Everyone has a fighting chance
When the original Defense of the Ancients rose to popularity as a mod for Warcraft III, I had already moved on from Blizzard’s RTS to the next hotness (probably Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time). Hence, it wasn’t until many years later that I became aware of DotA in its modern iteration, particularly as a reference point for new MOBAs like League of Legends, Heroes of Newerth, Demigod, Smite, and of course, DotA 2.
Week after week, we hear the same things: That’s not an RPG! That’s not an MMO! Why are you covering that? In this week’s RPG Files, we’re going to look at what makes an RPG in 2015 and why it’s time for our definitions to evolve.
Crowfall’s big reveals this week include a Kickstarter campaign and much more information on how the game will set itself apart from the current crop of MMOs. In this article, I take a look at my three favorite tidbits from this infolanche and how much they appeal to me as a potential player.
The Echo of Soul site has been updated with detailed information about each of the game’s five character classes. Each class features a pair of specializations which are revealed on the newly updated site.
My.com, the Allods Team and Obsidian Entertainment have announced that the first Skyforge closed beta event will kick off on March 11th. The event will last for a week with access guaranteed through the purchase of the newly revealed Founder’s Packs. Purchase of a Founder’s Pack will ensure access to all forthcoming beta events as well. Prices include various in-game rewards and can be purchased for $19.99, $49.99 or $69.99.
Eforb Games has announced that its post apocalyptic MMO, The Skies, has officially kicked off its limited alpha testing phase of development. Recently approved via the Steam Greenlight program, the game world developers around player choices and the various factions throughout the world.
The Elite: Dangerous forum has been updated with a new developer post that lays out some of the upcoming features players can expect from the beta update v1.2. According to the post, the update should arrive in March. Of particular note, the update will feature a debug camera that will allow players to take epic screenshots of their ships from the outside, though the caveat is mentioned that it is not a game play camera.
From February 26th through March 2nd, Star Trek Online captains will be able to take advantage of a special double experience weekend. Content that provides skill points and expertise will be rewarded with 100% extra experience. The move is to help players prepare to take on the forces in the Delta Quadrant. Be sure to log in today and start moving up the ranks!
Gamemag will be bringing its Taiwanese MMO, Weapons of Mythology, to this year’s Game Developers Conference. Popular on the PC in Taiwan, Gamemag will also be leveraging the console market in the West by making the title cross platform between PC and the PlayStation 4. The game is expected to launch in China and Russia later this year while the PS4 optimization is in progress. To show off Weapons of Mythology, Gamemag has released a new trailer.
Dragon Quest Heroes for PlayStation 4 just launched in Japan but Western audiences and fans need not despair. The PlayStation blog has been updated with the announcement that the game will be heading to North America and Europe sometime this year!