League of Legends is a game that we've been watching closely because of its fun, session based, competitive gameplay that keeps players engaged via rich community features and persistent MMORPG elements. The gameplay is similar to the famous Warcraft III mod Defense of the Ancients (DotA), only LoL has much more depth. To that point, League of Legends takes the training wheels off DotA.
In our recent interview with League of Legends Director of Systems Design, Tom Cadwell, a name you may recognize because of his work on Warcraft III and World of Warcraft, he said "... we are adding multiplayer matchmaking, the summoner system (which is a persistent advancement system but with more depth than COD 4 or TF2 unlocks), and optimized controls and engine built specifically for this type of game. We feel that DotA revealed an incredible new game genre, and we are trying to take this genre to the next level in as many ways as we can." At the League of Legends E3 party we had the opportunity to fully explore the game, it's clear they're headed in the right direction.
During our time hanging out with the Riot Games team we had the chance to snag Lead Creative Designer, Shawn Carnes to talk about the game. After the interview I challenged him to a quick match of something we like to call "Bowling for Beta Keys" and as fate would have it, we won! Because of that victory, the first ten comments get access to the extremely closed League of Legends beta. Special thanks to our friends over at Riot Games for the great party and the extra beta keys to hand out. Good luck and enjoy our E3 League of Legends coverage!
Earlier in the week it was announced that Star Wars: The Old Republic would be the first fully voiced MMO giving BioWare the ability to engage the player unlike anything we've ever seen in the MMO space. "We think this changes everything for MMOs. Being a fully voiced game completely draws the player in and creates those emotionally engaging moments that we want our players to experience. ... As you can tell, story means a lot to us. Up until now MMO games have shown an impressive commitment to the classic RPG features of exploration, combat and progression, what we call "The Three Pillars". What we're adding is something that is fundamental to the success of great entertainment in general, story. This is what we mean when we talk about bringing the fourth pillar of story to the MMO genre." said Ray Muzyka, Co-Founder of BioWare at a press conference on Monday.
We had the opportunity to go behind closed doors off the show floor to get a private gameplay demonstration that had us looking at each other in amazement. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to record what we saw but it's this gaming enthusiasts opinion that if Star Wars: The Old Republic plays similar to what we were shown at release -- naysayers are in for a big surprise and fans of BioWare, KOTOR and brilliantly developed MMORPG are in for a special treat.
Stay tuned after the jump for our exclusive interview with SW:TOR Lead Writer, Daniel Erickson and the Lead Designer, James Olhen.
We've been excited to see a live PvP demonstration of Jumpgate Evolution for some time now. This is mostly due to the fact that the game will support "epic large-scale" PvP battles against thousands of players in real time. When we met with the President of NetDevil Scott Brown at E3 earlier this week -- he gave us an exclusive taste of the PvP pie by allowing us a look at some of the action going on in the Jumpgate Evolution "friends and family" beta.
Don't worry! We didn't forget about you. We've filmed the entire demonstration and it can be viewed after the jump.
According to QuakePrediction.com, there's a 97% chance that there will be an earthquake up to 6.3 on the richter scale in Los Angeles tomorrow. That's not enough to stop the ZAM team from bringing you the most exciting MMO coverage from E3 show floor however. Besides, Draknorr did a number crunch and he came up with a 32.33% (repeating of course) chance of survival. I digress....
During our DC Universe Online gameplay demo we had a few questions for Jens. As always, he was more than gracious with his time and he gave us some interesting answers. Make sure to check out the gameplay demo before you watch our interview with Jens Andersen, which is available after the jump.
One of the many exciting things about DC Universe Online is the fact that the game will be available for play the PC and the Playstation 3. We've been dying to see how the game looks (and more importantly plays) on the PS3 and at long last, our waiting has come to fruition. For the first time, we're able to bring you a live PS3 gameplay demo from Sony Online Entertainment's upcoming Super Hero MMORPG, DC Universe Online! The video in it's entirety is available after the jump.
With E3 still going on, Andrew 'Tamat' Beegle has snagged us some more information on The Agency! Actually, he's done a lot more than that and gotten us some footage of a mission being played out in The Agency and it looks fantastic. Hopefully next time they'll consider adding in the amazing stealth-in-a-box a la Metal Gear Solid! I'd love to roam the grounds under a box and invisible to the naked eye.
Check out the video after the jump!
NCsoft has released its newest video tour, and this one focuses on the Eltnen zone. According to the description that was supplied with the video, Eltnen is "threatened by an encroaching desert," and it seems a sabateur may be keeping the seven Mystic Springs that were put in place by Lady Yustiel from revitalizing the area.
In addition to the troubles surrounding the springs, " the area is also under attack from mutant wildlife, alluring succubi, statues that have come to life, volcanic spirits, and of course the ever-present Krall."
You can watch the full video tour after the jump.
Rooster Teeth in partnership with NCsoft has released the second of a three part hilarious series introducing players to Captain Dynamic and the new Mission Architect. In this episode, Captain Dynamic tries to explain his powers and how he came to be known as Captain Dynamic. Additionally you'll get to meet his Arch Nemesis, "The Great Face" who to me, looks like Pee-wee Herman with more white makeup. Scary stuff.
If you missed the first episode, give it a gander before watching the second; which is viewable after the jump.
NCsoft has released its third tour video for Aion, with this one focusing on the island of Poeta. The zone's described as a lush and beautiful place, home to farmers and villagers who live in harmony with a race of tree-people. However, the violent Krall have started to invade the island, destroying its forests and mining the area in search of a mysterious ore.
The video showing Poeta can be found after the jump.