Fans of classic heavy metal will be happy to hear that Metallica will be performing at this year’s Blizzcon to be held in early November in Anaheim, California. The iconic band will be performing on November 8th to a sold-out show.
Elder Scrolls Online: Two New Series-Related Lore Collections Announced
Titan Books has announced that it has gained the worldwide rights to two lore-related collections to give Elder Scrolls Online players and fans of the other Elder Scrolls games more information about the games they love and play. The Elder Scrolls Online: Tales of Tamriel and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim take players a look at original art and historical lore behind the series.
WildStar: New ‘Loremageddon’ Series Debuts
The WildStar site has been updated with a new series that will explore the stories behind the races and locations throughout the game. In "Loremageddon Part 1", the story focuses on both the Aurin and Mechari races. Loremageddon was introduced to the community about a month ago and players were asked to submit lore-related questions to the team for possible inclusion in a future article.
Shroud of the Avatar: Release 11: It’s Steamy!
I am quite literally just back from Austin as I sit down to write this latest update on Shroud of the Avatar. I wasn’t able to make it up for my typical week-before-release hangout with the guys, so today was pretty much a drive by. It’s well worth staying up past my bedtime to hack this article out, though. Despite the brevity of my visit, I got a load of cool information to share with you folks, and I’m excited to do it.
Moonrise: Building the World of Moonrise
Some might ask, "Why bother with story? I just want to fight monsters." I’ve always believed that good story can only help a game, even for players who don’t consciously pay attention to it. A cohesive, compelling world seeps into your unconscious mind, making the game more immersive, more intriguing, and ultimately more fun to hang out in for hours and hours.
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes: Three Things Developers Can Learn from Vanguard
A few columns ago, I offered an analysis of Vanguard after its sunsetting by Sony Online Entertainment. I presented my case that the game could be considered a success in its presentation of an amazing open world, three "spheres" of gameplay, and a plethora of races and classes. I also touched upon how Vanguard’s bug-ridden launch, lack of features to justify its long-standing subscription, and inconsistent leadership led to its inevitable demise.
The Banner Saga: A Gorgeous Handcrafted Game
The Banner Saga began its life as a Kickstarter created by Stoic, a new company founded by former employees of Bioware Austin. That lineage is unsurprising; The Banner Saga is a story-driven, branching dialogue tactical RPG in the great Bioware tradition. Stoic has mentioned in Kickstarter updates that the Android release is imminent, but for the time being we took the opportunity to review the iOS version and evaluate what kind of fit this already critically successful RPG is on mobile devices.
Elder Scrolls Online: Crafting Writs – A Reason to Log In Every Day
One thing that has always bugged me about The Elder Scrolls Online was the lack of a need to login to do something. As much as it bugs me to admit this, World of Warcraft did it right with dailies. Dailies give an additional reason to login every day, and give another avenue for players to feel like they are progressing. At least they had that in WoW, no so much ESO. However patch 1.5 is trying to change that.
Elder Scrolls Online: Crafting Writs – A Reason to Log In Every Day
One thing that has always bugged me about The Elder Scrolls Online was the lack of a need to login to do something. As much as it bugs me to admit this, World of Warcraft did it right with dailies. Dailies give an additional reason to login every day, and give another avenue for players to feel like they are progressing. At least they had that in WoW, no so much ESO. However patch 1.5 is trying to change that.
General: FOnline 2 – An Indie Labor of Love for Fallout
The FOnline 2 team has let us know that the game will be ready for launch on October 25, 2014. FOnline 2 is an independently developed project with its roots planted firmly in the Fallout niche. After nearly two years in development, the team is ready to open the doors to players.