19 May 2013 | |
iTZKooPA
The ‘free’ part of that equation is subjective. If you want to upgrade a few of your SMITE gods to their Epic skins you previously had one option, pony up some cold hard cash. No Favor grinds for that Sobek ‘High Seas’ doodad or ‘Lil’ Mana’. Now you can trade some marketing information and a bit of your time for free Gems, the MOBA’s in-game currency.
In some people’s minds it’s still a bit of work, but the cross-promotional tool is become more and more common in the F2P genre. Developers open up easy avenues of revenue that are opt in for the player base. Players get in-game currency to pimp out their characters. Don’t mind giving up some details and a few moments of time, then by all means dive right in.
Personally, I’ve always been weary of these. Perhaps even cynical. I believe it dilutes the brand, as the developer does not control what’s being advertised, nor the Terms of Service that its players agree to. It also opens up additional support costs, as players that have issues (incorrectly) seek help from the developer. In fact, Hi-Rez is already seeing some issues.
Economically for the gamer, you’re putting all sorts of time and effort into very little return. Makes sense for those without cash flows (or credit cards). For the rest of us, farming Favor and money is far more time efficient.
18 May 2013 | |
iTZKooPA
The latest addition to the roster of Infinite Crisis is Gaslight Joker, yet another Batman villain. This multiverse character is a hardcore beefcake, capable of absorbing ridiculous amounts of damage. That’s a good attribute to have, as Gaslight Joker loses health each time he uses an ability. His passive replaces it as the character picks up credits.
Playing a bit like Zac of League of Legends fame, Batman’s arch nemesis isn’t a one-trick pony. Gaslight Joker features many support capabilities, including a healing debuff and fear. In addition, the trickster can be built to produce a substantial amount of damage in his own right.
The reveal trailer after the cut markets Gaslight Joker as a high sustain tank. Yet one can easily see that Gaslight Joker can seemingly be built in a variety of ways, depending on need. Now if only I could get in the closed beta to see if my suspicions are correct.
Continue Reading
16 May 2013 | |
iTZKooPA
It was a long wait for full English support of Anno Online, but the game is now out in the wild. Developed by Ubisoft subsidiary Ubisoft Blue Byte, the hive mind behind The Settlers, Anno Online adopts the title’s original medieval timeframe and maintains the strategy elements Blue Byte fans have come to expect.
This is the first of three browser games Ubisoft announced at Gamescom 2012 to enter the “launch” phase of free-to-play games.
Those of you lucky enough to get into the closed beta testing in late April will have the chance to earn two rewards. That’s on top of a head start, as there was no data wipe. All players can pimp out their city with a unique statue. Players who log in during the first week of open beta will also unlock a premium ship capable of carrying more freight faster.
If perks and a new game aren’t enough Blue Byte has sweetened the deal by detailing the first patch. The advanced Guild System will unlock larger strategic options between 25 other players including the Guild Hall building. Guilds will be added in mid-May.
Hit the jump for the latest assets for Anno Online. Continue Reading
16 May 2013 | |
iTZKooPA
Guess what kind of character she is?! Did you say physical mid-range tank? If so, you need to uninstall SMITE right away! Isis, the latest sexy female to be added to Hi-Rez Studios’ mythological MOBA doesn’t feature the curvy character art like her in-game sisters, but she can be just as pesky.
The Egyptian Goddess of Motherhood, Magic and Fertility fulfills the niche of a support mage. Isis is a dangerous foe in lane or with allies capable of AoE debuffs, sharing regen or negating damage to allies. Like numerous recent additions, Isis has a special meter for her scepter. Only enabled when she launches her ultimate, the scepter will explode dealing damage and healing allies when triggered.
Isis launches with a unique Queen of the Nile skin alongside a new cross-promotion skin for Global Agenda. Vulcan players, including myself, will want to reach level 30 in Hi-Rez Studios’ original game to unlock Sentry Vulcan. In addition to skins, the developer is retiring the rather pointless notion of levels in SMITE. In its place will be God Worshippers. As players win with each god they will earn points towards God Mastery. A total of 10 levels are in the current system. It is unknown what God Mastery offers at this time.
Hit the jump for the full god reveal of Isis, Goddess of Magic. We’ll have more on her and Fenrir next week as part of the on-going SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained column. Continue Reading
15 May 2013 | |
iTZKooPA
*Note* Updated with the latest offer. Stay tuned for more!
Grabbing the latest skin for Artemis is as easy as pi. No, the other kind of pie. Actually, that’s pretty difficult too. It’s easy as cake, but that’s a lie. Uh, it’s easy as boiling water, assuming you’ve easy access to fire. Okay, it’s as easy as a Loki gank. Previously teased in the patch from earlier this week, the promotion is now live and features the complex task of hitting a button. The only catch is that you’re required to have a Twitter account. I mean, it was labeled as a Twitter promotion after all.
Head on over to WishPond, fill in your email address and click the ‘Claim offer’ button to have a Stalker code hand delivered by the robots of the Internet to your personal email account. From there, grab the code and manually type it into the SMITE game client. Yeah, Hi-Rez Studios can make a fantastic and unique MOBA, but has trouble with the copy and paste function!
Now that I’ve that secured, it’s time to go work on Cacodemon Ymir again, which you earn by hitting Level 30 before the game launches. Oh, and while you’re on Twitter, be sure to follow @LoreHound.
14 May 2013 | |
iTZKooPA
WoW: Memories features wacky, entertaining and enduring stories from the world’s most popular subscription-based MMOG.
In 2009 I ended my hardcore raiding ways in World of Warcraft. My gaming career during that can easily be summed up in two words, guild hopping. Since the Year of the Ox began I had been through a raiding member of four guilds, and another while everyone was still leveling. To me, the act of switching that often is sacrilege, but fleeting guild experiences have become the norm. With Wrath of the Lich King’s introduction of 10- and 25-man raids, an easier badge system, and then the Dungeon Finder, guilds had become neigh replaceable by PUGs. The changes lead me to experience the gauntlet of raid leader types since the Alliance and the Horde decided to take the Lich King’s threat head on. From the best-friend to the belittling asshole, I dealt with them all in 2009. The main concern is that the best, and who is the most fun to play with tend to be two different answers.
Without question the most productive guild I had been a part during 2009 was the last of them. We cleared ICC 25-man the second day, the guild dropped ToGC like it was Naxxramas and TotT was defeated with alts. Everyone was geared out the wazoo – I recall only being invited because two members vouched for me – with the best enchants, full epic gems and Rawr checking all required. By required I don’t mean you would be sat, but kicked. The GM and officers are nowhere near lenient, opting to outright kick players who fall behind in the slightest. The guild demands perfection, something I actually prefer, but the raid leader I’ve largely dealt with wore on me. Quickly. I hadn’t screwed up, but the constant stream of swears, belittling of other members and his power complex wore on me. I knew it was burning me out. My only enjoyment became the competitive nature among the rogues and the progression itself. Not from the guild atmosphere. Continue Reading
13 May 2013 | |
Mordil
That’s right! Hi-Rez Studios is breaking into the eSports scene by offering their own weekly NA and EU bracket tournaments every Saturday and Sunday.
The prize pool is $1,000 for each bracket, every week!
The games are organized so the casters can stream practically every match on SMITE’s Twitch.tv channel.
Those of you who want to sign up (good luck!) should head over to the new eSports hub, esports.smitegame.com.
For those of us who want to just watch, NA coverage begins at Noon EDT (7pm GMT) and EU coverage begins at 9am EDT(3pm CET).
In addition to EU being split off from NA, EU has different language coverage on different channels:
- German is on www.twitch.tv/smitegameDE
- Polish is on www.twitch.tv/smitegamePL
- French is on www.twitch.tv/smitegameFR
Read on to see the full rules!
Continue Reading
10 May 2013 | |
iTZKooPA
Is this the right game?
The fateful day is upon us. After many moons, Gazillion Entertainment has made the decision that Marvel Heroes will be heading to full launch in the immediate future. Penned by Marvel scribe Brian Michael Bendis, the dungeon crawling MMOG is set to launch on June 4, with early adopters receiving early access on May 28.
Players that participated in the previous open beta weekend in late April will be happy to know that their progress awaits their attention. Otherwise, prepare yourself for new characters, challenges and dynamic zone destruction. Let’s not forget that Gazillion has listened to player feedback adamantliy (correct by the editor!), modifying such important systems as the real-money transaction shop based on community feedback.
Bored of all the jibba jabba? Hit the cut for the latest trailer, Thor – God of Loud Clouds. The final open beta session unlocks today, May 10 at 2:00 PM EST and continues until Monday, May 13 at 7:00 AM EST.
