Monthly Archives: March 2015

Skyforge: Second Closed Beta Period Announced

Skyforge

Allods Team, Obsidian Entertainment, and My.com are pleased to announce that the second closed beta test of Skyforge, a highly anticipated sci-fi fantasy MMORPG, will take place from March 25 through April 8. Fans who haven’t obtained keys still have an opportunity to participate, as an additional pack of invitations will be sent to randomly selected players who have registered on sf.my.com by March 24.

For those who don’t feel like leaving things to fortune, the Founder‘s Packs with guaranteed access to all betas are available: http://sf.my.com/us/founders-packs

While the first testing period lasted one week, thesecond will be running for two full weeks and will let existing players continue their immortal adventures with retained progress as well as welcome newcomers to dive into amazing world of Aelion.  The second closed beta period will offer the following new content to explore:

  • Four new classes: Archer, Necromancer, Slayer, Kinetic
  • New Open World Zone – Naori Island
  • New Superiority PvP Mode – 8v8
  • New 5-Man Dungeon – Daren Facility
  • Two New Squad Adventures – Thetin Rift, Cronnel Platforms
  • New “CUBE” style instance – Nedder Test Area

Besides that, Skyforge is going to be hosting a special PvP activity during the second week of CBT2, so player are recommended to prepare their characters for battle in Skyforge’s PvP Arenas!

CBT2 starts next Wednesday, March 25th at 7:00 am PDT (3:00 pm CET) and ends April 8 at 2:00 am PDT (10:00 am CET). If players have already been participating in CBT1, they do not need to re-download the client – just wait for CBT2 to start, choose Skyforge Beta in Game Center and enjoy playing Skyforge again with retained progress from first beta! All the rest are welcomed to sign-up if not yet, and wait for instruction if being selected.

For more info, visit http://sf.my.com

Skyforge North American Closed Beta Preview

By Jordan Hall (ApocaRUFF)

 

SkyForge is the up-and-coming god-themed MMORPG. The game features quasi-action combat with intense boss fights and a path to godhood. The last time I talked about the game was in my Early Look of the SkyForge Russian Beta. Unfortunately, during the Russian beta, I didn’t get very far into the game, but I did get to a decent point this time. If you’ve been following the games development, you’re probably as excited as I am about the game coming to North America. I mean, who doesn’t want to be a god?

 

Customization

I’ll start this off by saying that there is a lot of customization options for creating your character within SkyForge. From fine tuning the features of your face to using a boob slider to define your character’s bust, you won’t want for options. Which is fantastic, because a lot of us enjoy playing a high quality, great looking character. If you’re the type that likes to design characters, dress them up in costumes, and show off, then SkyForge is probably a game you want to take a gander at.

Skyforge Character Creation Screenshot

On the other end of the spectrum, there is the gear and skill customization. For the most part, this is lacking. It’s definitely the most disappointing portion of the game for me so far. However, as the game is still in closed beta testing and is being actively developed, there will probably be more options in the future. Gear is restricted to rings, your weapon, and a secondary weapon/defensive item.

Skyforge Equipment Screenshot

There are not many options and you just choose whichever has the highest stats. And, at least for Cryomancer, they look the same. With very few options and your class basically defining their stats to a T, allowing for no room for experimentation or change, gear is a disappointment.

The skill choices and talents are only a bit better. For the most part, your skills are pre-defined. However, at a certain point you begin to unlock the ability to switch out some of the skills. There are a number of talent slots and decent number of talents to choose from, and those talents can have a decent effect on the skills themselves. From what I saw with in-game chatter and from experience, for the most part there isn’t much room to be different if you want to be decent at PVP or mission running.

Talents

Ascension Atlas

Although this belongs under “Customization,” the Ascension (and Class) Atlas are so important they deserve their own section. Early on, if you don’t do a bit reading you will probably be disappointed with the Ascension Atlas. Why? Because you’re not really told that the Atlas you have available to you at the start of the game is only a class-specific Atlas and isn’t the actual Ascension Atlas. So you’ll go three or so hours thinking, “Dang, this is disappointingly linear,” which the class-specific Atlases are. They’re very linear with very few options for diverging paths.

ClassAtlas

However, once you unlock the actual Ascension Atlas at Prestige 2,000 (I’ll get into Prestige later) your mind will be blown by how huge it is. It’s honestly on par with Path of Exile. Perhaps not as large, but definitely close. And there are some six or so classes you can unlock through it. Along the way are tons of nodes that give stuff like stat bonuses. If you’re the type that likes to unlock everything, you’ll have your work cut out for you.

AscensionAtlas

You may notice that each node on the Atlas has a color. This is because each node is ‘unlocked’ by use of a specific type of Spark. There are four types, currently: Blue, Green, and Red (which have some sort of in-game meaning attached to them), plus class-specific sparks, used to unlock important nodes in a Class Atlas. You get these sparks as rewards for completing missions. The amount of sparks required depends on how far you are into the Atlas – towards the beginning a node may only cost fifty sparks, but further in you may find that they cost around a hundred-and-fifty or more.

 

Graphics

If you’ve seen any screenshots or video of the game yet, you’ve probably noticed that SkyForge looks fantastic. It’s probably one of the better looking games I’ve played. The art style is something unique – realistic, with cyberpunk and Ancient Roman/Greek elements mixed in. Because of this, there is some extremely stunning architecture in the game. You may be adventuring in some ancient floating ruins and then you’ll transition into a sci-fi city that looks a lot like Coruscant from Star Wars.

Graphics

The hair and cloth simulation is nice, too. Really brings to life the characters in the game, both NPC and player. And if you enjoy flashy abilities with lots of lights and explosions? Well SkyForge will be a treat. All told, I took at least four hundred screenshots during my time in the first closed beta. The great thing, though, is how well optimized the game is. I suppose it’s easier when you’re working with smaller areas, but I was able to play the game at the absolute highest settings without a hint of lag in any situation.

Graphics2

This image doesn’t do this view justice.

Becoming A God

One feature I didn’t get a chance to try in my time in the Russian Closed Beta is the Order features. This is where you begin to take your steps into godhood, gaining adepts and followers who have faith in you and rely on you for aid. I haven’t gotten to far into the system – just the first steps into it. It seems like a lot of the content available in the first Closed Beta was restricted, too, so I’m not sure how far I could have gotten to begin with. The developers have spoken about how certain portions of the game mechanics will be available in browsers and mobile; I imagine that the Order system is what they are talking about.

Order

Adepts are a special kind of NPC you can recruit to be your representative of sorts. You can assign them regions of the world to help the populace and spread your Order (which is basically the “religion” around you). Your first steps to godhood are meager – you meet a single follower who will praise you and give you gifts from time to time. Eventually you will have garnered enough attention to warrant your own statue. And that’s when you begin gaining adepts that you can send on missions.

Statue

See the resemblance?

These Adept Missions make use of special resources gained through normal missions as completion rewards. These are things like Medical Supplies or Chemical Kits. Depending on the type of mission, it will have a length and reward, will gain you a certain amount of followers, and will require certain types of resources. For example, if you send an adept to go help refugees he will require some Medical Supplies to get the job done. As your Adepts do missions, they will gain experience and advance in levels. You can combine Adepts in a form of “training” to unlock a new tier for one of the Adepts.

Adept

Again, I wasn’t able to get as far into this system as I would have liked. So I can’t comment much more. There are hints of things like being able to have certain types of temples in each region that can grant special stat bonuses such as critical hit chance. You also will gain gifts from your followers based on the actions of your Adepts, but I didn’t see any use of them yet. In general, though, I liked what I saw and look forward to delving deeper into the system.

 

Aelinet

The Aelinet is one of the more interesting features in the game. I saw it in the Russian beta, but it was one of the portions of that game not available in English back then, so I actually had no idea what I was messing with. At a glance, it doesn’t seem like much – almost like a make-believe social network your character is supposed to post his thoughts on. We’ve seen similar things in the past. But once you delve a bit deeper, you realize just how much it offers. Aelinet is a fully-fledged built in Social Network for the players of SkyForge. It supports the creation of communities for players to join, class calculators, news updates, your own personal feed/wall, and more. My favorite part, though, has to be that it gives you easy, auto-login access to the forums. That, and the ability to troll friends.

Aelinet

Gameplay

The gameplay in SkyForge is similar to other hub-based mission-runners such Phantasy Star Online, Path of Exile, or even Dragon Ball: Xenoverse. There is a central “hub” called the Divine Observatory and a few other “social” locations. From the Divine Observatory you can go on missions to help the people of Aelion. Depending on the type of mission and the difficulty, you may be in there for as little as ten minutes or as much as forty minutes. Some of the Group missions can take over an hour if not properly organized.

Globe

Each mission will give you a reward for completion. These rewards are generally Sparks – used to unlock new nodes on the Atlas – but can also by credits, Adept mission resources, or other useful things. The three types of missions are Squad – which are meant to be done solo or with a couple of friends, Group – meant to be done with a full group of players, and Region – which resembles a questing zone in other MMOs, as it allows for numerous players to play and adventure together whether they are grouped or not.

Mission

This particular mission is a free-for-all PVP match.

My favorite of these three were the Regions. Unfortunately, they were also the least frequent. Up to Prestige 2,000 I only came across a couple of them. I enjoyed the Regions so much because they afforded opportunities to talk with people as I adventured across the Region. They also looked damn impressive. Playing solo missions would often get boring or tiresome, no matter how great they look or interesting their bosses. I would miss the interaction with other humans while I adventured.

MassiveStatue

Seeing this massive statue in the background from anywhere in the Region was impressive.

That all being said, SkyForge is definitely a grindfest. If you’re not grinding Sparks, you’re grinding Adept Resources. If you’re not grinding either of those, it’s money. If not that, you’re grinding for weapon drops for weapon upgrading (which I’ll get into soon). The thing, though, is that the game successfully entices you to grind away because the rewards generally feel worth it. I personally do not mind the grinding because I enjoy the gameplay, the setting, and the sense of accomplishment it brings. Which is very rare for me – I usually can’t stand to play grindy games for long.

Pokeball

They look like Pokeballs, right?

As I mentioned in my article on the Russian Beta for SkyForge, the looting system is kinda odd. Not because of mechanics, but because of the way it looks. Most of the time, the enemies you kill will drop the Pokeball-looking things pictured above. These will drop Class-specific Sparks and Credits. On occasion (always when defeating a boss) a box will instead drop that contains a piece of equipment. You’ll probably want to grind equipment drops as they can be deconstructed into Upgrade stones, used for upgrading your weapon.

Upgrade

Which brings me to the upgrade system. I’m fifty-fifty on this system. On the one hand, upgrade systems have a long and detailed history of being abused by Free-to-Play games and turned into pay-to-win system. On the other hand, though, I really like the upgrade system in SkyForge so far. Rather than upgrading a specific piece of equipment, you upgrade an equipment slot, of which there are only three. One for all of your rings, one for your primary weapon, and one for your off-hand/secondary. This is amazing as you wont be attempting to upgrade twelve or fifteen pieces of equipment – even if you switch weapons or classes, your upgrades remain. And, so far as I can tell, there isn’t a chance for failure. So, while I’m fearful that this upgrade system may be exploited, I’m also very optimistic as it’s a fantastic system and I wish more games would do something similar.

Combat

Combat in SkyForge is something of a hybrid system. At times it feels like an action-combat game, but at other times it feels like a modified point-and-click. This can be jarring, but usually only if you’re playing a ranged class, and you get used to it right away. Other than that, the combat is fun and has an intense nature. Each fight you partake in you’ll probably enjoy to some degree.

Combat

Each instance of combat feels like an epic battle. Especially some of the boss battles, which often have interesting mechanics involved. Like I often do, I chose to play a mage during my time in the SkyForge Closed Beta. I did play as a Berserker briefly, though, and I can safely say that if you enjoy good and flashy melee combat, you’ll love SkyForge. Each attack felt and looked amazing, as if each strike of my massive chainsaw-greatblade had actual heft behind it. Plus, as a Berserker, your ultimate allows you to briefly transform into an uber firegod.

Abilities

Melee classes tend to rely more on combos, while ranged classes rely more on individual abilities. The game introduces you to abilities slowly, unlocking more as you progress. Some of them are unlocked through the Atlas. Each class, though, has an Ultimate ability that does something epic. For Cryomancer that’s a large AOE that will do massive damage (one-shotting most enemies) and freezing those that survive, while the Slayer transforms into some sort of amazing purple Ninja, and the Berserker has the fire-form transformation I mentioned.

Transformation

The only real disappointing thing when it comes to combat were a handful of bosses spread out across the game. Most bosses have some sort of trick or gimmick to make the fights interesting. However, some of these bosses either didn’t have this or their particular gimmick was annoying. So, out of every three or four good fights, there’d be a boss fight that I absolutely hated and could not stand. This is because, for the most part, bosses have high damage resistance and a 10x HP bar, meaning that the fights can be dragged out much longer than is enjoyable.

Boss

Conclusion

After playing the Russian beta, and now the English beta, I can safely say that SkyForge has a ton of potential for the future. The game is there, now it’s just up to My.com to successfully launch a good, fun product and continue delivering content. At this point, the only thing that can ruin the experience is a pay-to-win cash shop, so hopefully My.com realizes this and will stay far, far away from it. I loved the general gameplay – especially the Regions – but hated some of the minor boss fights. And really, who doesn’t want to be a god? If you’re interested in SkyForge, I’d say head over to their website and either sign up for the potential to get into the beta or buy at least the $20 Founders Pack as I did – I’ve already got my moneys worth and it’s only the first closed beta test.

 

Need another dose of Skyforge? Catch our extensive video First Look on MMOHuts’ Youtube channel later today!

SkyforgeMMOHutsFirstLook

Final Fantasy XI: Vana’diel Project Announced

Today, Square Enix, Inc. announced the “Vana’diel® Project” for the massive multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) FINAL FANTASY® XI, which includes three major initiatives to coincide with the game entering its 14th year of service this May. FINAL FANTASY XI and Vana’diel, the fictional world that forms its setting, have continued to evolve alongside the many players that have adventured there in the years since the official launch in 2002, and this project aims to further expand FFXI and continue to satisfy its players for years to come.

The Final Scenario

The first chapter in the final scenario of the FINAL FANTASY XI story, “Rhapsodies of Vana’diel,” will be released alongside game updates taking place in May 2015.
http://www.onrpg.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/vana_diel-project-illustration.jpg

It will serve as the pinnacle of the FINAL FANTASY XI story, bringing together major characters and elements from more than 13 years of history. The epic tale will come to a close in three parts that are scheduled to release in May, August and November this year. These updates will also see the introduction of new content, such as exciting battles and never-before-seen reward items.

After the final chapter of “Rhapsodies of Vana’diel,” the major updates to the game will cease, but maintenance to fine-tune content will continue. Operation of game services for the Playstation® 2 and Xbox 360 platforms will cease in March 2016, but players can continue to enjoy the Windows PC version of FINAL FANTASY XI beyond that date.

Further, “The Goddess’s Gala” in-game event will also be held – a festival to thank all players who have stepped into Vana’diel over its storied lifetime. This festival will consist of numerous campaigns to be enjoyed by all – from those who still play regularly, to those who have taken a break from adventuring.

* “Rhapsodies of Vana’diel” is not a disc based expansion or premium downloadable content.

FINAL FANTASY XI Mobile Project

The FINAL FANTASY XI Mobile project, in collaboration with Nexon Co., Ltd, brings a brand-new generation of FINAL FANTASY XI to smartphone and mobile devices. This new adaptation will optimize features for mobile devices to create an immersive, responsive and dynamic experience. Battles optimized for a touch control interface, along with improvements to core FINAL FANTASY XI systems, will provide players smoother gameplay.

FINAL FANTASY XI Mobile is scheduled for release in Japan, Korea, North America, as well as the European and Asian regions.

FINAL FANTASY GRANDMASTERS – A New Online Game for Smartphones

FINAL FANTASY GRANDMASTERS is a full-scale online RPG for smartphones, available in Japan only in 2015, which shares the world and characters of FINAL FANTASY XI, developed in collaboration with Crooz Inc., (Knights of Avalon). In FINAL FANTASY GRANDMASTERS, players can pick from familiar jobs and a dazzling variety of equipment to customize, train, and develop their own original characters. The game will feature real-time cooperative battles where players can communicate with comrades while defeating foes and assisting allies.

New Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare DLC Pack Ascendance Blasts Off

COD AW Ascendance Zombies

Prepare to rise to a new level of Call of Duty® DLC with the release of Call of Duty®: Advanced Warfare Ascendance.  On March 31, the second massive DLC pack for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare from Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard (Nasdaq: ATVI), and Sledgehammer Games will be available first on the Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network for Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft and Xbox 360® games and entertainment system from Microsoft, with other platforms to follow.

 

Fans will be able to see the gameplay world premiere of Ascendance during the 2015 Call of Duty® Championship, Presented by Xbox, broadcast on Xbox Live and other broadcast partners on Sunday, March 29.

COD AW Ascendance Site 244

“Ascendance has it all, four all-new maps that were designed from the ground up for Exo abilities and the next chilling entry in the Exo Zombies experience.  We’re really excited and can’t wait to play with the community in just a couple of weeks,” said Michael Condrey, Co-Founder and Studio Head, Sledgehammer Games.

 

“The community response to Advanced Warfare continues to inspire us, and we’re pushing ourselves every day across all the teams to deliver our best.  Havoc was a great start for DLC, and we think Ascendance delivers even more of the nonstop action fans love,” said Glen Schofield, Co-Founder and Studio head, Sledgehammer Games.

COD AW Ascendance Perplex

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Ascendance is the definitive DLC package, with its four new, thrilling multiplayer maps, the formidable OHM directed energy light machine gun/shotgun hybrid, the OHM Werewolf custom variant, and the all-new Exo Grapple ability playlist that introduces the Exo Grapple ability to multiplayer.  Exo Grapple gives players a faster way to reach strategic vantage points or a brutal secondary weapon to take down the competition, exclusively on Ascendance maps.

  • Perplex: Get vertical in Sydney as you fight to dominate this five-story modular apartment complex. Take the high ground or blast through the close-quarters interior in this small to medium sized map. Adapt your strategy mid-match when construction drones shift apartment modules, creating new routes and cover positions.
  • Site 244: An alien spacecraft has crash landed, spilling its mysterious cargo under the shadow of Mt. Rushmore, USA. This medium to large three-lane map allows for any style of gameplay, focusing combat through the space ship’s fuselage and around the debris-littered landscape. Use the map-based scorestreak to crack open an alien spore and instantly enhance your perks and exo abilities.
  • Climate: Fight your way through a futuristic man-made utopia in this lush, climate-controlled enclosure. In this small to medium sized circular map, land and water routes channel frenetic combat around the central island structure. Watch your step when the river water changes from an asset into a deadly bubbling obstacle.
  • Chop Shop: Think fast as you make your way through the black market exoskeleton industrial complex and engage in fast-paced shootouts in this medium sized, symmetrical map. Activate the map-based scorestreak to take control of an Advanced Repulsion Turret that radiates a deadly microwave EMP to help lock down key areas.

COD AW Ascendance Chop Shop

The Exo Zombies saga continues in the all-new episode, Infected, as the four Atlas employees, portrayed by the returning celebrity cast of John Malkovich (In the Line of Fire, RED, Burn After Reading), Bill Paxton (Aliens, Titanic, Edge of Tomorrow), Rose McGowan (Planet Terror, Scream), and Jon Bernthal (Fury) fight tooth and nail through undead zombie hordes.  Located on the outskirts of an Atlas facility, the new Exo Zombies episode introduces a slew of never-before-seen undead masses, a robust arsenal of new traps and armaments and everyone’s favorite fast food joint, Burgertown.

 

Fans can see the world premiere of live gameplay from Ascendance and a new trailer for the next episode of Exo Zombies when they tune into the 2015 Call of Duty Championship, Presented by Xbox for the ultimate Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare tournament, where 32 teams from around the world will face-off to stake their claim in the $1 million prize purse.

 

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Ascendance will be available first on Xbox Live for a suggested retail price of $15 on March 31.  The Ascendance DLC Pack is also included in the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare DLC Season Pass*, where fans can purchase all four DLC Packs planned for the year, as part of the discounted bundle offered at a suggested retail price of $49.99 – a discount of $10 off the individual purchase of all four DLC Map Packs**. Microsoft Season Pass holders also now have instant access to the Ascendance DLC Pack bonus weapons.

 

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare DLC is developed by Sledgehammer Games with additional development by Raven Software and High Moon Studios.  Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is available for Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®4, PC, as well as Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. The title is rated M for Mature with Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence and Strong Language.

TopLoaded Offers Rewards for your Top Game Scores

This weekend at SXSW, we ran into TopLoaded, an awesome gaming community site that you need to know about!

TopLoaded.com is a free gaming rewards website. Each week they have competitions in over a dozen games, including some of your favorite games like SMITE, Vainglory, and Call of Duty. Members turn in photos and screenshots of their high scores. The top competitors each week earn points, which can then be turned in for rewards! Prizes include gaming systems, game collections, gaming gear, and gift cards: anything a gamer could need to keep their game on.

Confused? See how it works:

The community and competitions are completely free to participate in and enter. The site also offers an elite membership for $5.95 a month which offers even more competitions and other special perks.

It’s a great way to earn some epic rewards while doing what you already do best – or challenge yourself in new games. Check it out and good luck in the competitions!