Monthly Archives: October 2017

Slash Arena: Online

Slash Arena: Online is a free-to-play fantasy MOBA developed by Drunken Monday for iOS, Android, PC, Mac, and Linux that is available for download on Steam Early Access. In Slash Arena: Online players can fight in multiplayer battles with their trusty weapon of choice, spinning it in circles in hopes of connecting with an enemy to eliminate the competition. With very simple, addicting gameplay all you need to do is dodge incoming attacks and choose the right time strike back at your foes! Will you rise to the top of the arena rankings?

Features:

Changing Appearances: Choose one of 3 different characters to take into your battles. Your character’s appearance will change every 3 levels as you get more experienced, showing off to everyone just how great you’re becoming at spinning your weapon.

Weapon Upgrades: Every match gives you the chance to collect more resources to upgrade your weapons and increase your striking power, as well as boost your matchmaking ranking so you can take on more experienced opponents.

Two Game Modes: Fight in free-for-all Deathmatches where 30 players battle it out against each other, or take part in Arena 1vs1 battles where players can fight another individual to increase their ranking.

Absolver Review: Age of Wushu meets Assassin’s Creed?

By Jordan Hall (ApocaRUFF), OnRPG Journalist

Absolver is the kung-fu masterpiece brought to us by Sloclap. There’s some controversy over whether or not the game is ‘good,’ with the title currently sitting at ‘Mixed’ Steam reviews, but there’s no denying that the combat system is something special. If you’re the type who enjoys Martial Arts, combat somewhat similar to Assassin’s Creed, and multiplayer mechanics that will remind you of Dark Souls, you’ll feel right at home in Absolver. If you’re the type who likes to be competitive in fighting games, you’ll especially feel welcomed, as player-versus-player duels are the end-game. Let’s take a closer look at Absolver and see how it stands up to review.

Customization

Cosmetic customization isn’t that diverse, but overall the game has a decent amount of choices. You can select the bare basics for your characters (for example, gender), but other than that you’re going to end up looking just about like everyone else. The gear is reflected on your character, which adds another layer of cosmetic customization, but there really isn’t a huge selection of gear and you’re going to end up wearing whatever gives you the best stats. Where the game shines, in terms of customization, is the ‘deck’ system that lets you determine your characters combos. It’s an in-depth system that is difficult to explain, so I’ll just give a basic overview.

Absolver Review Screenshot

You start off choosing a style of martial arts, with each having a specific focus for the type of combat. I feel there’s some imbalance, with certain styles definitely being better than others. As you progress your character, you’ll unlock moves that are added to your ‘deck’ that you can then use to create combos. I’ll explain the combo system more when I discuss combat under ‘Gameplay.’ This is part of the reason, I think, the game gets mixed reviews. It’s a system that is difficult to master.

Graphics

Absolver is stunning. Somewhere between cartoony and realistic, with a bright and interesting color pallet. While the areas you can explore are fairly confined, you still get to view a lot of beautiful open vistas. Plus who doesn’t enjoy exploring beautiful ruins? I enjoy the colors in the game as they really make it easy to focus on the fighting and the natural brightness helps keep you from getting overwhelmed in larger fights. In short, Absolver looks amazing.

Absolver Review Screenshot

Controls

The controls in Absolver are so-so. If you’re using a keyboard and mouse, you’ll probably have a somewhat difficult time adapting, mostly due to the games use of ‘stances.’ If you have one available, I suggest using a PS3 controller (or any controller, really). The difference in the fun I had in the game once I started using my PS3 controller compared to when I used my keyboard and mouse is night and day. The only issue I had, really, was switching lock-targets, and that wasn’t an issue all that often. Other than that, the controls worked quite well.

Community

The community in Absolver is large, and the way the multiplayer works makes the game rarely feel dead, even during off-hours. People that stick with the game tend to be very competitive and good at fighting games, so if you’re more into a casual experience, you may want to stay away. Of course, that’s not to say you can’t get your money’s worth of enjoyment as a casual player, it just might be more difficult. This is one of those rare games where I actually liked participating in the community.

Absolver Review Screenshot

Gameplay

Absolver is a pretty unique game that mixes elements from multiple genres. It’s got the adventure RPG style of gameplay you would find in something like Dark Souls, the in-depth player skill you would expect from a fighting game, the third-person camera and combat mechanics you would usually find in an action adventure game, plus a few other bits thrown in to round it out. Like I’ve mentioned earlier in the review, the game definitely favors those on the hardcore side of the spectrum of gamer. Why that is will become obvious soon.

There are essentially two parts to the game. The PVE aspect, which exists solely to develop your character, and the PVP aspect, which is essentially the end-game (for now… who knows what the future will hold). The story is actually interesting, though not as developed as it could be. You find yourself as a potential Absolver and you are sent out to overcome several boss NPCs. While you’re out doing this, you’ll have to fight through numerous lower tier NPCs to raise your levels so you can develop your skills and increase your stats. You’ll also get gear that can also increase stats (which isn’t always great, such as when it comes to weight or armor that increase cutting over bashing damage).Absolver Review Screenshot

PVP has a few forms. While you’re playing in the ‘adventure’ portion of the game, players will randomly phase in (or you can choose to join them if they’re your friends). You can either work with these players or attack them. Other forms of PVP include the duel arena. Honestly, I wish the game had more going for it in terms of PVE, as I’m nowhere good enough to stand against most players (at least not yet). I’ve not had many fights where I consider myself to be evenly matched with my opponent. It’s either I win easily, or they do.

Absolver Review Screenshot

The combat system is actually quite nice. It feels a lot like Assassin’s Creed. You lock on to targets and can (usually) easily switch between them. While I don’t think it’s quite as smooth as Assassin’s Creed, I’m sure most people who have played both games will see the resemblance. Of course, Absolver has a focus on hand-to-hand combat. As a fan of Age of Wushu, Wuxia, and Kung-fu in general, I loved the take of martial arts found in this game.

The combo system is actually quite interesting. Like I mentioned in customization, you can pick-and-choose the individual moves that make up a combo. There are actually only two attack keys. Light and Heavy. However, depending on the ‘stance’ your character is currently in, and how you have your combos set up, your character will do different attacks. This system can be difficult to get a grip on, especially when your character is new and you don’t have many moves to choose from. There are also certainly some overpowered combos that can be created, but it offers enough room that skill can often overcome mechanics, though they both usually come hand-in-hand.

Absolver Review Screenshot

Conclusion

Absolver is the perfect game for those of us who enjoy fighting, adventuring, and intuitive combat systems. Sure, there are issues, but they are mostly restricted to personal preference rather than actual flaws. The game will hopefully receive more content updates, as right now it feels a bit light and repetitive. The multiplayer mechanics are also really interesting, though you don’t need them to be there to enjoy (or play) the game. Personally, I enjoyed my time in Absolver A LOT and do not regret my purchase at all.

  • Features: 4/5 – Lots of interesting and innovative features.
  • Customization: 3/5 – Not much, but the combo system is great.
  • Graphics: 5/5 – It’s a personal preference, but I loved the way the game looks.
  • Controls: 3/5 – Good, but perhaps more polish would be good.
  • Community: 4/5 – It’s a good community, rare for a game with online elements.

Overall: 4/5 – One of the best games to come out of 2017 so far.

Absolver Screenshots

Clash of Heaven

Clash of Heaven is a F2P fantasy MMO role-playing game where you’ll embark on a magical quest in an energetic world filled with all manner of exciting activities to participate in. Whether it’s mustering a powerful squad, taking on difficult dungeons with friends, or challenging other players from around the world, you’ll be rising to your legendary destiny step-by-step, available for Windows.

Features:

Class Trifecta: Take your pick from the brave warrior, cunning magician, or angelic healer – each of which have unique looks, abilities, and combat tactics.

Draft: Recruit mercenaries for your team and combine them for even more power.

Conqueror of Worlds: Showcase your incredible talent in the various PVP game modes including 1v1, clan vs. clan, city siege, and large-scale battlefield warfare.

Romance Swords in “Boyfriend Dungeon”

Have you ever wanted to romance your swords, daggers or axes? Have you felt a unique, special connection to them that nobody could possibly understand? Well, Kitfox Games sure does, because they unveiled their next project: Boyfriend Dungeon! With their inclusive, tasteful approach to sexuality, combined with procedurally generated dungeons and awesome combat? This and beautiful people promises to create something truly magic. I for one cannot wait to see how this comes out.

“In the city of Greenville, when Love and War are at odds, it’s up to you to plunder the “dunj” and take your weapons on dates. Capture the hearts of your boyfriends (or girlfriends! or nbfriends!) to level them up. Boyfriend Dungeon is the the playful shack-and-slash the world’s been waiting for!”

Let’s Rant: Activision’s Scumbag Patent

by Jason Parker (Ragachak)

Lots of people are talking about Activision’s Patent #9789406, but some are just saying “Patents get filed all the time. That’s not a big deal!” and that’s part of the damn problem. A link to the actual Patent is right here.

Activision Patent - Skins

I own this skin. Don’t ask how much it cost.

Sure, patents get filed all the time. Sure, it was filed back in 2015, it was accepted just a few days ago. It’s a real patent now. Some of you might not know what I’m talking about, so it’s time to explain. Every time I think I’ve seen the worst, lowest, and most vile tactic in the gaming industry, another dirtbag comes along and shocks me. Today, we’re not talking about Warner Bros though! Today’s culprit is Activision. In 2015 they filed a patent for the purpose of “System and method for driving microtransactions in multiplayer video games. For instance, the system may match a more expert/marquee player with a junior player to encourage the junior player to make game-related purchases of items possessed/used by the marquee player. A junior player may wish to emulate the marquee player by obtaining weapons or other items used by the marquee player.”

Activision Patent - Skins 2

Looks cool, right?

But does Activision really have that many games that will likely have Microtransactions in them? Well, Destiny 2 kind of stands out like a sore thumb. Sure, all of their stuff is cosmetic, but it’s still a repulsive way to hide Shaders. Once Activision learned how much people enjoyed them, the “good” colors were gated behind Microtransactions and made random, and limited use. In Destiny 1, they were simply “acquire and use” at your leisure. But what about Call of Duty: WWII that’s on the way out? I have no idea what, if any Microtransactions will be in the game but it’s a prime potential target. The idea that they can patent a system to pair someone with no items bought on their store against someone who does have them, for the purpose of seeing “Hey, that item is incredible, I should buy it!” but the wording feels ambiguous to me. It says “match with” but that doesn’t mean necessarily they’d be on your team.

Activision Patent - Skins 3

NEW SKINS. YOU MUST HAVE THEM.

Ideally, I think, they’d be on the other team. You’d get blasted by someone with in-game bought items, and instead of thinking “Hey, I really want to buy that so I can have that level of success” the person would think “Jee, this game is really pay-to-win now! Guess if I want to be online and have fun I better fork over money!” and knowing games these days, it’ll be hidden in a loot crate. Because everything is hidden in loot crates now. It’s no big secret that Activision has spent millions researching addiction in gaming. So what do they do? Instead of trying to make peoples lives better, what have they done? They find worse and worse ways to capitalize on this. And I just had an epiphany, just this moment. It’s not just Activision, it’s Activision Blizzard. Yes, I see where this is going now. It’s going to be less about powerful in-game items, but it does come back to Loot Boxes. I think we’ll see a surge of the really nice skins, the best skins being in Loot Boxes, not for direct purchase. You’ll be paired against people who own/have a tendency to use these awesome skins and in order to buy them, what do you have to do? Cough up 20-50 bucks for some Loot Boxes and hope you get them!

Destiny-2-640x360

Remember Shaders?

I can’t even play Overwatch anymore because it got so bad. I enjoyed the game immensely, but the whole “trickle-down” thought of “Oh, you get a box everytime you level up, so you can get them at your own pace and you never have to spend money” is bullshit. Sure, you don’t “have” to, but with all the emphasis people put on how amazing the skins are, and admittedly, they are, you want to keep up and have what everyone else has. Yes, they’re a business. Yes, they have to make money. But that’s another terrible argument! Why isn’t simply “making a profit” enough? Why do they have to resort to horrific, scumbaggy, disgusting tactics to drive Microtransactions and take as much as they possibly can? Having a retail game with Microtransactions is basically a game that has an infinite potential for profit. It wasn’t enough that the Competitive system for Overwatch is/was purposely putting people lower than their actual competitive level to “give them a sense of accomplishment” when they climb. That’s not what it does at all. The people at lower brackets/ranks tend to be more toxic in my estimation because they feel like they’ll never climb. So it gets worse and worse. When those people do climb, that chip is still on their shoulder. That’s another complaint for another time though.

What does this mean? Should you care?

Activision Patent - Howitworks

This is how it would go down.

Of course you should care! What this Patent shows is like showing your hand at the end of a game of Poker. It’s a reflection of what kind of company they are. It shows the potential for them to do anything to make a quick buck. And people are likely to just forgive it because they enjoy their games. That or they are simply blissfully unaware. Activision-Blizzard has their hands in a lot of pies right now, and have a lot of games with potential Microtransactions. There are of course, people who won’t care about this matchmaking (as far as cosmetics go) because they never spend money on free-to-play/microtransactions just in general. But this hurts a lot, and I mean a lot of players who do or have bad addictive/gambling tendencies. It’s probably the worst tactic of the year. Has it happened yet? Not that we’re aware of. But the fact that it’s patented at all and can is very telling, very indictative of our current greedy overlords.

 

Hand of the Gods Console Closed Beta Giveaway

We have partnered with Hi Rez Studios to celebrate the closed beta launch of Hand of the Gods on console, with a giveaway of legendary Guan Yu cards!

Introducing Hand of the Gods: SMITE Tactics, a turn-based strategy game from Hi-Rez Studios. Build an army from a large roster of mythological gods and creatures like Zeus, the Greek God of the Sky, and Odin, the Norse Allfather. Then wage war in competitive multiplayer matches or single-player adventures. It’s up to you to command your Gods, strategically position your forces to take advantage of the terrain, and unleash divine powers to defeat your foes.

Hand of the Gods is now available on Xbox One and PlayStation 4!


Each code will unlock the Legendary God card for Guan Yu.

Hand of the Gods Console - Guan Yu Giveaway

To Redeem Your Code:

  1. Log into Hand of the Gods or create an account if you need to.

  2. Once in-game click Store then Redeem Code.

  3. Enter in the code to unlock your free Legendary God!

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