Monthly Archives: June 2015

Order & Chaos Online

Order & Chaos Online is a free-to-play 3D Mobile MMORPG developed by Gameloft that is available on Windows Phone, iOS, and Android. In Order & Chaos Online players can explore dungeons, go on adventures and quests, and collect rare gear on each of their customizable characters. Players are able to have up to six different characters, each of which can be tailored to the player’s personal preference by gender, class, race, and general appearance. The five races available for selection are: Elves, Humans, Orcs, Undead, and Mendels. The Orcs and Undead fight for Chaos, whereas the Elves and Humans fight for the preservation of Order. The Mendels aren’t affiliated with Chaos or Order, acting as a neutral race. Players will be led on adventures by quests, slaying monsters and collecting loot along the way. An arena can also be entered where players will battle it out in a capture-the-flag match. Guilds can be formed, trades can be negotiated, and even mounts can be collected all in this exciting Mobile MMORPG.

Features:

Community Interaction: Both friends and enemies will be made as players progress. Maybe you will make some bad trades, or maybe you will join a guild and tackle challenges as a group. The choice is entirely yours!

Professions: Players can become a Blacksmith, Leatherworker, or Tailor and craft their own equipment from materials that they collect. A Tailor produces gear for Mages and Monks, a Leatherworker can create gear for primarily Rangers, and a Blacksmith can create items that are exclusively used by Warriors

Open World: A truly open world MMORPG available on mobile devices with many areas to explore and fantastical creatures to encounter.

Nightbanes

Nightbanes: Chronicles of Blood is a collectable trading card game developed by Diviad. Become a vampire hellbent on couriering the night using all kinds of minions and gear.

Features:

Tons of cards: Collect over 1000 cards to defeat your opponents with.

Premium artwork: All artwork is done exclusively for Nightbanes by highly talented artists.

Dangerous Quests: Rise in the ranks as you battle against dangerous opponents while earning epic rewards.

Intuitive gameplay: Easy to learn, hard to master.

Camelot Unchained Announces New Stretch Goal and Engineer

Camelot Unchained Announces New Stretch Goal and Engineer

Today, City State Entertainment made two important announcements for Camelot Unchained.
 
The first is the next stretch goal for Camelot Unchained: new Realm Honors. This stretch goal would add new cosmetic-only items to the game as rewards for RvR success, including flags, statues, fountains, and much more, some geared for C.U.B.E. and some meant to be worn. The goal is meant to be finished by launch if funded. CSE also notes that this may be a two-part Stretch goal, with more realm rewards that are non-cosmetic and will be released later as an extender pack for the game. More information is available here.
 
CSE has also announced that it has hired Kevin Bray, former Senior Programmer at Riot Games. Hiring additional engineers was part of a previous stretch goal.

Heroes of the Storm Live Launch Event (June 1)

Heroes of the Storm is streaming a special launch event today, June 1! Watch it below and read up on the celebrations:
 

 
We have some incredible activities and special guests lined up for you during our Heroes of the Storm launch celebrations, taking place one week from today, on June 1. Whether you’re attending the London event in person or watching the live stream, you won’t want to miss it.
 
Heroes of the Storm Game Director Dustin Browder and Senior 3D Artists Phill Gonzales and Luke Mancini will be at the show to provide insight into the game and showcase some artistic talent. And bringing the brawl to the stage will be our hosts, well-known UK TV and radio presenter Iain Lee and eSports personality Sue ‘Smix’ Lee.
 
We’re also excited to welcome renowned Producer/Artist Madeon, who will be headlining the show with an electrifying performance! http://www.madeon.fr/
 
In addition, you’ll get an exclusive look at the newest Hero: Johanna, the Crusader; see some of the world’s best cosplayers showcasing their work; and more. Check out a sneak peek of what’s in store below.
 
You can visit http://www.nexuscalling.com/ now to create and share your own Heroes-inspired avatar, which has a chance to be shown entering the Nexus during the launch event. And remember to join the buzzing conversation on social media using the #NexusCalling hashtag. Your tweets could be featured on the official launch site.

Shikihime Zoushi Review – Strategy Gone Chibi

By Jordan Hall (ApocaRUFF)

 

 

Introduction

Shikihime Zoushi is a browser-based strategy game being published by Gamigo. The game was originally released in Japan but has been brought to various other regions and translations, with English being the latest. As an Onmyoji, you will summon and combine your Shikihime to do battle and cleanse the land of evil spirits. There are also elements of Territory Control and crafting. Chances are, if you like Final Fantasy Tactics, you will probably find some fun in Shikihime Zoushi.

 

 

Customization

Honestly not as much as you would probably want. Don’t get me wrong, though, you do get choices. For example, you can produce equipment to put on your Shikihime. You are also given a choice in what Shikihime you summon and how you combine them. In general, once you finish the tutorial you’re given a decent amount of freedom in what you do in the game. There just aren’t many features to facilitate true “customization.” So Shikihime Zoushi gets a low score in customization for me.

Shikihime Zoushi Review

 

 

Graphics

Shikihime Zoushi is a 2D game, so it’s full of hand-drawn artwork and pixel art. I’m not the biggest fan of some of the art, specifically the field art. Everything else is great, from the monsters to the Shikihime and the ‘card’ cart. But the fields just look crappy. My favorite portion of the art is the card or avatar for the Shikihime. Each is detailed, looks fantastic, and has a traditional feel to it.

Shikihime Zoushi Review

 

 

Controls

For the most part, the controls are fine. There were some portions where I found the controls unresponsive, but it’s probably more to do with my browser (Firefox) than anything else. As it’s browser-based, all of our interaction will be via the mouse. So the game can be played one-handed, which is always nice with these sorts of games. All-in-all, I wasn’t disappointed with the controls, but I wasn’t impressed either.

 

 

Community

The community isn’t so large yet, so not much of one. Or rather, if there is a large community there isn’t much in the way of interaction. Perhaps this will get better at end-game gameplay, but even after several days I never interacted much with the community in the game. The game does allow for PVP, though, and you can even join alliances. This is another area where Shikihime Zoushi falls short.

 

I will say, however, there is a handful of very dedicated players. There’s a forum, a wiki, and even a few blogs centered around the game and its inner-workings. Truth be told, you more than likely won’t realize the full complexity of the game without visiting one of these resources. When I was first playing the game, I was essentially just blindly making my way about and thinking, “Eh, this is kinda interesting.” But as soon as I visited the forums it was like a slap in the face because I realized there was a whole layer to the game that I was missing out on due to ignorance. So, if you do play, be sure to visit the forums. Also check out the chatbox, though it seemed to bug out for me most of the time. (Again, this probably was a browser incompatibility issue).

 

 

Gameplay

Shikihime Zoushi is a strategy game that makes use of turn-based combat. I feel it would actually make a really fun mobile game, but as a browser game it’s still alright. As the name suggests, you take control of “Shikihime” and do battle, trying to capture territory and fight your fellow players. The play style can best be described as similar to Final Fantasy Tactics. Other features include the ability to expand territory, do quests, research and build weaponry and armor, and join alliances for protection and power.

Shikihime Zoushi Review

Shikihime are the central feature of Shikihime Zoushi. It’s in the name! And as such, you will probably realize early on that everything in the game will revolve around your Shikihime. The research and production features exist solely to increase the power of your Shikihime. You do battle using your Shikihime, and can even combine your Shikihime to make more powerful Shikihime. Shikihime are brought into the world by performing a ritual that consumes a special resource you can gain from battle, quests, and expanding your territory.

Shikihime Zoushi Review

As I said, battling is similar to that in Final Fantasy Tactics. The field is a grid and depending on its stats, your Shikihime can move a certain number of grids per turn. Depending on its type and abilities, it will either have ranged or melee attacks, with melee requiring you to be right next to the enemy. The ability of Shikihime aren’t always damage oriented; some will be support types that can do things like heal friendly Shikihime. In short, it’s your typical turn-based strategy battle system and will feel almost identical to a lot of other games in its genre.

Shikihime Zoushi Review

As I said, you can combine your Shikihime to get something more powerful. This is a concept they introduce you to very early on during the tutorial phase. The system is pretty straight forward, so it’s not hard to grasp. Really, after a while it gets a bit tedious. Summoning Shikihime and then combining them, at some point you just start trying to make the ‘best’ Shikihime. And, like most turn-based strategy games of this type, there are a handful of Shikihime that will just completely stomp all competition in a majority of situations. Unfortunately the vast variety of Shikihime each filling unique rolls in the earlier phases of the game are what made this title stand out to me. The longer you play, the more everyone ends up with the same overpowered crew, and any semblance of choice begins to vanish.

Shikihime Zoushi Review

The research and production systems are simple, but still marginally interesting. Unless this is your first game, you won’t be blown away with what you find. In fact, if you’ve ever played a game that offers a research system before, you’ll probably be instantly familiar with the concept – you choose an option and then wait. Production is much the same story, you choose an option and then wait for the final product to be done. Despite that, this feature is important because it gives you the tool to further customize your Shikihime, allowing you to build for different strategies.

Shikihime Zoushi Review

Expanding your territory by cleansing the land is one of the key goals of Shikihime Zoushi. When you “cleanse” a piece of land, you will fight and defeat an NPC enemy. You are only able to purge a certain number of land tiles within a certain time period. This is achieved by the game, giving you a special token used to claim land only if a certain amount of time has passed. Though it is worth noting that you can stack up to five tokens (Which are called Purge Tickets) should you not have the free time during the week to land grab. A lot of your time will probably be spent on purging, as each tile has resources attached to it that you’ll need to summon better Shikihime and make better equipment.

Shikihime Zoushi Review

A system that is sort of tied into the Territory System is the Faction system. During the tutorial you will be presented with the option of joining one of four factions – Blue Dragon, Red Phoenix, White Tiger, and Green Tortoise. There are other features such as Expedition, Colony War, and Subjugation, too. These are what I would consider fluff features meant to entice you to continue playing the game and some other typical strategy features, such as mining. For example, Subjugation is a PVE feature, similar to the campaigns you might find in similar strategy games.

 

 

Shikihime Zoushi Review

Conclusion – Good

Shikihime Zoushi has some pretty neat things going for it. The setting alone makes it worth a play, but the combat system which allows for a surprising amount of tactics and strategy also allows the game to shine. I would definitely say that the game would be a lot more fun if it were on mobile – this is the kind of game I would rather relax in bed and play on my phone – but it’s alright as a browser game as well. Maybe it’ll end up going that way. Overall, I would say Shikihime Zoushi is a very solid game but far from impressive.

 

 

 

Features: 3/5 – Solid features, but nothing new or innovative.

Customization: 3/5 – Really not much.

Graphics: 3/5 – Fantastic artwork, but the field graphics left much to want.

Controls: 4/5 – Worked alright without many issues.

Community: 2/5 – You probably won’t notice you’re playing with anyone.

 

Overall: 3.5/5 – Almost 4 stars, but the medium (browser) didn’t allow the game to have its full potential.

 

Mordheim: City of the Damned Adds Maps, Consumables, Strategy View in Phase 6

Mordheim City of the Damned: Early Access Phase 6 Trailer

Rogue Factor’s turn-based tactical RPG adaptation of Games Workshop’s tabletop game heads into Early Access Phase 6, which implements an improved Strategy View — crafted using player feedback — offering a broad overview of the city as you fight. Players will be able to quickly assess the city and browse between visible units on the map, zooming and rotating to meet their tactical requirements. This new view will offer the perfect opportunity to browse the three new maps: the Barracks, and two procedurally generated maps in the 2nd District.
 
Discover all the new features of this Early Access Update in the video below. Players will now be able to jump into this Early Access Phase 6 at 33% off until Wednesday, June 3.
 
With that comes the exciting addition of consumables; a plethora of items designed to either inflict direct damage on your foes, or to buff your units with magical properties. For example, toss the Oil Bomb to cause area-of-effect damage, or drink the Elven Wine to increase your critical resistance by 30% for 2 turns.
 
Also in Phase 6, players will enjoy a glimpse of the economy system as they hire new units for their Warband and gather goodies in the Warband chest for use in the city during fights. With a host of new content and graphical tweaks, there’s never been a better time to delve into Mordheim: City of the Damned!

Supernova Enters Alpha 5 Phase

Supernova Enters Alpha 5 Phase

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America’s free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) PC title, Supernova, is now live in its Alpha 5 phase. Along with the launch of Alpha 5, Supernova welcomes back returning commander – Nyx.

 

Nyx is a  shapeshifting demon succubus who comes from the mechanized hell dimension, Cybbadon, and is seeking revenge on the Lords of Cybbadon for being banished after an unsuccessful coup d’etat. Nyx is a Ranged Caster/Melee Brawler, and she clutches the vital essentials to terrifyingly annihilate her enemies in battle. Nyx also has the ability to seduce her opponents, causing them to move towards her at half their normal speed.

 

Other features introduced in the Supernova Alpha 5 phase include improved tutorials, which now guide players on using masteries, achieving Supremacy, selling units, and improving their units with technologies. Additionally, a new Alpha Alliance ability has been added, which increases movement speed for players’ units. Players can also chat with allies and opponents following matches in the “Game Results” window.