Everyone has a fighting chance
We recently asked you all about what kind of MMO videos you like to watch, and this week’s TGN column is piggybacking on that as well. This time, we want to know: do you prefer videos with player commentary or videos where we get out of the way and just let you watch?
While not MMO-related, many here will be saddened to hear of the death of one of the world’s most prolific and best-beloved authors, Sir Terry Pratchett. Pratchett wrote over seventy books based in and around Discworld. He died earlier today at age 66 in his home surrounded by his family. Pratchett had been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s and had largely retired from public life in recent years.
Back in the late 90s, there weren’t that many MMOs to go around for fans of the genre. But things are different today, with hundreds of competing games clogging the pipes of the industry. And while many leave a lot to be desired, it’s not hard to find a few gems in the pile of MMORPGs available. Today’s quest? Tell us if you play more than one, and how you hop between them all.
I would like to apologize to my readers for my recent grumpiness; I tend to lash out when I feel that gaming and many of its fans are causing the genre more harm than good. If you have kept up with the last two or three years of gaming news, you’ll know why I am so adamant about pressing the opinion that of all of the forces that are hurting the genre, entitled gamers will always be the biggest source of damage.
We sat down with the folks from Utherous at PAX East to have a first look at their new game. Using the Atavism MMO Creator, Thomas Timothy and his team have created a sandbox where players can build up their towns, siege other towns, or take on the local wildlife and other beings inhabiting the world of Utheria. Paired with Bionic Marine Command Online in a Steam bundle that recently got greenlit, Utherous shows a very strong sense of identity within a full-to-bursting genre.
In sandboxes, there’s a lot of emphasis on playing your way. It’s something we’re seeing a lot lately with the number of procedurally generated games on the market. At PAX East, I had the opportunity to check out procedurally generated Windward, a sandbox game with multiple ways to live out your type of high seas fantasy, sail, battle, explore, or even play with (or against) friends.
Ah, Second Life. It’s still the angsty teenager of the MMO world, even though it’s been around for more than a decade. My account is almost as old as the game – May of 2004 – but I definitely do not play in the world as much as I have in the past. Second Life really deserves full attention, or at least it can demand it, just like a teenager. It’s also full of energy and hormones and bursting with creative ideas… just like a teenager.
Chroma Squad, a tactical RPG inspired by Saban’s Power Rangers, will be released on April 30th via Steam for PC/Mac/Linux. Funded via KickStarter, Chroma Squad puts players in the role of a sentai television studio manager that ultimately will control cast members in turn-based tactical combat.
Webzen has announced that Age of Wulin, the EU version of Age of Wushu, has been updated with the latest content addition called "Chapter 4: Betrayal and Forgiveness". Chapter 4 brings six new player factions into the game and gives players an opportunity to explore new ways to play the game based on factional choices.
Small independent studios, Aurofinity and Dreamtrix, are about midway through a very modest KickStarter campaign for their hardcore action RPG Wave of Darkness. These are the same studios responsible for Legends of Dawn, the first in a planned trilogy of games. Wave of Darkness is, at the moment, a PC-only title and features and open, explorable world, spell generator, crafting, mini-games, and the promise of modding tools to be released at a later date.