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Monthly Archives: April 2016
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada Launch Trailer
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada, a Warhammer 40,000 strategy game, launches April 21 on Steam.
Versus: Battle of the Gladiator Greenlight Trailer
Versus: Battle of the Gladiator celebrates its approval on Steam Greenlight after just three days.
Bandai Namco Open House 2016 – Winning Putt Spring Update Preview
By Tyler Wood (zelus_craft)

Last week we attended Bandai Namco’s Open House event at their new Santa Clara office – they’ve got some pretty sweet digs that are inline with the other software companies in the area. However, unlike other companies, they’ve got pristine arcade machines, Dark Souls statues, and a fantastic Tekken 7 setup. Looks like they’ve stepped their game up a few notches since their San Francisco location (pictures to come later this week in my full event write-up).
Winning Putt soft-launched with an open beta earlier this year, and has since been adding customizable content, hosting tournaments, and tweaking the guild systems and game balance. During the open house event some statistics about Winning Putt were revealed to us, including the fact that over 10,000 rounds are played each day and it takes the average player about 55 minutes to complete an 18-hole course – that’s some fast golf!
What does this have to do with golf? You’ll see.
Winning Putt’s first big update is coming out shortly, titled the Spring Update. The Spring Update introduces a new course, a new feature, and marks the start of the Volero Tour at the same time as the Valero Texas Open – about halfway through the current PGA circuit – that will wrap up alongside the PGA Tour in September.
Are you ready to play golf in space?
Starglen is the newest addition to the course lineup, featuring an alien world and exploration site. Intended for intermediate and expert players, Starglen has a new tileset and environment that will require some adaptation. The night variant of the course is nice to look at with an aurora overhead and varied lighting. The gravity doesn’t change (aw, maybe in the future?) and the course will be played in some of the events driving the upcoming tournament.
“Moonshot.” Hehe. (Sorry, Not Sorry.)
The new feature, titled Survival Time Attack Mode, allows for up to 20 players to simultaneously race a 9-hole course against each other. Although no one’s strokes directly impact anyone else’s, you can see the ghosts, animations, and special effects of the other players as they make their moves. Of course, it’s golf, so the player with the least amount of strokes wins, but the time aspect has been emphasized so players are incentivized (well, forced) to finish quickly else they forfeit the hole. All players must finish up within 30 or 45 seconds of the first player who finishes a particular hole (an option in the lobby settings), else they’ll have an incomplete score and likely lose the round.
You really don’t want to be downrange from this kind of insanity.
A new multi-month tournament is starting soon, which will culminate as the Sakura Pro-Am Cup in September. Over the next several months players will enter and play across all courses in four mini-seasons. The winner of the Sakura Cup will be awarded with a unique glowing blazer, among other rewards, as seen below. Beware: Everyone plays on the highest difficulty setting in these tournaments, so practice up.
Let’s face it – you too would sport a pink blazer if it glowed and gave you a blue aura.
This update comes out… tomorrow! Surprise! Think you have the gumption to jump in and win like some sort of freshman prodigy? Give it a shot.
ASTA’s First Content Update Released
WEBZEN, a global developer and publisher of free-to-play MMO games, today announces that the first new content release for the Asian fantasy MMORPG ASTA – The War of Tears and Winds, currently in Open Beta, is now live. The release includes a new Team Arena map which provides players with even more challenges.
ASTA – The War of Tears and Winds is a classic fantasy MMORPG with gameplay that offers an essential MMORPG experience, combining traditional features such as customizable attributes and server-first achievements with modern comforts like a group finder and automatic matchmaking.
Following on from the Open Beta launch on the 2nd of March, this content release includes a brand-new Team Arena map, “Ora Fortress Underground Arena”, and an extra difficulty mode for the current 10-player raid dungeons, providing new ways to enjoy the game.
Ora Fortress Underground Arena is the newest addition since the Arena of Constellations, offering 5v5 team battles. The process is identical to that of the Arena of Constellations, but a different interior will require players to come up with new strategies.
Along with this update, two raid dungeons will now be playable in a new difficulty mode. “Throne of Gladiator” in the Four Valleys region and “Water God’s Oracle” in the Muk Plateau region now have a “Very Hard” difficulty mode. The newly-added difficulty provides more powerful bosses that use a wider variety of skills. Characters will also be unable to revive during combat, unless through the Healer’s “Revive” skill. Entry to the dungeons in the new difficulty mode is permitted once a day for free, with additional entries available for purchase using Soul Stones. Free entry resets daily at 5 a.m. server time.
In addition, new items, achievements and Titles have been added that can be unlocked from the new difficulty dungeons. More details and release notes can be found on the official site at http://asta.webzen.com
Guild Wars 2 Spring 2016 Quarterly Update Goes Live
ArenaNet just released a massive update for Guild Wars 2 and its expansion, Heart of Thorns. You can pore over the 16,000+ word official release notes here or read a synopsis from ArenaNet president and game director Mike O’Brien here.
Here are some of the biggest changes Guild Wars 2 fans will see today when they download the patch:
- Easier exploration in Heart of Thorns maps: Today’s patch updates the Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns maps to make exploration more fun whether players prefer solo or group play. Crucial waypoints are now uncontested making the map and adventures more accessible. New events have been added, and event scaling adjusted. Several map-wide events reward players more often and give them more control over how they spend their time in the jungle.
- New dailies & achievements: Today’s update brings new Heart of Thorns dailies and achievements, and players now earn two gold for completing daily meta-achievements.
- New reward tracks and world linking for World vs. World: WvW now features reward tracks, where players can make strategic choices to earn either tomes of knowledge, crafting materials and skins, including a new WvW-exclusive Triumphant armor set. Today’s update creates alliances between low-population worlds, giving them the necessary numbers to go head-to-head with existing high-population worlds.
- New raid lobby: A brand new raid lobby helps players join up with friends, organize their squad, hone their raiding skills and enjoy convenient access to raid portals at the Lion’s Arch Aerodrome.
- Free level-80 boost: All Heart of Thorns players can use a free level-80 boost to max out their main character or to test out new professions before taking the fight straight to the elder dragon Mordremoth. More about the max-level boost can be found on the Spring 2016 Quarterly Update release page here.
Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code Available today on Steam
Arc System Works Co., Ltd. is pleased to announce, Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code the latest fighting game from Arc System Works’ catalog will be available today at 6pm PST on Steam (PC) platform.
Developed by FRENCH-BREAD, Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code is the latest iteration of the 2D fighting game featuring an eclectic cast of 31 fighters from the Melty Blood universe based on the visual novel. The game’s events take place one year after the TATARI incident that left Misaki Town scarred.
Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code Features
- Pair any of the 31 fighters in the game with each of the unique fighting styles: Crescent Moon, Full Moon, and Half Moon.
- Discover each of the characters’ motivations as you battle through Arcade Mode.
- Hone your skills in training mode with every character and fighting style.
- Fight against your friends locally or online!
- Available for $24.99 with a one week 20% launch discount
For more information please visit the official website: http://www.arcsystemworks.jp/steam/mbaacc/en/, or the Steam store page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/411370.
PWI Elysium Expansion Launches
Today, Perfect World Entertainment Inc., a leading publisher of widely-acclaimed free-to-play MMORPGs, announced Elysium, the 12th expansion for PWI, is now available. With the release of this expansive update comes the new Homestead System, an end-game dungeon called “Uncharted Paradise,” plus major upgrades to weapons, gear, fashion and more. For the first time in PWI history, the flagship fantasy MMORPG will also be available on Valve’s popular gaming platform, Steam. Adventurers can visit the game’s Steam page (http://store.steampowered.com/app/442110) to download and play for free.
Elysium’s new Homestead System invites players with characters Level 90 and above to build and customize their very own homes. Hidden in a realm isolated from the rest of the Perfect World lies an exquisite mansion, waiting to be claimed. Players can choose from hundreds of different options to design and furnish these grand structures. PWI’s new Homesteads also give players a new way to interact with one another, as they are able make trades, craft items, post jobs and generate resources.
Elysium also unlocks Uncharted Paradise, a dangerous new 10-player dungeon. The land where this max-level instance lies was once home to a prosperous village, but was decimated after Pan Gu flooded the planet. Players must now trudge through its wastelands to battle guardians and complete a series of seven trials. Conquering Uncharted Paradise will yield incredibly valuable rewards, including the materials needed to create Dragonbreath Weapons, which are currently the most powerful weapons in the game. A full list of PWI: Elysium’s new content and gameplay updates include:
- Homestead System – Players can take advantage of this fully customizable housing system to design and furnish housing structures for their characters.
- Uncharted Paradise – This new 10-player dungeon challenges the inhabitants of Perfect World to defeat bosses and complete trials for rewards.
- Dragonbreath Weapons – Elysium raises the power level to over 9,000 with the release of these new Level 17 weapons.
- Boundless Gear – Rank 9 Limitless gear can be upgraded to Boundless Gear, which gives better stats for PvP combat.
- Luck of Elysium – To celebrate the launch of Elysium, players can complete in-game missions to earn tickets for the Luck of Elysium raffle.
- Plus, new fashions, mounts and flyers!
League of Legends Mid-Season Magic Revealed
League of Legends is preparing for its mid-season intermission, when it’s time to push significant updates to the game before the second stretch of the competitive MOBA scene. Today, they released a teaser highlighting some of the major updates coming to the game.
This mid-season is going to be focusing on mage champions, with a goal “to bring distinction, cohesion and, yes, game health to the mages.” On the list for some changes are Malzahar, Brand, Vladimir, Zyra, Vel’Koz, and Cassiopeia (and more.) Meanwhile magical items will offer more tactical choices rather than simply boost stats.
Dragons will also be seeing an overhaul with the new elemental dragon system. One of four elements will spawn in the first 35 minutes, and after its death, the map will reveal the next element to spawn. Elemental buffs will stack with each other making gaining them all that more useful. After 35 minutes, these dragons become more difficult Elder Dragons that grant even more powerful bonuses on their defeat.
Get the full early breakdown on the mid-season updates, visit this page.
Star Crusade Early Access Dev Interview
Questions By Jason Parker (Ragachak)
Answered by Alex Rechevskiy, Producer
- What CCGs/Sci-Fi programs inspired Star Crusade?
Star Crusade has been in development on and off for at least four years. My brother Dimitri and I always created games to entertain each other growing up. The games we continued to play together into adulthood ended up being focused on strategy of all types, and that included collectible card games like Magic: The Gathering. When we finally got the chance to create a strategy game for others, we drew on a lot of our past experience of what Dimitri and I wanted to see in games. Together, we dreamed up a universe we ourselves would want to explore, and Dimitri populated it with all the different factions and their lore (tons and tons of lore) from scratch; though it’s certainly possible that our enjoyment of some of our personal favorite sci-fi universes like Warhammer 40,000 and Babylon 5 might’ve played a role!
- One of the qualms I had with it was the way Characters/Heroes are unlocked. Will there be any other way than to encounter them?
That is a fair observation! The game is still in Early Access/Beta, so we have initially been focusing on other core gameplay issues. But as we come closer to full release, a lot of the focus will shift from “under the hood” details to the important immersion that we envisioned when we first designed Star Crusade. For example, we plan to add a comprehensive, story-driven tutorial and multiplayer faction-specific, story-rich missions – as well as narrative-advancing missions for players through monthly events.
By the way, we love comments like this! We will make a decision on how characters will unlock at full release based on just this kind of feedback.
- Booster Packs: I like that you can get multiple Heroics as well as a Paragon in the same pack. Any thoughts to boosters that have specific factions or groups of factions to make it easier to acquire certain randoms from those groups?
Another really interesting idea. As the quantity of cards available in the game increases (we are already past 400), we may release separate boosters for specific expansions, or we may allow you to “customize” your booster prior to purchase, by selecting the focus of the pack — for instance, a faction — like Shan’Ti or Terran — or a type of unit, say a Mercenary. For the time being, you’ll always get at least one rare Elite in each booster, but yes, it’s absolutely possible to get lucky and find the rarest class of cards — Paragons — in the same booster as Elites (I love it when that happens!)
Please note that in the current version of the game, you can also earn free cards just for playing multiple matches over time as your Commanders gain levels.
We’ve got a lot of interesting ideas on the backlog for the game and how it will evolve in the future. We have big, big plans for this game!
- The big “complaint” appears to be that people feel it is a copy-paste of Hearthstone. Nobody argues that it is certainly similar. How do you feel you have improved upon the “Hearthstone” CCG style?
We feel that Star Crusade is its own game, not just by virtue of its sci-fi setting, but also due to its unique gameplay features.
Take Commander Modules, for instance – each one gives your deck’s Commander a unique, persistent or activatable power, or a bonus that can be used throughout the match. You can equip up to three Modules per deck, and each faction will have its own unique modules. Right now, we have approximately 50 modules in the game, and we will be adding more with each new expansion. Modules add a whole new dimension of gameplay – we’ve found that players using the same faction and the same deck, but different Modules, will have a totally different experience and can access completely different strategies. Each faction’s deck can equip one, two, or three Modules at a time – equipping more Modules lets you access more powers, but leaving one or more Module slots empty lets you generate Energy more quickly.
And another new concept we’ve added to the game is the new resource — Energy. You earn Energy by destroying your opponent’s units and you spend Energy by powering some Modules or playing cards with the optional Energize ability.
In addition, we have Variable Deck Size – basically, you can have a deck as small as 25 cards, or as large as 40. Smaller decks develop faster and actually draw a bonus card on turn one. However, the size of your card deck will equal the size of your health pool, so building a smaller, faster deck makes you more vulnerable, while building a larger, slower deck gives you more survivability.
Variable Deck Size – along with some of our cards and Module powers – also plays a key role in reducing the influence of RNG in the game. While randomness is obviously a big part of card games, it can be frustrating to draw bad starting hands or have a bad run of luck mid-game. Variable Deck Size lets players purposely build smaller, faster decks (at a cost of being less survivable), and there are specific Modules that let players manipulate their own decks, adding specific types of cards directly to your hand to mitigate poor draws.
We’ve seen furious discussions among players as to whether a certain style of deck works better with 35 cards, or 36 cards – combine Variable Deck Sizes with multiple Modules and six different factions, and you have nearly limitless combinations and customizability. We really want players to be able to create decks that represent their own unique playstyle. Modules give players who theoretically have the same cards and faction a completely different play style because of the way the Module system alters your strategic choices. This also means that the chance of playing a “mirror match” – against an opponent with an exactly identical deck and set of Modules – is also reduced.
The overall focus of Star Crusade is to allow players to really craft their strategy to be unique to them, instead of based on a deck list someone else created. We find there is much more satisfaction when your deck defeats someone else’s because of your skillful play and deck design, instead of a random chance or because you followed someone else’s ideas.
- Will there be faster/better ways to earn credits? 5 credits on a casual win kind of hurt my spirit with packs costing 100.
We have daily missions that let players earn credits quickly, and ranked mode lets players compete for boosters and other prizes. We’ve also just had our first cash prize tournament and are planning on organizing many more. In the future, we will also add epic events that span a week or longer and have even bigger loot as rewards!
- Any thoughts on making it a little faster to unlock key cards for deck types? The crafting seems a bit brutal, when combined with the speed at which credits are accrued.
We’re always testing and tweaking our systems to make sure we have an experience that’s fun and balanced. For players who are having issues getting cards, we recommend going after events for more in-game credits, as well as playing regularly to level up your Commanders (and get free cards).
- Will the factions have story modes to unlock things for their decks? Perhaps a way to expand on the story some.
We have plans for a full single-player campaign that will tie together the lore and backgrounds of each faction. Can’t say much about it now, but we are very, very excited about sharing this with players in the future.
- Any thoughts on multiplayer [2v2, 3v3] style matches?
Yes! In fact, we plan to have a 2v2 co-op battle mode in the future. We love CCGs of all kinds, and one of the coolest things about duel-based CCGs is how mechanics change when you go from a one-on-one duel environment into a larger, team-based environment. In team-based environments, the pace of the game changes significantly and cards that never seemed all that useful become much more powerful.
- Modules are ways to enhance your Commander with persistent buffs that can vastly change the way the game is played; But how do you manage to balance this system?
With lots and lots and lots of testing and in-depth analytics. Yes, with so many modules, and the ability to equip more or fewer, there are a ton of deck combinations. Using our detailed analytics, we are aggressively pursuing strong game balance at this time, but we’re also not looking to have a meta that plateaus out. In so many competitive games, once players find the “best” strategy, deck, or character, the game boils down to everyone running the same top-tier stuff. It gets boring and stale, and that’s not what we want – so we’re constantly involved directly with the player community, soliciting feedback on what seems too powerful or too weak, and we plan to continue doing this after launch. We want a continuously vibrant and competitive metagame.
- Can Modules be gained outside of Random Packs? Can they be crafted, or gained as the random cards you receive in Raid Mode?
Yes, yes, and yes. You can also gain them from regular play as your Commander levels up — each commander has two unlockable Modules, with two more coming soon!
- One of the things I really enjoy about this game is how each faction is vastly different. Care to tell us a bit about what makes each faction different in the game mechanics to help new players figure out what they might want to be on the lookout for?
We’ve tried to theme each faction so that their mechanics reflect their lore and flavor. The Terrans, for instance, are our newbie faction and have basic, easy-to-understand units, but we’ve designed their cards and abilities to reflect an infantry-based faction with many small units whose bonuses and powers can have a multiplicative effect if enough can survive long enough on the board.
The Annunaki are powerful, mind-controlling psychics who build up Psychic Charges to power their abilities.
The Shan’ti are our alien race of amoral mad scientists, and their primary power is mutation – they’ll mutate both their enemies’ units and their own to unlock bizarre new powers and combinations.
The Hajir-Gog – the creations of the Shan’Ti – are brutal warlords who attack so ferociously that their most devastating powers frequently damage their own units as well as their foes.
The Hierarchy is our cyborg faction, and uses its powerful repair tech to build its defenses – the commander Tel’Machus begins his career with the Restore Module that triggers many combos.
The Consortium are the merchants of Star Crusade, and they use their ability to manipulate Credits – an in-game modifier that can affect many of their cards – to tilt the game in their favor.
In any case, we’ve focused on making a game with tons of depth, variety, and customization. As I mentioned, this game is the product of two brothers’ imaginations – and both he and I frequent the Steam forums in search for good player feedback. Please download the game from Steam and try it out – we’re very interested to hear what you think!
Thanks so much for your time! I had the chance to team up with the second half of the Gaming Tag Team Champions of the World, Bottom Tier, to test out the Star Crusade early access as well. Check out our video below!














