Monthly Archives: October 2014

Kings and Legends gains Undead Pirates

Kings and Legends

Set sail for the River Styx as the Undead Pirates plunder their way into Kings and Legends!

Blackbeard boards the enemy and fires his dual-pistols, the vampiric Mary Reade feeds on her victims, skeletal Klaus hurls his exploding-skull at the enemies’ decks and the pirate lovers: Anne Bonny and Calico Jack blow the enemy away with their combination of Cannon and spectral Backstab abilities…and they’ll even resurrect each other from death if killed.

Press the Pirates into your service from October 6th but hurry, they set sail on the 11th.

Chaos Heroes Online: Now in Open Beta

Chaos Heroes

Chaos Heroes Online, the action-packed multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) from Aeria Games, today commenced its Open Beta program! Players ready for the fast-paced challenge that the free-to-play game offers can sign up now at ChaosHeroes-Online.com and start playing immediately. The Open Beta kicks off with a whole new set of skins, a variety of Heroes available for purchase, and daily in-game bonuses, including currency and consumable items.

“The feedback we received from players during our Closed Beta was very positive and we are happy to deliver the game to all players beginning today,” says Pascal Zuta, CEO of Aeria Games. “With the launch of Open Beta, we constantly want to bring a new dynamic to the overall gameplay with multiple opportunities for players to engage first-hand, while continuing to ensure balance in game flow.”

A brand-new trailer to celebrate the launch of Open Beta outlines the backstory of the game, revealing how the world has been thrust into chaos by a fallen God, corrupting harmony and destroying peace.

In Chaos Heroes Online, every player has the chance to turn the game around until the end of the match. Developed in Korea by a team with more than 10 years of experience crafting challenging MOBAs, Chaos Heroes Online includes powerful consumables and sophisticated skins. Hardcore MOBA fans will appreciate the unique game mechanics such as a fifty minute time limit and the ability to re-equip during battle, opening up new tactics and emphasizing the importance of each player’s individual skills.

For more info, visit http://chaosheroesonline.aeriagames.com/?utm_source=redirect&utm_medium=URL%20Redirect&utm_content=domain&utm_campaign=chaosheroes-online.com%20Redirect

Ascent: The Space Game Now on Kickstarter Seeking Funds

Ascent TSG Unicorn

Fluffy Kitten Studios, the indie developer behind the ambitious space MMO, Ascent: The Space Game, has embarked on a Kickstarter campaign that will allow the studio to complete the art and interface overhaul that began earlier this year. The added funds will also allow Fluffy Kitten to add features such as active NPCs that respond to text commands and new gameplay—including smuggling, bounty hunting, and assassination missions.

Three days in, Fluffy Kitten has already received $16,700 of its AU$ 35,000 goal. The money will be primarily used to hire George Karandais, the artist responsible for Ascent’s new ship designs—all of which have been widely acclaimed by the game’s thriving user base.

Ascent’s Steam Greenlight campaign is near 4,400 “yes” votes–and inching closer to a green light from Valve. Every Ascent premium user will receive a Steam key from Fluffy Kitten.

Ascent TSG Alien Worlds

“I spent $70,000 out-of-pocket to create Ascent,” says James Hicks, founder of Fluffy Kitten Studios. “Without external help and relying only on my savings, I have just four months left of full-time development. We’re taking the Kickstarter route so that we can hire an artist full-time and an interface designer part-time—and to add some awesome features to the game. I reckon that’s what Ascent needs to become the game it was always meant to be.”

Ascent sports a mind-boggling 270 billion star systems—and it allows players to build and customize their own ships, colonize faraway worlds, compete with other players for currency and resources, mine asteroids, trade, and much more. The game’s two gameplay modes are roughly divided into “Industrialist” and “Combat” campaigns running side by side – it’s possible to switch between the two at any time. ”Industrialist” is more trade-oriented: Players are tasked with rebuilding business empires and attempting to restore order to the human race. Priorities include food and raw materials. In contrast, “Combat” features ship-to-ship (PvE) skirmishes as the player is recruited by the last remnant of the military (United Nations Combined Arms [UNCA]) to help protect the wealthy Janus Merchant Cabal against a pirate syndicate. The game’s engrossing storyline can be read here.

Ascent TSG Asteroid Mining

If funded, Fluffy Kitten will add the following features to Ascent:

  • Active colonists that can walk and talk
  • Keyboard interaction with NPCs—similar to classic text-based adventure games
  • New gameplay: Hire NPCs to pilot ships—along with smuggling, crime and punishment, bounty hunting, and assassination

Kickstarter users considering backing the game can play the unlimited browser version or download a time-limited demo for PC from http://www.thespacegame.com/download-demo.html

Armored Warfare: PvE mission details revealed

Armored Warfare

Obsidian Entertainment has revealed more information about Armored Warfare’s Missions on the Player vs. Environment (PvE) mode detailing how difficulties work and tasks players must complete to complete a mission, as well as a set of new screenshots.

Missions are divided into difficulty levels of easy, regular, and difficult, with players gaining more experience, reputation, and game currency based on the difficulty of the mission. In order to complete a mission, teams receive different battle tasks that include both main tasks, which are critical to the success of the mission, and additional tasks that have an impact on the amount of rewards received.

PVE tasks in Armored Warfare are divided in the following types:

Attack – seize an enemy position from the enemy within the allotted time.
Destroy – destroy a specific target.
Escape – cover a distance while under close enemy fire within the allotted time.
Defense – hold on to a location or point for an allotted time.
Survival – resist an enemy offensive, attacking in waves, for the allotted time.

For more info, visit http://aw.my.com/forum/index.php?page=Thread&threadID=2187

Warlocks: Pre-Alpha Kickstarter Preview

By Jason Parker (Ragachak)

 

Warlocks Preview Kickstarter

Kickback to the Future

Warlocks is a call back to the 80s with its sprite graphics and side-scrolling action elements.  It really feels like a shot to my youth with a bit of a modern kick.  The game is still in its pre-alpha stage, so of course there are bugs, missing characters, and things that will change and grow as time passes.  It is also worth noting that the game is in the process of being funded on Kickstarter; so if you see this and are interested in seeing more, feel free to visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/229931946/warlocks-0 and donate to help this game get moving!  They’re on the final day and 10% away from funding at the time of this article’s publishing so every bit counts. Warlocks is a trip down memory lane for classic console users; the art style lends itself well to this wave-clearing RPG.

Warlocks Preview Simple

The title of this game did not grab me immediately, because I thought of the old Warlock movie. I expected lots of evil and fire, with demons, darkness, et cetera.  It is not too terribly far from the mark though. There is certainly a great deal of evil to fight and cool items to acquire. The characters are all very different and use modern game mechanics (League of Legends style skill system), granting easy access to players of all skill levels.  The demo is available on their Kickstarter and I highly encourage everyone to give it a once-over.  This will be a title that should not be missed if you are into retro gaming, fun platforming and heart pounding action gameplay!

 

Warlocks Preview Garlic-Gun

A Delicate Balancing Act

As a game that is not quite in the Alpha or Beta stage, it is far from being balanced, and that’s okay because that is the point of testing and development. I have found a few things that did not work quite well and sent my thoughts in to the developers with favorable results.  There are a host of interesting characters in the game, though they are not all available just yet.  Each has their own quirks and intricacies that make them unique.  The sprite artwork for each character is delightful in their simplicity.  At this juncture not all characters are made equal; some are very strong and far more powerful than the others.  Lizzie the Robot Girl, for example, is a young girl standing/sitting in a robot, a’la Megaman’s Tron Bonne.  Her bullets fly across the stage, even killing things that are not on the screen yet!  Activating her Gatling guns can clear waves and units that are completely across the map.

Warlocks Preview Boss

How characters will be unlocked is unknown as of yet, but I have an idea as the 7 parts of stage 1 culminate in a boss battle against a “Fallen Angel.” After you defeat the imposing black angel, Christian, the Fallen Angel spills forth (one of your characters).  He looks like a Techno Angel, something you might find in Diablo or perhaps even Warhammer.  Each character plays different from the others; for instance, the Ice Maiden can skate across air or ground on ice like Bobby Drake (X-Men’s Iceman) and kites enemies around with a three-pronged icicle attack. She has lots of slows and ice powers, including shattering enemies she has tagged with attacks.  The developers sneak pop culture references into the game as well, as the Ice Maiden hums songs from Disney’s Frozen, and quotes the film in a variety of clever little ways. Expect lots of fun pop culture shout outs in this title!  You’re offered four characters right from the start so don’t worry about not having someone right away that fits your playstyle.

 

Warlocks Preview Platform

Horde Mode Plus Gauntlet Equals

Warlocks!  Each level has a series of stages, similar to the Mario titles (1-1, 1-2, et cetera).  Each of these stages have a number of waves of enemies that spawn across the stage, and as the stages progress, the waves get harder and harder with new enemies like lasers that streak down from sky, enemies that explode, and small nimble shadow monsters that hop and claw angrily.  The downside is that while you can die as many times as you want, dying resets the waves, so you have to start back over at the beginning of the stage.  Another thing of note is that when the enemies spawn into the zone, whether in groups or by themselves, their health bars are white for a few seconds; this means they are unkillable, and you must position properly so they do not overwhelm you in this state.

Warlocks Preview Cursed

There has to be some kind of rewards for killing all of these bad guys!  You gain copper and silver pieces that transfer into gold on your HUD, next to your level/skills at the bottom of the screen.  You can also find items that drop, weapons (bullets, daggers, swords, etc), Helmets, Boots and Chest armor from broken/grey drops, to Magic, Masterwork, and Epics!  As the item type gets better, they receive more and more powers, such as a root on attacks, thorns (adds bonus damage to enemies whenever further damage is taken), passive regeneration, and explosions. There are more to find most assuredly; every few stages a merchant will appear and let you buy and sell excess gear;  you can also find potions, but as of right now they are not terribly useful. There are also cursed items, yet it wasn’t too clear how one removes these curses. I’m assuming this hasn’t been added in the Kickstarter build.

 

Warlocks Preview Set-Piece

Forty Percent Luck, Sixty Percent Skill

Better loot makes everything better. Having weapons that root, regen, thorns, extra movement speed and boosted jump height can make the game a lot easier but doesn’t ruin the fun factor one bit. Having the ability to level up your skills may make you more powerful, but without the skill and timing to use them, they will still be quite useless!  As I said above, each character plays a little differently, so it would behoove well of you to play everyone offered to find just what works for you.  Much in the manner of League of Legends, when you level you can pick one of your four skills to improve, and I do not feel there is an optimal order for this. Whatever will benefit you the most given your style and nature of the map’s challenge. However, at this point there are no tool tips and I could not switch from equipment to skills in the menus; I am sure this will be changed as the game progresses and grows.

Warlocks Preview Characters

You do not have to go it alone however. Games like this are always way more fun with a friend. As of this build, there is only single player and local co-op, but a later build will offer online multiplayer which will make the game far more exciting! I do not know if loot will be shared or if they will adopt a Diablo 3 style loot system (which I infinitely prefer) but the idea of tackling some of these stages with a partner reminds me of something like Battletoads, Double Dragon, and of course Battletoads: Double Dragon.  Some of the characters do not feel as strong on their own right now, so the idea of having someone that complements their skill set will make the challenge of pushing forward feasible, not to mention fun.

 

Warlocks Preview Case-of-Explosions

Alpha-Five-Oh:  Progress Train is Moving Fast!

I’m really liking what I see so far! There is plenty of pieces needing work, but the developers are hard workers and I do hope it makes it to more consoles than the Wii-U.  It should be a fun and exciting two player game to make people think back to the good ol’ days of co-op. An era where four or more player titles were unheard of. The graphics are very 8-bit and complimented nicely by the soundtrack. The characters are a fun blend of technology and fantasy and they stand out against the green grass and gray ruins of “Warlocks.”  Will you traverse impossible amounts of danger and become a Warlock?  One can only hope!  This game is just getting started though and needs our support on Kickstarter to make its potential a reality.