Gameloft UK did a Twitch live stream earlier today of Modern Combat 5 and in it they confirmed a bunch of new details about the game, the biggest of which is that it will not contain any in-app purchases. This is a pretty big deal, as several Gameloft games come with an initial price and include IAP, though never really in that “gross" of a manner but more of in a “hurry up your progression" type of way. Well, in Modern Combat 5, all the unlockable items and all the character leveling will have to be done simply by playing, as there won’t be a way to pay to speed it up. This should also put to rest any feelings that the progression is hampered in any way in order to push players towards spending. In case you missed it, earlier this week I went hands-on with Modern Combat 5 and took about 30 minutes worth of direct-capture video.
Besides not having any IAP, some more details about Modern Combat 5 were divulged during the stream and confirmed by Gameloft UK’s Twitter account. The multiplayer portion of the game will have 1v1 all the way to 6v6 person battles, and will feature killcams and kill streaks. Gun camos and voice chat won’t be in the initial release, but are planned for updates, but there will be text chat from the onset. The Twitch auto-streaming that Gameloft recently added to Asphalt 8 won’t be in for release either, but may come with an update. The same goes for MFi controller support. Something that might be a negative, depending on your feelings towards it, is that Modern Combat 5 will require an online connection to, as Gameloft puts it, “help detect hackers, improve social interaction, & take advantage of cloud saving."
Finally, Gameloft has confirmed that Modern Combat 5 will be coming this summer, and have stated that they’ll be announcing much more about the game, especially more details about the online multiplayer, during E3 next month. Stay tuned.
Yay!!!! 4.5/5 Great review!!
"Sure I want to unlock and check out new maps, but I care just as much about replaying older missions simply to unlock and upgrade new skills. It all leads to a TD experience that’s far deeper than the majority of the genre offerings on iOS."
It's a good tower defense game, and well worth 4 stars, but having to grind for upgrades doesn't make it a deeper game. That was my main gripe with OTTTD, the need to grind to upgrade and progress.
The game needs some extra objectives to promote replays, but I'm sure that will come.
I love this game, it's my favorite TD game, ever. Characters are bright and goofy and you actually want to watch your team fight on the map. I'm impatient and I love this game, so I sprung for some of the IAP to move faster, and I don't regret it.
Thanks mate
Ash from SMG here: We've had other people tell us they 3 starred every level in a couple of days and wanted more. No grinding but it was easy. The reason I mention this is that its hard for us to balance this for everyone. Grinding wasn't part of the level design but we allowed it so people can farm for XP/coins.
We're adding more levels and modes for players who have finished. We also want levels that are fun and challenging which is why we have 20 levels to start not 100 crap ones.
Finally some review love for this great game. ;)
Love the style. It's refreshing to see quite a good looking tower defence.
What?! No 5 out of 5 stars! Ha ha! Kidding. I actually really do love otttd. It's a great game and I too bought a bunch of IAP's in support of a great developer. I got it when it came out and I'm still playing it. Mostly grinding to max my characters in preparation of hopefully the long awaited update with new over the top characters, weapons and hopefully consumables! Please give us some truly over the top consumables! With all the grinding and IAP's I'm sitting on a ton of gems and money. Otttd and man at arms have made my year!
Nah, too IAP heavy for me. After playing 75% of the game (i.e. 15 out of 20 levels), I ONLY managed to buy 5 upgrades for my squad. There are 7 members in my squad, each with around 8 upgrades that get exponentially more expensive.
So yeah, I bought only FIVE out of close to SIXTY total upgrades. And I three starred at least 7 of the 15 levels I played and even replayed a couple of them to get a better star rating.
That, to me, is some OTT IAP implementation. Not supporting this dev anymore.
It's all about using the right soldiers and towers. I've gotten really far before buying my first weapon. You just need skill points for them. If you got to the mid boss and can three star him then you're all set. I farmed him for xp cash and gems. Once you've got the right skill points and soldiers the mid boss can be killed within seconds. IAP's are 100% not necessary except for the more casual or less skilled player. With some determination you can definitely beat otttd. The devs are on the main forum and have been exceptional in listening to our gripes and suggestions even going as far as to change tower strengths in the last update. If there's anyone to blame it'd be the guys on the forums that kept saying the missile and shield towers were too strong. The devs are fantastic and I can't wait to see what they have coming up. Give them some feedback and keep an open mind they're listening and are great people.
Hi Himmat,
why do you think you should unlock everything right away? What happened to choice? I remember playing Diablo back in the 90s and there was always stuff I couldn't afford for my character. It made me feel that what I did buy mattered. Also we dont expect you to upgrade every hero as you should have a few faves you put your effort into.
We're adding more levels and modes (and more weapons) and we want you to play this for the long haul. By the time we have 50 levels you'll have enough money to buy everything. But we may add other weapons to buy just so you never feel you have everything so you have some reason to keep playing. Which was my first point.
IAP is in there for those that want everything right away (there's always people who want that). Or want an upper-hand earlier (those people too). The levels are balanced and designed for people who want a challenge and to have fun. Not to create a paywall. Check the reviews from people who actually played and you'll see this is a fair game. Levels 21-25 which we're submitting tomorrow are balanced off an average 18-20 level team. Which is what we expect people to be at when they finish the first 20 levels.
Thx NOFX below also.
Great loved it, but it was really intense playing on my 5s. The phone got really hot in my hands especially on the last level
It looks really fun. But it's $4.99.
Ash from SMG here: We spent 13 months working on this and we're looking at a $9.99 price for desktop release so $4.99 isn't much. I spent more than that on a iced coffee last week and it lasted 15 minutes.
$5 dollars for a game and an egregiously intrusive IAP system. You have to potentially pay money if your people die to play again in a game that you paid for. I really wish that I could get my money back.
hope you decide to play further - all feedback we've had from players suggests an abundance of gems by the end game, far more than needed. we've also set it up so that if every hero is dead (unlikely), three heroes are always revived for 0 gems so that at no point ever would you require spending just to keep playing. Weapon upgrades do come gradually but they aren't needed. Good tower placements and good selection and use of skills solve levels first and foremost.
They've cleared up this topic on the main forum. They just want players to give the other characters a chance if you've failed with the first 3 you've chosen. Sorry you didn't like the game hopefully you didn't delete it. Go to the main forums and see what suggestions are there. There's a ton of people on there giving pointers on how to beat it without spending a cent on IAP's. Give the game a chance hopefully it'll grow on you
thanks for the great in depth review Eric! so stoked you enjoyed the game.
we've been working hard on update content and we're hopefully very close to submitting it.
My main problem with this game is the same I have with most IAP heavy games - I just don't trust them - did I fail a level because my strategy was bad or did I hit an intentional paywall and now I must grind or reach for my wallet?
It's a shame as there is a nice tower defense game here.
You can buy the same game when it comes out on Steam for $9.99 with the same levels, same shop items and same hero Tempa-Death system but with no IAP. That might help you trust us.
Just wanted to comment that I think that
1. This is an amazing game with lots of depth and opportunities for customization
2. IAP really are optional in this game. I've found plenty of money and crystals/gems/whatever replaying missions and trying new things.
Definitely make sure you check this game out. I've gotten 20+ hours of entertainment out of it for a measly 5 bucks.
Thanks mate. More levels, endless mode, armour + tweaks submitted Monday.
Damn! Awesome mrtruffle! I can't wait! Thanks for the heads up!
Great! Cant wait for mor content! You have created a great game at great value!
For me, what's holding back a five-star rating is the (yes) over the top display of the dead. Reviewer pointed it out, once the field gets gory it stays gory, and you can't see what's going on in the kill zone. Particularly problematic for us geezers trying to play on iPhones.
Otherwise, this is a great game, IAPs or not.
The next version we're submitting gives the user the option to turn off or lower the gibs. This is being submitted monday. Oh and cloud save!
Squee!
Looks fantastic! I am in.
I'll probably get this when it comes out on steam since my iPod can't handle it.