Yearly Archives: 2015

Blood Bowl 2 Launch Review

By Remko Molenaar (Proxzor)

 

Blood Bowl II Review 02

Throw Warhammer and American football into a blender, and what comes forth is Blood Bowl 2. Now Blood Bowl 2 is no ordinary game. It’s not just American football combined with the living world of Warhammer, it is much more than that. All it is missing is the secret ingredient of salt. Thankfully that is where you come into the mix, because this game will make you salty, in one way or another. Combined with some humor, and you’ve got yourself a special breed of turn based game.

 

I have never hated myself more playing a videogame when I was playing Blood Bowl 2, and this isn’t necessarily a bad thing because the game itself is a lot of fun. But let’s talk about the game first before I start with the salt. Blood Bowl 2 is almost the exact same as American Football, except that there is a little bit of violence involved, and lady luck can be against you. First off there is campaign mode. In the campaign you will take over a human team called the Reavers, replacing their last manager. The Reavers haven’t had a successful run. They have been losing season after season and are on the verge of being bankrupt. It’s an interesting premise for a tutorial, though seems it could have been much more as a final challenge in the campaign. Still I can forgive this missed opportunity in a heartbeat thanks to the amazing commentators. They break down the bizarre game rules, and risks involved, before you’re left to your own devices rebuilding the shambles of a team.

Blood Bowl II Review

In Blood Bowl 2 you can play as a variety of racially based teams. Though the campaign is limited to the humans. While the visuals are nice, most teams are essentially the same group. You have the Lineman, the Catchers, Throwers, Blitzers and the Ogre. Each team has their own variation of these units and or a mixture of two types for some slight variety. The Linemen are just the normal players; they can play in any role but don’t excel at anything. The Catchers are great at getting into position and catching long passes, the Throwers excel in passing, and Blitzers are great at offensive pushes. The Ogres well… they just smash anything in arm’s reach. Use that how you see fit. Teams are limited by player salaries, and you’re limited to the number of players on the field at any time. No team composition is the best in all situations, and sometimes having a few extra players to react to your opponent’s build can pay off. Just be careful not to hire too many superstars or you won’t have the funds to fill the minimum roster.

 

The campaign is a great start to get to know the game and figure out the controls, but once you’re ready you can join a league with one of your teams. You can always create a new team with a different race, but once you have joined a league you obviously do not want to switch around teams every time you start playing. You can choose to go for a solo league where you play with your team against the computer, or join an online league where you play against other players. I decided to go in right away and play against other people, I imagined I wouldn’t be that awful at the game right?

Blood Bowl II Review

Well I was wrong! I was the worst player this game has ever seen. I lost game after game without even scoring a touchdown. And since games take a long time, and can literally take up to a few hours, I spend my whole day being a very salty man, trying to get better at a game that I enjoyed, but hated at the same time. Losing obviously isn’t fun, but I’ve always been a very competitive person, and I simply cannot stop a game when I haven’t even won a single game. I know how American Football works, have played a ton of other football games, yet Blood Bowl 2 was an entirely different beast.

 

The game has the same rules as American Football. At kickoff you get to position your team in preparation to receive or kick the ball. After the ball is kicked, the battle errrrr, game starts and you will have to work your way forward just like any other football game. But you will have to take down other players while doing so. When your players are clustered up they get more bonuses for picking a fight with the enemy players, so you want to make sure you have all the advantages you can get before taking a step forward. You cannot simply run away from an enemy unit, because most of the time you end up tripping or being kicked from behind when trying to make a run for it. Every time a unit comes close to an enemy, there is a chance something happens, and since your units are also able to be a little bit clumsy, lady luck can either be on your side or be a pest.

Blood Bowl II Review

While picking a fight with the enemy, you have to tactically move the rest of your units in the way of defending or stopping the football carrier. But since the opponent is trying to do the same it is a fun game of kicking each other down back and forth until there is an opening. As simple as this sound, and as fun this can be, at the same time it is also very infuriating. Think of playing real-time chess with the skin of football, and realizing your opponents have been studying chess maneuvers all their lives. Playing this game felt like torture, but instead of hating it I liked it, like some sort of football masochist. The drive to win was all I needed to keep playing, hour after hour. The humor well… I suppose that kept me sane in the process.

 

Blood Bowl II Review

Conclusion: Good

Have I won a game yet? The answer sadly is no. After hours and hours of playing I haven’t managed to win against another thinking human yet. The game is very competitive and each team is different than the one you faced before. Each race also has their strengths and weaknesses, and playing against some races is simply not fun because your players get smacked around like a piñata, sometimes literally exploding. But instead of candy coming out of you, your player is just gone, leaving a glaring hole in your defensive formation. I never knew such a torturous game could be so fun, but I do wonder about my sanity.

Warhammer: Vermintide – Collector’s Edition Contest

Warhammer

Independent developer Fatshark today announced a new competition for Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide in partnership with DRKN and Claimony. 10 lucky players will each win a copy of the Collector’s Edition of Vermintide and a DRKN Vermintide T-Shirt. The competition will take place between the 5th and 22nd November, and the 10 players who have earn the most achievement points will receive a prize! In order to enter the competition players just have to sign up on the Vermintide Claimony page claimony.com/vermintide and get playing! Achievements earned prior to the competition’s start will also be included.

Warhammer

DRKN is a street fashion brand promoting gaming and digital culture. Their collaboration with Fatshark for Vermintide has resulted in an incredible design for discerning fans of the game. The Collector’s Edition of the game features a high-resolution copy of the entire city of Ubersreik, Behind the Scenes concepts and videos, the digital soundtrack by composer Jesper Kyd, high resolution wallpapers and a unique in-game accessory for each character.

For more info, visit http://store.steampowered.com/app/235540/

Battle Battalions: Officially Released

Battle Battalions

Petroglyph is pleased to announce that today is the official global launch for Battle Battalions for PC. Battle Battalions is a free-to-play, tactical PC game that allows you to command a role-specific ‘Battalion’ of military might on a fast-paced, team-based battlefield.

Customize and command your personalized Battalions armed to the teeth with lethal military units ranging from stealthy Snipers to hard-hitting Juggernaut tanks. Engage in fast-paced, real-time action by deploying ability-boosting air drones, swiveling your tanks’ turrets to blast an enemy’s weak side or extracting pinned-down friendlies in trouble. Roll your Pathfinder Recon Battalion into thick brush for added armor protection or deploy your Suppressor Mortar Battalion on elevated terrain for high-ground ranged assaults. Taking and defending key points on the battlefield awards decisive advantages and a quicker path to victory.

“We feel this game breaks new ground in the real-time tactical space. As opposed to controlling a single Hero unit in combat, this time your entire Battalion is the hero.” -Joe Bostic, Co-Founder of Petroglyph and Game Visionary of Battle Battalions.

For more info, visit http://www.battlebattalions.com/

Mordheim: New Bosses and Enemies Revealed

Mordheim

Rogue Factor’s tactical-RPG Mordheim: City of the Damned put its most dangerous creatures under the spotlight with a selection of in-game engine artwork of the gigantic horrors that can be scouted out and killed in the doomed city. Whether it be bosses you’ll encounter while playing the campaign or neutral daemons roaming the shadowy streets, danger in Mordheim can take multiple forms.

Considered as objectives in many of the missions, bosses like the gigantic Manticore or the ferocious Chaos Ogre will keep you on your toes. What are their special powers? How tough are they to kill? There is only one way to find out: have the courage to face them!

Among the neutral daemons is the lethal Bloodletter. This huge, hulking enemy stalks the wretched city of Mordheim and it is up to you to engage or ignore. Neutral enemies will of course attack any warrior considered as a threat, either from your warband or your opponent’s. Some players will remain hidden to avoid them, some will bravely choose to challenge them, and some might even lure them to have these relentless enemies engage the opposite forces.

Whatever your playing style, it’s a good time to completely rethink your strategies with these game-changing monsters! Mordheim: City of the Damned is coming out this November on PC.

For more info, visit http://www.rogue-factor.com/

Fantasy War Tactics: Now Available

Fantasy War Tactics

Magic and machines co-exist in Fantasy War Tactics, as NEXON Korea Co., Ltd. (“Nexon”) (3659.TO), a worldwide leader in free-to-play online and mobile games, through its Korean subsidiary, NEXON Korea Corporation, launches the highly-anticipated strategy role-playing game (SRPG) today in 153 countries, including those in North America, Europe and Asia, for Android and iOS.

As an ambitious wizard bent on conquering the world, players make their way through Fantasy War Tactics utilizing their heroes’ character skills, the terrain around them, and their friends to help them in the heat of battle. Featuring a vast map with more than 180 dungeons and 12 different regions, players will explore and plan their tactics as they face heroic challenges. Fantasy War Tactics also integrates player versus player (PvP) mode that enables social interaction by pitting friend against friend.

“Fantasy War Tactics brings together the classic SRPG gameplay style with a robust story that offers exciting challenges for gamers hungry for an epic strategy adventure,” said Daehwon Kim, creative director, NEXON GT. “Tactical gamers from all over the world will enjoy this new twist on a classic genre as modern game elements combine with a nostalgic, anime feel.”

To celebrate the game’s launch, Nexon Korea will host special in-game events that include valuable prizes and rewards for players who participate. The publisher also is offering three new events starting today for players to celebrate the worldwide launch. The events will give players rewards including crystals, costumes and weapons. The launch events include:

“Login and Get Rewarded”

  • Running from Nov. 5 to 19
  • Login to the game for a chance to receive a pirate queen costume, a Legend Rebellion Sword, and 50 crystals

“Around the World in 8 Days”

  • Running from Nov. 5 to 19
  • Players that login for eight days have a chance to receive a new costume, a variety of golden equipment capsules

“Conquer the Tezen Island”

  • Running from Nov. 5 to 26
  • Players that clear the Tezen Island have a chance to receive bonus golden equipment capsules

For more info, visit https://fwar.nexon.com

Nutaku: New Gaming Portal Launches

Nutaku

Nutaku.com announced today that it will launch its new online gaming portal, Nutaku.com, on November 5th, 2015. Nutaku.com plans to bring the greatest online games from around the world, and making them available in English, many for the very first time. Players can check out the full array of titles at www.nutaku.com

The first game available to play for free on Nutaku.com will be Kanpani Girls. Kanpani Girls is one of the most popular Japanese online RPGs, currently boasting over 1 million monthly active users. Developed by DMM, creators of Kantai Collection (“KanColle”), Kanpani Girls is a turn-based RPG adventure game that puts you in the role of the CEO of an all-girl mercenary company. Hire the best heroes you can find and send them throughout the world to accomplish deadly tasks and gather rare resources. There’s a fortune to be made for the savvy corporate manager that can recruit, train and deploy the best talent. But you’ll need to plan your strategy carefully because in the business of swords and sorcery, corporate takeovers can be deadly.

“We’re excited to kick-off the launch of Nutaku.com by bringing two immensely popular titles to an English-speaking audience for the very first time.” said Markos Antoon, vice president at Nutaku.com. “In the near future, our fans will have the opportunity to play some of the world’s most immersive web and mobile games, including downloadable games and apps. Nutaku is opening up whole new audiences and we welcome talented game developers.”

Other games available to play at launch on Nutaku.com include Angelic Saga a deck-building card strategy game featuring real time battles versus other players and fantastic powers, unique creatures and fearsome traps.

For more info, visit http://www.nutaku.com

Armored Warfare: Update 0.11 coming November 17th

Armored Warfare

Obsidian Entertainment and My.com have announced that Armored Warfare next major update (0.11) will arrive on North American and European servers on November 17 bringing the most powerful vehicles to the game to date by adding Tier 9 Vehicles.

The update also gives players the ability to create and join custom matches, giving them the power to choose their map, match type, duration and more. Update 0.11 also brings a new token system to the game and a large number of balance fixes and vehicle performance adjustments.

For more information, visit https://aw.my.com/us/news/general/introducing-update-011