2011年10月30日星期日
Glitch Online My Life in a Browser
By Remko Molenaar (Proxzor), OnRPG Journalist Glitch is Glitch, there is no other way to describe Glitch Online other than saying its name. The Developers Tiny Speck made an absolutely brilliant browser game. Glitch is a web-based massively-multiplayer game which takes place inside the minds of eleven peculiarly imaginative Giants. What’s the aim of the game? There basically is none, there are loads of skills to learn, races to run, puzzles to solve and quest to do. The world provides a big playground for everyone to create their own path and to invent and create items. It is like the developers like to call it, ‘The world is your big, colorful, non-smelly oyster’. Recently Glitch went into beta after a very long closed Alpha phase. Tiny Speck this week ended beta and has brought the game into a semi-launch, though players must still request access to the game prior to playing. After watching the weird yet funny trailer I decided to read about it more and test the game, and boy was I surprised!---- Warning ----Now before you read further please note that this game can make you forget important stuff in real life. So before playing please be sure you have eaten food and got something to drink and fed the people close to you because once you touch Glitch the world around you disappears.---- Warning ---- Now you might be wondering, if there is no purpose in the game what can you exactly do and what is the point? Glitch helps you socialize and build your character by playing the game and exploring every last street that is currently on one of the maps. What is so fun about exploring? Well while you’re exploring you get some quests, these quests will teach you the basics of some skills in Glitch. They also show you that you can take your own route and do whatever you want and learn every skill you think might be the best choice. Once you have created your character it is time to step out of the brain and step into the world of Glitch. After doing some basic stuff like jumping around and reading some notes you get the choice to meet a ‘Greeter’. These people will help you learn the basics of Glitch and will teach you anything that you require in the world of Glitch. They will also help you with every question you have so don’t hesitate to ask them anything since they are players in the world of Glitch as well.After I had talked with my Greeter I went to change the outfit of my current avatar and went to read through the skills. There are plenty of options and skills to learn, and it is all up to you to decide what to learn first. I decided to take the route of a miner to start earning some extra cash. After I got my first pickaxe and mined some resources, I proceeded to sell them on the Auction market. The Auction is in a different window than your game but still interacts with your game that is running in another window. Meaning that if you sell or buy something the cash and the item will get delivered to you so you don’t have to reload the game or anything. After I had earned some cash I decided to get a home. Yes this browser game actually has housing and apartments! I decided I wanted something big so I bought a villa. I currently own 5168 Estevan Meadows Quarter, Groddle Meadow, Ur. So come visit me and knock on my door if you want to hang out! I am not planning to settle in a new place any time soon.The game requires a happy mood and a full bar of energy to interact with objects in the world of Glitch. A happy mood gives you more experience in the game so you want to make sure your character is in a happy mood or else you might miss that little extra experience that could level you up. Energy is your life force and required to interact with anything in the game. So make sure you eat and drink a lot because food will regenerate your Mood and Energy. Be sure to have food with you all the time though because if you run out of energy and you have nothing to eat you will die. If you die you will get a small mini game that will help you to get back onto your feet again and return to the world of the living. Nothing is lost with dying but it doesn’t make your character too happy so don’t try to die that often.Glitch is a really addictive game and I spent a lot of hours in it already. Even though it is a MMORPG without fighting, Tiny Speck really brings a fun aspect to the genre. The game is all about socializing, getting richer and learning as many skills as possible in an incredibly fun environment. There are a lot of places to explore and a lot of objects in the environment to keep you busy for a while. Currently it is possible to subscribe to the game to get a little benefit above others; there are some special clothes and other objects that a subscriber can get but nothing game breaking. I personally have a lot of fun playing this game and I would recommend EVERYONE to give it a shot because it will change your life.
2011年10月28日星期五
Fiesta Online Fairly Fluffy Fun
By Jake Winters (Kibeth), OnRPG JournalistDespite an already saturated free-to-play MMO market, Fiesta Online shows surprising resilience in fending off its rivals. With the North American version (published by Outspark) nearing its fourth birthday, the game remains a strong competitor with a loyal fan base.Fiesta’s selling point is its charm; its anime-style graphics and array of colorful monsters, maps and equipment are enough to woo even the stoniest of hearts.Beyond its charm, the game is incredibly similar to a number of other free-to-play MMOs. Players create a character and are thrown into a game world full of quests, rabid monsters and other similar-looking players. Character creation involves choosing a name, gender, and hair style. The creation process is relatively bland, with only three hairstyles for each gender and no customization such as facial features. Players also pick their class, though the classes are uninspired and generic:Fighters, physically strong but with no magical aptitude.Archers, skilled at range but weak in melee.Mages, glass cannons skilled with magic. Tricksters, nimble but fragile assassins. Clerics, indispensible healers built for party play.The class system is incredibly customizable; skills are learned every few levels and each of these can be upgraded as the player wishes (to do additional damage or have a reduced cooldown, for instance). Towards the end of the game, players are given the opportunity to specialize their class (Fighters for instance may specialise as offensive Gladiators or defensive Knights), giving Fiesta ten different classes at end-game.The game world itself is brightly colored, and the game’s cell-shaded characters and vibrant horizons completely contrast the broken and at-war world in which the game is set. Anybody who looks around the game website may stumble upon the incredibly alluring storyline involving warring Gods, betrayal, and death. However, the game itself shares little of this beautiful story, and players are instead instructed (through a series of incredibly repetitive “go to this place and kill that monsters then come back to me to rinse and repeat”) to embark on a quest in which the only goal is total pointlessness.While quests do provide a significant amount of signposting throughout the game (including a helpful quest finding feature which overlays maps to point you in the right direction), the amount of running from place to place means that players may choose to grind in a single spot, as doing so requires less effort and is just as efficient. The game has a heavy grind element to it, and this kicks in after the first twenty or so levels.Kingdom Quests are group quests that run several times a day, calling on all adventurers to band together to defeat exceptionally strong monsters, and provide a break from the monotonous go-and-kill or go-and-fetch quests, as well as encouraging group play. Beyond this, the game’s community is enhanced by a guild system (which also provides rewards for players as they level), as well as guild Academies: free-for-all groups that anybody can join. Players generally are respectful, some even offering help and items to newbies, though this is uncommon.The final community option is PvP, which is introduced early in the game. Free-for-all arenas (called BattleZones) are dotted around various cities, accessible by talking to their Gatekeeper. BattleZones are divided by level to maintain a fair playing field, though this is somewhat destroyed by the cash shop (with cash shop equipment being grossly overpowered in comparison to equipment found in the game).Fiesta boasts a wide range of unique gameplay elements that compensate for its dry quest system. Gameplay is enhanced by Alchemy, Fiesta’s gathering and creation system. The world is dotted with herbs, metal nodes, treasure chests, and other goodies, and all of these can be farmed for raw materials. Players then use these with Alchemy to create potions, weapon enhancements, or buff scrolls. This constant need for new materials keeps the market fresh, and money-sinks throughout the game prevent inflation from becoming unbearable (as is a common issue with many ageing MMOs).Another of these features is the title system, which allows players to prefix their character name with a title. Titles are rewards for various feats of strength, similar to an achievement system, with over one hundred different titles available.As previously mentioned the game is free-to-play but is funded primarily through a cash shop. SparkCash can be traded for a variety of powerful items, such as wings, rideable mounts, buff scrolls, enhancement items, and equipment. A large number of these are not permanent items and disappear after 30 days, encouraging players to keep investing in SparkCash to keep their characters well-equipped. The end result is that a fully-geared player may end up paying far more than a pay-to-play game subscription.SparkCash can be bought via the Fiesta website, but can also be earned by filling out surveys and questionnaires provided by Outspark’s associates. While this is great for players unable or unwilling to access a credit card or PayPal, a number of the surveys require players to offer up important details such as phone numbers. As always, be careful of what information you give out online.Fiesta is the kind of game that players may find themselves logging into when they want to pass a few hours (then looking at the clock and seeing that it’s 3 AM), and has an addictive cuteness to its gameplay. The colorful graphics and upbeat (though repetitive) music provide a little light-heartedness to the MMO arena, and its expansive class system and profession system give the game some much-needed depth. Conversely however, the quest system and poor story integration leave role-players and story lovers frustrated, and those unable or unwilling to dig deep enough to pay for the incredibly expensive cash-shop may find their end-game and PvP experiences stunted.Overall, the game has survived well and has plenty to offer for those not looking for something too deep and time-consuming. Those looking for a deep engrossing story-line might be disappointed though. If you want a bit of MMO nostalgia be sure to check out Fiesta Online for yourself!Graphics – 4 (colorful anime-style graphics are visually appealing)Controls – 4 (offers mouse moving and WASD, though both can be clunky at times)Features – 2 (poor quest and story immersion leaves this as another grind MMO)Customization – 4 (many end-game classes, skills and professions are highly customizable)Community – 4 (the game makes plenty of effort to encourage group play)
2011年10月27日星期四
Be Feedback's Question Of The Week!
Another episode of Feedback is on the horizon. We have plenty of topics to reflect on, like Call of Duty DLC and the PlayStation Vita. But before we record we want to hear from you. Do you have any questions for the Feedback team about Call of Duty, the PSVita, QuakeCon or anything at all? Seriously, ask us a question and there's a solid chance we will answer it. Leave all of your comments, suggestions and questions below.
2011年10月26日星期三
PS3 CHART Red Dead Redemption, GTA make
Much of this week's UK PlayStation 3 chart mirrors the Xbox 360 one - Deus Ex: Human Revolution sits pretty at the top and Driver: San Francisco makes its debut at No.2. Sports duo Rugby World Cup 2011 and Madden NFL 12 end the week at No.3 and No.4 respectively, while Call of Duty: Black Ops is a non-mover at No.5 and Dirt 3 places at No.6.A pair of Rockstar titles mix things up a little this week, with Red Dead Redemption making its way back into the top ten at No.7 and Grand Theft Auto Episodes from Liberty City at No.9. Nestled in between them at No.8 is Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, while Mortal Kombat brings up the rear at No.10.GfK/Chart-Track PS3 Top 10 (week ended September 3):01. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Square Enix)02. Driver: San Francisco (Ubisoft)03. Rugby World Cup 2011 (505 Games)04. Madden NFL 12 (EA)05. Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision)06. DiRT 3 (Codemasters)07. Red Dead Redemption (Take 2)08. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (Ubisoft)09. Grand Theft Auto Episodes from Liberty City (Take 2)10. Mortal Kombat (Warner Bros. Interactive)Check out the official UK All Formats games chart here.Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2011 UKIE Ltd Tamoor Hussain
2011年10月25日星期二
First F1 2011 game review lands - 8 10 in
The first F1 2011 game review has landed via the pages of Official PlayStation Magazine UK, which awards the Codemasters racer an 8/10 score. OPM calls F1 2011 "a game about appreciation for the sport" that'll "change the way you watch the Sunday affo Grand Prix," while noting that it's still an "unforgiving and newbie-unfriendly" racer.It concludes: "There's no easy solution here, but one needs to be found. The road into F1 2012 needs to be smoother than the one into 2011 because the game deserves to be played."F1 2011 is out on September 23 and the latest gameplay video landed earlier this week.To read the full review buy Official PlayStation Magazine online and have it delivered to your door. Andy Robinson
2011年10月24日星期一
Crytek working on new FPS franchise - rep
Crysis and Ryse developer Crytek is currently working on a new first person shooter franchise. That's according to the LinkedIn profile of a gameplay programmer at the studio, spotted by internet sleuth Superannuation, which cites work on a new shooter IP for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. It also claims Crytek cancelled work on a third person shooter, possibly titled Redemption.Crytek recently denied rumours it has begun development on games for the next generation Xbox.
2011年10月23日星期日
Resistance 3 Cryogun and survivor videos
Resistance 3 is out in US today and UK this Friday, and Insomniac has marked the occasion with a new trailer and five live-action 'Survivors' videos.The trailer is your typical blockbuster-style affair, but it also offers the first look at one of the most powerful guns in the game; the Cryogun. The rest of the videos are of old people who (pretend with us for a moment) lived through the war with the Chimera."Resistance has finally met its promise," we said in our Resistance 3 review published today. Hit that link to find out why. Cryogun: Mike Jackson
2011年10月21日星期五
First video Suda 51's XBLA PSN shooter S
The first trailer has emerged for Goichi Suda's Xbox Live Arcade and PSN time-bending shooter Sine Mora, which was announced last year.The downloadable shooter is the first of multiple titles to come from a new collaboration between Suda's dev team Grasshopper Manufacture and Hungarian developer Digital Reality.The PR describes the game as an "an innovative shooter ... which mixes traditional side-scrolling gameplay with unique time manipulation mechanics". The game's scheduled for release this winter, with sound provided by former Silent Hill audio director Akira Yamaoka. What do you think? Andy Robinson
2011年10月20日星期四
Rage, Skyrim, Prey 2 confirmed for GAMEfe
September's GAMEfest show at the Birmingham NEC will offer the first UK public hands-on of id's hotly anticipated Rage. Bethesda has announced that, in addition to Rage, there will be regular presentations throughout the day of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Prey 2.Nintendo announced this morning that it will have five titles on display, including The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land, Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D and Kid Icarus: Uprising. Elsewhere, Disney's multiplayer adventure Disney Universe will all be available to experience.Bethesda, Nintendo and Disney join the likes of THQ, Sega and EA at the show - which also boasts the first UK public hands-on of Modern Warfare 3.Both Microsoft and Sony have signed up as headline sponsors of the event.GAMEfest will run from the 16-18 September 2011 at the Birmingham NEC, with the retail chain promising that attendees will be able to "play the most anticipated titles of the year before anyone else".Tickets cost £10 for anyone aged 12 or over and £5 for anyone under 12-years-old. They can be purchased from www.game.co.uk/gamefest.To buy tickets, would-be attendees must own a GAME reward card, which can be grabbed via game.co.uk or any GAME store.GAME UK marketing director Anna-Marie Mason said: "From worlds inspired by Disney films to helping Nintendo's world famous hero Link in Skyward Sword, we know gaming fans young and old will be in for a treat at this year's GAMEfest. Thanks to the involvement of the industry's top publishers, GAMEfest has something for the whole family to enjoy this September." CVG Staff
2011年10月19日星期三
Star Fox 64 3D trailer shows new weapons
Star Fox 64 3D's multiplayer mode looks to be where much of the new content will be for fans of the N64 original. It's got new levels and power-up, some of which you can see in the trailer below. New items including homing missiles, force fields and cloaking devices have been built into the game's local wireless multiplayer skirmishes, along with the questionable function of being able to see the person you're fighting on the screen in a slower frame rate and lower detail than their real-life selves sitting just a few feet from you. The game does, however, look absolutely fantastic on the 3DS screen, especially with all the new detail that's been pumped into the game's new textures. Star Fox 64 3DS will hit UK shores on September 9, and US on September 11. We will most certainly be doing a barrel roll all over this. Mike Jackson