Monthly Archives: February 2012

Aeria Games Blasts Out Sci-Fi Action Shooter Repulse

Aeria Games Blasts Out Sci-Fi Action Shooter Repulse

 

Repulse

 

Aeria Games, a leading global publisher of free-to-play online games, announced today the commercial launch of its new sci-fi themed FPS game, Repulse. Following the heels of successful beta testing, Repulse is now fully live and ready to play with an updated client featuring a wealth of exciting new additions and improvements including additional maps.

 

 

Experience Repulse’s striking 3D graphics while battling enemies in the game’s futuristic, dystopian setting. An arsenal of high-tech weaponry, enhanced movement abilities, and fast-paced combat make this MMOFPS a visceral experience. Repulse provides adrenaline-pumping action in a variety of hard-hitting PvP and PvE modes. This frenetic FPS game also features full clan support, resulting in intense shootouts between rival players and clans.

 

Repulse

 

“We’ve upgraded Repulse with four brand new maps to celebrate its commercial launch as an intense, hard-hitting sci-fi shooter,” said Tom Nichols, North America Director of Publishing, Aeria Games. “With twitch-based action moves like the Boost Jump, Wall Jump, and Dodge, Repulse sets the standard for brutally futuristic online combat.”

 

Repulse fires up the free-to-play FPS genre with explosive features:

 

Special Action Moves: Use the dodge step ability and quick reflexes to avoid incoming enemy fire. Quickly jump in and out of combat with the boost ability. Overcome obstacles with the wall jump or sneak up on your enemies by cloaking. All these features and more are available in the Action Mode channels.

New Content Added: Four new, exciting maps with multiple gameplay modes have expanded the game since the Closed Beta. Utilize the new teleporters to test your skills in the Memorial and Arena maps but watch out for energy-draining static fields in the Castle map!

 

High Ping Kick Safeguard: In order to ensure lag-free gameplay, a second East Coast server will be added (select the server closest to you for the fastest gameplay). In addition, a high ping kick feature has been implemented to automatically remove players who are severely lagging from the game in order to provide a better experience for everyone.

 

Customize Your Game: The Repulse web mall features a variety of items to enhance your Repulse experience.

 

 

Be sure to check out their Gameplay Trailer to witness the smooth acrobatic moves available to you!

TERA Online Asks.. Are You an MMO-FO?

TERA Online Asks.. Are You an MMO-FO?

 

 

En Masse Entertainment, a gamer-built publisher focused on delivering fun and innovative online games, announced today that its award-winning, PC-based action MMO title, TERA, is now available for pre-order from the company’s website and retailers throughout North America for $49.99. Players who pre-order TERA will have access to all of the game’s Closed Beta Tests, scheduled to take place from February through April, as well as an exclusive Head Start play period over the weekend prior to the game’s launch on May 1st.

 

 

“By breaking away from yesterday’s repetitive combat systems, and delivering real action, TERA is going to keep players on their toes and actively engaged in the game,” said Chris Lee, Vice President of Publishing at En Masse Entertainment. “The days of staring at your skill bar while pounding the Tab key are over. By requiring players to actively aim, dodge, and block, TERA’s action combat introduces real skill to MMO gameplay.”

 

 

En Masse Entertainment will be releasing two collector’s editions of TERA—a traditional boxed edition and a digital download. Both will grant players unique in-game items, including the Regal Frostlion Mount for in-game mounted travel, and two equippable items: the level 15 Velik’s Bloodstone Necklace and the level 40 Shakan’s Bloodstone Necklace.

 

 

Available in limited quantities, the physical Limited Collector’s Edition will include collectable items such as a Letter of Marque, a canvas world map, a field guide, a Valkyon Federation-issued compass, and a game soundtrack, for $79.99. The Digital Collector’s Edition will be offered for $59.99. Both versions include 30 days of game time.

 

 

En Masse Entertainment will be hosting five Closed Beta Tests for TERA, allowing select gamers the opportunity to get into the game and preview its blend of action-heavy combat and traditional MMO depth. The Closed Beta Tests, the Open Beta Test that will be open to the general public closer to launch, and Head Start will take place on the following dates:

 

Closed Beta Test 1: February 10 – 12

Closed Beta Test 2: February 24 – 26

Closed Beta Test 3: March 9 – 11

Closed Beta Test 4: March 23 – 25

Closed Beta Test 5: April 6 – 8

Open Beta Test: April 19 – 22

Head Start: April 28 – May 1

 

 

Gamers can pre-order TERA now, and ensure their place in the Closed Beta Tests, by clicking here: store.enmasse.com. Additionally, gamers who sign up at TERA-online.com may be chosen at random to participate in the upcoming Beta Tests.

 

 

To further celebrate the upcoming launch of this innovative game, En Masse Entertainment is debuting a new series of videos featuring the “MMO-FO,” which will be ongoing throughout the Closed Beta period. This video series, starring mixed martial arts legend Bas Rutten, brings the concept of action combat to life as only Bas can. The first “MMO-FO” video can be viewed here!

 

 

The recipient of multiple industry honors and accolades, TERA is a new breed of online game that combines all the depth of a traditional MMO with the visceral gratification of an action game. In TERA, players must actively aim, dodge and block, as the game’s real-time combat system depends not on stats, but on player skill. After creating a customized character from one of seven races and eight classes, players enter a world of savage beauty, joining an armed alliance in a bid to save the world from ravaging armies who threaten to destroy their lives, their world, and their reality.

Allods Online Begins a New Era on February 15th

Allods Online Begins a New Era on February 15th

 

 

The new era begins February 15 when Allods Online: Game of Gods strikes North America and Europe, where it is known as Volume 5 in the great saga. The biggest expansion ever to hit this already huge MMORPG features the support-class Bard archetype, a PvP arena that pits teams of 12 against each other, and the deeply layered and dramatic Dead City Raid.

 

 

Subdue your foes or boost your allies as a Bard with the power to lay down wide area-of-effect spells or channeled damage-dealing attacks. These versatile combatants can really turn the tide for a party in distress by adding to the whole group’s health, defense, mana, energy, or damage while stripping away harmful battle effects like slow or silence.  They can even paralyze their enemies with a variety of curses, sap their strength and health, or make them flee outright. Elves, Orcs, Xadaganians, and Kanians will be able to take up instruments as Bards and bring the total number of playable classes to 34.

 

 

Put all those skills to the test in the new PvP skirmishes which allows two groups of 12 to face off in the brand new Witch’s Hollow arena. Capture and hold special objectives against the enemy team to rack up points: whoever hits the goal first wins the match. Up for grabs is in-game currency that can be traded for legendary gear, Draconic relics, and other valuable items to make a strong character even better.

 

 

The warriors of Sarnaut will need every ounce of power to take on the Dead City Raid with its three pathways, swarms of monsters, and ten ancient bosses. Rescue the ruined city but keep your wits about you: death is a real risk against these foes and only those who bring strategy along with strength can triumph. Battle on mounts for the first time, take on an enormous dragon, and discover the secrets of a familiar foe in this master raid for the toughest players.

 

 

 

Allods Online: Game of Gods will reinvent itself with heaps of content to explore and challenges to conquer, but the hardcore MMORPG hasn’t lost its quirky sense of humor (as anyone who’s seen the Orcish Balladeer would agree). Be sure to check out the new video showcasing this updates features to get a real idea of what you’re going to be in for. But why does one video have a troll and crab? For the same reason the level cap will be increased from 47 to 51, of course!

Dungeon Defenders Releases Barbarian Class

Dungeon Defenders Releases Barbarian Class

 

 

Dungeon Defenders is getting even more love in the way of Steam DLC with today’s Assault Mission Pack and Barbarian character class! The Assault Mission pack is a steal at $1.99 that includes three assault missions, a new map and a super awesome unicorn familiar to top things off. The new Barabarian character class changes things up at $2.99, boasting the ability to dual-wield and change the game with battle stances, which actually replace his ability to construct towers – he’s a beast in combat!

 

 

Best of all, those who jump on this can get the Assault Mission pack for $.99 and the Barbarian character class for $1.99 on sale for one week only.

 

 

Hailing from the dense jungle lands far to the south, the Barbarian is a masterful fighter who can wield two melee weapons simultaneously and unleash devastating combos! Using five distinct fighting stances instead of towers, the Barbarian is able to adapt to any combat situation. His Battle Leap ability allows him to instantly close the distance to a far-off target, while his Battle Pound ability will decimate any nearby enemies. If massive damage and incredible destruction are what you seek, the Barbarian is the hero for the job.

 

 

The Barbarian Hero Class has the following fighting stances:

 

Tornado Stance – Run faster, attack quicker, jump higher, and push back enemies with a flurry of quick, low damage attacks.

 

Lightning Stance – Use the power of lightning to stun your enemies as your attacks make contact, while taking a small amount of damage for each hit.

 

Siphon Stance – Sacrifice some of your resistances to steal life from your enemies as you damage them.

 

Turtle Stance – Enter this protective stance to greatly increase your resistances, but reduce your movement speed and jump height.

 

Hawk Stance – Summon the powers of the mighty hawk to deal a massive amount of damage in your next attack.

 

 

Discover new ways to dominate the battlefield by combining any two of these fighting stances simultaneously, or using these powerful abilities:

 

Battle Leap Ability – This ability allows the Barbarian to quickly close the distance to far-off enemies with a powerful leap attack.

 

Battle Pound Ability – This is powerful radial ability allows the Barbarian to decimate any nearby enemies.

 

 

Be sure to check out the trailer showcasing the barbarian in action!

APB: Reloaded: Still Running on Empty

APB: Reloaded: Still Running on Empty

By Michael Sagoe (Mikedot), OnRPG Journalist

 

 

 

It’s time to once again visit the mean streets of San Paro for a live and reloaded look at the infamous All Points Bulletin. APB: Reloaded is a GamersFirst re-release of the original APB, originally created by the now defunct developer “Realtime Worlds”. What the original APB promised was a completely online, GTA style action game filled with instance third person shooter and driving mechanics along with fun faction on faction competition with criminals against enforcers.

 

 

Unfortunately, what all players got was laggy driving mechanics, unbalanced gunplay and a truckload of empty promises. Now the game has been revived as a free-to-play title. It’s time to see if all the tweaks to this refurbished machine will finally turn this APB into the high action online game we’ve all been hoping for.

 

 

Customization

Player customization and user created content was one of the crowning features of the original APB, and it’s all still intact for APB: R, as character customization has hundreds of options at your disposal. Even with initial character creation, you can create your criminal or enforcer to be as realistic or as unbelievable as possible. Only downside is that no new customization options have been added since the original APB, as well as the fact that many customizable items need to be unlocked before use.

 

 

Along with character creation, players have the same degree of freedom with pattern creation, car designs and music themes. All these options are available for free and with very small limitations, allowing all players to express themselves and show some truly creative things…

 

 

Gameplay wise: There are a number of different passive skills, equipment and weapon tweaks you can earn or purchase with in-game money from the auction house. Depending on your play style, these small tweaks can make a world of difference.

 

 

Controls

The game uses familiar third person shooter controls for both shooting and driving: WASD keys control character movement and steering, Spacebar performs small jumps and handbraking, F key allows you to interact with various objects around the environment, and several other functions. Controls feel responsive, but can also feel sticky at times when performing actions such as spraying and carjacking.

 

 

The previous APB suffered from laggy driving mechanics and unbalanced gunplay. APB:Reloaded’s driving mechanics are generally lag free, so now you can get a real feel for the handling of each vehicle. The shooting mechanics have been changed, now having proper hitscan detection and tweaked recoil, but weapon balance is still questionable.  Player models do not have any hitboxes, so shooting a player in the head will be the same as shooting them in the foot. Weapons are all tweaked to fit their expected roles, but with most of the action taking place in open environments, mid and close range weapons can feel useless at time.  Those that are expecting shooting mechanics that reward skillful headshots will be disappointed, and every gun-on-gun confrontation will feel like a Mexican standoff.

 

 

Gameplay and Features

APB:Reloaded’s gameplay will give players an experience that can be fun, but for the most part it can be incredibly frustrating. While some core issues of APB’s original gameplay have been tweaked, they’re still fundamentally flawed by design. Most of the missions revolve around typical MMO fetch quests or missions that involve a lot of camping. These missions tend to repeat themselves often, and even though players will have to constantly travel around town to make things more interesting, they can get boring very quickly. Not to mention that the overall progression with unlocking new stuff can be tiresome, even with premium service.

 

 

Other elements of the game remained unbalanced such as faction interactions. Criminals have a handful of ways to make in-game money fast and easy such as mugging pedestrians, ramming down stores and warehouses for items and delivering stolen vehicles to chop shops, while  enforcers can only make money by witnessing criminals that perform crimes (which can be by a longshot unless you’re constantly on patrol) or by completing missions.

 

“To the owner of a blue security van: You’re parked onto of an old lady.”

 

APB:R suffers from one other issue that F2P shooters tend to have… You know what I’m talking about: Rental items. The game punishes players than do not play regularly in order to earn back the time and money spent on them. This includes both weapons and cars that can be bought with in-game money or real money. While there are permanent weapons and cars that you can buy, most of the good or even semi-decent ones are insanely overpriced.

 

 

The biggest issue with APB lies within its matchmaking system. As a matter for fact, it becomes the major source of all the game’s shortcomings.  The game’s matchmaking system tries to look for opponents that have the same threat level as you, and sometimes you will, but most of the time you’ll end up with any and all opponents that are ready to answer dispatches, meaning you may have higher or lower level teammates and opponents to deal with. Issue with this is that new players are still learning the ropes on how to properly approach missions, and with expert players that know every camping spot, every hiding place, every choke point along with having supped up weapons and equipment… the expected slaughtering commences.

 

 

Despite the game’s glaring issues, APB:R’s gameplay isn’t all doom and gloom. When the matchmaking works out well enough, and latency connections are solid, the game can create intense moments that you would never quite experience in any other multiplayer game out there.

 

 

Graphics and Presentation

The world of APB is a sight to behold, offering up realistic urban environments to run and drive through.  The character models all look great, including the NPCs. The sounds of death and destruction from gun shots and car explosions will become music to your ears, and speaking of music: The game’s original soundtrack is not so bad, either.

 

 

The soundtrack is filled with licensed tracks from popular and upcoming artists, and with a genre selection of rock, hip-hop, electronic, easy listening you can be sure they have something for everyone. Even if you don’t like the game’s original soundtrack, you can create your own playlist with your own imported.mp3 files.

 

 

Community

APB:Reloaded comes complete with all the standard community features such as friends list, clan support, etc. All of these elements work out the way they should and you are highly encouraged to make use of. Because of the open-ended structure of each district, enemies can come at you from high places, low places and just about every other direction at any given time. Coordination with teammates is very important for successfully completing missions. As expected, trying to communicate and coordinate with random players is like trying to coach a preschool baseball team, even with the game’s well designed VoIP function. As the game itself will suggest, having a dedicated group of friends to play with is recommended, but it’s actually more of a necessity than usual. This game isn’t for lone wolves at all.

 

 

Since APB:R is an M-rated game, this won’t be for the kiddies or for the faint of heart, and there’s no chat filter that will censor foul language, so expect to see a lot of colorful language from fellow players, as well as grim attitudes.

 

“Flipping the bird is how you show good sportsmanship in San Paro”

 

 

Overall

APB: Reloaded can be fun at times, but these golden moments can be few and far between. Even if you manage to put up with the game’s issues and shortcomings, you may be turned off by the fact that there’s not much to do once you’ve maxed out every contract. Players will be doing the same repetitive missions at the start of the game and at the “end-game”, just with more clothing options. The original APB was left as an unfinished mess and GamersFirst has only begun to screw around with it, but just like rebuilding a broken down house:  You have to break it down before you can properly build it back up again.

 

 

One thing is for sure: APB:Reloaded still has a long way to go before it reaches its true potential.


Customization – 5

Controls – 3

Gameplay – 1

Graphics and Presentation – 4

Community -2