Warp Zoned Presents
Author: Melissa Niedringhaus
BioWare releases update for Star Wars: The Old Republic and rewards fans for their support
BioWare today announced the release of “Game Update 1.2: Legacy,” which is a massive update for Star Wars: The Old Republic that will deliver new content and the next evolution of the Legacy System alongside community requested enhancements like custom user interfaces and guild banks.
The new Legacy System will give players the ability to join all of their characters in a family tree that gives each a “bond.” This bond will grant bonus abilities and new character customization options to each character in the tree. They can also unlock new races for new characters, and convenience items for ships including a Galactic Trade Network terminal.
There will also be new high-level content for both experienced and novice players, including a Flashpoint on Ord Mantell called Lost Island, an Operation in a new zone on Denova called Explosive Conflict, and Warzone: Novare Coast.
But that’s not all! To reward current players for their support, BioWare will be offering some in-game rewards, including a Tauntaun Ram pet for anyone with an active account created before or on April 21, 30 days of free game time for players who reach level 50 by April 12, and up to seven days of free game play for former players with inactive accounts starting April 13.
For more information on the update, head over to the official Star Wars: The Old Republic website for patch notes and a more in-depth discussion of the update with the SWTOR developers.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Star Wars: The Old Republic
Gaikai’s Facebook app delivers console quality games while you network socially
Cloud gaming service Gaikai has announced the beta of it’s Facebook app will be available for gamers to try out for free.
Gaikai promises its app will provide “high-end, console quality game experiences” on Facebook through the use of Cloud streaming technology. David Perry, CEO of Gaikai, hopes video game publishers will embrace the service to expand their digital customer base, and underscores the value of letting people try games with no obligation, saying, “The Facebook social graph fuels our mantra ‘Try it for free’, ‘Share it if you like it’, ‘Buy it if you love it’.”
There are a limited number of titles available to play for free in the beta version of the app, which is only currently available in the US and Europe. Saints Row: The Third and Dead Rising 2: Off the Record are available in the US only, while Magicka, Sniper: Ghost Warrior, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, Orcs Must Die!, and Farming Simulator 2011 are available in the US and Europe.
To play, you’ll need a broadband Internet connection and Java installed. Gaikai works on PC or Mac in all major browsers. To check out the app for yourself, head over to Facebook and fire up Gaikai right now.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, Orcs Must Die!, Saints Row: The Third, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
PAX East Primer For the Regular Guy
There might be few of you out there who have read the reviews of all the playable games at PAX East, and all of the interviews with the hot developers of the moment, but are wondering what the PAX experience was like for the unwashed masses without a shiny press pass. Allow me to paint you a picture with words, if you will, which might help you determine if you wanna spend the ducats to go to this crazy thing sometime. (more…)
Posted in Features, Top Story
Tagged PAX East 2012
Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 to be revealed at PAX East 2012
Zeboyd Games, the creators of Cthulhu Saves the World and Breath of Death VII, recently took up development of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness – Episode 3. Original developer Hothead Games left the project to work on other projects, but Penny Arcade’s artist Mike “Gabe” Krahulik and writer Jerry “Tycho” Holkins are ready to show off the redone game at this year’s PAX East. Zeboyd has also signed on to develop a fourth installment in 2013.
Con-goers can get a first look at the game in Zeboyd’s booth on the Expo floor, and can also attend a panel with Jerry Holkins, game producer Jeff Kalles, and game leads Robert Boyd and Bill Stiernberg at 9:00 on Friday, April 6th to get some details on the game’s development.
The game, now rechristened Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 is slated for a Summer release on the PC, Mac, the Xbox Live Indie Games channel, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android, so if you own any kind of gaming technology, odds are you can find a way to play this one.
If you can’t make it to Boston this weekend, check out the official website or an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at the game’s genesis at Joystiq.
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, Xbox 360
Tagged PAX East 2012, Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3
League For Gamers to educate PAX East 2012 about proposed violence warning legislation
Are you familiar with bill H.R. 4204? If your answer was no, the League For Gamers, an organization that stands against legislation it considers detrimental to the games industry, would like you to know what it’s all about.
H.R. 4204 proposes that every video game carrying an ESRB rating of Everyone, Everyone 10+, Teen, Mature, or Adults Only must carry a warning label that states “Exposure to violent video games has been linked to aggressive behavior.” The League For Gamers feels that this assertion is based on questionable research, and will be asking con-goers for their support in their ongoing efforts to protect the games industry from legislation like H.R. 4204, SOPA, and PIPA.
Interested parties can stop by the booth at PAX East and meet with a representative, or visit the League For Gamers website for more information.
Posted in News
Tagged PAX East 2012
PAX East 2012: 2K offering fans a chance to play Borderlands 2, XCOM RTS, more
If you’re a Borderlands fan, and you happen to be in the Boston area next weekend, you might want to consider getting a day pass for PAX East.
2K Games and Gearbox Software announced today that a co-op Borderlands 2 demo will be playable at their booth on the show floor. The demo will feature the “Caustic Caverns” map, and you can play as either the brand spankin’ new Gunzerker class or the new and improved Siren.
If that’s not enough Borderlands action for you, you can also check out Gearbox Software’s panel on Sunday, April 8th, where they will be talking about Borderlands 2 and all the other games they are currently working on.
Borderlands publisher 2K Games has plenty more planned for PAX 2012. Hit the jump for more details. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Borderlands 2, PAX East 2012, Spec Ops: The Line, XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Class of Heroes 2 Kickstarter campaign aims to improve localization for Japanese RPGs
For those of you who rend your clothing over the sheer amount of awesome games in Japan that will never appear on American store shelves, here’s a chance to support the hard working people in the localization business!
MonkeyPaw Games and Gaijinworks have announced the acquisition of Class of Heroes 2, a dungeon crawler-style RPG for the PSP, as well as a Kickstarter campaign to fund gameplay improvements and a limited edition deluxe package. The overall goal, though, is to attempt to bring more import titles to western markets, and what better way to do so than with the support of hardcore fans?
Gaijinworks President Victor Ireland (yes, the same Victor Ireland from Working Designs), calls this the “craziest deluxe pack” he’s ever done, and if you’re a collector at all, you know Working Designs basically invented the concept of the super premium collectors edition with the pack-in soundtrack.
The Grand Tier pledges get even crazier than plush toys or signed posters; for a generous enough pledge, you might get a trip to Japan to meet the creators of the game, or a two-night stay in Los Angeles, tickets to E3, and dinner with MonkeyPaw and Gaijinworks.
So check out the Kickstarter campaign page to see all the crazy bonus stuff you could get for your support!
Brandon Sanderson and Little Orbit unite to transform Mistborn saga into an epic RPG
Take note, fantasy junkies; publisher Little Orbit plans to put out an RPG that will serve as a prequel to Brandon Sanderson’s best-selling Mistborn series, set several hundred years before the first Mistborn novel. Mistborn: Birthright will even include an original storyline penned by Sanderson himself.
This is not Sanderson’s first foray into video games; he recently finished work on Infinity Blade II and an accompanying novella called Infinity Blade: Awakening.
The upcoming RPG is due out in 2013, and will be available on the PS3, Xbox 360, PC, and Mac. The gameplay will feature a unique combat system that includes “Allomancy”, an ability familiar to fans of the series that involves using metals to enhance the physical and mental capabilities of the user. For more on the game, you should check out the official website.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Mistborn: Birthright