Posted on July 6, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards
Phantasy Star Online 2, Sega’s decade long water torture sequel to one of the most addicting console action RPGs has finally launched in its native Japan. Over independence day Sega flipped the switch on the final build of PSO2 and even if you don’t speak Japanese or can’t read Kanji you too can join in on the fun with a little bit of technical wizardry and patience.Read More
0
Posted on June 21, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards
The MechWarrior franchise has heated up recently. From fans creating the Crysis modification Living Legends a few years ago to the upcoming Free to Play action title MechWarrior Online coming to windows PC later this summer it is a great time to be a mech fan.
Developer Piranha Games have released three different tiers of founders packages for those looking to gain early access to the game. Not only will pilots who are willing to fork over a little of their cash be able to access the game early but they’ll also get a special title, a few months of premium access and in game currency.
Check out the different packages after the jump. Read More
0
Posted on June 10, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards
We are no strangers to Riot Game’s PC MOBA title League of Legends here at Broken Joysticks. It’s disheartening to hear that the games West and Nordic European servers have been compromised and encrypted passwords & email addresses have been placed in the hands of those who would use them for harm.
The company says that no billing related information has been obtained by the hackers but if they were to un-encrypt the passwords used for the small number of LOL accounts compromised, that would be bad.
If you live in Europe and have an active LOL account it wouldn’t be a bad idea to simply login and change your password. You also might want to make sure that the same password is not used for any other online service.
0
Posted on May 25, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards
City Interactive, the developers behind the upcoming free-to-play FPS World of Mercenaries, have announced that the gamer has entered closed beta. If you happened to be one of the lucky few who were able to snag a beta key via the games website you can enter it into steam and begin playing.
World of Mecenaries was developed using Epic Game’s Unreal Engine 3 technology and asks the player to pay special attention on team work and related FPS skills. City Interactive promises that both casual and hardcore players will be able to enjoy the game equally.
You can find more information on World of Mercenaries at their official website. Why not sign up for the closed beta while you are there?
0
Posted on May 24, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards
Roadhouse Interactive and A.C.R.O.N.Y.M have released several unit bios for their upcoming free to play browser based tactical strategy game MechWarrior Tactics. The game places two players against each other in turn based battles. To be successful commanders must place units tactfully and manage their resources carefully.
These brand new bios give us a brief description of the mechs alongside various descriptions. They range from light weight “hit and run” style machines to heavy hitters armored with futuristic plasma weapons and shoulder cannons. It’s mass destruction for the whole family!
You can currently register for Mech Warrior Tactics at their website. The game takes place during the year 3025, which puts it several years behind almost every established MechWarrior game including the first titles!
The series has seen a bit of a resurgence lately with both MechWarrior Online and Tactics being free to play titles.
0
Posted on May 24, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards
The next entry in the venerable Command & Conquer Franchise, the free to play Tiberium Alliance is now available for all to play. The game had a rather extensive closed beta which ran from December of last year all the way until this month!
Alliance puts you in the role of either a GDI or NOD commander during the Tiberium with the focus on building bases. You’ll have to place structures, manage incoming Tiberium crystals and power plants. The game certainly puts more emphasis on the base build and resource management that can sometimes fade into the background when playing a more traditional RTS.
EA released a debut trailer to mark the game coming out of beta. It is nice to see that they have treated Alliances with care, its visual style is very reminiscent of the modern C&C titles within the confines of traditional 2D Art.
Enlist now by checking out the game’s official website or watch the debut trailer.Read More
0
Posted on May 2, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards
A new mech from Pirhana Game’s upcoming MechWarrior Online has been revealed. The Catapult mech uses long range missiles in order to obliterate its targets. When paired with a spotter the Catapult can devastate opponents who aren’t within visible range. Rounding out the Catapult’s offense package are a series of four laser cannons and freaking JUMP JETS!
MechWarrior online has been under development since 2009 and has seem quite a few delays due to supposed legal troubles with Harmony Gold, the owners of the Robotech franchise. If all goes according to schedule MechWarrior Online will release free of charge on Windows PC sometimes this summer.
Check out the first image of the Catapult after the jump. Read More
0
Posted on April 26, 2012 by Matthew Regier
Since the now defunct developer of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, GSC Game World has gone under many of the former employees have taken the initiative to form a new company, Vostok Games. This new studio has put themselves hard to work working on their first big release, a free-to-play MMO called Survarium. In which this game will be developed on the new Vostok Engine and planned for a late 2013 release.
“Despite no official continuation of [S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2] it looks like the ideas and spirit will live on in the team’s new game – ‘Survarium'” said the developers through a tweet under the GSC’s Stalker account.
0
Posted on April 24, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards
The free to play model has exploded in recent years with established games like Lord of the Rings Online and Team Fortress 2 adopting the model after being released at retail. Newer games like Phantasy Star Online 2 and Tribes Ascend have adopted the model in favor of a retail release all together. These games offer players a good portion of gameplay for free with additional items, add-ons and experiences available for a nominal fee.
Just how many players of these games spend their hard earned money on in-game items? According to the NPD group approximately 40% players report that they have spent real world money within Free to Play games. In the Freeium Games Market Report the NPD estimates that 40% of the United States population have played some form of Free To Play entertainment.
Do you spend any of your gaming time with Free to Play titles? One of my most anticipated games Phantasy Star Online 2 will be releasing under the model sometime later this year. Time will tell if larger games like World of Warcraf also adopt this model.
0
Posted on April 23, 2012 by Matthew Regier
The sequel to the mega-popular Warcraft 3 mod, Defence of the Ancients 2 (DotA2) has been announced to be free-to-play once the game releases. Valve CEO Gabe Newell also says it’s going to be free-to-play with a few twists to it.
According to Newell the business plan for the PC and Mac RTS is still being worked out, but it will be designed around rewarding the community for their contributions within the community. “The issue that we’re struggling with quite a bit is something I’ve kind of talked about before, which is how do you properly value people’s contributions to a community?” says Newell.
0
Posted on March 26, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards
Sega has announced some brand new details for their upcoming MMORPG Phantasy Star Online 2. The game was previously confirmed for the PS Vita as well as Windows PC and has now been confirmed for Japanese Smartphones.
The publisher also confirmed that the PC version will be free-to-play supported by in-game micro transactions. Micro transactions will also be supported on the PS Vita and Mobile versions, whoever it is unknown if players will have to play for the client software. Unlike other “free 2 play” MMOs the in-game store will not restrict free players to a certain level cap or offer experience boosts. Items purchased with “AresCash” (in game currency) will be used for cosmetic changes to player’s characters.
0
