Yearly Archives: 2013

Marvel Heroes Review – You Wouldn’t Like Them When They’re ALL Angry

By John Shadle (Sephorus), OnRPG Journalist

 

Gazillion Entertainment’s Marvel Heroes is a free-to-play action RPG that, aptly enough, is set in the Marvel universe and allows you to assume the role of one of many iconic heroes.  It’s a pretty awesome premise – one I managed to briefly check out during its head start and launch week.  What I came away with is the sense that Gazillion’s latest offering isn’t a bad game, but it’s one that probably could have stayed in the proverbial oven for just a touch longer.

Marvel Heroes Cutscenes

The over-arching story, told by a mixture of CGI and comic-style cutscenes, is that the ever-nefarious Dr. Doom has gotten his hands on a powerful device known only as The Cube, and while it’s not immediately clear what his plans for the device are, it’s made pretty clear during these opening moments that they can be listed as ‘Not Good’.  It’s therefore up to The Avengers to put a stop to his machinations – once they can get a handle on all of the other trouble that’s been stirred up in the process.  You’ll select one of five heroes – Daredevil, The Thing, Storm, Hawkeye, or Scarlet Witch – before launching right into the action by thwarting an attempted prison break at the maximum security facility known as The Raft.  It sets the stage of something grand in the works right off the bat while doubling as the tutorial for anyone new to the game and unfamiliar with the action RPG genre. It’s not long after that you’ll be smacking around mooks who never got the memo that the only reason they’re being paid is to slow down the good guys by being one more body they have to trample over.

Marvel Heroes Mob Trampling

Gameplay’s pretty straight-forward to anyone who’s given Diablo, Torchlight, Titan Quest, or just about any other ARPG a whirl – left-click on ground to move or on enemies to attack, right-click for a second power.  There’s also a five-slot hotbar for extra powers you unlock on the way and a medpack slot for instant healing.  All heroes have Health (self-explanatory, I hope!) and Spirit – Marvel Hero’s equivalent of mana – and some have a specialty third resource that ties into their powers; for example, Captain America’s attacks can generate Shield Points, which give extra defense for each one and can be used with some powers to add extra effects or reduce Spirit costs.  Leveling up gives you Power Points, which can be spent in skill trees to unlock new abilities or boost existing ones, and each hero can equip a variety of gear, like newer clubs for Daredevil or better gloves for Scarlet Witch.  Additionally, at any time, you can switch which hero you’re playing by selecting a new one from your roster, giving you an entirely new playstyle at the expense of having to level each hero up separately.

 

Graphically, Marvel Heroes isn’t bad, but I feel as though things could have been better here.  By themselves, things like character models and textures are pretty good, but I feel like the style is in this uncanny valley between ‘realistic’ and ‘comicbook’ where it feels like it’s both and neither all at once – your mileage may vary, of course.  Animations are in a similar boat – while I wouldn’t call them bad by any stretch of the imagination, it’s almost like realism went out the window, but not quite enough comic physics, for lack of a better term, took over.  I think the biggest complaint I could possibly leverage against the looks is the fact that, for a game running on the Unreal Engine, it doesn’t look nearly as impressive as it could.

Marvel Heroes Graphics

Marvel Heroes’ sound is, for the most part, pretty good.  Impacts, weaponry, and crumbling scenery have a fair amount of ‘oomph’ behind them – it’s not overly cranked up to the point of ridiculousness, but there’s enough of a larger-than-reality vibe to feel superhuman.  The soundtrack’s upbeat, lively, and action-packed, if a bit heavy on rock at times (not that I’m complaining!). There are also enough one-liners from each of the heroes, as well as some vendors, to give you a sense of who they are, even if – like me, actually – you’re not as up to speed with the Marvel roster as other comic fans.  The delivery of said one-liners can be a tad on the flat side at times, but it’s not all that detracting from the overall quality.

 

Most of your downtime takes place at The Avengers Tower, where you’ll have access to weapon and armor vendors, crafting, personal stashes, and daily missions.  While the daily missions are something meant as endgame content (and thus not something I had the ability to check out), I tinkered around with everything else when I decided to take five minutes from punching some thugs in the face.  Vendors can either have items sold to them for credits or donated to them to increase their XP, which will improve their inventories as they level up.  Crafting follows a similar model, with better crafting recipes taking the place of better items for sale.  The stash is just what it sounds like, although you also have some extra tabs for gear specific to heroes you’ve unlocked, which is nice.

 

As a F2P title, Marvel Heroes has a cash shop with a variety of new heroes, costumes, and boosts to generate its revenue, and while there’s nothing here that would turn this into a pay-to-win title, the execution has a very real potential to grate on people.  As mentioned earlier, you start off with one of five Marvel heroes and can switch at any time.  The problem is that most people – I’m assuming, anyways – are probably here from either a lengthy interest in comic books or the wave of recent superhero movies, and a lot of the more popular characters are going to cost a fair bit of cash to individually unlock.  At this time, you’d be looking at around $6 for characters like Black Widow all the way up to $20 (yes, $20) for Spiderman or Deadpool, and that’s not even counting the cost for any costumes past the default for each hero.  Equally as frustrating is that, while the game gives you a basic overview of how each of the starter heroes plays, the same can’t be said for any of the purchasable heroes, making it a very real possibility that someone could pick up a hero they really like, only to find that they really hate the playstyle that said hero is geared towards.

Marvel Heroes ARPG

However, the biggest complaint I could lodge against Marvel Heroes is the style of game that it is.  I have no problems whatsoever with action RPGs, nor do I have an issue with superhero games, and while I generally like to be able to create my own characters, I can get behind the notion of playing as a heroic icon.  The thing is, I generally can accept playing as say, Hulk, because of the notion that, for a brief time, I would be Hulk, with all of the benefits and consequences that would come with that.  Here, however, that excitement gets washed away almost immediately as soon as you set foot into The Avengers Tower or Hell’s Kitchen, as inevitably there’ll be at least half a dozen other Hulks stomping about, making what should be HULK SMASH more into HULK AND HULK AND HULK AND HULK AND HULK SMASH!  There’s not even a very good explanation – or an explanation at all, honestly – for why there’s dozens of the same superhero milling about, and while I can silently try and chalk it up to ‘tons of alternate universes barfed into ours’, there’s limits to my suspension of disbelief that end up somewhere way behind me here.

Marvel Heroes Review Thoughts

Having said all of that, I actually don’t find Marvel Heroes to be a bad game overall.  The graphics are decent enough, the cutscenes, while a tad on the cheesy side, are entertaining, and the gameplay is just plain fun.  I can’t help but wonder, though,  if making this as a non-MMO action RPG would have been the way to go here, as all of the issues I do have with the game seem to stem from attempting to follow the MMO way of things.  Still, if you can look past the fact that the more iconic and popular characters are locked in the cash shop and that your supposedly-unique self won’t be unique, Marvel Heroes isn’t a terribly bad way to spend some time.

Eudemons Online: New Expansion Dawn of Romance to be released in July

Eudemons

Following Eudemons Online’s 7th Anniversary, TQ Digital will present a brand-new expansion, Dawn of Romance, which will bring the breath of love and romance to EO. It’s said that in this brand-new expansion, you are given the ability to have your own Eudemon child to care for and raise! There’s no doubt that it this is not something you’ll see in other MMMORPG games! The baby looks a bit different than other Eudemons. Not only do they have the appearance of a human, but they also are turn out to be incredibly helpful in questing and battles, just like the other Eudemons!

What benefits come from a baby?
In this brand-new expansion, you can have a baby with your spouse. The baby is different from other Eudemons. They are easy to compose and revive, and you can even send them to school and develop their special talents. The higher the talent of the baby, the stronger they will be! You can even appoint them as a Knight, ready to aid in your battles! They will add Battle Points and grow your own power in the larger arenas, like the Class PK Tournament, Family war and Legion War!

Eudemons
Why is this new expansion so different?

“Well, these kids look so cute, but I will feel bad when I use them to fight, and this is a PvP game, not just about love and romance”, one Eudemon player said. The Eudemons Online game developer feels they will bring a fresh experience and ideas to the EO players, and they wouldn’t feel the same after trying it out.

Fallen Sword Booster Pack Giveaway

OnRPG is partnered with Hunted Cow Studios to offer up some impressive booster packs for Fallen Sword!

Join thousands of other adventurers in this constantly evolving web-based massively multiplayer role-playing game set in the fantasy world of Erildath. Along your travels you will encounter fellow players who you can engage in battle against. You may also band together to create a guild, or join one of the many that already exist! With your allies you may partake in guild conflicts or hunt some of the many powerful monsters found across the world.

The Booster Pack Includes:
+10,000 Current Stamina
+5,000 Reserve Stamina
+500 Maximum Stamina
+5 Inventory (Backpack) Slots
1 x Golden Dragon Blade
1 x Golden Dragon Plate
1 x Golden Dragon Helm
5 x Scholar’s Apprentice Potion
1 x Bottled Imp Brew
(Note it is limited to one per player)

 

To get your key you have to follow these instructions:

  • If you are not yet a member of OnRPG please sign up here.
  • Enter your OnRPG username and password below to get your key.
  • The key will appear at the bottom of the page. Copy & paste it to a safe place as you may not be able to retrieve it once closing your browser!

To Redeem your Key:

  • Visit http://www.fallensword.com
  • Click on the ‘Sign up now!’ button.
  • Create a Hunted Cow account.
  • Once in the game. click the ‘Upgrades’ menu, followed by ‘Redeem’
  • Enter your promo code and press ‘Redeem’

Dice Venture

Dice Venture is an online casual board game where players can join friends and family in a classic game with new twists. Players take turns buying and selling properties while traveling around the world for a chance to become billionaire tycoons. Games can be played in either four-player head-to-head mode or in two-on-two team matches, and take about 25 minutes to finish.

Gameglobe

Square-Enix presents the ultimate gaming world builder, Gameglobe. Create an avatar, explore countless player created worlds complete with missions and objectives, and then build your own. Imagination is your only limitation!

Top 10 Reasons E3 2013 is Energizing the MMO Industry

E3 2013 MMO Countdown

With E3 just one weekend away, I have a strange feeling bubbling up in my stomach. Is this excitement… for a gaming convention? I do believe it is! But I haven’t truly looked forward to a gaming convention in nearly two years as the work involved often outweighs the rush of adrenaline I used to feel when thinking about visiting a PAX or E3. Let’s face it, with very few exceptions the online gaming world has been pretty bland lately. But this E3 might just be the breaking point in which we can finally look to our fellow MMO gamers that have stuck it out through the dark ages to nod knowingly, that the prophesized ‘Next-Gen’ titles have begun to arrive.

 

Without further hyperbole, I will show you the top ten reasons I’m stoked to be leading MMOHuts and OnRPG’s E3 2013 coverage!

 

10. Command & Conquer Returns

Nostalgia is strong these days, especially with online gamers who have suffered too many back to back disappointments for so long. The Command and Conquer series can be considered one of the lesser of evils in this concept as their titles have remained quite popular iteration after iteration, but they seem to want to move before they feel the full pinch. How so? By going back to their routes and re-imagining it with more modern technology and graphics. Rose tinted glasses or not, that’s a concept that’s exciting enough to be worth mention.

9. Nival’s Prime World: The Ultimate MOBA Hybrid

Even though I’ve been spending every weekend for the past month sinking hours into building my castle in the new RPG/castle builder/MOBA/WTF hybrid title Prime World, I’m still seriously dying to meet with the representatives from Nival at E3. Why? Because lately they’ve been pushing some interesting surveys on their site that seem to hint at possible massive changes coming to the game. This worries me as I hope they don’t destroy what makes the game so unique in order to attract a larger playerbase and I look forward to confirming my fears are unfounded. Who knows, maybe I’ll even snag a preview of some unreleased heroes or modes in the process?

8.  HEX: Shards of Fate puts the MMO in iTCG

While most iTCG games are thinking small with their ‘revolution’ of gameplay by adding boards and upped animations, HEX is going full on MMORPG mode with raiding, PvP, sieges, and everything else you’d expect from a modern title all based around a trading card game. And while that alone isn’t enough to get me that excited, the fact that it’s being developed by the Cryptozoic, the crew behind the World of Warcraft Official Trading Card game means it’s going to be well balanced and creative. The fact that it’s an original IP means Cryptozoic can go hog wild with testing whatever ideas they prefer. And the fact that their kickstarter goal was $300k and they nearly reached $2.3 million means funding issues should be an afterthought. I can’t wait to learn more about their extended goals at E3.

7. Skara: High risk, High Skill Combat

Now while the above title is a tale of Kickstarter glory, Skara is a tale similar to Camelot Unchained in that it looked like it wasn’t going to fund. Thus I couldn’t be happier to use our sites to build awareness of this title with our E3 coverage because this game NEEDS to happen. It brings so many combat features to the table that you just can’t find in the industry currently. Action combat, skill-based combat, real consequences for defeat, real rewards for victory, a community that builds the story alongside the developers, and unforgiving combat unlike anything before it. If you need to know more about this game NOW, then be sure to read up on Leliah’s interview and back them on Kickstarter asap because they need all the momentum they can get.

6. World of Warships/Wargaming: It might be your grandpappy’s war, but it’s our generations’ ultimate Naval Battle

Wargaming is no stranger to being on top lists at gaming conventions. What most of the press don’t tell you is their legendary parties and massive gaming tournaments are usually just as responsible for this as their games themselves. But this E3 they may just eclipse both with the long awaited reveal of World of Warships! The initial screenshots and video suggest that we’ve never seen a F2P naval title even remotely on par with what Wargaming is bringing to the table. Combined with their constantly updated Tanks and soon to be launched Planes, their booth is not to be missed at E3.

5. Final Fantasy XIV: Can it truly be Reborn as a Successful title?

It’s been two months now since my buddy Platypus has begun talking non-stop about the return of Final Fantasy XIV. Granted the guy is an FF junkie and I didn’t have high hopes for a successful return of this title after its initial launch two years ago. But Square-Enix seems to be willing to pay any price to not lose face on their second stab at an FF MMO and the recent videos seem to set the standard of what Next-Gen graphics should be. Check out Proxzor’s recent beta impressions to alleviate your worries that the game lacks substance behind the pretty graphics. I just need to get my hands on the game myself to confirm the hype, and hopefully grab Platy and a few of our lucky viewers access keys in the process!

4. WildStar: 2013’s Most Anticipated. Don’t let other games tell you otherwise!

I can already hear the cries. “What only #4?! It’s ******* WildStar noob!” Well unfortunately Carbine Studios was unable to prepare their planned E3 reveal in time for the show so it’s mostly going to just be a rehash of all the info we’ve seen so far. Good news if you just recently stumbled across the game and need a time saving way to learn more. Bad news if you’ve been following the title since it’s PAX Prime reveal in 2011 like me. Still I hold quite a bit of joy knowing that the Alienware Booth will have a playable demo since I only managed to sneak in 15 minutes of gametime at PAX East and have been dying to get another fix.

3. Black Gold Online: Snail’s Steampunk/Fantasy Trump Card

Most people are so focused on Snail Games nearly 10 year long dev project, Age of Wushu. But a wild title has been lurking along in the shadows, with only tidbits of it revealed at last year’s ChinaJoy and GDC Austin. Well E3 is apparently the big reveal for Black Gold Online and I’m quite excited for this merely because it looks so fantastic and so little is known about it. And if there’s one thing that gets gaming press going, it’s being the first to see something so foreign and unknown.

2. Trion World’s ArcheAge: Sandbox PvP to the next Level

My number 2 spot goes to Trion Worlds for a combination of reasons. Things have just been crazy with them lately between the break off with Petroglyph and take over of End of Nations, the announcement of RIFT going F2P, and now as if they didn’t have enough attention on them they are using E3 to make the first western reveal of ArcheAge! ArcheAge itself has plenty of controversy going on in the east with its titles going F2P in some regions while being subscription in others. I have plenty of questions that likely won’t get answered by Trion but I’ll be damned if I don’t grill them for every tidbit of information on can now that ArcheAge is finally being actively promoted.

1. Black Desert: A Title Shrouded in Epic Mystery

Pearl Abyss must be one of the most mysterious studios out there. No signs of publishers representing them. A simply English website that virtually just exists to release a trailer roughly once a year. The only real information being released is through translated Korean interviews and the occasional odd Facebook post. Yet what it represents could be a sandbox title with action combat and siege warfare unparalleled in the industry. The best way I could ever hope to compare it to something familiar is if you took the mechanics from recent Legend of Zelda games and built it into an MMORPG. So it goes without saying that I just about blew a gasket when after 5 months of trying I received a response from Pearl Abyss asking if I wanted to talk to them at E3. Brace yourselves, this game might be the sleeper hit that sweeps the MMORPG world and establishes the bar for what a Next Gen title should be.

 

1A. Cosplay!

E3 doesn’t have quite the fanbase size of cosplayers that you might expect at PAX but the ones there are usually professionals and bring their A game. You can be sure we’ll have plenty of pics to share in our upcoming day recap articles so look forward to it!

Now to be sure this is only a glimpse of our E3 coverage as we’re intending to hit up roughly 25 companies over a three day span next week and may even get a look at some awesome PC titles in our downtime like Saints Row IV! Be sure to keep an eye on OnRPG’s Twitter as well for on the fly updates and pictures from the show as it’s happening!

MMOHuts E3 Countdown

And keep a look out on MMOHut’s Youtube as James offers his thoughts on what to look forward to at E3 2013!