Piranha have posted up Dev Blog 3 "Role Warfare". It's well worth a read and gives a great insight into the tactical possibilities that Mechwarrior Online is aiming for. Particularly when you put it alongside the info from Dev Blog 2 "Information Warfare". In many ways it sounds similar to how scouting works in World of Tanks, just expanded a lot, which to be honest was exactly how it worked in MW3-4, if you played in proper premades. So when you think about the "thinking mans shooter-simulator" nature of Mechwarrior games, it would suggest that if Piranha do manage to put their ideas into play... Well, we just might see a game with an unrivaled focus on teamwork, tactical play, information sharing and of course player skill and experience.
Of course it's early days and it would be unwise to make statements of assured success (oh haaaaai GW2 :P ). So far all we have is the (excellent) concept art, the game engine concept video that prompted the whole thing and a lot of good and reassuring ideas from devs. However, as anyone that's been around gaming for a while will know... devs say a lot of stuff. Delivering them is a whole other kettle of fish.
Regardless, this is currently no1 in my MUST-PLAY-NOW!! list for 2012.
HD link
Showing posts with label World of Tanks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World of Tanks. Show all posts
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Saturday, 7 January 2012
The 5 most Bootaefull games of 2011
'Tis the season to post your favourite games of the last year and not wanting to be left out, here's my belated list. I'm not going to try and be arty, clever or pick some obscure nonsense for geek cool points, I'm just going to pick the games that I genuinely enjoyed the most from 2011 releases. Not that I'm sneering at the indie releases or some of the big production masterpieces that are blatantly missing, there's been many high quality games for sure, it's just that if I'm honest none of them had anything like the impact that these did for me and my "hours played" in Steam says it all. As such this is probably not going to be that shocking a list, other than an almost complete absence of online games, but if nothing interesting launches what can you do?
So in no particular order:
Skyrim
I like Nordic themed stuff, RPGs in general, non-linear games, huge arse dragons and the previous Elder Scrolls games. How could I not like Skyrim? Easy, I bloody love Skyrim. Ehem, that is as much as it's possible to get emotionally attached and a little aroused by fantasy pixels anyway. Is it perfect? Of course not, no game ever has been or ever will be, but for me it's pretty damn close and is easily the most immersive and utterly beautiful game world ever created. I spent my first 30 hours or so with Skyrim just walking around enjoying the scenery, dealing with whatever I encountered and actually having an adventure. "Having an adventure." That's the key phrase with Skyrim and one I don't think any other game comes close to.
I really hope the multi-player co-op play mod works out well for this, because if so there's a bunch of us that will probably not been seen elsewhere for a good long time :)
Football Manager 2012
Like any self respecting Englishman, I am heinously obsessed with Football (or sawwkerrrrr for my friends in the colonies). It should be no suprise then that since probably the SNES days I've bought each of the annual updates for the holy trinity of football games (Pro Evo, FIFA and the FM series), but in recent years I find myself playing console games a lot less and as a result I've missed out on the last couple of FIFAs and Pro Evos. The FM series however (which is PC only) I just can't quit and this year was no exception. Somehow every damn year Sports Interactive manage to make the game just that bit better and 2011's FM2012 is no exception (the year in the title is because of the season being 2011/12 btw). The match engine is a joy to watch and really does allow you to see the impact of your tactics and adjust as required. The player database remains the most detailed and accurately researched in the industry. And then somehow the UI and options you have as a manager are staggering in both their detail and accessibility, which is quite a feat.
If you're not interested in Football then of course the game is baffling, but if you are interested, and I mean really interested, then it's just bloody glorious.
Star Wars: The Old Republic
I wasn't sure if I was going to include this, as it is early days really, but it did release in 2011, is a very good game that I am enjoying a great deal and I know I'll be playing it for at least a couple more months. I won't say much more about it in this post as plenty has been said already.
Spacemarine
Is Spacemarine really one of the top 5 games of the year? No. But it's still makes it to my top 5 because it's the best Warhammer shooter ever made (not a hard feat I know...) and I had a blast playing it. Don't get me wrong, it is definitely a very good game even without taking into account my Warhammer bias, but I do recognise that it's that bias nudging Spacemarine into this list. The fast paced and DAKKA DAKKA packed campaign has a dense and near perfect 40k atmosphere. With the in-game melee and ranged combat, Relic have absolutely nailed the uber killing machine that a Spacemarine is supposed to be, the Chainsword is a thing of the most horrible beauty to employ... Plus they also provided a thoroughly enjoyable multiplayer mode.
So whilst Spacemarine's only "groundbreaking" claim can be that it's the first very good Warhammer game that isn't an RTS, that is actually a fairly big deal for some of us. And when you combine it with the fact that Spacemarine is just bloody well fun to play... Yup, that sure works for me
Total War War: Shogun 2
I've got a bit of a soft spot for Japanese history and I'm also an Akira Kurosawa film nut. In addition I really like games that require some thought to play. As such it should be no shock that I was a huge fan of the original Shogun Total War and was therefore quite excited about it finally getting a proper sequel. To be honest I was never really in any doubt that it would be good, I've enjoyed every game in the Total War series and I had faith that Creative Assembly wouldn't screw up a re-imagining of what is pretty much their ultimate and most classic game.
They nailed it. It's an exceptional game in all departments. Absolutely beautiful throughout, from it's menu page backgrounds, to it's campaign map and right down to the real time battles themselves, the graphics and art are spot on. Then there's the audio (particularly the music) which adds wonderfully to the atmosphere and can be quite dramatic. Of course the main thing is the gameplay itself, which is solid in all areas and when played at higher difficulty levels it has suitably aggressive AI. That aggression fitting the historical setting rather well. I won't explain the gameplay as everyone should know how the Total War games work, but if you really don't... just go buy it, unless of course you don't do strategy games.
For me all of these games were great and it was an easy choice for my top 5. Sure there may well be games that for all sorts of reasons may have been more important or even to some people "better" games, but they are the ones I enjoyed the most and continue to play. Yet from those games there is one I can comfortably pick as my Game of the Year. OMG SHOCK HORROR!!! It's Skyrim.
Finally a couple of honourable mentions:
World of Tanks (EU launch was 2011 and I played the crap out of it)
No Time to Explain (so funny and just retro-modern-crab cool)
So in no particular order:
Skyrim
I like Nordic themed stuff, RPGs in general, non-linear games, huge arse dragons and the previous Elder Scrolls games. How could I not like Skyrim? Easy, I bloody love Skyrim. Ehem, that is as much as it's possible to get emotionally attached and a little aroused by fantasy pixels anyway. Is it perfect? Of course not, no game ever has been or ever will be, but for me it's pretty damn close and is easily the most immersive and utterly beautiful game world ever created. I spent my first 30 hours or so with Skyrim just walking around enjoying the scenery, dealing with whatever I encountered and actually having an adventure. "Having an adventure." That's the key phrase with Skyrim and one I don't think any other game comes close to.
I really hope the multi-player co-op play mod works out well for this, because if so there's a bunch of us that will probably not been seen elsewhere for a good long time :)
Football Manager 2012
Like any self respecting Englishman, I am heinously obsessed with Football (or sawwkerrrrr for my friends in the colonies). It should be no suprise then that since probably the SNES days I've bought each of the annual updates for the holy trinity of football games (Pro Evo, FIFA and the FM series), but in recent years I find myself playing console games a lot less and as a result I've missed out on the last couple of FIFAs and Pro Evos. The FM series however (which is PC only) I just can't quit and this year was no exception. Somehow every damn year Sports Interactive manage to make the game just that bit better and 2011's FM2012 is no exception (the year in the title is because of the season being 2011/12 btw). The match engine is a joy to watch and really does allow you to see the impact of your tactics and adjust as required. The player database remains the most detailed and accurately researched in the industry. And then somehow the UI and options you have as a manager are staggering in both their detail and accessibility, which is quite a feat.
If you're not interested in Football then of course the game is baffling, but if you are interested, and I mean really interested, then it's just bloody glorious.
Star Wars: The Old Republic
I wasn't sure if I was going to include this, as it is early days really, but it did release in 2011, is a very good game that I am enjoying a great deal and I know I'll be playing it for at least a couple more months. I won't say much more about it in this post as plenty has been said already.
Spacemarine
Is Spacemarine really one of the top 5 games of the year? No. But it's still makes it to my top 5 because it's the best Warhammer shooter ever made (not a hard feat I know...) and I had a blast playing it. Don't get me wrong, it is definitely a very good game even without taking into account my Warhammer bias, but I do recognise that it's that bias nudging Spacemarine into this list. The fast paced and DAKKA DAKKA packed campaign has a dense and near perfect 40k atmosphere. With the in-game melee and ranged combat, Relic have absolutely nailed the uber killing machine that a Spacemarine is supposed to be, the Chainsword is a thing of the most horrible beauty to employ... Plus they also provided a thoroughly enjoyable multiplayer mode.
So whilst Spacemarine's only "groundbreaking" claim can be that it's the first very good Warhammer game that isn't an RTS, that is actually a fairly big deal for some of us. And when you combine it with the fact that Spacemarine is just bloody well fun to play... Yup, that sure works for me
Total War War: Shogun 2
I've got a bit of a soft spot for Japanese history and I'm also an Akira Kurosawa film nut. In addition I really like games that require some thought to play. As such it should be no shock that I was a huge fan of the original Shogun Total War and was therefore quite excited about it finally getting a proper sequel. To be honest I was never really in any doubt that it would be good, I've enjoyed every game in the Total War series and I had faith that Creative Assembly wouldn't screw up a re-imagining of what is pretty much their ultimate and most classic game.
They nailed it. It's an exceptional game in all departments. Absolutely beautiful throughout, from it's menu page backgrounds, to it's campaign map and right down to the real time battles themselves, the graphics and art are spot on. Then there's the audio (particularly the music) which adds wonderfully to the atmosphere and can be quite dramatic. Of course the main thing is the gameplay itself, which is solid in all areas and when played at higher difficulty levels it has suitably aggressive AI. That aggression fitting the historical setting rather well. I won't explain the gameplay as everyone should know how the Total War games work, but if you really don't... just go buy it, unless of course you don't do strategy games.
For me all of these games were great and it was an easy choice for my top 5. Sure there may well be games that for all sorts of reasons may have been more important or even to some people "better" games, but they are the ones I enjoyed the most and continue to play. Yet from those games there is one I can comfortably pick as my Game of the Year. OMG SHOCK HORROR!!! It's Skyrim.
Finally a couple of honourable mentions:
World of Tanks (EU launch was 2011 and I played the crap out of it)
No Time to Explain (so funny and just retro-modern-crab cool)
Monday, 26 September 2011
Bits and MMO bobs
Right now I'm in that slightly awkward phase between MMO obsessions, so my attention is leaping all over the place as I hawk around for news on something to inspire me. So since my head is all random, here's a few random bits and bobs of MMO news I've read lately and felt like commenting on...
World of Darkness, CCP's vampire MMO (same setting as the legendary Vampire The Masquerade RPG), is going to have perma-death. Interesting, bold and a little surprising, but then CCP do have slightly bigger balls than most developers. Though apparently you'll get plenty of warning and opportunity to prevent it, so I'm not sure quite how much of a risk it is, yet it will at least be a genuine possibility.
Also, and this I didn't see coming, in World of Darkness you'll be able to play as a human?! I'm not sure why anyone would want to with the range of different vampire types in that setting (from bestial mingers, to psycho killers, to kinky boot beasts). Presumably there's something fancy planned there. Very little info out there about this game at the moment, but it's one I'm very keen on hearing more about.
On the WAR front the only glimmer we have is the line "And next year we are about encounter bloodlust in an additional way.", which I expect to be the Sylvannia stuff appearing in some form. It irritates me that something like this isn't appearing now, it would make so much difference to the game. Mythic desperately need to speed up their patch cycle. Dramatically.
Planetside 2 will be F2P. Instantly we could choose to start worrying about it being pay2win, but actually I'm not that concerned. The original Planetside's level system didn't work like most MMOs, in that instead of levels giving you power, they gave you options. It allowed you access to a wider range of weapons and vehicles that gave you options in what kind of gameplay you experienced, but it didn't make you better as such. For example the big MAX suits had huge weaponry and armour, but their mobility was terrible. A basic agile armoured infantry set up would still be lethal if played to it's strengths. So I am hoping that the cash shop (I presume it will have one) will sell options rather than power. This remains the big hope for my next long term game, unless SWTOR proves to have long term appeal.
Star Wars The Old Republic has a release date of 20th/22nd December US/EU. No news yet on the head start dates, presumably a good few days beforehand. I just hope people with boxed pre-orders (like me) are given a download option because having to rely on the post at that time of year is less than ideal.
It's a funny time to release the game really, I assume its being done to further break up people logging in (combined with the staggered launch malarkey) to help Bioware with a smooth launch. If it's not nigh on perfect there will be much rage spewing across the internet. Personally I don't care much, it gives me plenty of time with Skyrim :P I do feel sorry for those Bioware employees and their families that have effectively had Christmas cancelled.
Outside of MMOs, because THEY ARE NOT MMOs (Massively I am looking at you), I'm intrigued to see the makers of World of Tanks developing both World of Battleships and World of Warplanes. WoT is a very good game, if a little too cash shop dependent, and as someone with a Silent Hunter addiction, I'm particularly intrigued to see what Wargaming.net can do with the big shooty ships. I just hope it doesn't turn out to be World of Battleshops.
World of Darkness, CCP's vampire MMO (same setting as the legendary Vampire The Masquerade RPG), is going to have perma-death. Interesting, bold and a little surprising, but then CCP do have slightly bigger balls than most developers. Though apparently you'll get plenty of warning and opportunity to prevent it, so I'm not sure quite how much of a risk it is, yet it will at least be a genuine possibility.
Also, and this I didn't see coming, in World of Darkness you'll be able to play as a human?! I'm not sure why anyone would want to with the range of different vampire types in that setting (from bestial mingers, to psycho killers, to kinky boot beasts). Presumably there's something fancy planned there. Very little info out there about this game at the moment, but it's one I'm very keen on hearing more about.
On the WAR front the only glimmer we have is the line "And next year we are about encounter bloodlust in an additional way.", which I expect to be the Sylvannia stuff appearing in some form. It irritates me that something like this isn't appearing now, it would make so much difference to the game. Mythic desperately need to speed up their patch cycle. Dramatically.
Planetside 2 will be F2P. Instantly we could choose to start worrying about it being pay2win, but actually I'm not that concerned. The original Planetside's level system didn't work like most MMOs, in that instead of levels giving you power, they gave you options. It allowed you access to a wider range of weapons and vehicles that gave you options in what kind of gameplay you experienced, but it didn't make you better as such. For example the big MAX suits had huge weaponry and armour, but their mobility was terrible. A basic agile armoured infantry set up would still be lethal if played to it's strengths. So I am hoping that the cash shop (I presume it will have one) will sell options rather than power. This remains the big hope for my next long term game, unless SWTOR proves to have long term appeal.
Star Wars The Old Republic has a release date of 20th/22nd December US/EU. No news yet on the head start dates, presumably a good few days beforehand. I just hope people with boxed pre-orders (like me) are given a download option because having to rely on the post at that time of year is less than ideal.
It's a funny time to release the game really, I assume its being done to further break up people logging in (combined with the staggered launch malarkey) to help Bioware with a smooth launch. If it's not nigh on perfect there will be much rage spewing across the internet. Personally I don't care much, it gives me plenty of time with Skyrim :P I do feel sorry for those Bioware employees and their families that have effectively had Christmas cancelled.
Outside of MMOs, because THEY ARE NOT MMOs (Massively I am looking at you), I'm intrigued to see the makers of World of Tanks developing both World of Battleships and World of Warplanes. WoT is a very good game, if a little too cash shop dependent, and as someone with a Silent Hunter addiction, I'm particularly intrigued to see what Wargaming.net can do with the big shooty ships. I just hope it doesn't turn out to be World of Battleshops.
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Like a rabbit with chilli up its arse
At the moment when it comes to MMO gaming, I’m leaping around like a rabbit with a chilli up its arse. Despite the fact that I actually have far less over all MMO gaming time than in previous years, I currently have 4 online games that I am actively playing, albeit in relatively small chunks each. An hour here, 20 minutes there, maybe even an evening there, boing, bloody boing I go.
Warhammer Online
This is clearly my main game again, as it’s the one I’m spending the most time in and also enjoying the most. I’ve been playing my Disciple of Khaine a lot, which has been quite entertaining really. He was L36/RR24 last week and I know the sensible thing would have been to stay in Tier 3 and get his renown rank up to 70, but to be frank Tier 3 sucks badger balls. Too much dull arse RvE as people try to blast their renown rank up with minimum effort. So thanks to about an hour in Land of the Dead and 2 war tracts, I hit level 40 and got stuck into Tier 4 RvR. It’s been fun and its amusing to see how insanely good the DoK career is, allowing me to contribute reasonably well and even heal successfully in scenario premades straight away.
Other than that I’m switching between my horde of other alts and of course my Chosen. I am loving the Chosen again... It’s been great fun I must say and whilst the game still has a great many issues, it is in a fairly comfortable place right now. For me at least... Anyway, as ever I’ve got lots to say about WAR and will be doing just that in the very near future.
RIFT
The number 2 (and I don’t mean turd) in my gaming time, I am still liking RIFT a lot. I don’t however do any PvP in it anymore, there’s not much to be found even on a PvP server and well, it just can’t compare to WAR in that regard. The PvE is exceptional though and I’ve been doing a weekly dungeon run session with the guys from our Kill Frenzy RIFT guild and thoroughly enjoying it. I’ve also been dabbling a little with a Defiant Cleric on another server and have really enjoyed doing the rifts and events in Freemarch. Doing my PvP in WAR and my PvE in RIFT has left me feeling rather contented with both games, playing them both for what they are good at.
World of Tanks
Not really an MMO, it’s a lobby with instanced scenarios and to be honest has more in common with Counter Strike than it does an MMORPG. It is a really enjoyable game though and I can’t recommend it enough as a free to play game. It does have a fairly harsh learning curve at first I would say to anyone just starting it, stick with it, upgrade your tank and learn its role. Once you get the hang of it you’ll have a great time, as long as you like tanks of course…
APB Reloaded
I was one of the poor suckers that bought the original game and was then shafted when Real Time Worlds went BOOOOOOOOOM! I hadn’t been that impressed with how it played and then I got burnt by the game closing, so I was in two minds about whether to try out the new F2P version. I have to say I am really glad I did. It has been MUCH improved from the original simply by the new developers making it so that where you aim your gun actually has relevance to if you hit your target and the car handling is way better than before. APB is an extremely entertaining game; it’s not the full PvP carnage you may expect, but when on missions against other players and in teams it can be hilarious. Example of a classic moment I had the other day…
I was on a mission and for whatever reason I was driving like crazy through the streets with a car full of criminal players chasing me. They were hanging out of their car shooting mine up with machine guns, my car was getting battered and I was in serious trouble. As my car started to smoke I leapt out, the car rolled on, the criminal’s car came alongside it, unfortunately for them exactly at the moment I opened up with a shotgun into the back of my own car… The petrol tank must have got hit, because it exploded in a BIG way and with the criminals right next to it, the explosion took their car out and killed them all! I cackled with glee in real life. :D
So yes, APB Reloaded is another F2P game that I would say is well worth a download. I’ve no idea on its longevity and I personally will only dip in and out casually, but as a free game? No reason not to try it out.
Warhammer Online
This is clearly my main game again, as it’s the one I’m spending the most time in and also enjoying the most. I’ve been playing my Disciple of Khaine a lot, which has been quite entertaining really. He was L36/RR24 last week and I know the sensible thing would have been to stay in Tier 3 and get his renown rank up to 70, but to be frank Tier 3 sucks badger balls. Too much dull arse RvE as people try to blast their renown rank up with minimum effort. So thanks to about an hour in Land of the Dead and 2 war tracts, I hit level 40 and got stuck into Tier 4 RvR. It’s been fun and its amusing to see how insanely good the DoK career is, allowing me to contribute reasonably well and even heal successfully in scenario premades straight away.
Other than that I’m switching between my horde of other alts and of course my Chosen. I am loving the Chosen again... It’s been great fun I must say and whilst the game still has a great many issues, it is in a fairly comfortable place right now. For me at least... Anyway, as ever I’ve got lots to say about WAR and will be doing just that in the very near future.
RIFT
The number 2 (and I don’t mean turd) in my gaming time, I am still liking RIFT a lot. I don’t however do any PvP in it anymore, there’s not much to be found even on a PvP server and well, it just can’t compare to WAR in that regard. The PvE is exceptional though and I’ve been doing a weekly dungeon run session with the guys from our Kill Frenzy RIFT guild and thoroughly enjoying it. I’ve also been dabbling a little with a Defiant Cleric on another server and have really enjoyed doing the rifts and events in Freemarch. Doing my PvP in WAR and my PvE in RIFT has left me feeling rather contented with both games, playing them both for what they are good at.
World of Tanks
Not really an MMO, it’s a lobby with instanced scenarios and to be honest has more in common with Counter Strike than it does an MMORPG. It is a really enjoyable game though and I can’t recommend it enough as a free to play game. It does have a fairly harsh learning curve at first I would say to anyone just starting it, stick with it, upgrade your tank and learn its role. Once you get the hang of it you’ll have a great time, as long as you like tanks of course…
APB Reloaded
I was one of the poor suckers that bought the original game and was then shafted when Real Time Worlds went BOOOOOOOOOM! I hadn’t been that impressed with how it played and then I got burnt by the game closing, so I was in two minds about whether to try out the new F2P version. I have to say I am really glad I did. It has been MUCH improved from the original simply by the new developers making it so that where you aim your gun actually has relevance to if you hit your target and the car handling is way better than before. APB is an extremely entertaining game; it’s not the full PvP carnage you may expect, but when on missions against other players and in teams it can be hilarious. Example of a classic moment I had the other day…
I was on a mission and for whatever reason I was driving like crazy through the streets with a car full of criminal players chasing me. They were hanging out of their car shooting mine up with machine guns, my car was getting battered and I was in serious trouble. As my car started to smoke I leapt out, the car rolled on, the criminal’s car came alongside it, unfortunately for them exactly at the moment I opened up with a shotgun into the back of my own car… The petrol tank must have got hit, because it exploded in a BIG way and with the criminals right next to it, the explosion took their car out and killed them all! I cackled with glee in real life. :D
So yes, APB Reloaded is another F2P game that I would say is well worth a download. I’ve no idea on its longevity and I personally will only dip in and out casually, but as a free game? No reason not to try it out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
About Me
- Bootae
- Half man half pixel. Music obsessive, likes a drink, occasional bastard.