Yearly Archives: 2014

Orcs Must Die! Unchained Announced for PlayStation 4

 

OMDU Stinkeye Gameplay

Robot Entertainment, creators of the award-winning ORCS MUST DIE! ™ franchise, announced today during the PlayStation Experience keynote that its highly anticipated multiplayer game, ORCS MUST DIE! UNCHAINED will come to the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system in 2015. ORCS MUST DIE! UNCHAINED finds players joining forces, charging in with teams of heroes that battle head-to-head to attack and defend ancient strongholds. For the first time in ORCS MUST DIE!, teams of players will be responsible for both sides of the battle, building traps to stop enemy assaults while summoning their own armies to lead in siege against the enemy defense.

“We’re so glad Robot Entertainment is bringing ORCS MUST DIE! UNCHAINED to the PlayStation 4 for the first time via our Third Party Production group,” said Adam Boyes, VP of Publisher & Developer Relations at Sony Computer Entertainment of America. “Their fast-paced action and unique style and humor are a perfect fit for console, and we’re thrilled to have them on PlayStation.”

“We’re very excited to welcome PlayStation 4 players to our community,” said Robot Entertainment CEO Patrick Hudson. “ORCS MUST DIE! UNCHAINED delivers a unique blend of tower defense and competitive multiplayer action along with the game’s signature humor. We can’t wait for PS4 fans to jump in and start slaying Orcs!”

Ghost Recon Phantoms Closes in on 8 Million Registrations

Ghost Recon Phantoms Infinite Pack

Today, Ubisoft® announced that Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Phantoms® now has close to 8 million registrations worldwide and is among the top ten free-to-play games on Steam. To celebrate this achievement, a new bundle, the Infinite Pack, featuring exclusive gear is now available.

Available exclusively on Steam, the Infinite Pack is designed to give players access to all standard weapons, armor and equipment in the game, including future updates with faster in-game progression for all three classes for £14.99. This includes more than 80 weapons, 15 pieces of armor and 24 additional upgrades for players. With the Infinite Pack new players will be able to more quickly compete against veterans with expedited game progression.

Timed with the Infinite Pack release, a special Steam giveaway weekend will take place from December 5-7. Users can download one pack per day, up to three packs (£19.99 value), that include the beloved gold-plated guns from the War series.

Fire Quest Wants to Kick(start) Clash of Clans off the Top

Fire Quest Kickstarter

Parisian-based production studio Geek me 5 is coming to crowdfunding platform Kickstarter for the release of its first ever strategic builder mobile game: Fire Quest – Age of Titans, with the ambition to knock giant Clash of Clans off the top spot.

Their cross between Mad Max and The Flintstones is an epic adventure through a prehistoric, post-apocalyptic future and aims to be available on iOS and Android platforms from April 2015 onwards.

SO WHY KICKSTARTER ?
As a young up and coming production studio and also as a fiercely community-oriented game, it was a natural decision for Geek me 5 to go to the Kickstarter community to ask for their support.

“As a community based-social building game, we thought of Kickstarter immediately for this project because we want backers to be part of the adventure to help us optimize the game play, give us rich, insightful feedback on new ideas and scenarios and test the game. It’s also the chance to create our first fan base and share the journey with them after the campaign. We thought Kickstarter was the perfect match”, says  Guillaume Duboucher  CEO Geek me 5.

Fire Quest was born in the mind of  Alexis Vezia, Creative Director of Geek me 5, and avid player along with his son of other builder games, like Clash of Clans. One day he thought “We can do this, we can make our own game, more community-oriented, more fun and more affordable.” and Fire Quest was born!

After convincing one of the top animation studios in France, Supamonks, to come aboard as well as family members, other players and investors, the story began and now the game, developed with Unity3d is well on its way.

The Crew: Single-player Cinematics Revealed

The Crew

Puppetworks, a high-end animation studio based in Budapest, working closely with Ubisoft, produced the entire cinematic story arc spanning 13 minutes that make up the single-player campaign in “The Crew,” Ubisoft’s revolutionary action-driving MMO. The 8 cutscenes tell the story of Alex Taylor (voiced by legendary voice actor Troy Baker), who infiltrates other criminal “crews” on his reckless drive across America seeking to avenge his brother’s murder.

Under the cinematic direction of Sebastien Laban, Puppetworks utilized the talents of more than 40 artists in production for 8 months to create the stunning visuals and detailed character work. The 13 minutes of cinematics comprise a total of 236 shots. Maya is the backbone software for Puppetworks all the way from modeling, rigging and animation to shading and lighting. The renderings were done in Arnold with proprietary shaders. The Yeti plugin from Peregrine Labs was used for character hair; effects were done in Houdini.

For more info and a link to the video, visit http://puppetworks.eu/#/work/the-crew-ivory-ubisoft

Space Hulk: Ascension Edition Review

By Jason Parker (Ragachak)

Hulk

In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream:

Space Hulk: Ascension Edition is a take on an old board game by Games Workshop, creators of the famous (or infamous, depending on who you are) Warhammer franchise.  Players take turns controlling Space Marines known as Terminators, who are fighting the Genestealers, furious little alien bastards who leap out of dark spaces and corridors, ripping and tearing anything they can get their little claws on.  They are not all so little and swift.  Some are humongous and imposing, and somehow still manage to not be detected by the Terminators when behind or beside you.

USSR

There were mixed reviews for the previous Space Hulk, with claims that it failed to adhere to the source material.  Now, anyone who follows my work knows I love strategy games. There’s a joy to be had in outwitting the computer or your fellow players.  However, despite the update to the Tutorial, this game is still incredibly challenging.  Even on Easy you’ll find that Genestealers will pop up behind you if your squad is not formed correctly or standing in the right position.  Simply standing in the wrong direction means they cannot see the enemy, though they may see the red aura on the tile that indicates something evil is there.

Aficionados of the series will certainly want to see this game in action, enjoying their grimdark bloodbath.  Newcomers to the strategy genre may want to be aware that this game is neither gentle nor forgiving. However, you are a Space Marine in the service of the Emperor! Cowardice does not become you!  Set ablaze the alien, and delve into the Space Hulks!

LIGHT

Burn the Heretic, Purge the Unclean:

In Space Hulk: Ascension Edition, you can play as one of three chapters of Space Marine: Ultramarines, Blood Angels, or Space Wolves. Each of these have their own strengths and weaknesses.  Each Chapter has their own combat focus; Space Wolves focusing on Melee, Ultramarines being ranged, and the Blood Angels having a little bit of both.  There is really no wrong pick here. Whatever playstyle suits you, there is a chapter of Terminators awaiting your command.  After you choose your faction, you pick the difficulty, ranging from Easy (Genestealers spawn slowly, Terminators never die, but no Achievements) to Hard (more frequent spawning, killed Terminators are replaced by beginners/rookies, stronger enemies) to Insane (same traits as hard, but no in-mission saves, and much harder still)!

 

Tutorial

The ultimate goal is to enter these Space Hulks and purge all alien lifeforms that you find within them, or close them off from the inside, preventing anything from escaping or entering.  These massive Hulks are very dimly lit, and the only light you tend to have are from doorways and your own Terminators.  As the game progresses, characters (if they survive) gain levels and experience points to go towards acquiring new skills, weapons, and abilities. For example, you can make the Overwatch ability stronger. Overwatch costs 2 of your AP (Action Points) and hunkers the Terminator down in a direction. Any enemy caught moving in his line of sight will be shot down.  You can also go and change their looks and name if you find their names lame or boring.  Progress will also increase the Terminators skills as well.  But playing in any difficulty over “Easy” will give this game a feel similar to Fire Emblem; if a Terminator dies, that’s the end of him. At least in Normal, you will gain a new unit (post-mission) that is similar in stats.

 

Without the Emperor, There is Nothing:

The missions are straight forward, or so they seem: destroy the Genestealers, close off doors within the space hulk, and destroying command centers with fire. To do this, you must pick either one or two squads of Terminators, depending on the mission. Much of the play time in this game feels like it is planning and plotting, trying to set up your squad so that they are not surprised and killed in one hit by these Genestealers.  Each step or change of direction costs AP, and you only have so much of it.  You cannot undo what you have done, so play carefully.  It also costs AP to open/close doors, move diagonally, and fire your weapon.  The more difficult something is to do, the more AP it will cost.

Flaming

Within these tight corridors are also red lit Air Ducts, which Genestealers can crawl out of and surprise your team of Space Marines.  If you position a Heavy Flamer before one of these, you can fill the corridor with fire, killing anything within it. But be aware, you cannot reload flamethrowers like a clip of bullets.  Once it’s done, it’s done!  And there are missions where the Flamers cannot die or run out of ammunition or it’s game over, because they are crucial to your task. It is also important to note that sometimes your gun will jam, and you will have to spend AP to unjam it. It also costs AP to reload, or to lower the cooldown on your gun so it does not overheat.  You have an infinite supply of bullets, provided you can spend the AP.

Bulkhead

One really cool thing about this game is the camera. In the top right of your screen there is a camera that is a third person view of whoever you are highlighting.  Anything they do or see is visible on this, and can grant interesting perspective, or simply give you the pleasure of watching the Genestealers burst into flames or get drilled vigorously with bullets.  Sometimes these missions require you to stand on a tile to activate/deactivate something. Using these tiles also requires AP, but when my AP pool is full and I cannot close the bulkheads for a mission, and most of my team is laying in crimson piles on the floor, it gives one a very grim prospect of how the mission might end.  However so far, Full Throttle has been very swift in answering concerns, completely redoing the Tutorial to make it more accessible to new players, which I am certain everyone who uses it will appreciate.

 

My Duty Is My Fate: 3/5 Good

There is a lot to like about Space Hulk: Ascension Edition. It feels very true to the source material; everything is dark, violent, bullet-filled.  Careful plotting and planning will ensure success, while simply pretending you are an Ultramarine and running down hallways with bullets flying will only net defeat.  It is an incredibly challenging game, which is not a negative mark; it’s about time I play a strategy RPG that makes me want to tear my hair out in frustration!  I can appreciate that.  However this is not a title that I could play for long periods of time. The constant darkness and surprise ganks by Genestealers can grow quickly tiring.  I definitely wish there were more variety in the voice acting, and I am curious to see what future content is in store, whether it will be more chapters, more enemies or units to command. I do feel like it is a step up from its predecessor.

Marcus

Graphics: 3/5

I cannot call the graphics beautiful in this case. There is so little to be seen! When halls are lit however, the attention to detail is truly there. The brunt of your visual light will come from spread out units, fire lingering from a Heavy Flamer, or tiny blips of light from corridor walkways.  It is a marvelous representation of what the interior of a Space Hulk should look like, and even the visual of a Space Marine stomping over a still bloody corpse of a Genestealer is pretty fantastic; but it feels very repetitive. Even though that it shows what the grim world of the Space Marine is, I’d still like to see more.

Controls: 4/5

Controls are very solid.  I had no problems outside of my own bungling. I hate that turning can cost so much AP and absolutely ruin/end the life of one of your Terminators, but that is the result of being careless on my part. The game warns you of this in the tutorial and shows you the AP cost before doing anything, so it is the due diligence of the player to be advised.

Sound/Music: 3/5

The sounds are amazing.  Even though the Terminators pretty much all sound identical, in a storm trooper fashion, the sounds more than make up for this. Everything can be heard, from the discharge of bullets or flames, squelching sounds as steel-shod boots stamp over a dead body, and the sizzle of flesh as it is consumed by the fires of the Heavy Flamer.  The music is a trifle uninspiring, but I do feel like dramatic booming music might be out of place in the dimly lit halls of the Space Hulk.

Features/Gameplay: 3/5

I understand that this is based off of a board game, and as such, there is only so much you can do with game features. There are decent customization features (in that they exist at all), and the gameplay is certainly not bad.  But the ramp to get into this game is very steep; the first time a Genestealer sneaks up behind your most important Terminator, drags him to the ground and kills him will be just as infuriating the 20th time it happens as it was on the first.  It is truly not a game for the impatient. I would like to see non-board game elements though, such as scrimmages against other players, or even co-op where squads go into Space Hulks and team up with friends against their foes.

MU Online Hosts December Holiday Events

MU Online

Webzen has recently announced several holiday events for their classic MMORPG, MU Online, including a Christmas tree and Santa’s village event.

WHAT: DO YOU WANT TO BUILD A CHRISTMAS TREE?
DATES: December 9 – December 29, 2014 (UTC)
DETAILS: Players who have a character level 100 or above will click ‘Stamp’ on an event page of the official MU Online website in order to get a daily gift or a tree decoration. When they click the 17th / 21st stamp, they will be able to receive Xmas Gift / Tree Gift, including Brown/Pink Panda ring, Master Seal of Ascension, Seal of Wealth and more items, depending on the level of their character (normal or master). Moreover, once players complete their tree by collecting all the decorations, they will get additional rewards by clicking the Complete button. Check your attendance daily and receive special gifts!

WHAT: Santa’s Village Event
DATES: December 16 – December 29, 2014
DETAILS: All players will receive another special Christmas gift from MU ONLINE – tickets to the magical place that our dear Santa calls home. Starting December 16, all citizens of MU will receive five tickets to visit Santa’s Village. Upon entering this winter wonderland, players can visit Santa to receive a free random reward which may include Snowman Transformation Ring, Pet Rudolph, Jewel of Chaos, Guardian Angel and more. While visiting Santa’s Village, MUtizens may also stumble across Christmas-themed buffs that will increase their character’s speed, attack power, defensive skills and life supply. Additional tickets can be claimed by defeating Santa Monsters, dangerous creatures disguised as Father Christmas.

Additional details on all of the December events will be posted on the official MU ONLINE web site: http://muonline.webzen.com/

Black Gold Online: Russian Open Beta Begins

Black Gold Online

NIKITA ONLINE opens a limited access to the early version of Russian Black Gold Online and receives a major inflow of users signed up for initial testing in number yet unmatched even by the most prominent of the company’s previous titles.

The sheer number of users signed up to attend the closed beta test in a few days’ span makes it the biggest CBT a leading Russian online games publisher, NIKITA ONLINE, ever held.

“In a mere week since Black Gold Online was officially introduced to wide Russian-speaking audience, we managed to take off with the first release phase, a CBT. We could hardly manage this breakneck pace without comprehensive support from our partners at Snail Game as well as without our own team members’ ability to get into harness and work their guts out,” says NIKITA ONLINE’s Public Relations Manager Pavel Elchenko. “We knew it from the get-go that Black Gold Online would pick significant interest, but, frankly, the avalanche of users seeking for early access stroke as something considerably above our expectations.”

Currently users can still submit their CBT participant forms on the official Russian Black Gold Online web-site: http://bg.gamexp.ru/

Amplitude Studios Sells 1+ Million Copies For Their Titles

Endless Dungeon

In response to overwhelming activity during Steam’s recent Autumn Sale, critically-acclaimed indie developer Amplitude Studios revealed today it has sold more than 1.2 million combined units of its “Endless” games Endless Legend, Endless Space and Dungeon of the Endless since it created the studio two and half years ago. The 40-person French developer hit its peak on Black Friday as Endless Legend firmly sat atop the best-selling charts for the majority of the day.

Known for its deep, engaging, and gorgeous 4X strategy games, Amplitude Studios won the venerable 2013 Golden Cube and Community Choice Unity Awards for Endless Space. Amplitude recently released its new 4X fantasy-strategy game Endless Legend and the rogue-like dungeon defense game, Dungeon of the Endless this fall. For more on Amplitude Studios on its Website (www.amplitude-studios.com)