Monthly Archives: February 2013

OnRPG Shotgun News 2/28: Smite, EVE, WoW, and Salem!

OnRPG Shotgun News 2/28: Smite, EVE, WoW, and Salem

By Shannon Doyle (Leliah), OnRPG Elder Scribe

 

World of Warcraft Patch 5.2 The Thunder King

A new video has been released for the upcoming Patch 5.2: The Thunder King. It quite poetically tells the tale of the Thunder King in just a little under three minutes. There aren’t many details out yet about what you can find in the patch, a dungeon, some armor and pvp changes. But most of the preview site says Coming Soon.

 

 

 

The War Z Returns to Steam

The zombie survival game that generated a lot of negative discussion recently has made a return to Steam. A patch has been has been issued to update current customers. Which means the special refunds Steam was offering are now no longer available.

 

Salem Enters Open Beta

Imagine a new world, one where danger lurks all around you. Anything could kill you from a wild animal to your insane neighbor. Where death is permanent and the only rules are the rules you make as a community. This is the world ofSalem, and now everyone can have a look at it as it goes into open beta.

 

 

Trickster Online Closes 

Yesterday marked the last day of Trickster Online. Players who have made purchases of the in game shop currency can if they chose have their balance moved to another one of SG Interactive’s games.

 

 

SMITE Ultimate God Pack Gets Better

 

If you’ve ever considered getting the SMITE Ultimate God Pack, or if you have it already you’ll want to hear this. As of now the pack not only includes the first 30 Gods, they’ve added in all the Gods and all Gods to come too. Players who have bought Gods individually will have their favor returned when they buy the Ultimate God Pack.

 

Marvel: War of Heroes – TCG at its Finest!

Marvel: War of Heroes – TCG at its Finest!

By Vincent Haoson, OnRPG Journalist

 

Marvel War of Heroes is an action card game made by DeNA through the mobage platform for smartphones. The game puts you in the shoes of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who has the capacity to use “character cards” within the Marvel Universe.

 

Welcome to the Marvel Universe!

As part of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s pool of agents, you are tasked to head out in missions where you face off against super villains within the MU itself. You’ll be up against the likes of Hammerhead, Doc Oc, M.E.D.U.S.A. and S.W.O.R.D. agents and almost every major antagonist you can think of within the Marvel Universe continuity.

 

 

 

You take down your enemies by using your main hero/villain. You have the capacity to level up, and increase stats on your attack, defense and energy points.

 

Marvel Cards Anyone?

Marvel War of Heroes is a trading card game in its core. Each character “card” you have has its own set of attack and defense power, levels, points cost and rarity. Much like in TCGs you have the option to buy themed “packs” where you get a random set of cards that you can use for your team.

 

Teams in MWoH are separated into two. You have the attack and the defense teams. Each team can be composed of a maximum of five cards. The cards you are allowed to put in each team is determined by the attack/defense points you have since each card has its own cost.

 

 

Aside from the primary attributes for each card, there are designated alignments for card types which would determine the effectiveness of each card against each other. The tree types are the Brute, Speed and Tactic alignments and have a rock-paper-scissors effect when pitted against each other, where one alignment is weak/strong against another alignment.

 

Boosting/Fusions

Aside from increasing your card’s level as a means to powering up said card, the game provides two more options for you to use which are namely: fusion and boosting.

 

 

Fusion allows you to remove two identical cards from your collection to create a strengthened version of that card. The outcome of the fusion would be a higher rarity and stronger version of the card.

 

Boosting on the other hand allows you to remove cards from your collection to strengthen a card of your choice. The amount of experience earned through boosting varies on a lot of factors but I won’t be elaborating more since that’s part of the discovery process.

 

Avengers Assemble!

MWoH allows you to see your Marvel Universe dream team in action by setting up your attack and defense teams (much like in American football). While you have the capacity to make your own custom teams (such as Spiderman, and 4 of the members of the sinister six) certain team-ups provide your line-up the extra punch (or in the defense’s case another wall for your enemies to take down).

 

 

While your defense team retains its setup once it was attacked, the attack team won’t be able to keep itself intact at every succeeding attack you do. Each offensive attack done by your team requires them to expend points which then dictate if they can remain in the team setup or not. This gives you some additional strategic decisions when planning your attack since you won’t have your full offensive team 100% of the time.

 

Conclusion

I gotta hand it to DeNA for Marvel War of Heroes, I did not expect that a marvel universe card game can be this addicting. With the constant slew of updates, added changes and or freebies for those who are playing the game, MWoH’s replayability is as high as it can get. Also, since the Marvel universe is huge (without even considering the animation and movie adaptations), I highly doubt that they would run out of “packs” for the months (or years) to come.

 

 

I also liked the variety of the artwork that was put into the MWoH’s cards. Being a card game player myself, I liked that DeNA was able to use all the existing character artworks to provide the variety of the cards you get. The game was actually able to transport the feeling of exhilaration of booster pack opening into the game when you get new packs.

 

I find that remarkable enough since the game lacks one major element which is the lack of any sound effects. I don’t know if this is a recurring theme of either mobage run games or DeNA developed titles, since this would be my second time playing a game from both mobage or DeNA (the other one being Final Fantasy: Airborne Brigade) I can’t say until later if this is limited to mobage or to DeNA (you guys might shed some light on this). The lack of any sounds can definitely and will kill the gaming mood it tries so hard to set up.

 

With that set aside, the one feature that really shone through all the fluff in MWoH is the intricacy of the card enhancement system. You are given a lot of options for increasing your card strength which dictates on how you “enhance” your cards. So with this in mind, you have the option to play brainlessly or, you can play a more “tactical” approach on how you improve the deck you’re with.

 

Overall, the gameplay is rock solid. Its newbie friendly and you can just jump in immediately after you finished the tutorial. I also liked that they factored in team bonuses (similarly to “another” Marvel themed game at Facebook). I actually would be disappointed if MWoH didn’t have this which is one of the staples for any comic-book themed game. The fact that you can bunch heroes and villains up together for either attack or defense is a cute game feature that the more explorative players out there could capitalize on. I also loved the fact that you are under the mercy of your attack points when it comes to PvPing instead of allowing players to use their strongest attack team in every PvP battle. It keeps things interesting and equalizes players all throughout since even if you have a powerhouse team, you can only use it once or twice (unless you spend on energy replenishment items).

 

All in all, I’d say that if you’re looking for a Marvel game that you can play with a bunch of your friends, then MWoH is a great game to spend time on.

Marvel: War of Heroes

Marvel War of Heroes puts the fight between good and evil into a mobile tactical card game for you to play on the go. It features actual Marvel artwork with tons of heroes obtained through booster packs to recreate the thrill of going to the card store to see what cards you might be lucky enough to obtain in each pack. Combined with a tactical offensive and defensive line-up, the title brings everything an iTCG should expect from a quality game.

 

 

Features

Action Packed Deck Battles: Build your dream team of super heroes split between offensive and defensive teams and then take on the most notorious enemies of the Marvel universe to see if your tactics hold tough against great challenges.

 

Fusion and Evolution: Tired of duplicate cards in your iTCG being useless? Marvel Heroes allows you to combine two of the same card to create a more powerful version as well as upgrade your heroes in various ways.

 

Regular Updates: This title isn’t a one-trick pony. New cards and events are added on a regular basis to keep things fresh and every battle a surprise.

 

Warhammer: Wrath of Heroes to Close

Warhammer: Wrath of Heroes to Close

 

 

A producer’s letter released earlier today confirmed that Mythic Entertainment will be closing down the experiment that was Warhammer: Wrath of Heroes. The game has been enduring in a year long beta test that seems to have not caught hold enough to be a profitable long term venture. The Producer, James Casey, had the following to say:

 

 

“Launched in Beta just over a year ago, the free-to-play battle arena version of Warhammer Online was a grand experiment.  We were able to test new server technology, learn more about the free-to-play market, and engage in endless quick, down and dirty, three-way battles any time of day or night.  On all of these fronts, we were able to make great inroads and insights and deliver a fast and frenetic game.

As a producer for this game from the start, I am proud of the hard work and effort that made the game possible and I feel sad that it is not able to carry on.  I think we created something special and I would not trade the time creating it or playing it (on all those Friday Fight Fests and anonymously almost every day) for anything.

I hope that those who have played it at any time in the past will stick through to the end, enjoy the special pricing so you can try out everything before it goes, and try out a few of the special things that were still in our pipeline.”

 

 

To learn more about the shutdown, please see the official FAQ.

Nexon Announces CBT Date for Navy Field 2

Nexon Announces CBT Date for Navy Field 2

 

 

Nexon America will kick-off closed beta for Navy Field 2, its highly anticipated naval warfare-based, massively multiplayer online real time strategy game (MMORTS) on March 27, with sign-ups to participate starting today.

 

Players can sign-up to participate in the Navy Field 2 closed beta at http://navyfield2.nexon.net. The Navy Field 2 closed beta will have limited openings, so only a select number of players who sign-up will be chosen to participate. Notifications for participating in the closed beta will be sent by March 21, with the closed-beta period running from March 27 to April 10. All players who participate in the closed beta will receive an exclusive in-game item.

 

Navy Field 2 is a free-to-play MMORTS that puts players at the helm of naval armadas comprised of warships from World War I & II. As ship captains, players plunge into action-packed naval battles where strategy and tactics are key to destroying the enemy. Navy Field 2 features intense naval engagements on an epic scale for up to 64 players in 32-player vs. 32-player battles.

Navy Field 2 players will be able to choose from more than 500 ships from a variety of nations to create their own fleet. Ships include cruisers, destroyers and battleships. Players will be able to customize the ships in their fleet, including upgrades to a multitude of weapons, fire control systems, engines and armor.

Kartuga – 3D Pirate Action Game Now in Closed Beta

Kartuga – 3D Pirate Action Game Now in Closed Beta

 

Kartuga

 

InnoGames just opened 3D online game Kartuga to the first round of players in a closed beta. The keys for the closed beta are given out by lotteries amongst all users who registered via www.kartuga.com, but players can also visit InnoGames’ Facebookpage and Kartuga’s Facebook page to grab keys to enter the game. InnoGames will start with a small group of dedicated fans and then expand player numbers as the beta proceeds for testing and feedback. The closed beta begins in English, with several more language versions to follow.

 

 

InnoGames CEO Hendrik Klindworth announces the launch, stating: “We are bringing out a very high quality product with Kartuga – with gameplay that is a bit unexpected from us. The game focuses on multiple cooperative PvP modes with a lot of action, and the detailed and colorful 3D graphics will change your notions about what online games are really capable of.”

 

 

The action-packed MMOG is based on Unity 3D and focuses strongly on cooperative PvP (player versus player) gameplay with several role-playing elements. As a purely free-to-play online game, users only need a Unity 3D plugin which is available for all current browsers. Kartuga is InnoGames’ first partnership with subsidiary company, Ticking Bomb Games,who is responsible for the development of the title.

 

 

Kartuga players choose one of three customizable classes of ships to sail through a series of quests and missions. Last week, InnoGames announced that Players can already try out two PvP-modes in the beta: Domination, a variation of classic king-of-the-hill, and Destruction, a mode where a bomb has to be detonated in the enemy team’s base. Next to four PvP maps, five areas of the large open world of Kartuga are accessible, enabling players to encounter NPCs and solve various quests in between PvP-matches.

OnRPG Shotgun News 2/27: Aion, Planetside 2, SMITE, and More!

OnRPG Shotgun News 2/27: Aion, Planetside 2, SMITE, and More!

By Shannon Doyle (Leliah), OnRPG Elder Scribe

 

 

Aion Celebrates 1 Year F2P and Announces 3.9

It has been one year since Aion made the transition to Free to Play (in Europe). To celebrate this there will be bonuses of all sorts from an increased drop rate to 20% more coins for a limited time. But that isn’t all! Update 3.9 is on it’s way too. This you’ll have to wait a little while for though as it arrives April 17th. With it comes a dungeon finder tool and a server for newbies so they can group together safely and level faster.

 

 

PlanetSide 2 Accounts Compromised and Speak Out Against Cheaters

Players of PlanetSide 2 under ProSiebenSat.1 in Europe should log in now and change their passwords. A warning was issued that personal data, email and passwords only have been compromised. Meanwhile Smedley took to Reddit to discuss their approach to banning cheaters. In it he stresses that the war on cheating is one that will never end, and though it may take some time they will catch people cheating.

 

 

Dungeons and Dragons Celebrates 7 Years with Big News

DDO Senior Producer Erik Boyer had the pleasure of announcing a few details of what players can look forward to in year 7 as they celebrate the 7th birthday. The new enhancement system will be in public beta this spring, oh and this little thing like an expansion! Shadowfell Conspiracy will focus on new regions in Cormyr. But it won’t just be new regions and quests, there is also a level cap increase. You can get up to level 28 this summer when Shadowfell Conspiracy launches.

 

Firefall on Television

Firefall is getting a 48 foot long tour bus. And it’s being made by the West Coast Customs crew from Velocity Network’s TV show, Inside West Coast Customs. Best of all they filmed it all and you can see the episode this Sunday, March 3 at 9 PM EST.

 

 

Smite Goes Under the Sea

The latest God Reveal video has been released. And this time it is Poseidon, God of the Oceans. Following their usual format, the six minute long video goes into Poseidon’s history and gameplay. You can see it for yourself below.