Better late than never. We take a quick look at some of latest content that was recently added to Final Fantasy XI.
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Sports Interactive is to launch into Asia with a new MMOG, the firm confirmed today.
A new football management massively multiplayer online game from Sports Interactive is to launch in the Asian market, the British developer confirmed today. Football Manager Online will be a separate product to Football Manager Live, the company’s traditional Western MMOG.
Football Manager Online is to be developed in partnership with KTH Allstar, a Korean Internet portal company. FMO will be a “very different” game to FML, according to Miles Jacobson, Sports Interactive’s studio director. Talking to GameSpot, he confirmed FMO will be microtransaction based and is being specifically tailored for Asian consumers and “the way that they like to experience online games.” It will be designed for regular play from home and also at PC bangs, LAN gaming centres popular in South Korea, which is the first market that will be targeted.
The game will be codeveloped in Sports Interactive’s London studio and KTH’s offices in Seoul, with some of the KTH team moving to London for a large part of the development cycle. This could potentially impact other titles with Jacobson making it clear that KTH’s experience and expertise with server-based technology for games is likely to impact positively on other Sports Interactive titles.
Unlike previous Football Manager titles, Football Manager Online will be published by Sports Interactive rather than Sega. SI also confirmed today it will be taking over publishing duties for Football Manager Online, albeit with continued support from the Japanese firm.
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We run down our top four indie games this month, including Spelunky, Shoot 1UP, and Dodogo!
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Realtime Worlds teases Project MyWorld as a fusion of social media, social gaming and traditional gaming; due out in 2011.
Realtime Worlds’ work on is most recent game, APB, is far from finished, but the developer has already started on a potentially larger and more ambitious follow-up.
“What would it look like if Nintendo built Google Earth?” is the question the developer posed on a recently launched
Web site. That query is used to describe Realtime Worlds’ next offering, which is currently labeled as a mix of social gaming, social networking, and traditional gaming now known as Project: MyWorld.
“Project: MyWorld turns the real world into a fun 3D social gaming experience. Project: MyWorld is a virtual recreation of the real world combined with 3D gaming and social media,” reads the description.
Additionally, the game’s screenshot gallery juxtaposes images of photographic imagery of famous worldwide locations next to their in-game renderings. The locations include London’s Buckingham and Westminster palaces, Urquhart Castle in Loch Ness, England’s famous Stonehenge formation, and Edinburgh Castle in Scotland.
Further, a YouTube trailer (embedded below) shows that the game will be for PC, and will have players erecting everything from small buildings to entire cities. Additionally, the teaser trailer shows air, land, and sea travel options, a player communication component, and an openness to incorporating all types of minigames.
A second trailer on the site went into greater detail, but has since been pulled. In it, a narrator confirmed that the technology behind MyWorld has been in development for “years” and it allows the game to act as a tool like Google Earth.
The developer says it is currently working with publishers and business partners, and is soliciting fan input on Facebook and Twitter. Realtime Worlds is also now accepting beta applications, and plans to let everyone explore its world sometime next year.
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Defend Little Sisters in the latest downloadable content for BioShock 2.
If you liked the parts of BioShock 2 where you defend the Little Sister from a swarm of splicers as she attempts to harvest ADAM from a corpse, you’re in luck. The next round of downloadable content–called the Protector Trials–focuses exclusively on these encounters from BioShock 2, forcing you to outwit and outlast the Little Sisters’ assailants in six confined environments. Each of these environments is based on an area from the original game, such as the Adonis Baths, and each has three trials that are denoted by a different number of stars. When you successfully complete one of these trials, you earn the corresponding number of stars, which can then be used to unlock additional trials.
Naturally, there’s one caveat for these trials–you must complete them using predetermined loadouts that are customized around a certain type of gameplay. For example, one loadout might focus on hacking, which in turn won’t give you much in the way of raw firepower. Another loadout might focus on traps, giving you access to proximity mines, the rivet gun (with trap rivets), as well as the cyclone trap and electro bolt plasmids. You’ll even encounter a trial that focuses specifically on your skill with a Big Daddy drill. At any rate, there are icons that show what you have access to before the start of the trial, so you know what you’re getting into before it starts.
The idea behind these predetermined loadouts is to change and adapt your play style to what’s available, so if you rush into these trials thinking you can rely on a single strategy that got you through BioShock 2, it’ll be tough. One way to make it easier is to not place the Little Sister down at the corpse to start harvesting right away. This gives you an opportunity to scout the layout of the level, checking out potential splicer entry points as well as getting an idea of where the ammo and health vending machines are located. This is absolutely vital, because the last thing you want is to run out of ammunition or health in the middle of a splicer rush. Once you feel comfortable with the setup and you’re sure that you have all of your defensive measures in place, you can set the Little Sister down and start the party.
In the trial we experienced in the Adonis Baths, the preparation time was crucial. We took a few minutes to place trap rivets along a path we thought the splicers would take to get to the Little Sister, found an optimal defensive position, and then began harvesting. Aside from making effective use of plasmids and weapons, we observed–for this trial–that it was a better idea to maintain a defensive position close to the Little Sister. All too often we were tempted to run off and continue killing splicers on the other side of the area, which then left our Little Sister vulnerable to attack. This not only increased our chance of losing the trial, but also hurt our score.
Scoring in the Protector Trials is determined by how long the Little Sister can harvest without being attacked–the longer she can drain ADAM uninterrupted by splicers, the higher the scoring multiplier becomes and the quicker she extracts ADAM. It’s also worth mentioning that you earn money (which you can use to purchase ammo and health) for every splicer you kill. Of course, completely protecting the Little Sister is much easier said than done, particularly when you’re reaching the end of the trial and the stronger enemies, like the Brutes, come rushing in and draw your attention away from her. But if you’re successful in fending them off and completing the trial, you’re greeted with a completion screen that shows you the total amount of ADAM harvested as well as a rating–C,B,A or A+–based on your performance. There are also new pieces of concept art and deleted scenes to unlock as well as new achievements and trophies to earn for completing trials.
BioShock 2: Protector Trials is currently scheduled for release on Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and PC on August 3.
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Sony Online Entertainment offering a completely separate “Extended” free version of MMORPG; will operate parallel paid iteration; beta start date scheduled for around August 17.
The massively multiplayer online market has proven to be a hotbed for announcements thus far this year. Both Dungeons & Dragons Online and Lord of the Rings Online have gone free-to-play, hype is building for World of Warcraft’s Cataclysm expansion, and BioWare’s Star Wars: The Old Republic is marching ahead for its 2011 debut. Today, Sony Online Entertainment added more fuel to the fire, announcing EverQuest II will adopt a free business model…with a twist.
SOE–which recently cut 4 percent of its staff–will unleash a free version of the popular MMO Everquest II titled EverQuest II: Extended. The game will operate parallel to the paid version, and will be effectively a separate game from EverQuest II.
Instead of adapting the entire EverQuest II to the free-to-play model like Dungeons & Dragons Online and LOTR: Online, SOE is bifurcating the game, and will release two distinct entities. Players will have the option of taking part in the subscription-based game, or the completely free game. Extended will give players access to all the paid game’s zones, including those added with the game’s Shadow Odyssey expansion.
Extended will adopt a microtransaction business model, whereby players can purchase power-up potions, armor, classes, races, weapons, mounts and more through the marketplace. Additionally, Extended will use a smaller Web-based application download model allowing would-be players faster access to the game.
EverQuest II: Extended is currently pegged to release “on or around August 17.” For more on the upcoming release, check out the game’s FAQ at EverQuest II’s Web site. Additionally, SOE compiled a membership matrix for the game’s multiple patronship levels.
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We run down our top four indie games this month, including Spelunky, Shoot 1UP, and GunGirl 2!
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First part of Blizzard’s long awaited, trifurcated real-time strategy sequel finally arrives alongside BlazBlue: Continuum Shift, Clash of the Titans.
Tonight at midnight, many PC gamers will get what they have been waiting for over 12 years: A sequel to Starcraft. The first part of the trifurcated sequel, Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty, launches tonight at midnight at various retailers across the globe. In the US, the game will be available in both a regular $60 edition and $100 collector’s edition which contains a hefty 176-page art book, a 2GB USB drive loaded with the original Starcraft and the Starcraft: Brood War expansion set, a behind-the-scenes DVD, the official soundtrack CD, and issue #0 of the Starcraft comic book series.
The first installment’s single-player campaign will focus on the Terran faction, but will have the game’s full multiplayer component. It will seek to resolve the conflict between Jim Raynor and Kerrigan, which was the crux of the original Starcraft. The second game, Heart of the Swarm, will focus on the Zerg, while the final game, Legacy of the Void, will be devoted to the Protoss. Analysts are already predicting the title, which uses the new Battle.net, will sell in excess of 6 million copies during this year alone.
Starcraft II was the subject of two controversies even before it came to market. First, Blizzard’s decision not to include LAN support drew some very public protest from its users. Then, the Wall Street Journal erroneously published an article which pegged the game’s budget at $100 million. A week later, the nation’s leading financial daily quietly issued an errata saying it had confused the real-time strategy game with World of Warcraft, Blizzard’s money-minting massively multiplayer online role-playing game.
The week will also see the release of Clash of the Titans, the game adaptation of the Greek mythology-inspired film that came out in April. A remake of the 1981 classic, the game will follow hero Perseus as he fights a variety of foes, ranging from the medusa to the twisted, goat-like Calibos. It is a third-person action game in the vein of God of War, which also drew its inspiration from the Greek pantheon of gods. Published by Namco Bandai, Clash of the Tians will be released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on Tuesday.
The rest of the week’s releases are a mixed bag, ranging from the handheld racer Galaxy Racers to Aksys’ PS3 and 360 fighting game BlazBlue: Continuum Shift. Xbox Live will get the aquatic racing game Hydro Thunder Hurricane, and many aging gamers can relive the grease-soaked pizza birthday parties of their youth in the form of the mini-game compilation Chuck E. Cheese’s Party Games.
For further details on the week’s games, visit GameSpot’s New Releases page. The full list of downloadable games on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Live Marketplace, and Wii Shop Channel will be revealed later in the week. Release dates are based on retailer listings and are subject to change.
SUNDAY, JULY 25
Napoleon: Total War – The Peninsular Campaign–PC–Strategy–Sega
MONDAY, JULY 26
Heavy Fire: Special Operations–WII–Action–2010–Teyon
Samantha Swift and the Hidden Roses of Athena–DS–Puzzle–Navarre Corp
Dive: The Medes Islands Secret–WII–Adventure–Cosmonaut Games
TUESDAY, JULY 27
Arc Rise Fantasia–WII–Role-Playing–Ignition Entertainment
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift–PS3, 360–Action–Aksys Games
Chuck E. Cheese’s Party Games–WII–Puzzle–UFO Interactive
Clash of the Titans–PS3, 360–Action–Namco Bandai Games
Farm Frenzy: Animal Country–DS–Strategy–City Interactive
Galaxy Racers–DS–Driving–Ubisoft
Need for Speed World–PC–Driving–EA Games
Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty–PC, MAC–Strategy–Blizzard Entertainment
WEDNESDAY, JULY 28
Hydro Thunder Hurricane–X360–Driving–Microsoft Game Studios
THURSDAY, JULY 29
No releases scheduled
FRIDAY, JULY 30
Commander: Conquest of the Americas–PC–Strategy–Jul 30, 2010–Paradox Interactive
Arcade Air Hockey & Bowling–PSP–Sports–Jul 30, 2010–Icon Games
Soccer Bashi–WII, PSP, IP–Sports–Jul 31, 2010–Icon Games
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More gruesome combat, stylized visuals, and a talkative protagonist are some of the big new changes we spied in this hands-on demo.
BioWare has taken the ninja approach to unveiling Dragon Age II while here at Comic-Con 2010. After confirming the game’s existence earlier in the month, the EA-owned developer has bypassed any elaborate press conferences or exclusive appointments in order to give anyone here at the show a chance to see–and play–a brief demo of this highly anticipated role-playing game. Having previously seen nothing more than some concept art, we jumped at the chance to wait in line and see what BioWare’s been up to since the first game arrived last November.
After letting in a group of fans, lead designer Mike Laidlaw took a few minutes to let everyone know what sort of changes to expect in the world of Ferelden. One of the biggies is the method of storytelling. Dragon Age II will take on the style of a “framed narrative”, or a story within a story. Laidlaw cited The Princess Bride and The Usual Suspects as examples, but the basic idea is this: You play as Hawke, a warrior whose feats have made him or her a legend of his or her time. The vast majority of the game focuses on you, but every so often you’ll see scenes in which a seeker of knowledge listens to a story from a teller of tales, who, like most folks fixated on heroic legends, has a tendency to exaggerate your exploits a bit.
That theme of mild exaggeration ties in with Dragon Age II’s visual style, which is a bit more stylized than its predecessor. It’s a subtle change on the surface: character models are a tad more angular, some slightly caricaturized, and the landscape–or at least the single one we saw–wore the effects of the blight in a more grim, pronounced way. In combat, it’s not uncommon to see a Darkspawn explode with blood and stray body parts when you finish him off. But most remarkable of all, the Xbox 360 version that we saw running actually looked quite good. If you played Origins on console, you’ll know what a feat that was.
So, about that demo. Its five-or-so minutes were altogether too little to get a well-developed picture of what’s bound to be a massive, sprawling role-playing game. But it did flash a few hints of what to expect out of the combat. To set the scene: a human male warrior version of Hawke (you can create any type of character you want, but the name is always Hawke) and a female mage named Bethany stand on a plateau amidst a rolling, barren wasteland capped by a ominous red sky. They’re besieged by several waves of Darkspawn Hurlocks, and eventually, as things tend to go in the Dragon Age world, a giant Ogre.
Playing as the male warrior, we were able to slice through these Darkspawn with style and flair, dashing from one cluster to the next while leaving little more than blood and gibs in our wake. Console controls work the same as Origins: you pull one trigger to open a radial wheel of talents, spells, items, and whatnot. This screen freezes time and lets you fine tune your aim on a particular enemy. But playing as the warrior, we favored running around, using the talents mapped to the face buttons instead. Overall, the sense of movement is less clunky, the animation more fluid, and the blood more plentiful.
Switching over to the mage resulted in a more tactical style of combat along the lines of the first game. With the mage, we preferred pulling up that radial menu and finding the best spell to cast in a given situation. Our favorite quickly became inferno, which lets you rain fire on a radius of enemies as though you’d just called a mortar strike from the heavens. According the Laidlaw, they’ve worked to make sure the mage has more “wow” moments in combat like the weapon-based classes. To demonstrate, he showed a mage finishing off an Ogre by lifting him up into the air, surrounding him with a dark energy, and then exploding him into nothingness.
Overall, the combat didn’t feel remarkably different from the first Dragon Age. It flowed a little more smoothly and moved at a quicker pace, but that was mostly because our talents and spells recharged quickly after using them. That could very easily have just been something BioWare tuned for this public demo–likely a lowered difficulty to help ease players back into the experience. After this admittedly brief demo, we’re confident that BioWare knows what they’re doing. This isn’t going to be a hack-and-slash game.
While the demo was mostly combat, we did get to run through a few dialogue options. The most immediate change you’ll notice is that your character now speaks those words you choose for him or her. As a reason for making this change, Laidlaw cited the first game’s hero as being caught in an epic battle for the survival of mankind and being able to show no more emotion than raising an eyebrow. You’re still given the same diverse list of dialogue options, ranging from perfect gentleman to salty jerk, with a smattering of options in between. It feels a little more like Mass Effect in this way, but we weren’t given any options to poke and prod someone’s innermost psyche like Commander Shepard. Our conversational options were a little more action-oriented than that, like choosing whether to take on a small group of Darkspawn ourselves or letting our mage friend handle it for us.
All told, this small glimpse at Dragon Age II revealed a game that looks a little bit more stylized, moves a bit more quickly, and showed flashed of a more unique identity than its predecessor. But, again, it was a small glimpse, and it would be a fool’s errand to deduce too much from this tiny sliver of gameplay. Either way, we liked what we saw and we’re looking forward to seeing more.
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Comic-Con 2010: ArenaNet design director James Phinney joined by lore master Jeff Grubb, others to discuss opportunities in upcoming online RPG.
Who was there: NCsoft-owned ArenaNet trotted out a large contingent of developers for its “Guild Wars 2: A New Type of Fantasy MMO,” which occurred during the waning hours of Saturday’s Comic-Con 2010 schedule. Among those in attendance were game designer and lore master Jeff Grubb, design director James Phinney, character artist Kristen Perry, concept art lead Kekai Kotaki, and cinematics lead Rich Anderson.
What they talked about: The Guild Wars 2 panel offered little by way of new information for those who have been closely following the game. Instead, the team on hand focused on illuminating what ArenaNet has been trying to accomplish with the first full sequel to the not-quite-massively multiplayer online role-playing game, which saw first release in 2005.
Delving into a bit of the backstory, Grubb said that Guild Wars 2 is set 250 years after the events of the original game, with the most dramatic event being that dragons have returned to the land of Tyria. To meet the threat, the once-fractured races have united to stave off the elemental forces of destruction unleashed by the dragons.
Against this backdrop, Grubb emphasized the personal story that Guild Wars 2 hopes to tell, one that is dominated by player interaction and social dynamics within the game. He emphasized that player choice will play a more pronounced role in Guild Wars 2, where decisions will impact a player’s characters and the options that are open to them throughout the game.
Phinney then took over the conversation, describing some of the goals that the team had for crafting Guild Wars 2. He noted that many key aspects of the original game will remain, including the rich lore, heavy emphasis on customization, and, of course, the lack of a monthly fee.
However, the team also had a number of areas in which they wanted to improve over the original, which is the reason that they began development on Guild Wars 2. He noted that the social experience in the first game was lacking. Also, as with many other MMORPGs, the actual gameplay didn’t live up to that of other, more traditional role-playing games. One other point Phinney noted was that it was important to make a more living, breathing world, one that responds to players in a dynamic fashion.
Phinney then turned the panel over to Perry, who talked a bit about character customization. The big new change with Guild Wars 2, she said, was that players can now wear nearly all of the clothing that non-player characters can wear, giving the example of a merchant’s garb or blacksmith’s apron. Also, armor and clothing dying will be greatly expanded, with players able to alter the hue for up to three parts of each piece.
Quote: “When is Guild Wars 2 coming out?”–A very enthusiastic, and very young, child.
Takeaway: ArenaNet seems to be taking a page out of BioWare’s book, emphasizing player choice and the consequences thereof for their latest online RPG. For the sequel, the team hopes to deliver a far more dynamic, immersive world that better engages and involves the player community.
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