It’s written in the United States’ constitution that every holiday must be honored with a sale or two on the App Store. No joke -- it’s a new law according to yet another wiki page that I just finished vandalizing. If you're interested, the law is sandwiched between the “freedom of press” thing and that other law about how all American babies should be named after me.
Anyway, it’s with great honor that I tell you about Gameloft’s massive $.99 Father’s Day sale, a sale meant to stir your loins and your wallet. I can’t pin down a rhyme or reason for what games are being offered at their discounted rates, but hey, they’re cheap and I think that’s all that matters at the end of the day.
Here’s the list. The first link you’ll see is connected to a write-up of ours about the game, while the second will take you straight to the App Store:
You know, maybe these are supposed to be games that father's dig? My dad refuses to play anything without the words "King's Quest" or "Hearts" in the title, but to each his own I suppose.
Here's a fact that might not be entirely too surprising: People are hungry for World of Warcraft. Seriously, I still know people who spend hours upon hours a day and have been playing with the same fervor since it was released in 2004. Also, tickets for Blizzcon, Blizzard's yearly almost entirelyWoW-centric convention, sell out within seconds of going up for sale. So, really, Gameloft couldn't have picked a better game to clone with Order & Chaos [$6.99], especially judging by the fact that the company just announced that they've managed to make $1,000,000 in the first 20 days that it was available on the App Store.
In addition, there's also an update on the way which fill add some new quests, the ability to migrate characters between servers, and separate chat channels for each language. After that, future updates are planned which will include things like new dungeons and PvP arenas. Something tells me that with the kind of cash Order & Chaos is making, Gameloft will be supporting it very well.
Straight up: you’ll have to forgive me if some of the nuance of Shadow Cities [Free] -- one of the newest geo-centric MMO games available on the App Store -- has evaded me. It’s not good at telling you what it is and how you’re supposed to interact with it. Although, a lot of that might have to do with the fact that I don't exactly live in a dense metropolitan area, rendering the location awareness of the game moot since there's no one around me playing.
The PR isn’t much better, though the press releases and the buzz around it are the things that drew our attention in the first place. Shadow Cities is billed as a PVP-centric ARG that uses wherever you are as the game’s map. Like an MMO, it supposedly offers a cool and deep leveling system and a ton of missions and ‘activities.’
That's real high-concept stuff. What I actually see is a weird, blacked-out Google Maps-style world with little purple, blue, red, and green orbs floating around like neon snowflakes. With a couple of flicks of my wrists, my orange orb can decimate these other colored orbs. Then, I get experience points and, I guess, the implied promise of further orb decimation.
It seems like the point of the game revolves around killing these orbs. With each victory, I come closer to dominating my urban center, which happens to be a small city deep in the American south. I don’t see any progress bars or anything of that sort, though, so I’ll just assume that the forthcoming tyranny will take some time to seed.
In Shadow Cities, you play as a mage of one of two sides. I picked the “tech priest”-type of dudes assuming that the meld of man, psychic powers, and machines would fair better against the earthy, organic types of mages. I don’t think there’s a substantial difference in what “team” you pick. At least, I don’t get that impression.
There are two chat rooms available to you once you start the game. It isn’t, at least here, specific to your urban center. The guys talking in the chat are from my state in general and they’re looking for people to battle because app hasn’t reached the kind of critical and consumer response that it needs to flourish and become more than a proof of concept that sounds neat in press releases.
Over on the game’s official blog, proof of stuff that can happen in the game can be found. Earlier in May, users were encouraged to join battle groups, which are, essentially, global communities of 100 mages assigned to a country. There was a campaign in which one team won over another by keeping large cities to themselves, while destroying the other team’s big cities. That sounds pretty cool, actually.
I’d like to get a sense of that scale, but through the app, I can’t. I just see city streets and AI-controlled wisps of color that dance around my orange wisp. I destroy these wisps and then more generate and then I destroy them. If I could see where my battle is going, how my individual fights are factoring into a larger picture, or if I actually felt like I was interacting with a larger world, Shadow Cities would click better with me.
There's a lot of promise here. I mean, think about it. Just by whipping out your phone and spending the 15 seconds it takes to crush an orb, you could be helping to decide the fate of a global battle. That's heavy, man, and fun-sounding idea to boot. Or, additionally, if you live in a dense area, this could be like Yelp!, except with mage battles. You walk into a store some jerk checked-in to and then BOOM -- you take him out.
I should note that the studio behind Shadow Cities, Grey Area, is behind the project and willing to keep iterating on top of the existing software. Gamasutra caught up with its CEO recently and he said as much, adding some specifics on new mechanics being added in the future:
"We want to develop it further and enable people to interact in the way that they want," he said, "we’ve been really conscious and paying attention how people want to create the battles... that’s what people want to do: strategize, plan, raid locations together, and all of that, so it’s definitely in the works, if you will.”
Cool. Come next update, I hope someone, anyone, around here picks up the game so I can put a spell all over his face.
The first major content update to Order & Chaos Online [$6.99] is coming down the pipe, so says a new thread on the World of Warcraft-like MMO’s official message board.
Details on the complete patch and its eventual release are still cloudy, but we do know a number of key fixes, tweaks, and enhancements that it’ll package in. Foremost, expect to see a number of new quests in “the last two high-level regions” and a new teleport in the Greenmont region of world. Also, forget about killing dudes in cemeteries -- with the arrival of this patch, these zones are to become hands-off, non-PVP areas.
Of course, there’s more. The ever descriptive “additional content and ... fixes” has been promised and game creator Gameloft is still teasing new dungeon, PVP arena, and level cap add-ons.
That’s a deal, but you have to wonder how Space Time plans to make money while a large swathe of its instance-based content is free. That’s where this comes in: the studio has just announced a brand new “premium” area called the “Sandstone Caves.”
It’s made for players around level 20 to 25 and includes what you want: a new town, a new series of quests, new enemies, new bosses, and new weapons, armor and items.
Yesterday I posted some basic details and then followed that up with some additional impressions as I made my way to level 10. At some point during the night, Gameloft threw the switch to make the game available internationally. If you've been anxiously reading our preview coverage and forum thread, download Order & Chaos Online [$6.99] as soon as you can.
And as soon as you do, disable global chat for the love of all things true and decent. To do so, bring up the text entry and instead of tapping the "Global Chat" button to talk in that channel, holdit down until it is blocked. For whatever reason, Gameloft apparently hasn't segregated servers at all, so Global chat is a mishmash of every language under the sun.
Ever since Gameloft's Order & Chaos Online showed up for download on the Canadian App Store this morning, our forums have gone wild with speculation regarding gameplay, how the IAP works, and everything else. Since the release is Canada-only right now, and the game isn't free, it has left all of our "Canadian" forum members on the outs anxiously awaiting impressions from the few actual Canadians out there. Consider this post a continuation from the one from earlier today, so check that out first if you haven't already.
I decided to play an orc ranger because I wanted to play on the chaos side of things and I've always been partial to ranger-like classes in general. Starting the game, you're inundated with various tips, all of which will be incredibly obvious to anyone who has played an MMORPG before. The early quests, like most (all?) MMORPG's walk you through how the basics of the game works, and the path my orc ranger took involved slaying pigs, killing crabs, and various other low-level kill quests before I decided to go exploring.
At some point early this morning, Gameloft released their MMORPG Order & Chaos Online on to the Canadian App Store, which seems to be standard operating procedure for a wide-scale "beta" of sorts. Ngmoco and other similar developers all have used the Canadian market to test out how their servers are running and how the game is performing, so it isn't out of the ordinary by any stretch of the imagination to see Gameloft doing something similar.
I've downloaded the game and put around an hour of playtime into it so far, and in the process discovered quite a few of the things we were wondering from the trailers Gameloft previously released. First off, the game isn't freemium which may be a relief for some. It's launching at $6.99, which includes three months worth of subscription to the game. Following that, you can subscribe for a single month for 99¢, three months for $1.99, or six months for $2.99.
Alright, I'll admit my curiosity has been seriously piqued by Gameloft's upcoming MMORPG. Order & Chaos Online could have some serious potential, especially judging by the following trailer which shows just how many players can be on screen at once in the game:
Unfortunately, details are practically non-existent outside of this trailer and the previously released teaser. Will it be a buy once then play forever game like Guild Wars? Will Gameloft employ the newly implemented iTunes subscription functionality? Will Order & Chaos be free to play with all kinds of IAP? It's hard to say, but I'm thinking we'll find out soon. Historically speaking, Gameloft rarely ever releases trailers for games that are at least somewhat close to release.
It's crazy to think that Pocket Legends [Free] came out a year ago. I've heard that one year equals seven in dog years, but with how fast the App Store moves, I'm not even sure what one App Store year would equate to. Lots more. Anyway, Pocket Legends is a free to play MMO of sorts that works quite a bit like Guild Wars both in actual gameplay and with the amount of expansion content they have for sale.
Well, to celebrate the game's anniversary, all of that expansion content is free for a limited time. Better yet, all of this is entirely cross platform and universal, so you can play with friends online regardless of whether they own an iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or even an Android device. We reviewed the game last year, but honestly, so much has changed that you're probably better off spending some time on the official quick start guide to get an idea of what the game is all about now.
You may recall several weeks back at GDC when we previewed the upcoming massively multiplayer online strategy game Empire of the Eclipse from Zarksoft. This ambitious title aims to offer up an experience that is practically unheard of for a mobile title, with an expansive universe to explore and conquer as you build up an army and take on hundreds or even thousands of other players online. The sheer amount of depth in Empire of the Eclipse is incredible, and Zarksoft has done a marvelous job of creating an intuitive and friendly interface for dealing with it all.
Take a look at this hands-on demo from GDC which explains a tiny bit of what Empire of the Eclipse is all about:
The game was originally slated for the end of March, but after showing off the game to their peers at GDC, the main feedback that Zarksoft received was that the battles in the game lacked a visceral quality. As such, they have gone back to work on this element of the game, along with tightening up the rest of the gameplay to ensure that it will be the best that it can be. Unfortunately, that also means the game will be delayed without a firm release date in sight, though Zarksoft is confident they’ll have the game ready by Summer.
There's been a shocking amount of crossover between the iOS world and the mainstream world lately. Both Doodle Jump and Angry Birds have tie-ins with major motion pictures, Angry Birds was (vaguely) featured during the Super Bowl and Cut The Rope even took home a BAFTA. When this is discussed on our forums, I've seen a few people seemingly jokingly mention that it won't be long before a game on the App Store has its own dedicated TV commercial. Well, that day is today.
The following commercial is now running on Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, G4, and more:
We thought Pocket Legends was great in our review nearly a year ago. I had no idea that the game was big enough or successful enough for TV commercials until I met with the developers during GDC. Since our initial review, the game has seen several updates to add even more content and functionality. Now is as good of a time as ever to give Pocket Legends a spin, especially if you're looking to get a jump on the inevitable influx of players from this TV advertising campaign.
While the existence of this commercial itself might not seem like that big of a deal, this is a major step in legitimizing smartphone gaming as a mainstream gaming platform in the USA.
Gameloft is getting increasingly blatant with their clones as of late. Starfront - Collision [$6.99] was so StarCraft-y that I've had friends who were shoulder surfing me flat out ask how I got StarCraft on my phone. They're not stopping there though, the latest teaser trailer released by Gameloft revealed today that their sights are set on... World of Warcraft, believe it or not.
Feast your eyes on this:
Details are scarce currently, and it remains to be seen how this game will be sold. Apple has recently added the ability for in-app subscriptions, so Gameloft could be following the typical MMO subscription route. Much more likely though is that this game will have some kind of freemium mechanic to it, which is where I'd place my bets. We'll have to wait and see!
It's crazy what we're starting to see on mobile devices as the performance gap closes more and more with each iteration of mobile technology. Back in the day when I was playing EverQuest, Dark Age of Camelot, and other ancient (by today's standards) MMORPG's, I never thought I'd be playing something that looked even remotely similar on my phone. Enter World of Midgard, an MMORPG based on the Unity engine that looks surprisingly similar to those very same 3D classic MMORPG's.
It's still way too early to pass any kind of judgement on this game, but the few YouTube videos that have been uploaded look awfully promising, and the developers seem very excited about the project. For instance, take a look at this fully narrated video on one of the game's dungeons:
Details are vague right now, but forum user Elevas30 compiled an array of responses from the developers to various YouTube comments on our forums. They expect to release the game in about four months, and it initially will come packed with four classes: Fighters, clerics, rogues, and mages. Among other details they've mentioned that all classes will be able to heal and resurrect party members. The game is also slated to be free.
I'm not entirely sure how excited to get about World of Midgard, especially considering the crazy balance issues that will almost surely arise from every class being able to resurrect and heal. Either way, I love that iOS and mobile devices have come so far. If a small team of indie developers few people have ever heard of are building ambitious projects like this, just imagine what would be possible in the future.
Pocket Legends [Free] succeeded where World of Warcraft has failed me. Try as I might, I’ve never been able to play Blizzard Entertainment’s MMO on the toilet. Now, Pocket Legends, on the other hand... man, we’ve had some seriously productive time together on the toilet.
And in Q2 2011, I’ll have to shed Pocket Legends for another MMO created by the gurus over at Spacetime Studios. It’s called Blackstar, and like its predecessor, it’ll feature three unique classes to choose from, a 3D world to interact within, tons of loot, and even a few chat features like in-game chat and friends lists.
Unfortunately, Spacetime isn’t divulging much at the moment about Blackstar other than those basics, but we do know a few cool specifics: its plot, it’s past, and its platforms.
As for the plot, the game will revolve around a “conflict” set in the 41st century between four groups: the arcane-infused Scorn and the cybernetic Riven, and the terrans and their robotic counterparts, dubbed the Mode. The game will, presumably, be split into chapters, but I'd imagine this stuff will have a place in each.
Interestingly, the framework in which this battle will take place is built on the back of an unreleased PC game going by the same name. Spacetime Studios talks up the fact that it is using that title’s tech and art, attempting to reassure folks that the game won’t be a content-light. We’ll have to see about that, though.
But before I close this out, I’ll note this cool factoid: Blackstar is slated to be a cross-platform game, seeing a release in Q2 for both Android and iOS. And while we’re touching on network, know this: the game will support EDGE, 3G, Wi-Fi, and even 4G connections. Radical.
Sounds like Pocket Legends with a sci-fi twist, right? That’s not a bad thing, either. We were huge fans of that initial MMO, and I’d imagine a few community members are still messing around in the world.
It’ll be interesting to see if some of the problems from that game will be addressed in this one, provided that they’re actually related. Also, it’ll be just as interesting to see if IAP will be used as heavily. C’mon Q2!
It’s written in the United States’ constitution that every holiday must be honored with a sale or two on the App Store. No joke -- it’s a new law according to yet another wiki page that I just finished vandalizing. If you're interested, the law is sandwiched between the “freedom of press” thing and that other law about how all American babies should be named after me.
