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Farcry 3:
Blood Dragon
From pirates to cyborgs: We take a first look at Ubisoft’s 80’s themed spin off.
PLUS:
PokéMMO - Will Nintendo let it live? A run down of our most anticipated MMO games.
WHEN lead Writer of the Farcry series Jeffrey Yohalem announced he was, “working on something that will be surprising,” back in march, few would have guessed what was coming. When a teaser video for Farcry 3: Blood Dragon was released on April first, most assumed it was a prank. Now, even after release, it is still hard to believe that this newest instalment in the series is actually exists.
“GET THE GIRL, KILL THE BADDIES AND SAVE THE WORLD.” The reason this comes as such a surprise is that it takes the series out of its usual survivalist comfort zone, and into a post-apocalyptic, dystopian future. Blood dragon trades Pirates and wild animals for cybernetically enhanced soldiers, and lets players wreak havoc as a bionic action hero. Fans of the series should forget about the survival aspects found in the prequels, Blood Dragon is an all out action game. Throw in a couple of mutants and a handful of neon dragons and you’ve got almost everything you could possibly want . . . right?
“THIS IS AN ALL OUT ACTION GAME.” Put simply, the game is just good fun. It is not a big
budget game in the slightest, it is a dressed up version of Farcry 3, which is probably why it’s so appealing. Gamers who have played its predecessors will already know the ins and outs, and they will be able to jump right into the open world. Those who may have never touched a Farcry game before will also be able to slide into the role, as it stands completely alone from its namesakes. The game doesn’t take itself too seriously either, how could it when it looks like the love child of Tron and Duke Nukem? And, in true 80’s sci-fi style, it has a hero, or anti-hero depending on how you play through the game, who is an absolute badass. There are no other words for it. From flipping the bird at every other enemy you kill, to the simple ability to cause absolute chaos with ease, the character fits perfectly into the science fiction, action hero role.
“IT’S ABOUT BLOWING STUFF UP AND GOING IN ALL GUNS BLAZING.” Lovers of Farcry 3’s story; its darker undertones and life altering choices may be disappointed by the lack of such aspects in Blood Dragon, the fun lies in the action rather than the story. Everything about this game is a throwback to the science fiction movies of the 80’s. The studio described it as a, “get the girl, kill the baddies and save the world,” kind of game. This shows in every part of the game, the main
character: Sergeant Rex ‘Power’ Colt (right) is an homage to The Terminator, and most of the weapons in game are reminiscent of the world of Tron or Blade Runner. There is an argument that Blood Dragon will do well, purely off the back of Farcry 3’s success. Even Yohalem admits that the project was, “Definitely a ‘strike while the iron’s hot’ thing.” Despite this, Blood Dragon has its own concepts; its own ideas and is an original game. It is definitely not to be mistaken for simple DLC, you won’t need a copy of Farcry 3 to play it.
Unlike Farcry 3, it is not a survival game, focussing instead on action and adventure, rather than character development. It’s about blowing stuff up and going in guns blazing, rather than tactical espionage.
“THE WORK IMMENSE.”
BEHIND THIS GAME IS
While it may be a modification of the previous game, the work behind Blood Dragon is immense. Ubisoft have done everything to make this game feel like a true 80’s sci-fi experience, from the aesthetics, to the soundtrack, which features the musical styling’s of Power Glove, and gives that tone which is a must have for complete immersion into the world Ubisoft is trying to create. The studio also released a live action video, which sets up the back-story for the world in which the game is set, and the teaser trailer was animated like a 1980’s VHS cartoon (Below). While the game may not be completely story orientated, it is still there for anyone who wants to be completely immersed, for everyone else though, there’s always the fun of blowing stuff up to the retro-electro soundtrack. Despite a lacking budget, Ubisoft have poured so much into this game. They obviously had some fun making this game, and it shows. Following suit of such stand-alone spin-offs as Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, Farcry 3: Blood Dragon provides fans with a fresh way to play one of 2013’s must have games. In a world where a nostalgia hungry gaming comunity is driving the need for more and more retro games, this is a clever way to mix the old and the new. Farcry 3: Blood Dragon might not bring a tear to the glowing, cybernetic eye, but that doesn’t mean it isnt worth the money. For anyone who longs for the return of the Sci-fi pop culture of the 1980’s, Farcry 3: blood Dragon is a must have. ABOVE:
Our Hero Arnold Sch- err . . . Seargeant Rex Power’ Colt. (Game Cover) LEFT: A screenshot of some of the many Cyborg enemies. BELOW: Our Hero making his debut in the game’s animated trailer.
FREE TO PLAY
FAVORITES A RUNDOWN OF OUR FAVORITE F2P MMO’s
For anyone who can’t afford the World of Warcraft subscription fees, this is our run down of the best Free to Play MMO’s. All you need to play these games is a computer, an internet connection and a few spare hours to waste.
No. 5: DIGIMON MASTERS ONLINE
Our first game on this list is one, which may not be for everyone. It is not an easy game to play, and can be quite slow, but for any fans of the Digimon TV series, this is worth a play.
Digimon Masters online is not like other MMO’s, arguably appealing more to fans of the series rather than to hardcore players. However, for anyone who did like the show, this game offers players the opportunity to step into the digital world, with their own digital monster companions, or Digimon. This game is a few years old at this point, and yet, it still feels like it is in its Beta testing phase. It is fairly hard to navigate, with a point and click system, rather than the conventional WASD controls which are standard in most MMO’s, and anyone not playing on a gaming PC might be a little slower to start. As for the rest of the game, the story is lacking. Players have four avatars to choose from, and four starter Digimon
companions. Zero customization options are a let down from the off, the only aspect of this is that clothes and other accessories are available later in the game. The whole aim of DMO is to acquire more Digimon, while leveling up both yourself and your companions. This dual leveling system is a neat feature, but seems irrelevant to most aspects of the game. As for finding more companions, this is the worst part of the entire game. The process is long and tedious. It requires players to fight wild Digimon in the hopes that they drop a ridiculously rare, “Mercenary Egg,” which is one of three types of eggs available in game. As for the other two types of eggs, one is essentially useless, giving the player some common items, the other is a DATA egg, of which you will need many to hatch your mercenary egg. Having trouble keeping up? You can see why this game is so difficult to play. After spending hours killing countless monsters in the hopes that one will drop
a mercenary egg, finally obtaining one can feel like a massive relief. However, the battle is only half won. After acquiring this egg, trying to hatch it can be a nightmare with the very high chance that you will break it during the process and lose everything. It is enough to make even the most casual gamers rage quit and storm off in a huff. However, for all its flaws, Digimon Masters deserves a place on this list. Why? It deserves a place because it’s original. Not only that, the amount of time the game requires gives an overwhelming amount of satisfaction when you do succeed. Also, when you get past the initial difficulty, and look at the aesthetics, the game is quite pretty. The artwork is exactly what you would expect from the creators of Digimon, even on the lowest graphics settings. The game deserves a place on the list because at its heart is everything a Digimon fan could want, despite its difficulty, the rewards will outweigh the miserable hours spent wading through meaningless monster battles.
No. 4: PokéMMO
From Digimon to Pokémon in one fell swoop; any die hard fans of the Digimon series may wish to avoid this next entry. Pokémon is one of the most highly selling games, by one of the biggest games companies in the world. Speak to anyone who grew up in the nineties and almost all of them will know what Pokémon is. In fact, more than a decade on and the Pokémon franchise is still growing, with new series on TV and new titles every year. Despite its scale though, Nintendo has never made the leap from consoles to online, and to be honest, why would they when their formula has stood the test of time. All that has really changed over the years are tighter graphics and a handful of new monsters. Never fear though, because the good Pokéfans over at PokéMMO have taken it upon themselves to create such a game. For more information, see our review.
No. 3: AGE OF WUSHU Our third instalment is the medieval martial arts MMO Age of Wushu, which is without doubt, the most unique game on this list, if not on the internet. One of the key characteristics of an MMO is advancement, becoming more powerful than other players, and unlocking more. Most role playing games do this with a levelling system. In Age of Wushu however, there is no such thing. Instead, the game focusses on learning new skills from scrolls and schools, which means that there is no need to kill countless monsters or spend hours on repetitive quests in order to advance. The game is as close to a kung-fu movie
as you could possibly get. The combat relies on facing the target, and using the skills you've learned, with a combo system closer to a fighting game than an MMO. It's more fluid than many games, and the multitude of different skills available means that you can really find your own style. But combat isn't the only thing separating Age of Wushu from other games in the market. Instead of following the classic, “Class,” systems of mos MMO's, this game doesn't let you choose from the off, instead, it teaches you the basics and lets you choose a school after the tutorial. So there are a couple of things which make Age of Wushu stand out, but these are not even the most interesting things
about it. Developers Snail Games USA have completely changed the face of MMORPG's with Age of Wushu. This game has an economy, it evolves with player input, not only that, but players can do just about anything. When a player logs out, their characters remain in the world, and can be kidnapped by others, players who kill other people will have bounties placed on their heads, and anyone with in-game police skill can track them down and make an arrest. There is just so much to this game that puts it ahead of the competition. So why is it only number three? There are a couple of reasons. Firstly, the game doesn't feel finished. There is so much text on screen, constantly, that it can feel a little crowded, and, despite the superb graphics, the controls can be quite buggy. With everything that has been put into this game, after a few hours it feels like you've barely scratched the surface. With so many choices to make, how can you know which is the right one? Age of Wushu is a new release, and is the youngest game in our list, so its success cannot possibly be judged yet, but if everything that it boasts is true, there is no reason that this game shouldn't become one of the higher scoring games. For now though, there is just too much which needs to be tightened up before it reaches the top of the list.
No. 2: DC UNIVERSE ONLINE In 2010 when Sony Online Entertainment announced that they were creating a free superhero based MMO, with the characters from the DC comic book universe, the hype was huge. Teaser videos and interviews with the development team, not to mention the fully animated trailer, showed the immense work behind creating what looked like it could shape up to be one of the biggest MMO’s of the last few years. Probably one of the most exciting features was that this game was going to be on Playstation 3 as well as PC. It looked like DC Universe Online might give WOW a run for its money. However, what seems too good to be true, usually is, and on the run-up to launch, which was pushed back a number of times, a series of let-downs came to light. Firstly, it was announced that the game would not be cross platform, Playstation 3 and PC players would not be able to play
together. Then the kicker, there was in fact, going to be a subscription fee. However, one year later, Sony announced that DCUO was going to adapt to a, “Free to Play,” (F2P) model. This model is one that many MMO’s have adapted in order to grow their customer reach. The system offers three modes of play: free, where anyone can play, with some features limited; preferred player status, where a one off payment will give a little bit more access; and of course, a subscription where all aspects of the game are unlocked. As for the game itself, the F2P model offers the standard game, and is definitely worth playing for anyone who has ever dreamt of being a superhero. Everything you could ever want is included, from customization, to choice of superpowers, even whether to be good or evil, the game offers players the chance to fight alongside their favorite heroes or villains from the DC comics franchise. Now, the concept of a superhero MMO may be uncommon, but it is by no means unique, with predecessors like, “Champions Online.” What makes DCUO so special, aside from the recognizable faces of Superman, Batman and the rest
of the DC universe, is the combat system. While most MMO’s adopt the, “point and click,” targeting system where hotkeys hold attacks, DCUO uses a, “button mashing,” combat system similar to games like Mortal Combat, or most other combat related games found on games consoles, alongside the standare MMO interface, utilising both to make combat more responsive. This is part of why it is such a success, it is much more fluid than the average MMO. Since the PS3’s graphics capability is already pretty good, anyone playing on the console will have the same graphics capabilities, and so nobody has to play with blurry characters, and everything looks tight. With all the social aspects of gaming that the Playstation network brings, DCUO is great to play with all your friends, all it takes is one download. Being a superhero is something that almost everyone has wanted at some point in their lives, so while you wait for that radioactive spider bite, or the chemical spillage that grants you your own super human abilities, DC Universe online is the next best thing.
No. 1: STAR WARS: THE OLD RE PUBLIC
This was a tough choice. Not because of any aspects of the game, but rather it was a toss up between being a Jedi Knight, or a Superhero. In the end though, Star Wars: The Old Republic came out on top for a few reasons. While it may not have the responsive combat of DCUO, the collectable monsters that Digimon Masters Online or PokéMMO have, or the martial artistry of Age of Wushu, SWTOR has so much more to it. One of the things separating this game from the other MMO’s on this list is the voice acting. While DCUO may boast an allstar cast, including Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy as the voices of The Joker and Batman, SWTOR has voice acting across the board. Every single quest, every side quest, and even the player’s characters have pre-recorded dialogue. Not only that, but SWTOR, like DCUO, allows for total immersion into one of the greatest franchises in the world. That
prospect alone should be enough to get Star Wars fans to play, and that’s without even mentioning the ability to visit all your favorite scenes from the movies, as well as a plethora of material from the official fiction. Star Wars: The Old Republic is set in a galaxy far, far away, and the sheer volume of content makes it feel like there truly is a whole galaxy to explore. Each class in SWTOR has a different story, and a different end-game, which means that there are so many ways to play. Players can slip into the role of Jedi Knight like Obi-Wan Kenobi; smugglers like Han Solo; bounty hunter like Boba Fett or Sith like Darth Vader. SWTOR has everything players expect from a good MMO, with a couple things to make it a little easier: sending companions to gather crafting materials means that minor skills can be advanced while the player concentrates on the fundamentals of the game. Of course, being able to have any colour of lightsaber you want is just the cherry on
top. Star Wars: The Old Republic is worthy of the Franchise name, and allows players to become a part of one of the biggest franchises in the world. One of its unique features is the, “Legacy System,” which allows players to link each of their characters in a family tree, with rivalries or blood relations, giving some of their lower level characters perks they have already gained. This feature really adds to the role-playing aspect of the game that some people look for, granting that all immersive experience. Similarly to DCUO, this game offers three ways to play: F2P, one off payment and a subscription fee. Playing for free restricts the amount of experience gained, and so advancing can take a lot longer, which is tedious, but definitely not any cause for alarm, the F2P status is definitely still playable. Star Wars: The Old Republic has so much to offer, whether you love Star Wars or just MMO’s, SWTOR appeals to both markets.
PokeMMO
Pokémon is probably one of the biggest hand-held games in the world, and there is no reason it shouldn't be. It has stood the test of time. While some parts of it may change or evolve, the formula has remained the same. There is a reason it is a household name, especially for those of us who grew up in the nineties. Over the years Nintendo have made small changes to the franchise, adding more monsters and updating maps, keeping only the very basic mechanics of gameplay the same, and it has become so successful that it has become a yearly title. Yet, with all its success, Pokémon has never made the jump to the Internet. Until now! The people over at PokéMMO have finally created what the nostalgic 90's kid in all of us is crying out for: the chance to play Pokémon online. Ok, it may not be an official Nintendo game, but does that make it any less relevant as an MMO? At its heart is everything Nintendo poured
“Even starting up the game, the nostalgia begins to flow.” into the original game, in fact, it even uses a, “ROM,” from “Pokémon: Fire Red version.” Which leads to its first problem. Before game-play even starts, there are so many different parts, which need to be downloaded. Since the ROM's needed to play the game can be downloaded illegally, PokéMMO refuse to supply them. Unfortunately, there is a danger in downloading ROM's, as they can
contain viruses, which could be a problem for some gamers. The ROM itself is just one of many things that will need to be downloaded which could also contain threats. However, in the name of journalism, the risk was one which had to be taken! Even starting up the game, the nostalgia begins to flow, after all, this is Pokémon! Not only that, it's online. It doesn't even matter that it runs
off of one of the older games, Fire Red version, which, when it was first released, was a remake of the original Pokémon game, and since Pokémon uses 2-D 64Bit graphics, like Nintendo's other famous face, Mario, it still looks good. In fact, for those of us who grew up playing all the Pokémon games, the fact that it is the original series is cause for excitement. The game throws in a couple of things which have always been missing from Pokémon, first off is character customization, which seems essential to make yourself part of the game, however, it has never before been included in the Pokémon series. One of our favorite additions is the hotkeys bar, being able to easily use repels without having to go into the backpack is such a relief. In fact, the whole menu interface of the hand held system has been changed. The wider screen allows for a menu bar, and a window where you can view your Pokémon party at all times, for quick changes in the line up, it makes the game a lot smoother.
“Character customization, which seems essential to make yourself part of the game, has never before been included in the Pokémon series.”
“Download the optional, “Heart Gold version,” ROM, which lets one of your Pokémon follow you around.”
The thing which turns PokéMMO into a true MMO, is the Teams system, which works like a Guild in most other MMO's. It will be interesting to see how this aspect of the game will be developed over time. The game is still fairly new, and who knows what changes may still be to come. If you chose to download the ROM's, it is recommended to also download the optional, “Heart Gold version,” ROM, which lets one of your Pokémon follow you around. Though it may feel exciting at the start, and despite being able to play online with friends, eventually the novelty wears off, and it is just Fire Red version all over again. Which was in no way a bad game, it's just that playing it through again can feel repetitive, despite the nostalgia. For all the negatives that this game has, which are admittedly, rather unrelated to game-play, the sheer fact that it's Pokémon is enough to intrigue most fans. It may not be a game for the hardcore MMO'ers but for anyone who played Pokémon when they were young, it is worth a try.