World of Tanks: Free2Play-MMO has a release date for Xbox One

The military MMO World of Tanks will be coming to Xbox One in July. You can find the exact dates in our article.

World of Tanks has already landed on Xbox 360, and next, the successful Russian MMO is targeting Xbox One with some key dates.

  • Pre-download starts on July 10.
  • There will be a beta for 48 hours on July 11 and 12.
  • And the game will officially launch on July 28.

It will essentially be the Xbox 360 version, which is considered to be a bit more “action-oriented” than the PC version. However, World of Tanks on Xbox One will feature enhanced graphics compared to the Xbox 360 version, as promised. Players on Xbox One can continue playing their Xbox 360 accounts if they have one and can also play together or against players who are running World of Tanks on an Xbox 360.

For the Xbox One version, Wargaming is adding the new PvE mode “Training Grounds.” Here, players can practice the various battle modes with AI comrades for real combat situations.

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Wildstar for a Euro

If you don’t want to wait until the Free2Play transition of WildStar, now you have the opportunity to check out the SciFi MMO from Carbine cheaper than ever. As part of a “Humble Bundle“, it is almost given away.

Humble Bundle: The E3 Digital Ticket

WildStar
For only one euro, it is worth considering…

Most players have probably already bought one or the other Humble Bundle. In the context of this year’s E3, a special offer has been created, which includes a lot of goodies for other games (like a World of Warship beta key or a Smite package) as well as WildStar.

When purchasing a package, you can set your own price. It starts at one dollar, with no upper limit. Those who pay more than the average will receive some additional games on top.

Primarily, the bundles support charitable organizations. The actual publishers – like NCSoft – do not receive any of the proceeds. Bargain hunters can get in at a low price. Those who can afford it pay a little more and also support various projects, this time the ESA Foundation. But beware! The offer is only valid for just under 3 days.

The WildStar code along with the 30 days of game time can only be used for new accounts. It is therefore perfect for luring friends and acquaintances into the game.

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H1Z1: Zombie-MMO now has walkie-talkies, Kalashnikovs, guard towers

The survival MMO H1Z1 is getting technical gadgets and a new weapon this week.

Tuesdays are patch days for the zombie MMO H1Z1. Maintenance took place today, June 16, from 2 PM to 4 PM our time. Here’s what the patch brought:

  • There are new “walkie-talkies” that are placed in a specially created new equipment slot. Players can communicate over greater distances on one of the channels with them (the default key for this is 7 on the number pad). In the ambient voice chat, you currently cannot hear when someone speaks into the radio. This is expected to change later.
  • The Kalashnikov is in the game, the world-famous AK-47.
  • There is a new police station in Cranberry.
  • The “floor” for the base, called the foundation, can now be further expanded with a special recipe. Another recipe allows for the construction of watchtowers.
  • With the hotkey “Control+M”, you can mute all other players.
  • Some bugs have been fixed, and the maximum viewing distance has been increased.

The AK-47 on the test server:

http://youtu.be/GkQQhoE1lxs
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Source(s):
  1. reddit h1z1

Smite: Patch updated Nox and brings new skins

As of today, the latest patch for the MOBA SMITE by HiRez is live. The small expansion “Pins and Dolls” primarily focuses on a overhaul of the night goddess Nox, but also brings a lot of new skins and balancing changes.

In the Night, the Horrors Lurk – The New Nox

Smite Nox Head

Nox’s abilities have been fundamentally changed. Not because her old set was bad, but because it “felt” like it didn’t fit as well as one would have hoped. The Mistress of the Night is meant to sow fear into the hearts of her enemies – after the overhaul, that is definitely possible!

  • Shadow Lock can root a single target for up to 2 seconds. Damage is dealt every 0.5 seconds and Nox must channel the ability (but can move freely).
  • Siphon Darkness now silences a large area directly. The silence area remains for two seconds, then it explodes for high damage.
  • Shadow Step has two functions: On one hand, it’s a sprint that damages all enemies hit on the way and can save Nox from dangerous situations or chase the enemy. However, if the ability hits a friendly god, Nox slips into their shadow and travels with them for about 6 seconds. During this time, she is invulnerable – but cannot do anything else but cancel this ability. If she ends her journey in a companion’s shadow, Nox deals damage in a large area around the friendly god.
  • Night Terror creates a sphere that travels in a straight line and explodes upon hitting the first enemy or surface. The explosion deals damage and leaves a dot for 5 seconds that reduces the damage dealt by enemies by 30%.

Particularly combinations of Siphon Darkness and Shadow Lock can have devastating consequences. Whether players will be satisfied with the new abilities remains to be seen. In any case, they fit better with the gameplay that Nox was originally intended to convey.

New Skins: Triumph & Agni and Madame Darkness

As with every patch, skins cannot be left out. The most exciting skin is probably Triumph & Agni, which is exclusively for players who have played 30 hours together with someone they recruited themselves. Time will not be calculated retroactively; it will only be recorded from now on.

The second highlight is the new skin for Nox: Madame Darkness, who has devoted herself to the occult with a voodoo doll, nails, and plenty of dreadlocks and will torture her enemies in a cruel manner.

There will also be a new look for Cupid, the “Bizzy B Cupid” outfit will likely be released in the coming days as part of the “Summer of Smite”.

Additionally, there will be new “Tier 2” skins for Kali and Sun Wukong, as well as the golden, legendary, and diamond skins for Anubis and Bellona.

Balance: Down with Ratatoskr, long live Ne Zha!

As was hardly to be expected, the squirrel of discord is in trouble. All of Ratatoskr’s abilities will be reduced in strength by about 10-20% and his upgradeable acorn will also be weakened. Apparently, the little rodent has achieved an above-average performance, which will now be drastically curtailed.

Smite Ne Zha
The Lotus Prince finally gets a meaningful passive bonus.

Followers of Ne Zha, the third Lotus Prince, can rejoice: His passive ability now generates a stack with every hit, and with critical hits even 2 (Maximum: 20). When he activates “Flaming Spear,” the stacks are consumed, restoring 1.25% of his maximum HP for each – up to 25%.

Ah Muzen Cabs “Bees!” have been revised. The base duration is now only 2 seconds, but each auto-attack hits increases the duration by a second. If the target is affected by the bees for 4 seconds, it will be disarmed for a second. AMC is thus the second god after Bellona who can disarm.

Changes to Items

Ultimately, numerous items have been revised to allow for several different playstyles. The biggest change affects the popular Bluestone Pendant, which now only restores 1.5% of missing mana instead of the previous 3%, and the physical power has also been reduced from 15 to 10.

Ichaival and The Executioner lose a bit of attack speed, while Witchblade and the Shield of Regrowth offer more protection or restrict enemies more strongly.

A complete list of changes can be found in the Smite Forum.

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Source(s):
  1. smitegame.com

Destiny: The Twisted Claws and Search Shimmer – new loot tracks from Petra Venj

In the MMO shooter Destiny two new Wanted bounties from Petra Venj were added on June 16: “The Twisted Claws” and “Seeker Floaters.” We will show you where they are.

There is a kind of “drip-feed new content” in Destiny. On Tuesdays, new bounties appeared at Petra Venj in the weeks since “House of Wolves.” There are two types. This time, only the Wanted bounties are new. You only need to track down and eliminate specific enemies. There is no event to wait for or anything like that.

Nexxos shows you in the videos where the two new targets are.

The Twisted Claws

The Twisted Claws can be found on the Moon, in the underzone World Grave.

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The Seeker Floaters

The Seeker Floaters are hovering around on Earth in the breakthrough.

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With the tips, there should be no problems catching the Wanted bounties. If you are looking for help with other bounties, just enter the name of the bounty “in the search box at the top right”. This should guide you on the right path in Destiny – and with a video.

Good luck with the hunt, Guardian.

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HearthStone: New heroes live, card chaos starts tomorrow!

Since today, the new patch 2.7 for HearthStone is live. Not only did it bring three new heroes into the game, but also the card chaos mode. Additionally, there are several nice new features aside from these two main features.

Purchaseable Heroes – formerly known as Mercenaries

Hearthstone Alleria Hero Shop
The heroes also get their own page in the shop.

For €8.99 each, you can now purchase Alleria (Hunter), Medivh (Mage), and Magni (Warrior). The heroes offer a new appearance and unique emotes; gameplay-wise, nothing changes, so it’s just a fresh skin. The purchase price also includes a unique card back, visually matching the three heroes: Feathers for Medivh, Arrows for Alleria, and Rubies for King Magni.

Card Chaos: The fun begins on Wednesday

The new game mode is also included in the patch, but it will only open its doors tomorrow. From Wednesday 5:00 PM to Monday 6:00 AM, the new mode will be available each week. The rules for play and the prerequisites change weekly. Sometimes players will have predefined decks, other times they need to meet certain requirements. Restrictions like “Only minions costing 5 or more”, “Only cards depicting dwarves”, or any other crazy idea you can think of could be possible. To use the mode, at least one of the player’s classes must have reached level 20.

Hearthstone-Brawl

Many improvements in the Hearthstone collection

The collection is now much clearer: Cards can be sorted by their set with a mouse click (Blackrock, GvG, etc.), and the card backs have their own tab. If desired, players can now select a unique card back for each deck and customize their various classes visually a bit more than before.

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The Elder Scrolls Online achieves a successful sales launch in the UK

The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited enters the English sales charts as the second best-selling game of the year.

It seems Zenimax Online has done something right with the MMORPG, even though it didn’t perform as well as a subscription game. As soon as The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited hit the stores in England, over 100,000 copies were sold in the first week since release. So far this year, only the shooter Battlefield Hardline and the RPG The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt have achieved this.

Chasing Success for TESO

The Witcher 3 has a “slight” lead, having sold around 4 million copies so far – a huge success for the Polish developer CD Projekt Red! However, Battlefield Hardline has already left Zenimax’s MMORPG behind. It will be interesting to see how quickly TESO can catch up to The Witcher 3. However, another game is already on the horizon, which many believe will shake up the charts upon release: Fallout 4 is set to release on November 10.

TESO First-Person Perspective The Elder Scrolls Online

The transition of The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited to a Buy2Play model has visibly benefited the MMO. That it is now also playable on consoles was another smart move by the developers since console players haven’t had much of a selection in MMORPGs until now, even though it is slowly increasing.

If they had continued with a subscription model, the success of the console versions would certainly not have been as great, as the live fees on Xbox One also have to be considered, and many gamers would surely not have been willing to pay these plus subscription fees. The name The Elder Scrolls does its part to attract players, as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was a great success on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Fans will be looking to get the MMO to explore the fantasy world of Tamriel on console again. Just a few days ago, there was talk of millions of players logging in. New campaigns had to be created to handle the influx. This was not the case at the PC launch.

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Just started with TESO? Here are some tips for your first steps.

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Source(s):
  1. gamesindustry.biz

Destiny: Weekly Nightfall Strike, Prison of Elders and Variks on 16.6.

Destiny-Greyskull

In the MMO shooter Destiny , a new reset is coming on Tuesday, June 16. The weekly Nightfall strike and the Prison of Elders will be redefined. What do the Guardians expect?

The weekly reset comes relentlessly like Christmas. No one cares whether it fits or not; it simply is time. You pull off the calendar page in the morning, and it says December 24.

At the moment, it doesn’t really suit us for the weekly reset: Last night, the new expansion of Destiny, “Taken King”, was introduced. There would still be plenty to discuss about it, but 11:00 a.m. on a Tuesday is just 11:00 a.m. on a Tuesday. There’s nothing you can do.

Destiny-Omnigul

There is no reason to complain. Because this should be an exciting reset. After the patch yesterday, some have already gotten a taste of the new Skolas. And Variks suddenly sold different items after the patch yesterday – instead of the eternal strength stuff, there was even a split item.

The weekly Nightfall strike on June 16 is against Omnigul

Crota’s dad has appeared, now his girlfriend is back too. The strike is “Will of Crota”, against Omnigul

Modifiers are Angry, Juggler, and Void Burn. So Void-Omnigul.

Destiny-Sekrion

The weekly heroic strike on June 16 is against Sekrion

In the weekly heroic strike, we are going to Venus again in the Nexus. Everyone’s favorite Hydra Sekrion is waiting. But don’t jump for joy: “Grounded” is active, you will take more damage when you jump.

The Prison of Elders this week in Destiny

Gulrot-Destiny

The 32 level edition is the Ogre

In this week’s 32 level edition of the Prison of Elders, we expect the Ogre Gulrot the Unclean. Also known as Gulrot, the dangerous Norwegian carrot. He was already considered quite the loot piñata in the 34 level edition, as the easiest Prison of Elders boss up to that point.

  1. Vex/Airborne – Guardians deal increased damage when they are in the air
  2. Cabal/Grounded – Guardians suffer increased damage when they are in the air
  3. Vex – Void Burn
  4. Cabal/Angry – Enemies cannot be stopped by effect damage
  5. Cabal/Morbid – Guardians’ shields are reinforced but do not regenerate
Destiny-Cabal

The 34 level edition in the Prison of Elders

In the 34 level edition of the Prison of Elders, it is against the Cabal under Valus Trau’ug.

  1. Cabal/Juggler – Enemies do not drop ammunition for the weapon with which the kill was made
  2. Cabal/Switch – Enemies deal increased melee damage
  3. Fallen/Catapult – The cooldown of grenades is significantly reduced
  4. Cabal/Brawler – Guardians deal increased melee damage
  5. Cabal/Juggler – Enemies do not drop ammunition for the weapon with which they were taken down
Destiny-Skolas

The new Skolas 2.0 is waiting for you at 35

Yesterday, some already made acquaintance with the new Skolas. He was revised about 16 hours ago. Instead of a burn, he now has “two modifiers” active. Yesterday, those were increased primary weapon damage and “Switch.” Let’s see what awaits the Guardians today: The fight is supposed to play out quite differently.

The active modifiers are Juggler (no ammo for the weapon with which you kill) and Brawler (Guardians deal increased melee damage).

What is Variks selling in Destiny this time?

Variks sells gloves with intellect (for Warlocks, however, with strength) and a hand cannon that can stun Captains.

The stats for the gloves are likely:

  • Titan 107 Int; generates Orbs on melee kills of the Fallen
  • Hunter 116 Int, generates Orbs on melee kills of the Fallen
  • Warlock: 102 Strength, generates Orbs on precision kills of the Fallen

Videos, tips, and guides for the challenges of the week starting June 16 in Destiny

Throughout the day, we will show you videos of successful and particularly educational runs in which the Guardians overcame the challenges of this week.

In the first video, we see a fight against the new Skolas. No more “Gjallarhorn out, that does it”, but an elongated fight that requires endurance, concentration, and teamwork.

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Nexxos Gaming guides through the Nightfall strike this week, targeting Omnigul Void Burn.

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And an impressive performance to finish. A player battled solo through the 34 level Prison of Elders. And at the end took on Valus Trau’ug. Unfortunately, there is only a shortened recap from the end with a boost; there’s not much to see, but still … Great performance, Guardian.

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The Elder Scrolls Online: New patch brings EXP drinks – Pisjik Ambrosia

In the fantasy MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online, there are issues with the new patch 2.0.1 on PC. It leads to crashes. Additionally, EXP potions are now in the game.

As Zenimax reports, with today’s patch 2.0.11, increased crashes are occurring. They are working on resolving the issues. They are related to recipes in the players’ inventory.

Update: It seems they have managed to fix the issues; they require the download of a 160 MB patch.

This is how the new EXP potions work in The Elder Scrolls Online

For Playstation4 and XboxOne players:  Both the purchasable and the craftable EXP booster potions are expected to be available on consoles next month.

Patch 2.0.11 heralds the era of “EXP potions”. They will soon be available in the game’s cash shop. However, with the patch, they also came as “craftable” potions: The Psijik Ambrosia must first be learned with difficulty. The recipe breaks down into seven parts. These need to be earned. Individual recipe parts can be obtained with a chance from completing provisioning “crafting writs”, the daily crafting quests.

To craft an Ambrosia, you will need frost mirriam, barberry juice, and perfect roe. The first two ingredients are already in the game. Perfect roe can basically be obtained. The fish eggs may appear with a low probability when gutting fish.

TESO Church

The finished potion then grants a 50% increase in every experience gain. It also scales with corresponding bonuses from alchemists or connoisseurs.

The 50% experience gain also counts towards Champion Points and adds up to other EXP bonuses in the game, such as the Rings of Mara. They speed everything up, except leveling up with guild skill lines or crafting professions. These craftable potions, the Ambrosia, will also be tradable among players. Tony was probably right about fishing after all…

So it can indeed be used for Champion Points

In addition to these “craftable” EXP potions, there will also be “purchasable” ones available in the shop. These will be scrolls: 5 will cost 1000 crowns. A scroll lasts 2 hours. They cannot be used “on top of” each other or together with the Ambrosia. Instead, they are used just like dumplings are eaten: one after the other.

Crown Scroll TESO

Prior to this, there had already been discussions about EXP potions, whether they should affect “veteran characters” or not.

It seems that Zenimax ultimately decided on the version: You can use them to earn Champion Points. The alternative would have been potions that only last during leveling phase up to 50. During this phase, heroes do not earn “Champion Points”.

These points serve high-level players as a way to further customize their characters.

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Destiny: Everything about the new expansion “King of the Taken” from E3

Last night, the new expansion of Destiny “The Taken King” was presented at E3.

Leaks were accurate

Destiny-Oryx

It happened faster than expected. We thought the information would come late Tuesday evening, but Destiny is too important and got its own segment at Sony’s press conference before E3. The press conference began last night at 3:00 AM our time.

It looks like, the leaks prior were correct. The expansion is indeed called “The Taken King,” in German “König der Besessenen.” It pits us against Oryx, the father of Crota. He leads an army of the Corrupted.

Release date of the expansion is September 15.

These are the new subclasses in Destiny and the fresh trailer

There will actually be three new subclasses:

  • The Sunbreaker Titan
Solar-Titan
  • The Nighthawk Hunter
Leeren-Hunter
  • And the Stormcaller Warlock
Arkus-Warlock

Additionally, there will indeed be a 6-man raid, and there is more talk than ever about a “completely new arsenal of weapons and gear.” There will also be new strikes, Crucible maps, story quests, and “new places to explore.”

The ship that was mentioned early as a location makes an appearance in the descriptions. It’s said to be a “grave ship of the Hive” that appeared in the rings of Saturn.

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Expansion includes the base game and DLCs so far

It really seems that “The Taken King” is intended as the new Destiny 1.5 and will be offered in a box sale as “new Destiny” for new customers.

The new legendary version, which is probably the “normal” one, includes the base game, the two DLCs, and the new expansion. It has a price tag of $60.

A digital download for players who already have everything else and just want the expansion “The Taken King” is $40.

Players who reach Light Level 30 before August 31 or who own the two DLCs will receive the following items when purchasing “The Taken King”:

  • A Sparrow
  • A shader
  • And a special emblem

The new expansion will also have a Collector’s Edition, complete with a Steelbook and numerous other collectibles for new buyers (which also includes Destiny I and the two DLCs). It should be priced at $80. Here, there will also be special gestures, armor shaders, and three “class-specific exotic items that grant EXP bonuses” amongst the digital contents.

Destiny-Collector's-Edition
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Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward is tailored for German players

The stories in Final Fantasy XIV have recently taken a darker path. It almost seems like a farewell to the childlike style. The world in Eorzea is becoming increasingly cruel.

But what are the reasons for plunging into a dark age full of tragedies? About a year ago, we reported about an interview where Yoshida pointed out differences between the markets. At that time, it was said that the French, for example, prefer the kawaii style. This is a Japanese term that represents the typically innocent, cute aesthetic. In Germany, however, players prefer a dark atmosphere and are slightly averse to Japanese peculiarities, according to the game director.

Since Final Fantasy XIV has not yet made a big leap in the German market, an expansion that specifically targets this valuable market comes just in time, right? The latest updates and also Heavensward, which increasingly raise the dark fantasy aspect, suggest this. We personally asked Yoshida about this topic in France.

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The Dark Path to Heavensward

This actually began a long time ago, says Yoshida. The course of the story up to 2.55 was already clearly outlined when work was still underway on 2.1. There is a gap of about a year between these updates. According to this statement, the tracks for a brutal Final Fantasy were laid relatively early after the release of A Realm Reborn: “It is not that we have adapted to market demand, we had this idea before (…) We wanted a seemingly peaceful story to lead to a tragedy that shows the world in a different light and paves the way for new things. This story was in our minds.”

Final Fantasy XIV Heavensward Dragon

They want to return to their roots, to a classic Final Fantasy. This world is not just full of colors and happiness. This is what they focused on during the development of Heavensward: “Our goal was to show with Heavensward that the world is not an easy place to live. That’s why it has become a bit darker.”

He also made it clear that this is a Final Fantasy title from a developer of Japanese origin. The elements mentioned have not been completely banished from the world, they still appear everywhere. It remains a diverse setting. Nevertheless: He is aware that Germans prefer realistic backdrops and that the latest Final Fantasy titles have become too childish for them. Therefore, “Heavensward is tailor-made for players, especially for German players, who found the latest developments too cute.


For more information about the expansion, you can find our Heavensward preview and the thematic page for Final Fantasy XIV.

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The Division has a release date and another gameplay trailer

The MMO shooter “Tom Clancy’s The Division” has an official release date. Moreover, more gameplay material from the Dark Zones was shown.

Ubisoft presented the upcoming MMO shooter “Tom Clancy’s The Division” at E3 and has finally announced a release date. It is set for March 8, 2016. The game will be released simultaneously on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

An early exclusive beta has already been announced for Xbox One. PlayStation 4 and PC are also expected to receive betas, likely at the beginning of 2016.

http://youtu.be/xfioc47j-Cc

In the presentation itself, gameplay from the “Dark Zones”, a mixed PvE and PvP zone, was shown. Valuable items can be looted. To really “keep” them, players must first get them to safety. And one should trust no one… not even their own group members, as such a group can quickly fall apart.

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Star Wars Battlefront: First Gameplay at E3 Fully Embraces Nostalgia

The multiplayer shooter Star Wars Battlefront was presented by Electronic Arts at E3 in Los Angeles. Gameplay was seen for the first time. EA’s strategy seems clear: We rely on the power of nostalgia.

The press conference by Electronic Arts was a bit strangely structured. It began with a bang, announcing the new Mass Effect with a cohesive trailer. Then came Need for Speed and the new expansion “Knights of the Fallen Empire” for SWTOR, before fans were fed nearly an hour of casual games, mobile games, and numerous sports franchises. The diet didn’t sit well with some of those present, gaming journalists and viewers of such live streams are primarily core gamers. And they were mainly there for two things: Mass Effect and Star Wars: Battlefront.

It seemed EA had anticipated this. They repeatedly flashed in the live stream: Later, Battlefront is coming.

Star Wars Battlefront Mission

Star Wars Battlefront was the highlight of EA’s E3 presentation

Star Wars Battlefront was then presented towards the end of the show at 11:15 PM our time. A Swedish developer from Dice presented the game with a strong but not unlikable accent and continued here the strategy “N for Nostalgia.” As a child, she was afraid of Darth Vader, pretending with a slightly modified pen that she was in Star Wars and would shoot with a phaser.

Today, no other medium is as suitable for immersing oneself in the world of Star Wars as a video game. But one thing is clear, the players demanded gameplay and that was what they wanted to show them. The hall responded with applause.

Skywalker-Battlefront

Gameplay on Hoth

The gameplay consisted of a 20 vs 20 player battle on the ice planet Hoth, which seemed strangely familiar to the fans. And that was exactly the plan. Style, aesthetics, maybe also the course of the battle are modeled on the films in great detail. And like in the original trilogy, action is everywhere on the screen. Foot soldiers, powerful AT-ATs, the walkers, and also spaceships deliver action. The battle splinters into skirmishes, into duels. That the AT-AT only runs on pre-defined tracks, which the fans had complained about beforehand, doesn’t play a major role in the tumult now.

With a jetpack, one briefly flies through the air, shooting the well-known beams from laser pistols. When switching briefly to the cockpit of one of the Empire’s destroyer machines, the Imperial March can be heard faintly in the background.

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And Electronic Arts knows the images in the minds of gamers: When an AT-AT falls, it’s because it is forced to the ground by a cable from one of the skimmers. One of the iconic scenes from the movie. And it doesn’t take long before rebels are lifted 20 centimeters off the ground and hold their necks. A clear sign: One of the hero figures has entered the battle – in this case probably more of a villain figure.

The action concludes with the fight between the two main characters from the first film trilogy: Darth Vader confronts young Luke Skywalker. The lightsabers clash: one green, one red. The certainly staged gameplay is over.

Does the nostalgia tactic work?

The scenes are, as they say, live footage from the Playstation 4 and apart from a possibly somewhat low FPS, it all looks quite impressive, evoking “Aaahs” and “Ooohs” from the audience.

Star Wars Battlefront Jedi

New details are not revealed. Well, Skywalker is confirmed as a hero figure, that was no surprise. Ultimately, the demo was just a first taste of whether Star Wars: Battlefront will succeed in taking players back to their nostalgically romanticized memories. To immerse them in a time when they first saw Star Wars. Or at least when they first played a Star Wars game.

In the chat accompanying the live stream on a US site, there was the annoyed comment: Hopefully, they won’t ruin my childhood memories. However, the person did not mean the warm thoughts of the first Star Wars trilogy on dad’s lap in the cinema or at home, but the memories of the first gaming session with the Star Wars Battlefront series 10 years ago. For this and its numerous features, the current Star Wars: Battlefront must be compared.

And after the first gameplay view, it seems that this comparison does not need to be feared. Or what do you think?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

SWTOR: New expansion raises level cap to 65; here is the E3 trailer

Information about the upcoming expansion of Star Wars: The Old Republic has just been announced at E3: Knights of the Fallen Empire. Especially the fresh CGI trailer was impressive!

The war in Star Wars: The Old Republic ends on October 27

Twi'lek SWTOR
Many will die by the end of the war. Especially some notable characters from the leading elites of both factions.

Not much was revealed in the short presentation, but some important details are now officially confirmed: The expansion “Knights of the Fallen Empire” will be released on October 27 and will be free for all subscribers. Furthermore, the trailer already showcased some story content, which looks dark: the Empire and the Republic have lost their strongest leaders and are therefore considered defeated. In this post-war period, it is up to the players to determine the future of the galaxy. Decisions are said to have significant impacts, and a typical “BioWare role-playing experience” is promised. Enjoy the trailer:

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The new website even promises more things: You can directly set a character to level 60 for the addon and the new level cap is 65. Subscribers will receive rewards at launch if they maintain their subscription by then, including a new companion!

We will keep you updated and report as soon as there are more facts.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. swtor.com

The Division receives exclusive beta on Xbox One – and there’s also a trailer

The upcoming MMO shooter The Division will have an exclusive beta phase on Xbox One in December.

Gamespot reports from the Microsoft press conference at E3 that an exclusive beta phase for “Tom Clancy’s The Division” was announced there. It will take place in December of this year. A release of the post-apocalyptic shooter with coop and roleplay elements is scheduled for Q1 2016. In addition to Xbox One, it will also be available for PC and PlayStation 4.

It is another blow in the war between Sony and Microsoft for better deals with publishers. While Sony had the upper hand with Destiny, Xbox players have to miss out on some PvP maps and several exotic items, Microsoft seems to have scored some points with Ubisoft.

Let’s see what Sony announces overnight. A trailer and further details about the gameplay for “The Division” are expected.

Update: Here is the trailer.

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Source(s):
  1. Gamespot

Destiny: Warning – A patch will be deployed tonight, June 15th, Destiny will be offline

In the MMO shooter Destiny a patch is expected to be released this evening, on June 15th. It will kick players out of the game.

At 8:00 PM on Monday evening in our time, the popular game will start again, which ejects thousands from Destiny on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. They want to know what’s going on: Why is Destiny not working now, why are the servers down?

The answer is: An update is coming.

What does patch 1.2.0.3 do in Destiny?

Destiny-Skolas

This is the patch or hotfix 1.2.0.3., which will change Skolas as announced last Thursday. This means: No more elemental burn, but other modifiers. Additionally, they want to decrease his health points, spawn adds at certain health point values, and design the composition of these waves a bit differently. Skolas will then not operate as before starting tomorrow, but will require different tactics. Because the previous tactics focused too much on “Hit him with the strongest elemental weapon that fits, hard and dirty”.

It will be interesting to see if there will be any other changes: if perhaps one or another bug fix will come. The exotic quest for the three new exotic weapons and the Prison of Elders is still causing trouble. Additionally, there are problems with the “ship” that should actually be in the Skolas chest. It doesn’t always appear.

We will only be able to read more details in the patch notes. And those will probably only be published when the update is deployed.

Destiny-Skolas-Schiff

The patch will kick players out of the game again, so everyone should be careful with “longer activities”. If anyone still plans to succeed somewhere, they should hurry to finish by 8:00 PM. Otherwise, they might end up in front of the treasure chest in the Prison with just 2 seconds left.

It is said that the servers will be offline for about an hour. They should be back up by 9:00 PM German time. At least that is the plan.

Destiny-Golden-Gun

This is what patch 1.2.0.3 does – the patch notes

The patch notes are here, we will briefly translate them into German:

  • The trick we presented over the weekend with the perk “From the Ashes,” has been fixed. It no longer stacks. As a result, Hunters were able to quickly refill their super with their swarm grenades. A similar bug or potential existed for Titans and Warlocks with a very similar perk “Quintessence Transfer”. That has also been fixed. Both perks now have a 10-second internal cooldown.
  • A bug with the exotic quest has been fixed. Here the quest was stuck with Variks.
  • And the changes to Skolas are coming: There are different modifiers, no more elemental burns (Solar – Arc – Void); Skolas’ HP will decrease from 27,000 to 15,000, and adds will now come at certain health point values of Skolas. Previously, they arrived at set times.

At 8:35 PM, the maintenance was completed, and according to Bungie, the servers should now be operational:

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Source(s):
  1. Patch-Notes Bungie

Neverwinter: Fortresses remind of Star Trek Online, Combat-League to WoW

In the action MMO Neverwinter , development is progressing. Next, they plan to explore the fields of “Ranked PvP” and a type of guild housing. They are looking at in-house and major examples.

What comes to PC will eventually appear on Xbox One as well. Recently, the console has been in the foreground, and soon a dragon goddess will appear, but now it’s time for PC again, to the more current Neverwinter. They plan to explore two major fields.

My other fortress is a space station

The “Strongholds” are intended to be a kind of guild project. In a current dev blog, they are now presenting their ideas.

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The strongholds exist in their own instances: Each guild receives its own adventure zone. At first, the goal is to pacify the land, then the displaced inhabitants will return. It will become cozy, and the dilapidated fortress can be rebuilt. Players should be able to donate items to further expand the fortress. The guild leadership can then decide what should be upgraded with the “war chest”. Such an expansion of the guild hall will likely continue the story around the fortress, bring in new enemies, and similar things.

These ideas partly remind of “Star Trek Online.” Even there, fleets can establish their own stations, which feels a bit like a browser game in practice with collecting and donating resources.

PvP Season

The Combat League

In the Combat League, the new ranked PvP system, they will rely on changing “seasons” and leaderboards. The goal is to earn marks in the “Dominion” mode and work your way up a leaderboard to claim special rewards.

Such a “season” system is known from the genre leader World of Warcraft. At the moment, they are in a pre-season. In the first season, it will be about the mount “Armored Land Shark” and an epic PvP armor set “Legion Gear”. In this FAQ on the Neverwinter homepage, you can read more about the topic.

Land Sharks
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Source(s):
  1. Dev Blog Festungen

A Fallout mobile game and a The Elder Scrolls card game! Woohoooo!

At E3, Bethesda Softworks not only presented Fallout 4 and Doom, as well as Dishonored 2. There was also applause for a mobile game about Fallout and an online card game about The Elder Scrolls. An honest opinion.

If you look at the E3 press conference from Bethesda Softworks, everything this studio publishes seems to be by the grace of God. How do I come to that? No matter what was shown, there was always applause and excited “Woooooohhhoooo” sounds to be heard. A question to all readers: Is it really worth such a reaction when a mobile game or an online collectible card game is announced?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KApp699WdE

Are the audience members being paid to applaud?

Did such cheers happen when Electronic Arts released the mobile game for Dungeon Keeper? Or when any other mobile game was announced? The genre is not exactly popular. So why such positive reactions for Fallout Shelter? The Fallout mobile game and The Elder Scrolls: Legends card game might be okay. But does that justify such exuberant reactions? The same goes for the dog Dogmeat being seen during the presentation of Fallout 4. This very dog had previously sparked a shitstorm due to the graphics of the game, and now everyone is enthusiastically shouting “Wooooohooo”?

Fallout 4 dog

Video game journalists are only human too

So are companies employing “animators” to create the impression that everyone is enthusiastic? It may be unfair to suggest such, even though the thought is not entirely out of the question. It’s also important to consider that the atmosphere at such events can be overwhelming and can make one quickly excited. Surely there were many press representatives on site who really liked what was shown and expressed this through applause and cheering.

Elder Scrolls Legends
The new free-to-play card game from Bethesda: The Elder Scrolls: Legends.

Furthermore, reports about the event from Bethesda are very positive. The show was said to be very good, the atmosphere excellent, and what was shown made people eager to start playing immediately. Video game journalists are also only human, and they pursue this profession also because they are gamers themselves. Therefore, it is certain that some fans of the Fallout games, Dishonored, Doom, and The Elder Scrolls Online were sitting at Bethesda’s press conference and were totally excited about what they saw.

Was the opinion influenced?

On Reddit, however, one user expressed that Bethesda had given out merchandise to journalists (and also partially to streamers on Twitch). Did this influence the opinion and the cheering?

Guys, in the interests of ethics in video game journalism, remember that Bethesda gave away a bunch of free swag to every single person in that auditorium and a bunch of random people on Twitch.

Of course, we don’t want to accuse anyone of anything. However, it does leave a bit of a sour taste when a game like Fallout 4 was heavily criticized just days before, and during the press conference, only applause and “Woooohooo!” shouts can be heard from the audience. And additionally for a mobile game, a gaming area that hardly anyone has anything good to say about…

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Perfect World announces new MMORPG World of Jade Dynasty for PC, XBox One, PS4

The Chinese MMO giant Perfect World (Neverwinter) has announced a new MMORPG for PC and current-gen consoles. “World of Jade Dynasty” is designed for the Chinese market and is expected to offer massive PvP battles.

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In China, they are still making PvP MMORPGs. With “World of Jade Dynasty,” Perfect World is sending the next one into the race. Unusual: It is also set to be released for the current-gen consoles PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Here, they took a first leap onto the consoles with Neverwinter and want to continue that, to establish themselves outside the PC market.

World of Jade Dynasty aims to shine with PvP, promising large battles with Chinese airships. Servers are said to be able to “collide”. There are also expected to be sandbox elements. There is no news yet about a possible Western port at this early stage of development. The game is set to start its first early test on June 23.

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Source(s):
  1. MMO Culture

Heroes of the Storm: Is a ban system coming?

In all successful MOBAs, it is common for certain heroes to be banned. A tweet from Dustin Browder shows that Blizzard is now also considering implementing a ban feature in Heroes of the Storm. Possible systems are being tested this summer.

Is a Ban System Necessary?

The ability to deny a particular player their favorite character, or simply to block heroes that could counter one’s team particularly well, is an important feature in all popular MOBAs. Currently, there is no such system in Hots. Plans are in place to test possible ban procedures during several esports events this summer.

Heroes of the Storm Hero League
A ban system would make it harder for newcomers to access the game – and especially the ease of getting started is Blizzard’s strength.

The fact that this system is currently missing allows the MOBA relatively low entry barriers for the team and hero league. Currently, each player only needs to own 10 different heroes to participate. A ban system would inevitably increase the number of required characters, thereby creating a greater hurdle to compete in ranked league matches. Moreover, it would add an additional, somewhat bureaucratic barrier before actually playing.

There are still no concrete plans for banning characters – perhaps Hots doesn’t even need such a system? What do you think?

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Source(s):
  1. gamespot.com