with fast paced, “real time” action combat. This high flying action delivers a heroic feeling unlike anything experienced in another MMORPG, while the total customization of character creation takes the experience to the next level. Choose from thousands of costume pieces, body types, and modifications for a level of personalization never before imagined. Create unique power sets to break outside the prison of class archetypes – players can even choose the appearance, and style of their powers to complete their vision.
 
While players transform into the ultimate hero, the Nemesis system lets Champions Online’s powerful customization tools craft an enemy of the extreme opposite, a villain of nightmares. This ultimate adversary will appear throughout a hero’s career, and even form diabolic supergroups to bedevil other players throughout the universe.
 
Champions Online brings epic heroism back to the MMORPG genre, with depth to challenge the most experienced online gamers and fast paced action to engage new entrants to the genre. Champions Online promises to redefine online gaming, now the only question is… What hero will you be?
 
When:
The game will be available at retailers worldwide starting July 14, 2009.

Pangya re-launches in North America

Ntreev USA announced today that it has re-launched Pangya, its popular, online casual golf game in North America. The game, previously known as Albatross 18 in the U.S. is now in beta.
The newly launched beta includes full game play content from Pangya’s Season 3. Before summer, Ntreev USA will introduce Season 4 with new characters, locations, all-new customization features and more.
Members who previously had accounts for Albatross 18 will be able to transfer their accounts over to Pangya.  All accounts setup during this beta phase will transfer over when the game launches commercially next month.
 
“Pangya has enjoyed worldwide success and popularity, including its tremendous mainstream popularity in the U.S. market,” said Chris Lee, CEO at Ntreev USA. “Pangya offers a unique golf experience that is easy to pick-up-and-play, and appeals to a wide variety of skilled and casual players alike. We are excited that we could bring it back to the North American players who love it.”
 
Pangya is a casual golf game that takes the difficult rules of golf and transforms it into an easy to pick-up -and-play casual golf experience that a player of any skill level can enjoy. Featuring simple and intuitive controls, Pangya allows anyone who has used Windows to easily play with other gamers and unlike other online games; players in Pangya are friends, not enemies!
 
In Pangya, players are taken to 14 gorgeous locations where they can choose one of 8 unique playable characters.  Pangya offers players an extensive customization experience with thousands of possible combinations of costumes, accessories, equipment, golf clubs, power boosts and more that help them to become a pro out on the green.
 
Pangya is free for players to download and play, while some items in the game including certain characters, clothing sets, new equipment and accessories will be available to purchase via micro-transaction.
 
The in-game currency in Pangya, called Pang, allows players to purchase items from the game’s shop that will upgrade a character, provide new inventory and equipment, allows them to send gifts to other players and more. Gamers can earn Pang by finishing a hole at par or better, and by showcasing powerful shots.
 
The beta for Pangya is now available, with a full commercial launch in May.

MLB Dugout Heroes launches today

Gamescampus confirms the official launch date for MLB Dugout Heroes: Monday April 27, 2009.
 
MLB Dugout Heroes is the first fully licensed and online-based PC baseball game in North America, featuring all Major League Baseball players and stadiums from the past and present.  In addition to the MLB-licensed game features, MLB Dugout Heroes has many unique gameplay attractions including its unique and realistic leveling system which allows players to grow stronger and better as they continue through the game. In addition, special points are given to players as they complete baseball missions (quests) given daily or weekly, and these points can be used to purchase new players, uniforms, items, and more.
 
As MLB Dugout Heroes delivers both the fun of an MMORPG, and the competitive gameplay of a sports game, it is sure to be a smash hit for all baseball fans young and old.
 
Product Features
* Draft and create your favorite players from any MLB year – Choose your favorite players from any MLB era and create the best team!
* Play Online or practice by yourself – Play against your friends online to see who’s the best!
* Level up your team and players – By playing against people online, your players level up and become stronger and trained!
* Unique items – Users will be able to purchase new player draft cards, uniforms, bats, pitches, and much more!
* Features animated versions of real MLB players – See your favorite players as cartoon versions of themselves!
* Easy learning curve – Fun for both beginner and expert gamers alike!

Space Conquer

Space Conquer is a game that combines spacial war strategy and ground war strategie.
 
On SpaceConquer, you are conducting your own base on a planet of your universe, your objective will be to grow your colony on your planet, in your solar system or in the entire universe. You’ll have to manage your troops, your spaceships, your base and your diplomatic contacts.
 
SpaceConquer is the first browser-based game to combine ground fights and space fights.

Elf Online Review: There’s Nothing You Can’t Do

By Eline Stiekema, Onrpg writer
 
ELF Online is a slightly absurd MMO. Players can fill it in the way they like. The slogan is ‘there is nothing you can’t do’. Well, of course there is a lot players can’t actually do, but it’s a sure thing that the game is very diverse. There is no actual Ultimate Goal. As William, head director of Happymmo development says: ‘ELF Online can offer a platform for players to make friends or even find your love through simple operation and relaxing game mode.’ Sounds fun. So let’s give it a try.
 

Getting started

Each player can create four different characters, but you can only play with one at a time. For each character, you can pick an image (shown on top of the screen) and a hairstyle (determining the look of your avatar). There is a lot of choice in pictures, but there are only a few hairstyles to choose from. Besides, the avatar doesn’t look like one of the pictures at all. I found this a bit strange. I’d rather have a simple picture and more options in hairstyle, hair color and clothing for my avatar instead.
 
When you have given your avatar the look you like, you can click ‘start game’. As a newbie, you first get a rather extended tutorial. ELF Online is a quest game: you walk from one NPC to the other and get assigned to all kinds of quests. The newbie quests are quite simple. After you have learned how to fight monsters, you are sent to one of the training grounds to catch a couple of small monsters. The NPCs  have a tendency to speak in riddles. ‘Remember, you go to these places not to deal with Salty Fish or Wild Hares for lifetime.’ Okay… is this cryptic or just incomprehensible English?
 
With these simple quests you level up to level 9, which is when you are being sent to four career tutors to pick a career. You can be a soldier, a rover, a magician or a scholar. Each career has two or three professions to choose from. Each profession has its own pros and cons, and for each profession the game is different. With your four different characters, you could have four different careers/professions, and thus four entire different games. So when you become fed up with one character, you can just start over with another. This requires some patience though: with each new character you have to start all over at level 1 and do all the newbie quests, which can take up quite some time and are not very exciting for a more experienced player.
 

Gameplay

Apart from the quests, which earn you money, there’s a lot of fun stuff you can do in ELF Online. Very important is the pet system. Each player has one standard pet (‘Fluffy mouse’) that assists in combat. You can even let it stroll behind you when you walk around. When you are bored with Fluffy, you can catch other pets. In combat, you can try to capture the monster and turn it into a pet instead of killing it. With one click you can tame the monster and turn it into your pet. You can give it a cute name and choose whether you want it to stroll behind you and/or assist you in combat. But never forget to feed it; otherwise this will cause low loyalty with your pet and make it turn nasty towards you.
 
The pet system is one of the most fun aspects of ELF Online. You can have as many pets as you like and teach them all kinds of skills. You can pick a fierce pet to assist you in combat and a cute pet to walk around with you. At the moment, I have ditched Fluffy for a bat wearing a cute little green hat, who’s also a great combat companion.
 
You can also do stuff with other players, such as chat or fight against each other. A more experienced player can become a ‘master’ for a newbie, who is then the ‘apprentice’. And, my personal favorite: if you find someone you really like, you can get married to each other. First you start ‘dating’ and when your intimacy level has reached 3000, you can get married. When you decide to divorce, though, there will be some penalties…
 
When you are looking for solo activities, you can learn skills (like cooking, manufacturing or mining), trade stuff for money or buy new things at the item mall. For these items you have to pay with money you can put into an account. There are also items you can buy with the money you have earned with quests, but you have to purchase them at one of the NPCs. The item mall is solely for those who are willing to spend actual money.
 
The higher your level, the more places you can go and the more things you can do. You always have the feeling there is another surprise waiting for you around the corner. ELF Online doesn’t easily get boring; there is always more to explore.
 

Graphics and music

Graphics are simple and not very special, but happy and colorful. It’s a bit irritating that you can’t zoom or ‘look around’. The music is claimed to be relaxing, but I found it repetitive and annoying; I turned it off as soon as possible.
 

General recommendation

ELF online is a relaxing game indeed. You can just hang around, click here and there and see what you find. You can make it as exciting as you like by doing lots of quests, trying to capture high leveled pets or fighting against other players. Instructions can be a little vague but it’s never too hard to finish a quest.
 
Although there is a map function, the game looks a bit obscure and sometimes it’s unclear exactly where your avatar is going. The mouse coordinates you receive don’t always seem to be right. I’ve spent quite some time looking for a guy called ‘Little Stone’, only to bump against him when I had given up already.
 
But even when you find it hard to reach your goal, there is enough to distract you from it. That makes ELF Online a lot of fun, and I think that’s also why it’s so relaxing: there’s not that much pressure. And that’s delightful for a change.
 
Pros:
– Relaxing game mode without much pressure
– Fun pet system
– A lot of cool stuff you can do, alone or with other players
– A lot of diversity.
 
Cons:
– Game scene looks a bit cluttered
– Instructions sometimes vague or even incomprehensible
– Not a lot of options your avatar’s look
– If you want to start over you can’t skip the boring newbie stuff.

Guild Wars: More Than 6 Million Units Sold

NCsoft, the world’s premier publisher and developer of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs), and ArenaNet, a wholly owned subsidiary of NCsoft and the acclaimed developer of Guild Wars, today announced that on the cusp of its fourth anniversary, the Guild Wars franchise has exceeded six million units sold. Guild Wars is the award-winning and genre-defining series that is one of the most popular and successful online role-playing games in the industry.
 
To commemorate these milestones, ArenaNet has just released a major content update, including new quest content and extra storage options.  Additional in-game birthday festivities will be available starting on April 28th, the official anniversary of the game.
 
“We are humbled by how gamers have responded to Guild Wars over the past four years, and we are proud that the game and its community have helped to continually shape, define, and expand the genre,” said ArenaNet studio head Mike O’Brien. “Our subscription-free business model has proven to be a big hit with gamers, bringing an enormous and diverse online community to the game.”
 
Guild Wars is one of the most successful PC gaming franchises of all time. Since its release in 2005, it has received numerous awards for its innovative design, world-class art direction and robust content streaming engine. ArenaNet continues to support the game’s thriving community with regular in-game events, updates, and community activities.

Gala Networks Europe Announce Allods Online

Nival Online, the Russian game developer behind the Allods series of role-playing strategy games (known as Rage of Mages in Europe and America), and Gala Networks Europe, the free-to-play MMORPG publisher that operates the gPotato.eu gaming portal are proud to announce Allods Online, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on Russia’s most successful gaming series.
 
The free-to-play title brings MMO fans across Europe into a universe of epic fantasy and fierce conflict with a deep and captivating storyline. Allods Online takes place after the destruction of the planet of Sarnout and the subsequent formation of the namesake Allods. These mystical islands float in the Astral, an expansive living substance that makes up the compelling game world. Adventurers will explore the numerous Allods as they battle against a wide range of enemies – and each other.
 
Allods Online will feature classic fantasy MMORPG gameplay that fans of the genre’s most successful titles can enjoy. It features extensive questing, intense player-versus-player combat, grand exploration, in-depth character development and plenty of social interaction. In the Astral, players will have the chance to put their wits and brawn to the test in larger-than-life Astral battles, the game’s giant fights between competing ‘Astral ships’ manned by multiple players. Adventurers from all over the world will have to choose between six races and eight character classes before choosing their allegiance between the two warring factions: the League and the Empire.
 
With over 12 million USD in funding, Allods Online is the best-funded Russian game development project in history. In addition, the team behind the title at Nival Online recently received the Best Online Game & Best Game Developer award at the 2008 Russian Game Development Conference.
 
“We have spiced up a full-blown fantasy MMORPG with the most compelling elements of space opera and science fiction, with epic battles between huge Astral ships,” said Sergey Orlovskiy, founder of Nival Online. “At the same time, we are keeping a deep focus on characters. Allods Online is not about Astral ships, but about the people on them.”
 
 “We are excited to work with Nival Online who has proved their mastery of PC and online games for over a decade” said Hyun Hur, CEO of Gala Networks Europe. “We are confident that Allods Online will have a major impact on the overall online games industry and demonstrates that top quality games can be free, giving players a strong alternative to subscription-based MMORPGs.”
 
Allods Online will be available in French, German and English on autumn 2009 on the gPotato.eu Game Portal.

LOTRO Celebrates Second Anniversary

Turbine, Inc. announced today a special promotion featuring limited-time pricing offers to celebrate the second anniversary of The Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO), the award-winning massively multiplayer online roleplaying game.  The LOTRO Anniversary celebration will run from April 24, 2009 to June 30, 2009.
 
“It’s been another incredible year for LOTRO and Turbine,” said Jeffrey Steefel, Executive Producer of The Lord of the Rings Online.  “Being named both 2008 MMO of the Year and Best Expansion of 2008, coupled with the overwhelmingly positive response to the game from fans, has firmly cemented LOTRO as one of the world’s premier online entertainment experiences.  Our anniversary is a chance for us to celebrate with our past and present players and enjoy everything that is special about Middle-earth and thank them for their wonderful support with some special subscription options.”
 
The Lord of the Rings Online Second Anniversary Celebration includes:
 
Ø  Anniversary Pricing Plans:  From April 24th through June 30th, Turbine is offering special anniversary pricing plans.  Players can choose any multi-month plan (90 days or longer) and lock in a monthly price of $9.99 for as long as they maintain the new subscription plan.*
 
Ø  In-Game Celebration:
 
o    During the anniversary celebration, monsters throughout Middle-earth will drop rare items when defeated.  Players can exchange these rare items for a special gift box that will reward them with a variety of in-game items to aid them in their adventures in Middle-earth.
 
o    Turbine is also giving players who have active subscriptions as of June 30th a special in-game gift – the Writ of Passage, which provides 20% discounts at stable masters throughout Middle-earth.
 
The Lord of the Rings Online is the ultimate interactive adventure.  Join Gandalf, Frodo, Bilbo, and many other characters to save Middle-earth in the war against the Dark Lord Sauron!  This award-winning MMORPG recently expanded with the launch of the critically acclaimed Mines of Moria, where players can adventure into one of the largest and most dangerous online underground environments ever created while extending the challenge to new heights with two new classes, ten additional levels, and hundreds of new quests including a face-off with the Watcher, the Balrog and more!  The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria is available for purchase across North America and Europe.

Frestyle Basketbal: official release

Gamekiss is pleased to announce the official release of The Freestyle street basketball- the world first online street basketball game on May 6. With the official release, players are invited to join the fun in one of the most innovative Full 3D online sports game on the market with unique features!
To commemorate the release, a special launch promotions will be available from May 6 to May 31 offering special “Hot” items and game points.
 
“We’ve prepared for a long  time to present this awesome game to the gamers worldwide. Many gamers have waited so long for an official launcing day of FreeStyle. To show how much we appreciate all the support from all the gamers, we have prepared variety of new features to compete with others worldwide without any worries such as character reset. Also, this is not the end of it this is just a beginning, a lot more features will be updated as we go along” says David Kim, the Director of FreeStyle Global Project.
 
FreeStyle is free to play from GameKiss. Once the players register at GameKiss with a simple registration procedure, they may download and play FreeStyle for free. To aid non-English speaking users, there are beginner¡¯s guides available in German, Turkish and others to come.