Yearly Archives: 2017

Bit Heroes

Bit Heroes is a free-to-play 2D fantasy MMORPG developed by Kongregate that can be played on iOS, Android, or at the official Kongregate website. In Bit Heroes players can explore a vast world at their fingertips inspired by 8-bit and 16-bit dungeon crawlers, fighting in the name of adventure and loot! Collect monsters, battle your way through dungeons, and earn sweet loot that will put you above all the rest!

Features:

Randomly Generated Dungeons: The world is full of randomly generated dungeons to bring exciting and new experiences every time you decide to play. Dungeons have been set to randomly mix-up their layout, providing you with new progressions and more loot to discover!

Collect Monsters: On your travels you’ll fight many different creatures and familiars. During battle you may find that some of them wish to join you and you’ll get the chance to bring them to your party permanently. Each familiar has a set of skills that will help you in battle whether it be attacking enemies, healing you, boosting your stats or other various things.

Loot-Centric System: Loot comes in different rarities and stat specializations that can boost your health, attacking power, or speed, but what makes your items truly special is how they can affect your skills. By equipping different kinds of weapons different skills will become available to you.

Elyon

Elyon is a 3D steampunked-themed MMORPG featuring mystifying magic, sky faring airships, and a world filled with incredible mythological creatures.

Business Model: Currently Unknown

Microtransactions: Currently Unknown

Key Features:

Much Ado About Something: Go on an epic adventure combating foes, exploring the land and air, constructing a home to relax in, competing in minigames, and enduring tough dungeons!

Journey for the Ages: Traverse through a gorgeous world taking on quests, upgrading your character, and experiencing exciting story missions.

Veni Vidi Vici: Dedicate your all to a chosen faction and fight for dominance over a powerful portal!

Classes:

Choose and train from one of five classes including a frontlining warrior, a supporting nature mage, an offensive magic wielding sorcerer, a sneaky assassin, and a firearms toting gunslinger.

Legend of Defense

Legend of Defense is a fantasy tower defense game where you must recruit dozens of powerful allies from the various mythological eras of human history to defend your home from monstrous invaders! Brush up on your strategy skills and work to conquer the world in 40 uniquely designed levels. Available for Windows.

Features:

From the Skies: Get yourself out of a pinch with 3 godlike powers.

Philoctetes: Discover and upgrade your heroes with charms, enhancements, and equipment.

Multiplayer Multiplier: Work with guildmates to take down epic bosses. Alternatively, fight other players for coliseum dominance.

Bossa Studios’ Decksplash Free Week Wipes Out Short of Target

Decksplash News

Today we have unfortunate news. Decksplash did not make its goal of 100,000 downloads during its Free Week. With this in mind, development of the game will now cease, and Decksplash will not proceed into Early Access. The Decksplash team will be moving on to other projects. It was a terribly fun concept, and it’s unfortunate that it did not move on. But they will still be working on Worlds Adrift and other projects, so do stay on the lookout. We’ll round this out with a word from Bossa Studios’ Co-Founder, Henrique Olifers:

So here we are, at the wrap-up time of Decksplash’s Free Week experiment. It has been quite a nail-biting ride for the team, watching numbers climbing, players having fun, maths, wagers, and predictions around the studio done. In the end, we fell short of the 100,000 players we set ourselves as a goal.

It’s not all tears, though… The Free Week proved what we suspected at the start: Decksplash is a good game, evidenced by its 79-86 Steam score throughout the week. The players who experienced the game liked it, but in the end, there just wasn’t enough of them to guarantee a healthy online community and keep the game’s matchmaking alive for the long run.

The lesson to take home is that, though not the best, this outcome is a good one for everyone involved: its players won’t spend money on a game that won’t survive the long haul, the team can move on to a new Bossa project with a sense of closure having done their best with Decksplash, and we tried a new way of validating a multiplayer game. Should we have canceled the game without this experiment, a ‘what if’ would always be there in the back of our minds.

All in all, we create hundreds of games every year during our monthly game jams, the vast majority of them failing to even being shown to the players. Decksplash just went further than the rest before teaching us a thing or two, enabling us to go forth with yet another piece of the creative puzzle we put together every day.”

The Chronicles of Tekken, Part 1

By Keith Harris (ShinobiGatana), Guest Writer

Bandai-Namco’s Tekken is a fighting game franchise born in 1994 in Japan.  Throughout the years it has become a powerhouse in the gaming industry, especially among fighting game fans.  It has had to compete with such monoliths as the Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat franchises.  One new title against two already pre-established behemoths in an established arena was ballsy to say the least.  Tekken did well in the arcades as well as on home consoles. It was a different type of game, where energy projectiles were not thrown from hands and movements could not be considered reality-defying.

Tekken 1 Box Art

The franchise began to do so well, in fact, that multiple sequels were made.  While Tekken 1 and 2 did well, it was not until the third game in the franchise that Tekken proved it could and would take over as the number one fighting game franchise in the world.  Drastic improvements were made in the movements and the removal of the Moon physics created a more grounded and realistic feel to the game.  Combinations became far more important and timing became paramount if you were to master the new mechanics. Juggling became key; striking one hit after another while not allowing an opponent the room to counter, get up off the ground, or even keeping them in the air with multiple moves in succession. While Tekken 3 brought a lot to the table, it also had a few potential downfalls. Fans complained at the loss of fan favorite characters such as Jun Kazama and Martial Law, but a few new faces provided a touch of comfort for that loss. We saw the creation of the new leading man of Tekken, Jin Kazama, son to Kazuya Mishima and Jun Kazama. His fighting style brought together a touch of Jun’s more combo-like movements, and the brutality of Kazuya and Heihachi Mishima. Jin was a force to be reckoned with.

Tekken 3 Screenshot via Mobygames

Others praised the increase in speed, the better flow of movements, easier side steps, and overall replayability. Tekken 3 also introduced a built in 3D action game called Tekken Force. Its controls were clunky, but it was the first time one could use their favorite Tekken character to take on multiple opponents in a sequential format, and do so in an old school ‘beat’em up’ eight or sixteen bit kind of way, using 3D models. For a while Tekken 3 was the definitive in 3D fighters, despite others series such as Soul Blade (or Soul Edge as it was known as in the arcade), Bloody Roar, and Battle Arena Toshinden doing relatively well in their own right, none could stand before the newly christened monolith that was.

Tekken 3 also introduced bowling to fighting games. Although I don’t think we see it too often, it is there… Like in Tekken 7 as DLC. Wait, oops. Sorry all. I forgot, we aren’t there yet. So let’s stick with what we have. Tekken 3’s bowling feature allowed up to 2 people to play in a local co-op format. There were traditional items such as “chicken” or “turkey,” called out when a certain number of strikes were made. It even allowed someone who wasn’t careful to have their character get dragged down the lane along with the bowling ball. Tekken 3 allowed for competitive action, and hours of mind boggling fun.

Tekken 4 Christie Monteiro Concept Art

Tekken 4 brought things back down a bit by trying to simplify things while not losing what made Tekken a great franchise. It was also the first numbered Tekken on the PlayStation 2. It was a story heavy game compared to its predecessors.  Jin Kazama’s moveset was completely redesigned to all but remove the Mishima style from his repertoire and focus more on a more formal style of Karate in order to distance himself from the ‘evil’ image of his father and grandfather. While an interesting twist, it tried to fix something that was not necessarily broken. However, that isn’t to say that the visual overhaul wasn’t a beautiful upgrade; far more details were added where clothes and facial features were concerned. To avoid too many spoilers for those who haven’t played through it, I won’t divulge much story wise. As far as gameplay goes, there were some big changes: the ability to walk backwards and forwards before a battle technically began; walled stages where before, every stage was out in the open; the sentient wooden creature Mokujin replaced by a robot called Combot, created by the company owned by Tekken veteran Lee; the inclusion of a new capoeira practitioner Christi; and more. Tekken 4 also had the return of Tekken Force, but with a few revamps that made it a great deal easier to control and maneuver, though it still had flaws.

Overall, Tekken 4 did what it was meant to do, and that was add characters and bring in new players. This story focused on the return of the prodigal son, Kazuya Mishima, who was thought dead due to events in Tekken 2. It allowed for some interesting additional characters in the franchise to resurface, such as the genetically mutated Devil character. That story unfolds completely in Tekken 7, so I will leave that for a future installment in the King of The Iron Fist chronicles.

Tekken had a few games outside of the mainstay such as Tekken Tag Tournament 1 and 2, which took on most of the characters from previous games including those killed off, and brought them back in a non-canonical free-for-all, new moves and all. But we won’t go into that arena ‘this time’ as it is could very well be an article in and of itself. This here was just to give you a tease friends, as to what Tekken was all about. I believe next time a slightly deeper delve into Tekken 5 and 6 might be in order. So for now, ‘Keep on rockin’ gamers, and remember, keep the fighting in game.’

Darwin Project’s Alpha Weekend Starts Today

The Darwin Project Game Profile Banner

Starting today, Scavenger Studios’ The Darwin Project starts its first Closed Alpha Weekend on PC! Coverage Embargo has finally ended, and it’s time to get a look at this snowbound manhunt! What started as a science experiment has become a hit reality TV show, and that sets the stage for Darwin Project! A unique take on the popular Battle Royale genre, this test starts on Nov. 10 (9 am PST) and ends on Nov 12 (9pm PST). Not able to make your debut on the battlefield this weekend? No problem! Scavengers has you covered. Chief survivalist (and game director) Simon Darveau will be on-hand to answer viewers’ questions as part of a special Dev Stream on Twitch. They’ll also be showing off the “Show Director” feature and give some awesome sneak peeks at the title. Are you ready to embrace your inner power trip? It goes live on Sunday, Nov. 12 from 3pm-5pm EST!

8-Bit Anthology Vol. 1Review

by Jason Parker (Ragachak)

8-bit anthology vol. 1 - Shadowgate

Let’s talk about some 8-Bit games on PC! Back when I was a much younger man, PC gaming was still very much in its infancy. A series of PC point-and-click games using the MacVenture engine came to the NES. They were “The Uninvited”, “Deja Vu” and “Shadowgate”. The games all kind of looked the same, as far as their UI went, because that’s just how things were at the time. Each game had a different mystery to solve and unfold, but I honestly felt it was kind of clunky on the Nintendo. And I didn’t have access to a PC until I was in High School (96~) and even then I seldom got to use it, I never got to play these as they were meant to be played. The MacVenture games were a four-part series, but Deja Vu II is not on this particular list. I recently acquired a Steam title, 8-Bit Anthology, Vol. 1. These were some of the most creative and challenging Nintendo games, and you never got to jump, use Warp Zones, or slice through evil demons with a katana.

8-Bit Anthology - The Uninvited

These are perfect 1:1 ports of the original NES games in their entirety, with the thing they were missing due to being on console: Mouse Support! It’s beautiful. The only major complaint I had at the outset was maybe changing how the titles are selected from the main menu. That’s not a serious gripe, but it was a little annoying to mouse over. The graphics, despite being 8-Bit are clean, crisp, and the audio is wonderful. It really takes me back to being a kid and grumbling at the TV because I couldn’t solve some of these. I only had them for a limited time, so I learned that these were not games you rented. Some players could get annoyed that “all three games have the same UI”, but that’s just the engine from the time. I can see new players being very frustrated though because you have to click out every single thing you do. Stuck in a room/car? You have to click “open” first, then click the thing you’re trying to open. Moving from room to room? Click the “move” button, then click on the mini-map on where you want to go (if it has a circle that indicates you can). Each game has its own story, and you really have to put a lot of thought and time into what you do. I highly, highly recommend these titles. So I think I’ll round this out with a little blurb about each game.

Deja Vu: 

1941, Chicago. This takes place shortly after Pearl Harbor’s dreadful attack. Unlike Dick Tracy on the NES, this mystery/whodunit actually makes sense! But the first step is to figure out who you are, which is challenging enough! Before you can figure out what’s wrong and set things right again, you have to also learn your own identity. This was one of the hardest games I played as a kid, and even as an adult, I feel like a Gamefaqs walkthrough is necessary. Use your creativity and wits to get to the end. It wraps up nice and neat when you finally see it through. Save often (especially when using the Slots. Please please please save) because damn, these games are unforgiving. There aren’t a lot of other characters to really interact with, it’s you, your wits, and a dangerous world. I love it. Especially after, again, playing Dick Tracy.

The Uninvited:

This was the last of the trilogy of games and is about on the same level as Shadowgate. I enjoyed their more occult stories far more than Deja Vu (though I love Deja Vu! Don’t get me wrong). If you are looking for amazing graphics and music, you’re really in the wrong place to start with. This game is all about the story. The puzzle quality varies from insanely easy to “OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL DOES THIS WALL EVEN MEAN!?” Imagine playing these in the 80s with no Internet! Only the smartest survived The Uninvited. A person leaves a car wreck (and subsequent explosion), only to find themselves in front of a foreboding mansion. There’s an envelope in the mailbox with a pendant and letter. The letter warns of dark powers, and once you put on the pendant, the door opens. Are you the Uninvited? Find out!

Shadowgate:

Each game has its own setting and theme, and Shadowgate’s no exception. This one is set in a darker medieval world. You are the descendant of great, powerful warriors and nobility. A powerful, sinister wizard is going to take over the world using the most powerful beast: The Behemoth. So how can you possibly stop him? You must enter the impenetrable “Shadowgate” fortress of course! There are puzzles, traps, and lots of deaths awaiting. I think I died more in Shadowgate than I did any of these. A helpful hint though: Get the torches! There are ~25 of them, and you’ll need them. This one had probably the most contrived story, but it’s still wonderful. It’s still a tale I enjoyed seeing through. If you do, say, or click the wrong thing, you can and will die in Shadowgate. This was the hardest of the three to me personally, so do save often.

Needs More Maniac Mansion: 4/5

8-Bit Anthology - Deja Vu

Whether you’re an old man like me or not, these “item finding” games are a blast. The ability to change the filters of the game (Old TV, etc) is not game-changing, but they really do take me back to the good ol’ days, and that’s a good thing. The 8-Bit Anthology challenging, tell an interesting story, and require a considerable amount of creativity. However, they are infuriatingly difficult and they were not watered down from their PC/NES compatriots. The only other major downside is “no replay value”. Once you’ve beat these games, there’s not a lot to do left except play the next game. But for the price of this bundle, that’s honestly fair. I’m hoping more of these Anthologies come out because there were a few more games in the point-and-click universe on the NES/early PC to come out like, you know … Maniac Mansion. But these are pure, wonderful recreations of some of the hardest games to ever be developed. These are up there with the Ultima and Wizardry games in terms of challenge, if you don’t know what you’re doing.

PAX East 2018 Tickets on Sale Now

PAX East - Boston, MA - Apr 5 - 8, 2018

It’s that time, guys! PAX East tickets are on sale, and it’s coming in April 2018! It’s the first year that Pax East will be four days, (April 5th-8th), and you will not want to miss out on it! PAX East is the premier gaming event for those of us on the East Coast (arguably the best coast) since 2010 and this added day of content and gaming will no doubt make it that much more of an attraction. From eSports tournaments, hands-on demos of upcoming games and so much more, it’s a must-visit. Get your tickets now and head to Boston, MA in April!

“While my biggest joy is helping bring millions of gamers together at PAX, my biggest disappointment is not being able to share the experience with more people,” said Jerry Holkins, co-founder, Penny Arcade. “With PAX East’s expansion to four days, we expect even more people will be able to join us for our best show yet at PAX East 2018.”

Tickets are available at this link.

Wild Buster: Heroes of Titan Beta Key Giveaway

We have partnered with Insel Games to give away Beta Keys for Wild Buster: Heroes of Titan‘s upcoming beta test!

Wild Buster: Heroes of Titan is a gritty Sci-Fi MMORPG with fast Hack’n’Slash combat. By joining either the human Guardians or the mutant Abandon factions, players level up over a dozen heroes, each with different skills to allow for unique play styles to master PvE (solo or coop) and PvP. While featuring fast-paced action, Wild Buster: Heroes of Titan has a full set of MMO-Feature. Adding more action, videogame legends Duke Nukem and Serious Sam will be added during Early Access as playable heroes and stir up some dust.


What does the Beta key of Wild Buster: Heroes of Titan include?

The Beta key grants access to the Beta test, which is held from Friday, 10th of November 2pm CET through Monday, 13th of November 10am CET.

The keys do not grant access to the game after this period of testing.

How to Redeem Your Key:

  • Launch the Steam client software and log into your Steam account.
  • Click the Games Menu.
  • Choose Activate a Product on Steam…
  • Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process

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