Monthly Archives: February 2013

NPR Offers Intriguing Look at the Effects of Violence in Games

NPR Offers Intriguing Look at the Effects of Violence in Games

 

 

With everyone from Congress to the NRA suddenly pointing their crosshairs at violent video games these days, it’s refreshing to hear a balanced look at the subject from actual specialists. Thus I was more than impressed when I came across a write-up from NPR doing just that today. Rather than making broad claims they instead offer interviews and actual studies being conducted to come to a reasonable outcome that most logical people (i.e. not in government offices) could probably agree on. A little excerpt:

 

“There are two things that force us to pay attention,” Gentile says.
“One is violence; the other is sex. Whenever either of those are
present in our environment, they have survival value for us.”

Gentile explains that there is a very basic reason that a lot of
people think violent games are more exciting than say, Tetris. “These
gamers do have an adrenaline rush, and it’s noradrenaline and it’s
testosterone, and it’s cortisol — these are the so-called stress
hormones,” Gentile says. “That’s exactly the same cocktail of hormones
you drop into your bloodstream if I punched you.”

 

 

Be sure to check out the full article at NPR.

Asura Online

Based on the classic Chinese novel, “Journey to the West,” Asura Online mixes a traditional MMORPG with action elements to create a unique experience. With six classes to choose from, and each with their own unique fighting style, the game promises intense action. The storyline of the game is told through voice acted cut-scenes, fully immersing you in the lore and splendor of the world.

 

 

Features

 

Six Unique Classes: Each class plays differently from one another, giving you a truly varied experience. Master your class to truly shine against other players!

 

Interactive Environments: Experience the world of Asura Online in new ways, exploring the lands of myth and legend. Discover various areas only accessible by using your surroundings.

 

Balanced PvP Combat: No one has an advantage over another. With proper teamwork and careful play, you can battle against anyone, knowing you can overcome.

Gloria Victis

Gloria Victis is an MMORPG that features heavy sandbox elements. Players join one of four different nations, dictating the plot of the kingdom as they go along. Quests are multi-path, taking characters in different directions depending on choices made. With a classless leveling system, you decide what your character will be and how it will develop. With a tactical combat system, battles are strategic and intense. Craft, build, and develop the world around you.

 

 

Features

 

Freeform RPG: The world of Gloria Victis is alive with factions, people, and more. Your actions help influence the world around you, with quests that have multiple paths, and consequences that reach far.

 

Classless Leveling: Be who you want to be. Create a powerful warrior, a master craftsman, a mysterious wizard, or a jack-of-all trades. What your character will become is limitless.

 

PvP Tournaments: Fight for your nation and for glory in knightly competition. Siege enemy castles for profit and control. Small or large scale, there is plenty of combat to be had in Gloria Victis.

 

Dynasty of the Magi

Combining a free 3D MMO adventure with a fantasy eBook series, players can adventure in a brand new interactive ecosystem. Play a Warrior Magi from either the Outerworld or Underworld, defeat monsters, and venture on new quests that will shape the world through each book in the series.

 

 

Features

 

New MMO-eBook Ecosystem: Play with others around the world while you connect with the author, determining the fate of the story in a lore-rich world.

 

Unlock New Content: As players complete quests, the author of the series will release new eBooks, detailing their adventures and setting the tone for the next story to come.

 

Multiplayer & Solo: Play alone, or in Co-Op or PvP modes.

 

Interactive eBook: Interact with the map of the realms, illustrations, and 3D models as you read, directly connecting your book with the game world.

Casino RPG

CasinoRPG places you in the world of the rich, the lucky, and the not-so-luck. Begin as a janitor and play your cards at the table. Pursue careers, missions, and even become a multi-casino tycoon!

 

Features

 

Free to Play: CasinoRPG is free-to-play, with an optional subscription with added perks, plus virtual items – but never pay-to-win.

 

Role-playing: Mixing genres, CasinoRPG places you in the role of a character in the casino world, not just another gambler on the Internet. Interact with NPCs and other players to define who you are.

 

Tycoon Play: Work your way up to become a casino tycoon, owning multiple casinos and letting NPCs and players try their luck directly with you!

 

Variety of Games: Try your hand at Texas Hold’Em, BlackJack, slots, and more.

Dungeonland Review: You Must Be This High to Enter

Dungeonland Review: You Must Be This High to Enter

By Mohammad Abubakr, OnRPG Journalist

 

 


After being constantly defeated by the heroes while attempting World Domination, the Evil Lord Dungeon Master, with a loan from the Evil Overlord Foundation, has built a theme park to tempt adventurers into exploration and the chance to fight the most powerful monsters and bosses. Developed by Critical Studio and published by Paradox Interactive, the same publishers behind Magicka, Dungeonland provides lots of co-operative gaming fun! For only $10 ($7.50 if bought with the four pack), Dungeonland is a must play.

 

 

While the game can be played solo with bots or online with other players, this game really shines when playing with friends. It is really difficult to type and co-ordinate in the midst of battle, making voice communication a must. I enjoyed playing this game tremendously the past two weeks. At first my friends and I were not sure it would be worth the time and money, but we were wrong. The time spent playing Dungeonland was a blast!

 

 

The game allows players to play on 4 maps with two different game modes. These maps are randomly generated which is great as it can get boring running through the same dungeon over and over again. The first mode, Adventure Mode, allows up to 3 players to work together hoping to survive until the end of the theme park and defeat the boss. Along the way, many types of enemies will spawn from dungeon spawners. Until these spawners have been taken care of, the waves of enemies will continue.

 

These ducks add a whole new level to spin to win.

 

The second game mode, Dungeon Maestro, allows up to four players in one game. Three players work together to traverse the dungeon theme park and defeat the boss while the fourth player acts as the Dungeon Master. This player uses a card system to summon monsters, spawners, traps, and cast spells. Cards are drawn automatically after a set time and mana generated over time is spent to play each card.

 

 

I was very displeased when I found out that only one of the four maps is playable in the Dungeon Maestro mode. The other three, or two as one is identical to the Dungeon Maestro mode, are only playable by three players with an AI Dungeon Master. Hopefully future updates will offer more maps in the Dungeon Maestro mode. It’s no fun making one friend sit it out.

 

 

Players are given the choice of three classes; the Rogue, the Warrior, and the Mage. Each of these classes are very customizable and further break down into three roles with each role offering different skills, weapons and play styles. Each class gets a weapon and a potion skill. The weapon skill can be spammed as often as its cooldown timer allows while the potion skill depletes one potion.

 

Evil Laughs Per Minute – Best stat ever!

 

The rogue is seen as the DPS class in Dungeonland. It can be played as an Assassin, Archer, or Gunner. This class dies very fast but if played correctly can quickly wipe out powerful enemies. Its default secondary attack is a backstab dealing very high damage if enemies are hit from the back.

 

 

The warrior is the tank out of the three classes but can still deal considerable damage. It can be played as a Vanguard, Lancer, or Defender. With the use of its secondary attack, the block, the warrior can easily jump into the midst of battle without having to worry about dying. Coupled with skills taking aggro of monsters, the warrior allows other players to focus on dealing damage and not play cat and mouse.

 

 

Finally, the mage is the support class but can also be played offensively. It can be played with either the Fire, Ice, or Electric elements. The secondary attack skill, ray of awesome, connects with one other player making them invulnerable for the duration of the cast. It does not appear to have a range limit, or has a very large one, as I have been able to cast it by simply aiming in the general direction of the player, even if they are not visible.

 

So many cards to choose from!

 

The classes work together and can result in very nice skill combos if done correctly. For example, if a fire wall is setup by the fire mage, the archer can fire through it resulting in fire arrows!

 

 

The game is very hard to clear and is almost impossible without class perks and skills. Your party will continue to get wiped but it will not be for naught. As you continue to kill monsters coins will be dropped, shared amongst your entire party. If one player loots a coin, each player will get one coin; it is not split or individual.

 

 

After sufficient coins have been accumulated, players can access the Item Shop to purchase items such as perks, skins, weapons and classes. Of the three classes mentioned above, only the first three types are available by default; Assassin, Vanguard and Fire Mage. The weapons and skins (armor and hats) are all cosmetic meaning that new players should focus on purchasing new perks. Two perks can be equipped at a time, one offensive and one defensive. Due to various classes and play styles, the possibilities are endless. I was really surprised to see so many customizable options in a $10 game.

 

 

The Dungeon Master has not been left out. New cards and perks can also be purchased leading to unique games depending on the Dungeon Master. I have noticed that the Dungeon Master gains money a lot faster than the fighting players. When playing the game for the first time, it is very hard for the players to clear the dungeon. This essentially leads to multiple wins for the dungeon master making him quite wealthy. This snowballs on as the Dungeon Master purchases more powerful cards in a never ending cycle of pain and punishment for the heroes. I had to hold back and set the game’s difficulty to very easy to even give my friends a chance…

The difficulties jump around a lot with very easy being 90% damage reduction, easy being 50% and normal being 0%. There should be a midpoint between very easy and easy as a 90% reduction means the Dungeon Master has no chance while even easy makes it very hard for new heroes.

The evil laugh button is great!

 

I have not had a chance to test the online multiplayer due to existing connection issues. It seems to be impossible to connect to other games. I have deduced that this is caused by port issues and the server browser not updating games that are full. It does seem to work at times as at one point when I forgot to set my game to private, random players began to join. I had my ports open and everything setup which might be the reason for successful connections. Even then, multiple restarts of the game were required after long plays due to friends having trouble connecting. It is quite disappointing to see these server issues being present as it should have been sorted out prior to release. Therefore, I only recommend the game at this point if you have a group to play with. The online multiplayer is not very reliable.

 

 

A feature I was very happy to see in a co-op PC game was local multiplayer. If only this was included in all co-op PC games. I have tested out local multiplayer using two controllers and one keyboard and it works great. Unfortunately, only adventure mode is available meaning that only three players can play and no one can be the Dungeon Master.

 

 

My computer is setup with dual monitors. These monitors are used alongside AMD Eyefinity to allow for split screen across both monitors. However, the local multiplayer version of Dungeonland shares the entire screen for all three players. This leads to very annoying situations when players are split up. Still, the local multiplayer is a feature I am very happy to see.

 

 

In conclusion, the core game play is very fun. If the server issues can be glossed over and you have friends willing to play, the game is a definite must play. I was surprised to see it not be on the top seller list on Steam as it is very comparable to the level of fun Magicka brings. In the future I am hoping for more maps and resolved server issues, get on it Critical Studio!

 

Graphics: 4/5

Controls: 5/5

Features: 3/5

Customization: 5/5

Community: 2/5

Dungeonland

After being constantly defeated by the heroes while attempting World Domination, the Evil Lord Dungeon Master, with a loan from the Evil Overlord Foundation, has built a theme park to tempt adventurers into exploration and the chance to fight the most powerful monsters and bosses. Developed by Critical Studio and published by Paradox Interactive, the same publishers behind Magicka, Dungeonland provides lots of co-operative gaming fun!

 

Features:

 

Strategic Co-op Gameplay: Utilize each character’s unique skills and weapons, combine their special powers to form all new attacks, or just plain hack and slash your way through this treacherous theme park

 

Competitive Multiplayer: Play as the Dungeon Maestro himself and unleash evil on your friends. Summon your minion to thwart the heroes, conjure spells or take control of a boss monster and get in the action yourself. Then push the Evil Laugh button and let your sinister cackle reverberate throughout the land

 

Replayability: The DM AI randomizes monsters, treasures and dangers each session to create a unique experience; player choice in equipping items creates endless combinations for more variety

 

Colorful Game World: Three different theme park environments to explore, each with their own unique attractions. Don’t forget to visit the gift shop on the way out.

SWTOR Game Update 1.7: Relics of the Gree Event

SWTOR Game Update 1.7: Relics of the Gree Event

 

 

Star Wars: The Old Republic

 

 

Game Update 1.7 is coming soon to Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ which will give players brand new in-game content to experience including Relics of the Gree, a limited time live event occurring across the galaxy, and the Galactic Reputation system, an exciting new way for players progress their characters. In honour of this update, BioWare and LucasArts have released a brand new gameplay video for the new Relics of the Gree in-game live event.

 

 

Here are some additional details on Relic of the Gree and the Galactic Reputation System:

Relics of the Gree – Discover the mysteries behind the Grey Secant, an ancient Gree starship that has suddenly appeared over Ilum’s Western Ice Shelf. From February 12 to February 26, players can visit the in-game News Terminals located on Carrick Station or Vaiken Spacedock to begin their adventure. The Gree have promised advanced technology, including powerful weapons and armor, to anyone who is brave enough to aid them against an insidious foe who has taken control at the heart of their ship.

 Galactic Reputation – This new system enables players to earn Reputation points by completing missions for factions such as the Gree, or for military divisions within the Republic and the Empire. The Galactic Reputation system advances characters through six ranks of increasing prestige: “Outsider”, “Newcomer”, “Friend”, “Hero”, “Champion”, and “Legend”. Galactic Reputation is also tied to a character’s Legacy, so Reputation points and ranks are shared across all the characters within the same Legacy.

 

 

Check out the Star Wars: The Old Republic Game Updates Page for additional information and screenshots of the content coming to Game Update 1.7. Be sure to stay connected by visiting our Community Blog, Facebook , Twitter, and YouTube pages.