Thursday, June 6, 2013

New iOS Games Tonight: Scurvy Scallywags, Kingdom Rush: Frontiers and more!

New iOS Games Tonight: Scurvy Scallywags, Kingdom Rush: Frontiers and more!:
Technology is a funny thing, isn't it? We depend on our smartphones and tablets these days for almost everything, and most of us probably couldn't even imagine living

Warframe coming to PS4

Warframe coming to PS4:
Free-to-play game to launch alongside upcoming Sony console and use major DualShock 4 controller functions. Digital Extremes has announced that it will be

Games of the Month - May 2013

Games of the Month - May 2013:
We're really on the brink of summer now! But while many people may be enjoying the prospect of lazy summer days and going to the beach instead of some gloomy school

Fast & Furious 6: The Game Review

Fast & Furious 6: The Game Review:
This is a freemium game review, in which we give our impressions immediately after booting a game up, again after three days, and finally after seven days. That's what the

Scrolls: First Impressions

Scrolls: First Impressions:
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have more money than God? Me too. And while only a call to his accountant could verify this, it seems that Minecraft creator

Allods Online updates guild vs guild rules of engagement

Allods Online updates guild vs guild rules of engagement:
Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Trailers, Video, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, Allods Online, Dungeons, Player-Generated

My first look at Blade 9

My first look at Blade 9:
While taking a break for studying (and it was really needed, Russian Linguistics can drive people crazy if studied too long in 1 day) I saw from the corner of my eye on a

Facebook Credits will finally be killed off in September

Facebook Credits will finally be killed off in September:
A year ago, Facebook announced that it was abandoning its Facebook Credits system, in favor of local currencies. From September this year, the Credits system will finally be

TUG wraps up Kickstarter, shows off art video

TUG wraps up Kickstarter, shows off art video:
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Dev Diaries, Sandbox, Crowdfunding TUG has crossed the finish line of its Kickstarter with its fists thrust triumphantly toward the sky,

Why Social Features Are So Important to Mobile Games

Why Social Features Are So Important to Mobile Games:
Word-of-mouth marketing is a powerful tool, and it is no different for mobile gaming. In fact, according to the user-acquisition experts at Applifier, word of mouth is how

Square Enix Launches Final Fantasy IV on Google Play

Square Enix Launches Final Fantasy IV on Google Play:
Square Enix, the publisher of SQUARE ENIX interactive entertainment products in the Americas, announced today that Final Fantasy IV is now available for compatible

If WarioWare Were An Epic Fantasy Adventure, It'd Be This Game

If WarioWare Were An Epic Fantasy Adventure, It'd Be This Game:
Welcome to another one of those app reviews where I spend all day planning on reviewing a specific title but then get so caught up in something unexpected and

Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate going free-to-play in Japan

Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate going free-to-play in Japan:
Free version of 3D-fighting game to include majority of single-player modes and online mode; four characters only available. Tecmo Koei has announced it will be

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn third beta phase starts this June

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn third beta phase starts this June:
Next phase to include PS3 version testers and player-matching features. Square Enix has announced that it will be rolling out its third beta test phase for Final Fantasy XIV: A

World of Warcraft: Greg 'Ghostcrawler' Street Talks Escalation

World of Warcraft: Greg 'Ghostcrawler' Street Talks Escalation:
With the latest patch deployment, World of Warcraft players have seen new features and systems rolled out. Blizzard has been keeping tabs on reactions. We sat down for

I've Never Played With Color And Shapes Quite Like This

I've Never Played With Color And Shapes Quite Like This:
Show me a collection of squares arranged on a grid and filled with color, and I'll show you a game I've played before. That's what I was thinking as I downloaded Blip Blup, a

Elsword adds open-world areas, quadruples in size

Elsword adds open-world areas, quadruples in size:
Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Trailers, Video, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play Kill3rCombo is adding

DC Universe Online: Sony Announces MMOs Headed to PS4

DC Universe Online: Sony Announces MMOs Headed to PS4:
According to IGN-EU, Sony Online Entertainment will be taking DC Universe Online, PlanetSide 2 and EverQuest Next to the PlayStation 4. The information was

Josh Mosqueira steps forward as new Diablo 3 game director

Josh Mosqueira steps forward as new Diablo 3 game director:
Josh Mosqueira has succeeded Jay Wilson as the game director for Diablo 3, which has been out for a year now. In a post...

The Elder Scrolls Online Interview - Draw Non-MMO Players into the Fold

The Elder Scrolls Online Interview - Draw Non-MMO Players into the Fold:
Game Reactor has published another Matt Firor interview from last week's pre-E3 Elder Scrolls Online preview event. The ZeniMax game director had plenty to say about the

Starcraft II gets spawning for non-upgraded players

Starcraft II gets spawning for non-upgraded players:
Players now able to access additional Starcraft II content when in a lobby with friends. Blizzard has introduced a system called spawning into Starcraft II, allowing its

Sega embracing "disruptive" Ouya with Sonic

Sega embracing "disruptive" Ouya with Sonic:
Three Sonic titles kick off Sega's partnership with Ouya

Watch the plague spread in the newest Defiance trailer

Watch the plague spread in the newest Defiance trailer:
Filed under: Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, Events (In-Game), Patches, News Items, Post-Apocalyptic, Defiance, Buy-to-Play Last week, players were warned of a plague that

Swordsman Online - New Combat Mode Added for 2nd Test Phase

Swordsman Online - New Combat Mode Added for 2nd Test Phase:
Swordsman Online recently entered its 2nd test phase in China, and developer Perfect World added a new rectile combat mode, much similar to Blade & Soul's. You can

Terraria coming to phones and tablets

Terraria coming to phones and tablets:
Terraria is going mobile. Originally released in 2011 by the indie studio Re-logic, gamers have found a great...

The Secret World Game Director's letter dishes more details on Issues 7 & 8

The Secret World Game Director's letter dishes more details on Issues 7 & 8:
Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Patches, News Items, The Secret World, Dev Diaries, Buy-to-PlayWe already knew that Issue #7 would bring The Secret World a spy-like

EVE Announces More Odyssey Changes and Steam Integration | Ten Ton Hammer

EVE Announces More Odyssey Changes and Steam Integration | Ten Ton Hammer:
CCP have announced more UI changes coming with EVE's Odyssey expansion and new Steam integration options.

Second Wind Roundtable: Allods Online

Second Wind Roundtable: Allods Online:
Filed under: Fantasy, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Allods Online, Second Wind Hello again, kind gentlefolk, and welcome to the latest installment of the Second Wind Roundtable.

Dragon's Prophet: First Impressions of Open Beta

Dragon's Prophet: First Impressions of Open Beta:
Dragon's Prophet has officially entered its North American open beta and is already generating a lot of buzz. We've spent some time in game and have some impressions

Review: Tetris Blitz

Review: Tetris Blitz:
Of course you've heard of Tetris. It's the grandaddy of digital puzzlers - a game so familiar that it's hard to imagine what the freemium Tetris Blitz might offer that's new.

Dragon's Prophet - Beta Review: Coming under Fire

Dragon's Prophet - Beta Review: Coming under Fire:
Dragon's prophet is developed by Runewaker Entertainment, creators of Runes of Magic, Dragon's Prophet will launch as a free-to-play MMORPG in 2013.

Tetris creator launches new game

Tetris creator launches new game:
Alexey Pajitnov launches Marbly on iOS, his first game designed exclusively for mobile devices. Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov has launched the match-three game Marbly on

The Week In Gaming Apps Is Sorry It Tried To Kill You

The Week In Gaming Apps Is Sorry It Tried To Kill You:
Look, we all make mistakes. None of us are infallible. Sometimes I forget to pay my cable bill until after the due date, Stephen Totilo thinks Majora's Mask is one of the

Phantasy Star Online 2 - SEA Publisher Announced

Phantasy Star Online 2 - SEA Publisher Announced:
With the North American server for Phantasy Star Online 2 getting a delay later into the year, the Southeast Asia English server was announced discreetly a few weeks back.

Perfect World creates its own gaming platform

Perfect World creates its own gaming platform:
Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Champions Online, Neverwinter Is your gaming world a Perfect World? If you're one of the

Trion outlines RIFT's Empyreal Assault patch, F2P offerings

Trion outlines RIFT's Empyreal Assault patch, F2P offerings:
Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, RIFT Trion has published a preview web page for RIFT's

Wings Over Atreia Exclusive: Soar into Aion 4.0 June 26th

Wings Over Atreia Exclusive: Soar into Aion 4.0 June 26th:
Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Events (In-Game), Expansions, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Wings Over Atreia Could it be? Is that really... it IS! Your eyes do not deceive you;

WildStar economy post talks item decay, Raph Koster, and more

WildStar economy post talks item decay, Raph Koster, and more:
Filed under: Fantasy, Economy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, WildStar What do hyperinflation and Raph Koster's A Theory of Fun for Game

MechWarrior Online brings out the Firebrand

MechWarrior Online brings out the Firebrand:
Filed under: Sci-Fi, Trailers, Video, Patches, Free-to-Play, MechWarrior Online, MOBA MechWarrior Online's latest update is burning up the charts (or really anything

World of WarPlanes: Open Beta Approaches

World of WarPlanes: Open Beta Approaches:
Wargaming has a new developer post on the World of WarPlanes site that lays the groundwork for the forthcoming open beta. The date has yet to be determined, but

96 percent of EVE Online players are male

96 percent of EVE Online players are male:
Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Culture, Interviews, MMO Industry, News Items, Sandbox CCP marketing bigwig David Reid recently told Destructoid that 96 percent of

Eve Online and Dust 514 offline after DDOS attack

Eve Online and Dust 514 offline after DDOS attack:
UPDATE: Servers back online. "Vulnerability has now been secured"

EVE Online Deploys Odyssey Expansion | Ten Ton Hammer

EVE Online Deploys Odyssey Expansion | Ten Ton Hammer:
CCP revitalizes exploration in EVE Online today with the launch of its 19th free expansion, Odyssey.

PopCap unearths new game details and official trailer for Plants vs. Zombies 2

PopCap unearths new game details and official trailer for Plants vs. Zombies 2:
Summer is almost here, and what better way to get into the warm and sunny season than by going outside and planting a Sunflower or two? Today PopCap has finally

Guild Wars 2: Dragon Bash Celebration Detailed

Guild Wars 2: Dragon Bash Celebration Detailed:
ArenaNet has revealed new information about the next Guild Wars 2 in-game event set to arrive on June 11th. Called "Dragon Bash", the celebration will feature some

Square Enix on why Deus Ex is going mobile

Square Enix on why Deus Ex is going mobile:
Publisher says The Fall won't be "watered down," explaining "we're as serious about next-gen as we are about tablet gaming." When Square Enix announced Deus Ex:

Firefall’s Last Beta Weekend Starts Friday | Ten Ton Hammer

Firefall’s Last Beta Weekend Starts Friday | Ten Ton Hammer:
Firefall hosts its final public beta test weekend this Friday before heading into open beta next month.

The Next Halo Game Is on Mobile and PC

The Next Halo Game Is on Mobile and PC:
Hello. It's 2013. That's why the next Halo game runs on tablets, has microtransactions and touch controls.Read more...

Marvel Heroes launch-day roundup and opening cinematic

Marvel Heroes launch-day roundup and opening cinematic:
Filed under: Super-hero, Launches, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Marvel Heroes Suit up, Marvel Heroes! Today's the day you launch into the fight against evil, so

Warhammer Quest Review

Warhammer Quest Review:
When you get right down to it, Warhammer Quest is a fairly straightforward action-RPG that's set in a generic fantasy world. This is actually good news though, because

Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright Trilogy Review

Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright Trilogy Review:
In late 2005, Capcom released a Nintendo DS port of their popular Game Boy Advance title, Gyakuten Saiban, to U.S. audiences for the first time as Phoenix Wright: Ace

Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright Trilogy HD review

Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright Trilogy HD review:
Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright Trilogy HD is an iOS release from Capcom. It’s available now as a free download from the Apple App Store and carries additional in-app

Hello MMO - May New MMO Collection

Hello MMO - May New MMO Collection:
Lots of beta tests and new games show their faces to gamers this month, if you are tired of waiting for the anticipated games that haven’t arrived yet, just check out the

Castlot Review

Castlot Review:
It's unfortunate, but I found my principal enjoyment of Castlot in the names that some of its most devoted players use to refer to it in the public and alliance chat

Rise and Shiny: Anno Online

Rise and Shiny: Anno Online:
Filed under: Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, Opinion, Free-to-Play, Browser, Hands-On, Casual, Rise and Shiny, Crafting At first, Anno Online

Blade & Soul's 2.0 patch boasts weapon and skill upgrades

Blade & Soul's 2.0 patch boasts weapon and skill upgrades:
Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Blade & Soul NCsoft Korea just updated Blade & Soul's weapon and skill

Path of Exile updates open beta with new content this June

Path of Exile updates open beta with new content this June:
Free-to-play action RPG's update also adds in new high-tier currency, leagues, and challenges. Developer Grinding Gear Games has announced a new update to its

Dungeon Striker Soars in the Weekly Korean Gaming List

Dungeon Striker Soars in the Weekly Korean Gaming List:
With the Korean open beta of Dungeon Striker in full swing, the cute style MMORPG turns out to be the dark horse that even surpassed League of Legends and

SMITE wises up with Athena

SMITE wises up with Athena:
Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Classes, Patches, Free-to-Play, MOBA How many gods are left in the universal pantheon for Hi-Rez Studios to exploit for SMITE? We

Wargaming kicks 'pay-to-win' monetization to the curb

Wargaming kicks 'pay-to-win' monetization to the curb:
One of the most successful free-to-play online game companies on the planet has announced a sweeping change in the way it monetizes all of its games. ...

Zynga’s annual shareholder meeting focuses on real-money gaming

Zynga’s annual shareholder meeting focuses on real-money gaming:
Zynga today held its annual stockholders meeting in San Francisco, which heavily focused on the game company’s real-money gaming efforts, an anonymous

Fired Zynga Staff Hits Reddit to Talk Life Before the Massacre

Fired Zynga Staff Hits Reddit to Talk Life Before the Massacre:
A few game-makers who got the axe on Monday have already recovered—enough to dish on Reddit, at least. They're answering questions right now—and talking severance

Report: Omgpop shut downs as part of Zynga’s restructuring

Report: Omgpop shut downs as part of Zynga’s restructuring:
As part yesterday’s staff purging at Zynga, which saw 520 employees lose their jobs, in other words 18 percent of its staff, Zynga shut down Draw Something developer

Zynga lays off 18 percent of its employees, shuts down 3 offices

Zynga lays off 18 percent of its employees, shuts down 3 offices:
Zynga today let go 18 percent of its employees (approximately 520 people) after shutting down its Los Angeles, Dallas and New York City studios. The studios that

Zynga laying off 520 staff, shuttering multiple offices

Zynga laying off 520 staff, shuttering multiple offices:
Reports have surfaced that Zynga is laying off over 500 employees as well as shutting down three of its offices, likely as part of its refocus on mobile development. ...