Author Archive
Empire at War coming to the Mac
Filed under: Mac, Online, Strategy
The Mac version of Star Wars: Empire at War won’t be ready for Santa’s sleigh, but Aspyr Media reports they’ve entered the testing phase, and the Petroglyph strategy port should be available in February. MacBook and Mini owners with integrated graphics won’t have to worry about the game’s performance. According to lead programmer Brad Oliver, Aspyr’s goal is to make sure Empire plays well on all Macs. That is, until the expansion pack is ported and Tyber Zann assumes control of your hard disk.
See also:
- Holiday 2006 best bets for Mac gamers
- KotOR franchise to continue, says LucasArts
- Star Wars PC collection ships
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BioWare’s MMO team just wants to be competitive
Filed under: PC, Online, RPGs, MMO
Can’t we all just get along? At least that’s the attitude of BioWare Austin director Gordon Walton regarding his upcoming MMO and its assumed rivalry with Blizzard’s industry-dominating World of Warcraft. Walton insists that it is not BioWare’s goal to dethrone the champ, but to simply provide a little healthy competition: “Will some people who play WoW play our game? Of course. But we’d be better off if we got new customers, too. It’s not a zero-sum game out there.”
As always, BioWare’s designers will rely on their ability to spin a good yarn, and also try to avoid the FedEx-style quests that have helped define the MMO genre. Creative director James Ohlen explains: “We want to bring a level of storytelling that’s equal to the single-player box games that BioWare has done. I think we can do that. One of the big challenges will be making our storytelling work in an environment that has multiple players.”
The name and estimated release date for BioWare’s MMO are still MIA, so Blizzard and its bloodthirsty orcs can rest easy for now.
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Metareview - Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Action, Online, RPGs, Metareviews
You have to wonder if Sony Online Entertainment was so co-dependent during the development of the Champions of Norrath games that they had to abandon the successful series when partner Snowblind Studios was bitten by the superhero bug. Instead of leveraging EverQuest’s popularity for the launch of the PlayStation 3, SOE decided to stick with their more generic Untold Legends setting, which debuted on the PSP nearly two years ago. But with its paltry 18-20 hours of gameplay, lack of SIXAXIS support, and all of three pre-customized characters to choose from, Dark Kingdom ends up being little more than a rushed launch title, not the next-gen Norrath many people were hoping for.
- IGN (65/100) wants more PS3 and less PSP: “Apart from the repetitive combat system, there’s a ton of gameplay issues that you’d hope would’ve been fixed with the transition over to the PS3. Load times are surprisingly long when you’re accessing new levels. Rocks and boxes, as well as hills or background objects can cause your character to freeze in mid-jumping animation for at least five or six seconds. You’ll also run into a lot of camera problems during combat, where the camera will unexpectedly zoom in or out during a fight.”
- GameSpot (60/100) thinks Dark Kingdom is ill-suited for looters: “Gear lust is one of the more prominent driving forces in dungeon crawlers, and it’s here that Dark Kingdom comes up short. Pieces of armor with different names and radically different effects look identical on your character, limiting the joy of equipping new gear and seeing how it looks on your increasingly badass adventurer. Your character will use the same basic weapon, as well as most of the same combo attacks, from beginning to end.”
- GameSpy (60/100) hopes Sony is planning to make better use of the PS3’s storage capacity: “What surprises me the most about the whole pre-formed character shtick is how confining it seems for a next-gen console with the power of the PS3. Look at the character customization options in Oblivion and you might understand where I’m coming from with this. All that power and I only have three options to choose from?”
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Obsidian patches Neverwinter Nights 2
Filed under: PC, Adventure, Online, RPGs
Obsidian Entertainment has wasted little time getting Neverwinter Nights 2 into ship-shape this month. But when you consider the game already shipped at the end of last month, suffered a controversial critique, and was built by a bunch of talented Black Isle veterans, their efforts may not seem so surprising. The new 1.03 beta patch includes several multiplayer and toolset updates, in addition to some much-needed camera adjustments (fans of the first game will appreciate the modified “chase cam” view).
In case these fixes aren’t reason enough to consider picking up the game, then how about a 50% discount? Through the end of Saturday, Best Buy is selling Neverwinter Nights 2 for $25.
[via GameBanshee]
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Knights of the Nine screens, availability update
Filed under: PC, Microsoft Xbox 360, Online, RPGs
Bethesda’s Oblivion download site is listing Dec. 4 as the availability date for Knights of the Nine, the latest mini expansion for Elder Scrolls IV. However, RPGDot is reporting that Knights is now available on Xbox Live. A sneak attack to be sure, given today is the busiest travel day of the year and many 360 owners are away from their precious console. Anyone download it yet? If not, you can still scope out over 20 new screen shots at ElderScrolls.net.
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Guild Wars beta testing to begin in China
Filed under: Culture, PC, Online, RPGs, MMO
As if Chinese gamers didn’t have enough online gaming to occupy their leisure (and work) time, The9 has announced Guild Wars China will begin closed beta testing on Nov. 29. One of the most anticipated games on the mainland, Guild Wars attracted 200,000 applicants on the first day of beta registration last week. Maybe an aspiring Chinese clan will unseat South Korea’s reigning Guild Wars champs The Last Pride at the next world tournament.
The9 also hosts World of Warcraft and Webzen’s Soul of the Ultimate Nation, but it is unknown if the Shanghai-based developer’s Guild Wars deal with NCsoft also includes the Factions and Nightfall expansions.
See also: Nightfall world premiere sets Guild Wars record
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CNNMoney picks 10 best gifts for gamers
Filed under: Nintendo DS, PC, Sony PlayStation 2, Portable, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, Adventure, Driving, First Person Shooters, Online, Puzzle, RPGs, Rhythm
Having already advised gamers to hold off from buying a PlayStation 3, it’s not surprising that CNN’s Chris Morris has no PS3 goods on his holiday shopping list. Besides, only a few brave (and crazy) souls have managed to procure Sony’s “non-competitive” new console. Instead, Morris recommends the following titles for CNNMoney’s game gift guide:
- Gears of War (Xbox 360)
- Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC, Xbox 360)
- Half-Life 2: Episode 1 (PC)
- Guitar Hero 2 (PS2)
- Kingdom Hearts 2 (PS2)
- Okami (PS2)
- Brain Age (DS)
- New Super Mario Brothers (DS)
- Excite Truck (Wii)
- Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii)
Not a very sports-friendly list (no Hawk or Madden?), and PSP owners are also left out in the cold. Anything else missing?
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Warhammer Online updated screens
Filed under: PC, Online, RPGs, MMO
Games Workshop’s Warhammer franchise has provided the setting for multiple PC strategy titles over the past ten years including Shadow of the Horned Rat, Dark Omen, and the recently released Mark of Chaos. Next year, Electronic Arts plans to bring the popular fantasy realm into the MMO market with Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning.
Speaking with GameSpot earlier this month, lead designer Steve Marvin said Reckoning will be the “best-looking massively multiplayer RPG out there”. See if you agree with him by checking out developer Mythic Entertainment’s (Dark Age of Camelot) massive gallery, which was just updated with over a dozen new screen shots.
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Chinese gamers compete for free design courses
Filed under: Culture, PC, Online, RPGs, MMO, Business
Beginning this week, Chinese gamers who log in to the popular Japanese MMO Cronous will have more to compete for than just bragging rights. Beijing-based Mudgame Technology, host of Cronous, is teaming up with New Oriental Education & Technology Group, the China Center for International Educational Exchange, Game College, and Yanjing Brewery to provide academic assistance for aspiring game designers.
Players will be tasked with finding specified items (textbooks? Yanjing beer kegs?) throughout the virtual landscape of Cronous. The top 20 treasure hunters will be invited to particpate in Game College courses valued at over US$1.25 million, while the top player will earn the opportunity to study game design abroad in Korea. It’s refreshing to know that even in China beer and college share a special connection (like yin and yang).
See also: Shaiya, Guild Wars most anticipated in China
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Metareview - Warhammer: Mark of Chaos
Filed under: PC, Online, Strategy, Metareviews
Still smarting from the disappointing Mage Knight Apocalypse, Namco Bandai really needed a hit with Warhammer: Mark of Chaos. Adding to the pressure was the success of THQ’s Warhammer series (the excellent Dawn of War), and competition from other fantasy-themed strategy titles such as Battle for Middle-earth II and Heroes V. The good news is that Hungarian developer Black Hole Entertainment delivered the dark and gritty aesthetics of the Warhammer universe, and the scores reflect their efforts. However, like many publishers of late, Namco Bandai may have compromised quality assurance to stay within the all-important holiday launch window.
- IGN (80/100) enjoyed the game’s deep customization and attention to detail: “The visuals in general are very good. All of the unit models are finely crafted pieces of art. The modeling is great and the textures on top are excellent. They do some nice things with lighting and heat shimmer effects that make magic come alive. All of this comes with a price. The framerate can drop substantially in large battles.”
- 1UP (70/100) is holding out for the first patch: “It’s a real mess sorting things out when you get into scrums where unit overlap turns organized regiments into brawling blobs. In short, you get plenty of detail under the hood, but too few helpful barometers. It’s hard not to fall under Mark of Chaos‘ ‘almost-there’ spell. Prize-winning? No, but certainly promising…if we can hold our breath for fixes.”
- Game Informer (68/100) thinks the combat system could use some tweaking: “Lacking any sort of base-building or resource-gathering, Mark of Chaos has to get by on the RTS combat that makes up the majority of the gameplay. Unfortunately, the battles fail to distinguish themselves in any meaningful way from what we’ve seen in the genre for years. Hero duels (no armies allowed) invariably go to the person who spent more points in their ‘dueling’ skill tree - which, of course, gimps them in terms of leading an army.”
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PlayStation 3 = 4,000 yuan (plus airfare)
Filed under: Culture, Sony PlayStation 3, Business
…surprising Sony’s Ken Kutaragi = priceless. Even though the PC is the preferred gaming platform in China, there are still a few Chinese gamers willing to go the extra mile to obtain a shiny new console. Or an extra thousand miles in the case of this adventurous young man and his pursuit of a PlayStation 3. The gung ho gamer somehow managed to circumvent the mob of Japanese fanboys and ended up being first in line at a BIC Camera store on launch day. The reward for his efforts was a hand-off from Kutaragi-san himself. Does this remind anyone else of the Grinch carving and distributing the Who roast beast?
While this event is unlikely to ease historical tensions between the two Asian nations, it is reminiscent of a similar scene during the PlayStation Portable launch. On a flight from Narita to Shanghai in January of last year, I sat next to two Chinese teenagers who were on the return leg of a one-day trip to Tokyo. The reason for their visit? To snag a pair of new PSPs that had launched just a few weeks earlier. They played them the entire flight and didn’t look up once.
[Thanks, DarkMirage]
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Metareview - Guild Wars: Nightfall
Filed under: PC, Online, RPGs, Metareviews, MMO
Nightfall represents the third entry in NCsoft’s successful Guild Wars series, and provides the most compelling reason yet for fans of single-player RPGs to try out this subscription-free MMO. While developer ArenaNet continues to push the franchise forward with new professions and exotic locales, some critics expressed concerns over the aging graphics engine and the fact that party formation in the virtual towns remains needlessly difficult. However, there’s still the addictive gameplay, and the flexibility of self-contained expansions means you can jump in (or jump out) at any time. How many of you plan on picking up Nightfall?
- 1UP (90/100) thinks Nightfall will appeal to the NWN-Oblivion crowd: “The most noteworthy addition comes in the form of 14 new nonplayer hero characters who — unlike the addlebrained henchmen of campaigns past — offer complete customization options to players. It saves a lot of headaches, and makes Guild Wars feel more like a single-player RPG than ever before.”
- Gamespot (82/100) appreciates the enhanced enemy AI: “Nightfall introduces many impressive-looking, powerful new enemies to fight, and it also seems to have updated their artificial intelligence to make them even more ruthless — they’ll happily go after your party’s soft targets, like your monks and elementalists, not just attack the frontline.”
- GameDaily (70/100) had some issues with Nightfall’s pacing: “It takes a long time for the story to get started. Unlike previous games, players can’t select a secondary profession until level 5. Even so, many players will have made it halfway to level 20 (the game’s maximum level) before the story starts to pick up any real momentum. Of course, Guild Wars has never been a game that has put strong emphasis on levels, but it’s the only marker players have to see if they’ve outgrown a particular area.”
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D&D Tactics coming soon to PSP
Filed under: Portable, Sony PSP, RPGs, Strategy
If you’re a PSP owner looking for a deeper roleplaying experience than the Untold Legends series provides, you might want to check out what GameSpot has to say about Atari’s Dungeons & Dragons Tactics. While not quite Neverwinter Nights, D&D Tactics includes character customization similar to its PC-based big brother. Race, class, alignment, skill points, and even body style and portrait selections are all here, in addition to 40 quests that each require you to assemble a small party beforehand. The dungeon crawling takes place in a generic Dungeons & Dragons world (similar to the Xbox’s D&D Heroes), although it would be nice if Atari had leveraged the unique appeal of one of the franchise’s many realms. D&D Tactics ships in February and is being developed by Kuju Entertainment (Battalion Wars, Crash Twinsanity).
See also: Metareview - The Lord of the Rings Tactics
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EA updates LOTR White Council site
Filed under: PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Adventure, RPGs
Now that Electronic Arts is dual wielding the Tolkien movie and literary rights, we can expect plenty of return trips to Middle-earth from the über developer. So far, we’ve seen two action platformers, a turn-based RPG, a portable tactics entry, and an RTS series that have each incorporated the look and feel of The Lord of the Rings films.
Scheduled for a late 2007 release, The White Council promises to deliver an Oblivion-style roleplaying experience from the perspective of a human, hobbit, dwarf, or elf. Only this time, the adventure is set 100 years prior to events depicted in the books and films, which puts EA in the precarious position of inventing some believable derivative fiction that won’t upset the Tolkien fan base. To see how things are progressing, check out the relaunched web site that features new details on some of White Council’s characters.
See also: Steve Gray discusses LOTR: The White Council
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Editor explains retracted NWN2 review
Filed under: PC, RPGs, Business
Games For Windows magazine editor Jeff Green has posted a lengthy explanation on why Matt Peckham’s now infamous review of Neverwinter Nights 2 was pulled from 1UP last week. Green’s commentary offers some detailed insight into the new editorial process that will unify 1UP.com and GFW product reviews — a system that seemingly left all parties involved with their backs up against the wall. In this excerpt, Green discusses his gut reaction after reading Peckham’s review:
“…when I read it, I was unhappy. I felt that right from the start, it read more like a bashing of the genre rather than a review of this specific game. I could see valid criticisms of NWN2 in the text, but I felt that the overall tone made it seem that [Matt] was just so sick of turn-based D&D RPGs that the game never had a chance on its own. I felt, if I was a reader, my first question would be: ‘Why the heck did they let him review it then?’ I felt that what he was saying in general was perfectly valid — but just not for this piece.”
In summary, the GFW editor reaffirms 1UP’s commitment to gamers, which is what drove the decision to remove the NWN2 review. Nothing like a little controversy to help kick off a publication relaunch, but in choosing to share the lessons learned by his organization, Green’s retelling of these unfortunate events can benefit other trade publications.
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Titan Quest expansion announced, modders interviewed
Filed under: Hacks, PC, Action, Online, RPGs
THQ has announced that a Titan Quest expansion pack will be released before the end of Q1, but there are other options for extending your mythical adventures beyond the game’s core campaign. Aspiring developers have started showcasing their mods at the Titan Quest Vault, and have offered some insight into their creative process through a series of interviews.
German modder Toh Klidan, for example, is the author of Andromeda’s Sacrifice, a retelling of the classic tale of the Aethiopian princess and her savior Perseus (of Clash of the Titans fame). According to Klidan, the Titan Quest tools appear more confusing than they actually are, so we should be seeing more independent campaigns and maps in the near future. There are over 40 available now. Let us know if you’ve tried any of them.
See also: Metareview - Titan Quest
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Metareview - Neverwinter Nights 2
Filed under: PC, Adventure, Online, RPGs, Metareviews
Obsidian Entertainment and dungeon masters the world over can breathe a collective sigh of relief now that the scores for Neverwinter Nights 2 are in. The single player campaign has been well received by the gaming press, and the revamped toolset is expected to afford NWN2 a shelf life comparable to its predecessor. However, not all is well in the Forgotten Realms. The 1UP reviewer seems to have overlooked the fact that Oblivion and NWN represent different styles of roleplaying. Bethesda emphasizes aesthetic presentation and open-ended adventuring, while BioWare and Obsidian have focused on a tighter combat system (hence the rules) and an extendable architecture befitting of the classic Dungeons & Dragons experience. Keeping this in mind, both franchises excel at what they were designed for.
- GameDaily (100/100) cites several improvements over the original NWN: “There are plenty of things about NWN2 that are different from its precursor. Better graphics, a much more robust and option-filled character creation process, plus deeper plotlines, with more twists and better villains help add to an already stellar feature list. Neverwinter Nights 2 is truly one of the most epic adventures found on a PC, and it should be purchased without hesitation.”
- GameSpot (86/100) considers NWN2 the most authentic D&D experience to date: “If you’re willing to look past a few relatively minor technical issues, you’ll have a great time exploring the world of NWN2. The excellent story, characters, and quests will appeal to your sense of adventure without getting overly convoluted. When you factor in the multiplayer and the editing tools, you’ll find that NWN2 is a fantastic value and a thoroughly enjoyable game.”
- 1UP (50/100) fired a 3d6 Melf’s Acid Arrow right at the heart of the D&D community: “With all the added rule-shuffling, NWN2 seems like it’s working twice as hard to accomplish half as much. Worse — and blame this on games like Oblivion — NWN2’s levels feel pint-sized. As if the pencil and paper ‘module’ approach were a virtue that computers — by now demonstrably capable of simulating entire worlds with considerably more depth — should emulate.“
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Sacred 2 expected in October 2007
Filed under: PC, Action, Adventure, RPGs
Ascaron Entertainment has announced that Sacred 2: Fallen Angel will launch next October. The German developer’s follow-up to the cult classic RPG has an updated engine under the hood, and six playable characters (with good and evil storylines) for plenty of replay value. The timing couldn’t be better. By the end of next year, you should have completed every quest in Oblivion, fought for both the orcs and humans in Gothic 3, and conquered countless Neverwinter Nights 2 campaigns. Of course, you’ll still have Assassin’s Creed, Elveon, and The White Council to contend with.
See also: Sacred 2 web site goes live
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Boo! Scariest moments in gaming history
It’s customary at this time of year to pay tribute to all things that go bump in the night, so the GameSpy staff has indulged us with a list of their scariest experiences in gaming. The classic Resident Evil and Silent Hill entries are mentioned, along with the more recent Fatal Frame, Call of Cthulu, and sweet little Alma from F.E.A.R.
My personal scariest moment comes courtesy of Rebellion Software, circa 1994. The original Alien vs. Predator on the Atari Jaguar was one of the first shooters I had ever played (along with Marathon, but that wasn’t very scary). I recall creeping around the empty corridors of the Space Marine base with the ambient sounds of machinery in the background, and no warning that you’re about to have company. Suddenly, you turn around, hear that screech, and see a pack of Aliens approaching — which really sucked when I was entering a turbolift and had nowhere to run. The Predator’s trademark rattling sound also scared the bejeezus out of me because you never knew when he was going to decloak and start wailing on you.
Let’s hear your scariest moments.
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Jade Empire’s grand PC makeover
Filed under: PC, Action, Adventure, RPGs
BioWare’s three-year absence from the PC (not counting those fine Neverwinter premium mods) is about to come to an end in January when the revamped Jade Empire ships. According to project director Diarmid Clarke, the 3 million-strong fan community asked for some overdue PC love, and the Canadian developer responded. Speaking with FiringSquad, Clarke discusses Jade’s new levels and fighting styles, reveals a few new enemies, and explains the decision to recruit Gray Matter (Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Call of Duty: United Offensive) to assist with the port from Xbox.
The high-res coat of paint and enhanced effects are evident in the latest batch of screens, but it will be interesting to see if fans take their Chinese kung fu mythology with the fully customizable mouse and keyboard controls, or the more familiar Xbox controller. Which will you choose?
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