Yearly Archives: 2014

FIFA 15 Review

By Remko Molenaar (Proxzor)

 

fifa15 Review

Every year every gamer that is a fan of football is highly anticipating the new FIFA game in the current running franchise. Ever since the Ultimate feature was implemented, the game has had a major playerbase increase mainly because of its special teambuilding style. But this isn’t the only feature that sells the game for most fans, each year there are a couple of new features, and changes in the gameplay that makes each version a lot better than the previous, as a big fan of the FIFA games I obviously dove right in, bought it on two platforms and invested a full week in playing this game alone.

Obviously with a new release each year, many people will raise their eyebrows with the progress they might make in each new FIFA game. It’s a challenge to add meaningful new gameplay to a sport that almost never changes. There are still eleven players on each side of the field, but the controls and button mapping are key to bringing the same life to the game that you expect when watching the sport. Each year we seem to get one step closer to reality though. The major focus lately has been on recreating the emotion and physical reactions of each player to the events around them. But is it noticeable versus Fifa 14? I jumped into the downloadable demo early to find out.

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Less than a week after snagging the demo, I had already invested over 20 hours into it. I highly suggest checking the demo out before buying any Fifa title to make sure the game fits your style as it resembles the full version minus one or two key features and bug fixes. One of the first features that will stand out to veterans of the series is the intense level of emotional detail on tap this year. Every time they score a goal, incur a foul, or take part in a key play, you’ll see the player’s face change to match the situation. You can also see footprints on the field, the longer the game goes, the more footprints you will eventually see. Also the slide marks and falls will be represented on the field, as the players creating these mud slides will reflect the dirt on their uniforms.

The gameplay itself also had a few huge improvements. The ball now spins in the right direction with each kick, rather than following predetermined routes between players. This makes dribbling a huge difference over the last few games in the series. The individual player controls are also much more fluid, while in FIFA 14 the players felt weak and easily lost the ball. The players in FIFA 15 keep the ball a lot closer and feel a lot more protected while trying to dribble past a defender. Wingers also have had a huge difference in role compared to 14. Before you couldn’t play without dribblers, but now the midfielders are in the spotlight.

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Many of the FIFA players play a game mode called FIFA Ultimate Team. In FUT you will be able to assemble your own team, with players from all the teams and international national teams from all over the world. So if you’d want to play with a mixture of Asian, American and European players, you can do this. Obviously there are a few set rules that you need to keep in your mind. All the players have a chemistry rating that reacts to players with similar chemistry to improve their performance. This is based on their real life country and teammates. If you want to have your team potentially play best, you want them all over a chemistry of 9, and obviously this is no easy task since you start with random low tier players on your team called bronze cards. After playing for a while you can earn enough money to buy packs with silver players, and eventually golden players. They can also spend real money on these packs, and as you might guess, this has been EA’s prized milk cow for the last few years. I also have to admit, that besides buying the game twice for the PC and Playstation 4, I also spent around 120 Euro in total for packs. I am insane, addicted and might need to find a support group; thankfully there are plenty of others that are as crazy as I am.

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In these packs you will find players from all levels, obviously you want to be lucky and get the best players in the game. It’s essentially legalized online gambling, as you can’t win any money back for your bets. In these packs you will also find healing cards, fitness cards and contracts. While you might initially dislike them as they feel like filler compared to receiving new players, these three types of cards turn out to be quite important for your team. An injured or fatigued star player isn’t very valuable, and someone you can’t resign for another season is even worse, and these cards will help carry you through these tough times.

Unfortunately FIFA will always be plagued with bugs, no matter how much the fans wish each new edition will be an improvement. As usual the tight production schedule means this year’s FIFA, like every other, feels a little rushed and unpolished. However with FIFA 15 it’s a bit more noticeable after only a couple hours of playing. The referees in FIFA 15 currently are in a state that could make a lot of people get insanely angry and break their controllers. For simple shirt pulling you can get a penalty against you, and for the most obvious fouls, you sometimes do not even get a free kick. Keepers are also in a bad state this time around. They do not seem to enjoy their work and most of the time just refuse to do anything, or they move really awkward and shoot the ball into their own goal.

 

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Conclusion: Good

FIFA 15 has definitely improved over the last few FIFA games, especially the way each player controls the ball in their own unique style is incredible. But unfortunately the bugs make you dislike the game fairly quickly. The bugs that plague the game are currently game breaking, and even though some people don’t mind, a lot of people are absolutely furious about the current issues. FIFA has had a lot of improvements, plays a lot better and feels a lot better. But since the bugs are currently making each game more about luck than skill, it has become obvious that EA is trying to make money too fast, rather than finish a solid product. I hope we will see a patch for these essential game breaking bugs, because right now, controllers are being broken left and right.

Age of Wushu: Winds of Destiny Pack Giveaway

OnRPG has partnered with Snail Games to bring you Destiny Packs for the launch of Age of Wushu‘s newest expansion, Winds of Destiny!

Winds of Destiny, the sixth free DLC of Age of Wushu, has been released on October 15th, 2014.
Age of Wushu: Winds of Destiny brings new features to the game, including:

  • Companion system – new version of Offline experience where players can become companions and help their friends when offline!
  • Delightful Island & Silver Hook – all new mysterious zone with cool features, including the new forbidden instance “the Silver Hook”
  • Flower Prince Contest – special contest for the most fabulous men of Jianghu, earn special titles and gear as the Prince of Flowers!
  • The Path of the Departed – Experience a new adventure with an all new mountainous zone and special feuding clans game play.

 

 

The Destiny Pack Features:

  • Dawan Horse (7 days)
  • Yunxiao Order*1
  • Weapon Manual (Superior) (Bound)*5
  • Five Aggregates And Demon-Subduing Item*10
  • Tianshan Mountain Snow lotus*2
  • Zichen Pill*5
  • Traveling Token*3
  • Show The Tail But Hide The Head *5
  • Infiltrate and Investigate*10
  • Phoenix (suit) (7 days)*1
  • Return to Dust (suit) (7 days)*1

 

 

To Redeem your Key:

  • Redeem your key here between October 15th and November 15th.
  • Characters will receive the items via in-game mail within 24 hours.

Heroes Charge: New Action RPG MOBA available on mobile platforms

Heroes Charge

uCool, an independent game developer known for the popular free-to-play online PC game  Tynon, today announced that its first mobile title, Heroes Charge, is now available on  iOS and  Android devices. With over 5 million players and 80 thousand player reviews earning it 4.5 stars,  Heroes Charge is quickly becoming the #1 Hit Mobile Game.

An RPG multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) hybrid,  Heroes Charge lets players collect and train over 50 unique heroes, in an ever-expanding roster, while battling through the game’s universe. As players progress through the challenging campaign, they are able to customize their experience by collecting hero equipment sets, enchanting weapons and armor and enhancing their party’s abilities. The game’s numerous modes include Arena, Campaign, Trials, Crusade and Guild Campaign.

Heroes, which include male and female humans, mythical creatures and animals, are distinctively presented with artistic card renders showing their appearances and motifs. The game’s focus is three-tier semi-automated battle sequences in which the hero party takes on enemies. Each hero features a custom theme with unique powers to battle enemies in which players can engage for hours in solo, PvP or guild battles.

“Utilizing knowledge and experience from our past free-to-play online titles, uCool offers Heroes Charge as a rich and addictive game featuring a wide variety of activity for a myriad of players in their preferred play styles,” said Jim Ngui, producer of  Heroes Charge at uCool.  The vast environments, colorful visuals and entertaining gameplay of  Heroes Charge can be enjoyed for hours for free – creating a full RPG MOBA experience on mobile devices.”

“We’re focused on creating  Heroes Charge super fans,” said Benjamin Gifford, Vice President of User Experience. “Through highly entertaining gameplay, and by avoiding shallow gameplay mechanics, we’re protecting our players and addressing freemium issues in the industry. Games should be about positive experiences, not about abusive industry mechanics.”

Developed and published by uCool,  Heroes Charge  is available for free (with optional in-app purchases) on iOS and Android devices. To download the game, visit:

iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/heroes-charge/id900313219?mt=8
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ucool.hero&hl=en

For more information on  Heroes Charge, please visit:  http://hc.ucool.com

Square-Enix to Broadcast Fan Festival 2014 on Twitch

Square

Square Enix, Inc. announced today the Las Vegas Fan Festival 2014 Live Stream service that will broadcast stage events, live interviews with special guests, and tours of the show floor.

The service offers two viewing options. Players who purchase the Premium live stream can watch every hour of Fan Festival 2014 in HD, including the opening keynote by Producer/Director Naoki Yoshida on the future of FFXIV, the closing ceremonies event, and also receive the Moogle Attire bonus item. The standard definition viewing option is also available, free of charge, but will not feature the opening keynote or closing ceremonies event.  Detailed information is provided below:

Premium live stream features:

Standard live stream features:

For more info, visit http://ffxiv-fanfest.com/na/livestream.php

WoW: Warlords of Draenor 6.0.2 pre-patch now available

WoW

A wave of destruction washes over the land as an army of orcs pours through the Dark Portal. With today’s launch of World of Warcraft® Patch 6.0.2: The Iron Tide, the Iron Horde’s invasion of Azeroth has begun! More than 7.4 million of Azeroth’s champions have taken up their positions on the front line, ready to face the full might of the Iron Horde with the upcoming release of the Warlords of Draenor expansion on November 13.*
Features introduced with today’s Iron Tide content update include:
“Iron Horde Incursion” World Event:

  • Players looking to upset the Iron Horde invasion can journey to the Blasted Lands to face down the onslaught and venture into the revamped five-player version of the Upper Blackrock Spire dungeon

New Character Models:

  • several of the game’s original races are new and improved, with increased resolution as well as updated animations and facial expressions

Interface Improvements:

  • Questing is now easier than ever with an updated quest log and inventory changes, including a Toy Box for the fun items players acquire through their adventures

Character and Class Changes:

  • A myriad character- and class-specific updates are now live, making this a great time for players to refamiliarize themselves with their characters ahead of the expansion’s November 13 launch

For more info, visit http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/15682579/

Age of Wushu: Winds of Destiny Now Available

Age of Wushu

The latest expansion to martial arts MMO from Snail Games, Age of Wushu: Winds of Destiny, officially launched Wednesday, October 15th.

The new expansion features content updates including new instances, areas and systems, centered around the tradition themes of fate, loyalty, and conspiracy. These new features include:

Companion System

  • Players can become “Companions” allowing special benefits while offline
  • Offline Companions can be summoned as an ally in battle

Delightful Island and Silver Hook

  • Players can join in a new Forbidden Instance known as “Silver Hook”
  • After finishing Silver Hook, players will be able to explore a new region called the Delightful
  • Island, filled with bosses, treasure, and other unique activities

Flower Prince Contest

  • Special event for players with male characters of the Shifting Flower Palace
  • Unique game mode requiring skill and strategy to win and earn title “Flower Prince” as well as exclusive skills

Lingxiao City and “Path of the Departed”

  • Opt-in battle mode in which players join in a 4-way conflict in the mountainous region around Lingxiao City
  • Players are placed on random teams, and have the opportunity to go undercover to subvert opposing teams during the battle
  • Defenders hold the city, while the three attacking groups compete with each other in a bid to storm the defenses.

For the full story, please check our official Age of Wushu website: http://www.ageofwushu.com/news/view/449

Elsword Introduces Ariel’s Nightmare Dungeon

KOG Games, a leading developer and publisher of popular free-to-play action MMORPGs, is introducing a devilish new Halloween dungeon event for Elsword – Ariel’s Nightmare.

Halloween Erilot lurks in the night and she has chosen Ariel’s dreams as her haunt. The only way to help poor Ariel is to defeat the wicked creature. Erilot hides among mimics, so look closely. Thrash the nightmare creatures that have been troubling Ariel and receive Halloween Monster’s Souls for exclusive swag!

Up to four players can cooperatively face off against these grisly Halloween nightmares to receive wicked rewards for completing three gruesome stages. However, there’s a dastardly twist to this evil dungeon… As time progresses, the monsters in the dungeon multiply, and in order to proceed to the next stage, all monsters must be destroyed. Once the dungeon has been cleared of the frightening monstrosities, it’s up to our heroes to ultimately defeat the night terror, Boss Erilot.

Earn a Halloween Monster’s Soul by simply completing the dungeon.  By obtaining an in-game key, the Monster’s Souls can be unlocked to reveal a number of awesome Halloween prizes, cool costumes and ghastly accessories for their characters.

Elsword is also bringing back their exclusive Halloween costumes from last year, but this time characters Ara, Elesis and Add will receive their very own spooky attire.

For more info, visit www.elsword.com

Star Trek Online: Delta Quadrant Update Now Available

Star Trek Online

Today, Perfect World Entertainment Inc. and Cryptic Studios announced the availability of Star Trek Online: Delta Rising. The second expansion for Star Trek Online builds on the story of Star Trek: Voyager as players uncover a hand-crafted, expansive storyline and brand new gameplay mechanics all available for free.

Set 32 years after the events of Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek Online: Delta Rising brings players into the Delta Quadrant – a mysterious region of space recently made easily accessible through an ancient Iconian gateway. In keeping with Cryptic Studios’ efforts to capture the essence of the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek Online: Delta Rising reintroduces players to key members of the Voyager cast, including Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine), Robert Picardo (The Doctor), Garrett Wang (Harry Kim), Ethan Phillips (Neelix) and Tim Russ (Tuvok).

“With Star Trek Online: Delta Rising, our team continues to build on our vision of creating the most immersive experience for science-fiction fans,” said Stephen D’Angelo, executive producer for Star Trek Online. “The franchise is acclaimed for creating strong storylines, and being able to dig deeper and further develop the Voyager narrative was an honor for a team full of Star Trek fans.”

Star Trek Online: Delta Rising also increases the player level cap 60 – the first level cap increase in four years – allowing players to acquire a completely new tier of ships, gear and officers. The expansion also delves deeper into familiar species from the Star Trek franchise including the Talaxians, Ocampans, Kazon and the dangerous Vaadwaur.

For more info, visit http://www.arcgames.com/en/games/star-trek-online

Moon Hunters: New Details on World Map, Map Generation and More

Moon Hunters

Kitfox Games has released new details on their upcoming 4 player co-op game, Moon Hunters, featuring details onWorld Maps, Procedural Generation, and Postcard Art.

>Xin took some time to re-envision the world map, looking at old maps and using the lore we’ve been working on to get the right flavor. So this is the new design for the fabric print available to Weaver and Super Collector backers, a lovely illustration of one Moon Hunters world:

Moon Hunters

Of course, this is only one configuration out of effectively infinite possibilities. The Wolf Clan village will always be in the jungle, for example, but landmarks (such as Tyrant’s End) are random selections from a wide possible variety, and the world grows naturally, randomly, different every time.

For more info, visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kitfoxgames/moon-hunters-a-myth-weaving-rpg/posts