Everyone has a fighting chance
The first big public taste of anything coming with Guild Wars 2’s Heart of Thorns expansion is today. ArenaNet is opening up the new PVP mode Stronghold for one 24 hour period today to presumably gather feedback and metrics from its many adoring fans. But the question is… will you be playing?
It feels like everywhere you turn these days, there’s another zombie themed something-or-another being shoved in your face. Personally, I blame The Walking Dead since it seems as if the entire pop culture theme arrived en masse when it debuted on AMC in 2010. In gaming, we’ve seen more than a few zombie-themed RPGs and pseudo-RPGs lately. Not to be left behind, MMOs have embraced the undead apocalypse too. Big studios and indies have taken to the new genre with wild abandon.
Nexon Korea has announced the commencement of beta testing for its new mobile strategy RPG called Fantasy War Tactics. Fantasy War Tactics is the first major entry into the US mobile gaming market, as well as in other international locations. The game features depth, cooperative game play, social elements and more.
Is FFXIV more fun than Warlords of Draenor? Are subreddits a good replacement for official forums? Is there anything for MMO players to watch on Twitch right now? We’ll learn what the blogosphere has to say on the topic of these questions and more!
Blizzard is reminding fans of its games that Blizzcon 2015 tickets will be on sale in a pair of events this week. The first round of tickets will go up for grabs on Wednesday, April 15th at 7:00 pm Pacific / 10:00 pm Eastern. The second batch will be on sale on Saturday, April 18th at 10:00 am Pacific / 1:00 pm Eastern.
GoG.com has announced the formation of a "bundle tower" that will grow bundle by bundle through April 19th. Players will be able to grab DRM-free games for up to 85% off the normal cost. The ‘foundation’ of the tower has been revealed and contains some of the best RPGs ever made.
Today’s quest is a contentious one. On one hand Kickstarter has given us some amazing games in its short existence: Wasteland 2, Pillars of Eternity, Hand of Fate, and so on. But when it comes to MMOs, we’ve yet to see the fruits of all our money. And with the success of Crowfall on the platform, we’re likely to see more games go for crowdfunding. Our question is… do you back games on Kickstarter?
This weekend, at a Monster Hunter event in Japan, Capcom revealed a profound sidestep in the Monster Hunter series, which will turn players into monster riders, as opposed to hunters.
Last week I had a good time explaining my extreme dislike for esports. Granted, I do not dislike those who enjoy esports just like I do not dislike the guy up the street who worships – almost literally – at the church of football. But, the organization and big money that esports really is doesn’t toot my horn. With enough money and push you could make professional nose picking a sport and people would probably dig it, so I just don’t see the value.
Buy-to-play MMOs are becoming more and more popular around the industry. It’s clear that free-to-play games are expanding and their becoming more and more popular, but they’re not the only alternative to subscription based games. Even for MMOs, options exist for you to buy the game itself (or a registration code, in most instances) then never have to pay another dime again, unless you want to.