Yearly Archives: 2015

WildStar Free-to-Play Closed Beta Is Live

WildStar Free-to-Play Closed Beta Is Live news header

Today, NCSOFT® and Carbine Studios™ announced that the closed beta for WildStar’s upcoming free-to-play transition is live. Players granted access to the closed beta will be able to experience all of the new and improved features available in the critically praised MMO’s biggest content update yet.

 

“We can’t wait to have players get into beta and check out all the new content,” said Mike Donatelli, product director, Carbine Studios. “Inviting players to test all these systems is key to our success. We’re looking to them to provide critical feedback that will enable us to launch free-to-play this fall.”

 

The WildStar closed beta is accessible to all current subscribers to WildStar as well as non-subscribers who have received a closed beta key. Anyone can sign up for a closed beta key by visiting the WildStar site and clicking the “Sign Up For Beta” button.

A sampling of the new content and features coming in the free-to-play transition includes:

 

  • The Alpha Sanctum – A new instance that brings players into WildStar’s world storyline much earlier in the game than ever before. Featuring creative gameplay, a unique environment, and a compelling narrative, the Alpha Sanctum introduces players to the mysteries of Nexus in an unforgettable way.
  • Madame Fay’s Fortunes – Discover all-new treasures with Madame Fay’s Fortunes, an exciting, randomized reward system that can turn a tiny investment into big, big shinies with the help of everyone’s favorite Lopp fortune-teller, Madame Fay.
  • New Player Experience – A revamped Arkship and arrival sequence welcomes newcomers to WildStar and offers everyone the option of choosing where to start their Nexus adventure based on their level of MMO experience. Character creation has also been overhauled, giving players a better understanding of the choices they’re making and the customization options available.
  • Loyalty Program – Any player who has ever invested money in WildStar by subscribing to the game, redeeming C.R.E.D.D., or purchasing MTX items will now earn points in the game’s Loyalty Program. These reward points, which are also earned retroactively, give players access to additional gear, items, pets, mounts and more.
  • Quality-of-Life – A multitude of quality-of-life improvements have been added, including a revamped sprint function, navpoints to help players keep track of their next objective, daily player login rewards, and much more.

 

And this just scratches the surface of this enormous update. For details on all of the features coming via WildStar and the free-to-play transition this fall, visit: https://forums.wildstar-online.com/forums/index.php?/topic/129471-closed-beta-feature-summary/.

Lords Road

Lords Road is a free-to-play, browser-based 2.5D MMORPG, set in a dream-like fantasy world. Take up your sword, and ally with angels to defeat evil and save the world!

Features:

Evolving Mounts: Rather than buying new mounts, you can evolve your mount into new and more powerful forms.

Befriend Goddesses: Nine goddesses wait to assist you on your journey, each capable of being upgraded and bringing you more power in battle.

Daily Events: Participate and earn daily rewards with quests, dungeons, and other special events.

Uncharted Waters Online Review 2015

By Remko Molenaar (Proxzor)

 

UWO 2015 Review

There aren’t a lot of games specifically about sailing the open seas, having your own crew, and making your own adventure out of it in a rather free form setting. As such Uncharted Waters Online remains successful after almost 5 years of service, now with a Playstation 4 version on the way later this year. And even though the game might be looking a little outdated, the game offers a wide variety of fun gameplay activities that it’s still amazingly active community will gladly join you in.

The community is really something I was happy to see so active. Inside each city or outside the ports I’ve seen a ton of players going on their business and sailing everywhere doing their own thing. When doing follow up reviews on MMOs these days, most are ghost towns in the starter zones, so this was startling to me. Apparently having no competition for your genre makes a big difference in keeping the game active over time.

 

UWO 2015 Review

Basic Beginnings

When you begin making your first character you will notice that you can only choose among 6 nationalities. These nationalities are mainly the countries that have done a lot of trading or were major world players in the age of colonization. As you’d expect, that means the starting zone is primarily staged on the European coastlines, leaving players to choose between England, the Dutch Republic, France, the Spanish Empire, the Kingdom of Portugal and the Republic of Venice as their home port. Besides their sailor’s home, they can also choose what kind of class to be. There are three classes in these games, and even though you will have to make a choice, you aren’t necessarily bound or forced to play this specific role. The player can choose between adventurer, merchant, and soldier. These classes are exactly what they are named after, so don’t expect them to fair equally in a fight. That’s just how Uncharted Waters Online rolls (or sails). Gameplay doesn’t have to be about seeing how has the biggest guns, but can rather be about who has the best strats to make a ton of money without getting robbed.

Even if you choose the role of soldier, you aren’t bound to being one. Especially for new players it is recommended to enlist in school and take different classes for each specific role to see what the fuss is all about. If you simply want to trade goods, sail from one place to another, and do not mind the lack of excitement of having your life on the line, then that’s what you should do. You won’t be held back for failing to complete any specific class based objectives so don’t worry and just do what’s fun. This can be a rare and jarring realization in the MMORPG world, but I assure you it’s a nice change of pace. Though UWO isn’t quite on the level of a full-fledged sandbox, its style of content certainly seems to have been a front runner moving towards that movement. As such if you dig the idea of sandbox gaming but still like a little bit of structure in your objectives, Uncharted Waters Online offers a happy medium.

I myself decided to do a bit of everything to test how the game has evolved over the years. I like adventures, I like to be rich, and I would never back away from a good fight in a video game. And this is perfectly fine, if you’re willing to put in the time. Each class levels independently, so leveling all your classes can be a slow process. But to maximize your experience it is certainly worthwhile. This isn’t just about experiencing gameplay as a tank versus a dps, but an entirely different perspective on every aspect of the game.

 

UWO 2015 Review

Story

The storyline in Uncharted Waters Online isn’t half as bad either, it follows the evolution of the Age of Exploration. As you progress, you’ll witness the rise of the English naval power and spread of European influence to the New World. If you’re not a total stickler for historical accuracy, and can overlook a few anachronisms, it does give you a nice education about how the world ran in the era of pirates and awful maps. Not Somalians in speedboats but the real gritty swashbucklers drunk on rum and singsongs!

 

Gameplay

Since I had chosen to belong to the Dutch Republic, I began in Amsterdam. Rather than setting sail to disaster, I choose the wiser route of starting off in school. When I was done following the tutorial so in-depth, it deserves a placard upon completion, I was sufficiently ready to set sail. First stop? The rich shores of England, full of novice captains and lush riches. Or so I thought.

UWO 2015 Review

My first fight turned quickly into a melee battle as our crew went head to head. I simply didn’t have the biggest swords and lost. My second fight went a little better, but I think my luck wasn’t with me that day. I ran out of cannon projectiles right when the ship I was fighting with was on its last health points. So I had to return home, and experienced the life of a pirate to get my payroll back in the black. When you plan to steal booty, you also have to have enough resources for when the fights don’t go too well, or you will flat out fail. When leaving port, you have to check if you have enough food on board and other items you might need, such as say cannon projectiles! Wasting a good chunk of cannons with no return on investment costs you greatly, not just from ammunition costs but also from food and rum spent on your crew.

And the game chooses to strike a rather realistic tone in this department. For instance, ships aren’t simply sitting around in a ship dealership with sleazy salesmen waiting to take your coin. No you have to slowly build up your ship with different parts over time. In this vein, might say your ship has the same development as your character. You can’t just sail the seas on your own, you also need a crew to help you out. As you might expect, larger ships require more mateys to stay functional, meaning you have to visit the local tavern to recruit additional scallywags over time. This doubles as the location to listen in on rumors about fabled treasures.

 

UWO 2015 Review

Conclusion: Great

If you have read the full article, you notice I sound really enthusiastic, and that’s because I really am. If you are a big fan of sailing a ship, be it either for coin or, adventure, or action, this game has mastered the concept. Its only drawback is in the lagging graphical department, and in total content. However as the years have passed by, the world has continued to grow, with more and more realms to explore and story to experience. If you’re a gameplay over graphics kind of gamer, Uncharted Waters Online is a must try. With its still active and awesome community, this old seadog still seems to have plenty more years ahead of it. Besides, we pirates need new blood in the waters to keep fed! See you on the open seas…

Vikings: War of Clans Thrashes Its Way to Android and iOS

Vikings: War of Clans Thrashes Its Way to Android and iOS news header

Plarium, one of the world’s fastest growing developers of social and mobile games, announced the worldwide release of Vikings: War of Clans for Android and iOS devices. This fierce strategy title, inspired by the historical era of Vikings from 750 to 1050 AD, takes players to a ruthless world of Vikings, governed by freedom, power, fear and violence, where players must lead brave warriors into battle, conquer the world and prove their mighty rule against other clans from all over the world. It is now available on Google Play and the App Store.

With cutting edge 3D graphics, a compelling story and dynamic battles, Vikings: War of Clans tasks you to choose a hero, build their palace, take part in strategic campaigns and boost coffers by plundering rich loot. Many original and innovative gameplay elements allow players to experience a fresh take on strategy games for mobile devices.

Key features of Vikings: War of Clans include:

  • Build your Valiant Army: Create units from many different warriors including mercenaries, horsemen, furies, archers, among others.
  • Build your stronghold: Raise your Palace, Mead Hall, Shrine of Odin and other buildings while making your town grow.
  • Crafting: Prepare Hero for combat by crafting weapons and gear.
  •  To the Victor Go the Spoils: Partake in global battles and quests by yourself or with friends to yield rewards.
  • Mighty Clans that help Jarls join forces and vanquish all enemies!

Vikings: War of Clans welcomes suggestions from players to improve the experience and make it even more engaging. The title is currently available in English and Russian with more translations to follow (Italian, Spanish, French, and German) and can be found on Google Play and the App Store: