For as long as I can remember, I've been on the prowl for a game that manages to fuse my two favourite video game genres; first person shooters and MMORPGs. Of course, for anyone who's been as enthusiastic about the MMOFPS genre as I am, you may also realize that the attempts to make a solid MMOFPS are few are far between; Planetside and, technically, Darkfall qualify under this category. Personally speaking, I just don't believe that the technology is yet available to create a game that combines the large-scale player populations and meaningful progression of traditional MMORPGs with the fast-paced combat that typifies most first person shooters. Of course, there are still some very worthy MMOFPS games out there that are still trying to master the dual genre, and that's where Fallen Earth comes in.
Developed and self-published by Icarus Studios LLC and Fallen Earth LLC, Fallen Earth almost feels like an MMO cousin to the offline smash hit Fallout 3. Both games are set in a post-apocalyptic future, and both games focus heavily upon scavenging for items and surviving on wits and weaponry alone. In fact, scavenging for items and surviving on a plethora of homemade weaponry appears to be one of the main focuses of Fallen Earth's interesting spin on the MMOFPS genre.
Developed by Cryptic Studios, Champions Online is the world's next superhero-themed MMO, launching on September 1. It's been in the works for a couple years now, originally slated to be a Marvel Comics superhero MMO, until the licensing rights fell through and Cryptic designed it around the Champions pen-and-paper RPG.
A series of closed and open beta testing periods were played out over the summer, with fans finally having the chance to give Champions Online a try. The early-subscriber head start begins on August 28, allowing early-adopters the chance to start leveling their characters a few days sooner than everyone else. On Tuesday, everyone who purchases the game will have the opportunity to take part in the game's launch, which should kick off without a hitch, according to the latest reports.
Earlier this month, ZAM had the chance to take Champions Online out for a spin, creating a few characters and playing through the game's first few levels and missions. In the interest of providing a critical preview of the game to our readers, we took a first-hand look at what makes this superhero MMO different than the few we've seen so far, judging it on its gameplay merit, character creation and customization and accessibility. While Champions Online isn't without its faults, it does prove to be one of the most ambitious superhero games to date—regardless of platform—and should provide a lot of enjoyment to comic book fans, most of all.
Game Update 53, Shards of Destiny, has been eagerly discussed since we started hearing about it at Fan Faire. This exciting update includes new features like Auto Mentoring, a new Achievements System and Shaders 3.0, as well as new game content and a x4 zone.
Read all about it at EQII Players!
Every year it seems as though we get that one ultra-hyped MMO that has fans arguing whether it will be the 'the one' to blow industry dominator, World of Warcraft, out of the water. Last year it was Age of Conan and Warhammer Online; this year it's NCsoft's Aion: The Tower of Eternity. Now, I have to be honest here when I say that Aion was going to be in for a tough time with me, just because it has managed to attract so much hype. Interestingly enough, however, despite the fact that I did go into this with fairly (ok, extremely) high expectations, Aion was impressive enough that I could really understand what all of this hype was about.
For those of you who aren't 'in the know,' Aion is the next stellar MMORPG to come from NCsoft - the developers who brought you games like Lineage I and II, Guild Wars and City of Heroes. In reality, the game has already been released in Korea, about seven months ago, and it is now that we're seeing it being ported over to North America. In this way, Aion is entering the MMO market with a massive Asian following, very similar to NCsoft's incredibly successful Lineage II. Another important thing to note is that, because this game is already so popular in Asia, the Aion team can afford to take the time to make sure their launch is as smooth as possible in North America. Already we can see the huge advantages this team has over the 'predicted WoW killers' of '08', Age of Conan and Warhammer Online - both of which were released too early and to disastrous results.
In an exclusive interview last month, ZAM spoke with Michael Weber, Community Manager of the upcoming MMO, Cities XL. Michael described the game as an MMOCBG, or "Massively Multiplayer Online City Building Game." Simply put, it's a bit like the SimCity series with an MMO platform.
Only it isn't that simple (if you haven't read our interview yet, the game concept itself probably leaves your head tilted to the side a little, still confused about the "city-building MMO" part). It's actually a pretty intriguing idea though, and our interview left us with enough faith in the game to take a quick peek at Cities XL before its official launch later this summer.
If you’re a fan of the Battlefield game series, you’ll love this one. In fact, there’s a good chance you’ve already heard that EA has been developing a free-to-play, MMO-styled shooter called Battlefield Heroes; the newest member of the Battlefield family. A relatively quiet, semi-closed beta-testing phase is currently underway, offering an early look at what to make of this ambitious, online shooter. So far, things look pretty fraggin’ good.
It has always been man's greatest goal to uncover the secret of immortality. In Jade Dynasty, a new Free-2-Play MMORPG in development by the same company that brought your Perfect World International and Ether Saga Online, that's the underlying theme and the ultimate goal. This martial arts centric MMO is based on the popular Chinese internet novel "Zhu Xian" and is currently in closed beta; however, that didn't stop us from getting our hands on some exclusive screenshots!
Our first screenshot batch contains five great examples of the rich environments and stunning particle effects that exist in Jade Dynasty. As far as F2P games go, this one looks great and because it's being developed by Perfect World, I'm sure it'll be fun. Enjoy the screenshots and stay tuned for another batch next month!
ZAM recently had a chance to take the new 2029 Online, a Sci-Fi themed MMO developed by IGG, out for a test drive. The game's development cycle progressed at break-neck speed, going from its Alpha-to-Beta-testing phases from May to June. But that’s IGG's style, and 2029 Online—while certainly a unique and interesting new MMO—proves no exception to the company’s "push-to-release and carpet-bomb with hype" strategy.
2029 Online is the newest addition to the IGG lineup (following its usual free-to-play model), with a standardized portal site similar to its other games. It serves as the main hub for the 2029 client downloader, game news, forums and the Item Mall (the game's micro-transaction store). Being a free-to-play MMO, you can download and install the full game at no cost, with no heavy-handed limitations on actual gameplay. We'll get back to that aspect of the game in a bit. The most important questions are "What kind of game is 2029?" and, of course, "Is it fun?"
Monument & Might - Game Update 52 Preview Tour!
Wednesday evening, I was invited to attend a tour of the new content we can expect with GU52. I told you i'd be back with more information about GU52! So, what exactly did I find in this massive game update? Read on to learn more!
Every now and then my appetite for the ridiculously cute awakens, and I am often left to my own devices to feed this voracious craving for things with big wobbly eyes, or small dainty paws. If I'm lacking in either of those, I tend to just eat Goldfish crackers. Either way, this time around, no such Pepperidge Farm Nacho Fish-o-cide took place, as I managed to sneakily get into the closed beta of Dragonica Online... just as it went to open beta for its last few days. Sneaky boasting aside let me be the first to tell you that if you were looking for an uber-cute game that beats the stuffing out of Maple Story, has some very smooth graphics, with really low system demands, and a fairly robust combat system (rarely seen in a 2D scroller), then Dragonica Online may be the game you should check out when it goes to full Open Beta on June 10th.