Category: News

[Video] Nano-Boosted Bastion Is Nearly Indestructible


Who says using the test server can’t be fun? Blizzard’s latest test patch for Overwatch is up for players to enjoy, take advantage of, and suss out potential game breaking issues not unlike the one you see in the video above. Among the various changes to heroes are a variety of tweaks meant to make Bastion more viable. While Bastion’s deployment time has been reduced by a third and his magazine size buffed from 200 to 300, bullet spread has increased and both critical hits and head shot multipliers have been removed. Bastion can now heal while moving, however this is tied to a limited resource that refreshes while not being used. Oh and he also gains a passive defensive buff reducing damage by 35% while in sentry mode.

That last bit is important, because as players are finding out on the server, that buff stacks with Ana’s Nano Boost ultimate, which reduces damage by 50%. Nano boosted Bastion may be one of the best things to come out of the Overwatch test realm, but if you want to check it out for yourself you’ll need to do so before Blizzard patches it out.

Valve Kills Steam Greenlight, Implementing Steam Direct


Steam Greenlight, has been both applauded and derided, as a method for small developers to find a platform to make money and as an easily gamed portal through which Steam has turned into a dumping ground for Unity asset flips and actual money laundering schemes. On one hand, the change seems to be mostly cosmetic, a new name attached to an old machine. On the other hand, Valve seems intent on stemming the virtual avalanche of low quality titles, and has announced a per-title application fee for Steam Direct.

While we have invested heavily in our content pipeline and personalized store, we’re still debating the publishing fee for Steam Direct. We talked to several developers and studios about an appropriate fee, and they gave us a range of responses from as low as $100 to as high as $5,000. There are pros and cons at either end of the spectrum, so we’d like to gather more feedback before settling on a number.

Currently Steam Greenlight asks for a $100 one-time fee, which is donated to charity, in order for developers to show their determination. As it turned out, $100 wasn’t much to deter developers like Digital Homicide from flooding the platform with dozens upon dozens of low quality shovelware titles. Valve has stated hopes that Steam Greenlight would one day have no curation on their part.

More information on Steam Direct as it is revealed.

(Source: Steam)

Future Of Conan Exiles Coming To GDC And PAX East


Conan Exiles launched on PC Early Access last week, selling 320,000 copies and recouping all of its investments. Rather than pack up and call the day a success, Funcom is pushing forward with continued content development. Budding content creators have access to the developer kit, allowing for the creation and distribution of mods, quality of life improvements, and total conversions on Steam Workshop.

“We are deeply humbled and very grateful for the initial success of Conan Exiles,” says Funcom CEO Rui Casais. “Funcom has gone through some challenging times in recent years and seeing the game we have poured so much time and effort into gain this amount of traction so quickly is very invigorating for everyone who works here. This is just the start of the Early Access adventure and we will do whatever it takes to make sure Conan Exiles turns into a fully-fledged game that has something to offer new and old fans of both Conan and survival games.”

Funcom will be present at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco to show off future content coming to Conan Exiles, and the studio will have presence at PAX East in Boston, Massachusetts.

(Source: Funcom)

PSA: Rainbow Six Siege Starter Edition Is Back, Forever


The Rainbow Six Siege Starter Pack is available once again in the Ubisoft store, but unlike last time it won’t be around for a limited time. Up for $15, the starter pack gives you access to the entire game with one caveat: The price to unlock operators is significantly higher, we’re talking 5-6 times the price.

Alternately, you can just pick up the full game on sale for $24.99. If you do go the cheap route and decide to upgrade later on, you can do that as well.

(Source: Ubisoft Store)

NCSoft Q4 2016: Wildstar Disappears From Report


NCSoft has released their fourth quarter financial statements and the news is quite positive. Compared to the same period last year, sales rose 20% with operating profit up 36% over the same period, thanks to strong performance from major IPs and strong launches in the mobile market. The report notes that sales have hit a historic high thanks to geographical expansion and new business models.

Over on the game’s front, Lineage 1 continues to impress with a 42% increase in sales over last year, an insane jump for an MMO that is going on nineteen years old. Another title to see solid annual growth was Blade & Soul, which continues to be popular as it rolls out worldwide. Lineage II saw a fair amount of growth while Guild Wars 2 continues to rock steadily as it awaits a new expansion pack. The other category contains Lineage Red Knights, whose successful rollout boosted the category by 97%.

One game you may note as missing from the sales breakdown is Wildstar. It isn’t there. It appears that the game’s sales have dropped enough that it is no longer worth listing as a product separate from the “other” category.

(Source: NCSoft Finance)

Giveaway: MU Legend 2nd Beta


MMO Fallout has once again partnered with Webzen to give away beta keys for MU Legend, the second closed beta period set to start on February 21st. All you need to know going forward is that if you have a beta key from previous dates, you don’t need a new one. The work has already been done. Sit back, enjoy a cold one, and wait another two weeks. Alternately, you can spend your time watching the trailers below.

  • Important: If you have a beta key from the previous closed beta (even if you didn’t get it through us), you do not need another to access this coming closed beta.
  • Grab your key from the ticker box below.
  • Head over to the official website and click the ‘redeem beta key’ page (you’ll have to scroll to the bottom)
  • Enter your closed beta key.
  • You’re set.

[keys id=18528]

City of Steam: Resting, Not Retired


City of Steam was a rather highly spoken of game here at MMO Fallout from years back, although it only shut down about a year ago, but I’ve found myself thinking about the game every now and then. As it happens, I stumbled onto the website for no real reason only to find that it is still operational, with a message to fans of the game: We are resting, not retired. As it turns out, the team over at Mechanist Games still wants to do proper by the game via a sequel.

City of Steam certainly isn’t retired, but we’ll need time to reflect on these things. A sequel would have to do justice to the world in a way that honors the original, addresses as many critiques and quirks as possible, and improves or innovates at the same time. It would also have to be good enough to make up for the shortcomings of the original – stuff that no one was really happy with. Rushing into such a massive commitment would be foolish, and would risk destroying the goodwill that still exists for the game.

When I originally talked about City of Steam back in 2012 (my how time flies), I had nothing but praise to heap unto Mechanist Games. Following several successful closed beta weekends, Mechanist announced an unholy union with R2 Games and turned it into the form that ultimately killed it: A watered down grindfest with casino-style blinking lights and everything geared toward a horrendously opportunistic cash shop. The prior fans abandoned ship and City of Steam became a ghost town.

The thought of a City of Steam sequel seems pretty interesting, hopefully Mechanist Games can figure out where the title went wrong last time and realize what was looking to be an incredible title.

Jagex Brings RuneScape to the Amazon Alexa


RuneScape is great, but what about those times when you don’t want to play RuneScape but you’d like to listen to it, preferably through a smart device manufactured and sold by Amazon. If you fit that demographic, there is finally good news. Jagex has partnered with Amazon and released RuneScape Quests: One Piercing Note, an interactive murder mystery audio adventure in which the player takes on the role of investigator.

Showcasing dramatic voice acting and atmospheric music wrapped in compelling audio gameplay, RuneScape Quests: One Piercing Note is based on a classic quest adapted from the PC MMORPG. Players become the voice of a courageous adventurer, tasked with solving a murder at the Abbey of St Elspeth. The crime scene investigation soon takes a turn for the unusual as demonic dark secrets are uncovered in the seemingly serene abbey.

RuneScape Quests: One Piercing Note is available in the skills section of the Alexa app.

(Source: Jagex/Amazon Press Release)

Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind Is Being Called A “Chapter,” Launches In June


Zenimax has announced the next massive update to The Elder Scrolls Online, bringing players to the Morrowind province of Vvardenfell. Set to launch on June 6th, Morrowind is being called a ‘chapter,’ with content around that of an official expansion but accessible to all players thanks to the One Tamriel system. Also coming with the expansion is a new class, the Warden, capable of summoning a War Bear ally (seen in the trailer above). Also set for launch with the expansion is a 4v4v4 PvP mode.

Vvardenfell is the largest zone added to The Elder Scrolls Online since launch and utilizes the same geographic footprint as The Elder Scrolls III, including all key points of interest from the classic game. Players will embark on a dangerous journey through legendary locales in Vvardenfell, 700 years before the events of The Elder Scrolls III, from the docks of Seyda Neen, to the volcanic Ashlands, to dense, mushroom-filled forests, and through the glory of Vivec City, still under construction in this time period.

Morrowind will cost $39.99, or $59.99 for the full package with the base game included. The big box, set at $100, includes a hefty looking Dwarven Colossus statue.

(Source: Zenimax Press Release)

Neverwinter Announces The Cloaked Ascendancy


Perfect World Entertainment has announced the next big update for Neverwinter, dubbed The Cloaked Ascendancy. Taking place after the events of Storm King’s Thunder, adventurers return to the city of Neverwinter only to find a new threat in the form of the Cloaked Ascendancy. In order to crush this new threat, players will head into The River District, a new adventure zone, to complete a new campaign with new skirmishes, levels, items, and the return of the Spellplague Caverns.

The Cloaked Ascendancy launches on PC on February 21st, with consoles to follow at a later date.

(Source: Neverwinter press release)