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From pirates to cyborgs:We take a first look atUbisoft’s 80’s themed spinoff.

PLUS: PokéMMO - Will Nintendo let it live?

A run down of our most anticipated MMO games.

Farcry 3:Blood Dragon

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 BEHIND THIS GAME IS

IMMENSE.”

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

FAVORITESA RUNDOWN OF OUR FAVORITE F2P MMO’s

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.

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

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. 4: PokéMMO

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. 3: AGE OF WUSHU

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. 2: DC UNIVERSE ONLINE

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 all-

star 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.

No. 1: STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC

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 game-

play 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

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

“Even starting up the game, the nostalgia begins to flow.”

PokeMMO

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 64-

Bit 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 hot-

keys 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.”

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.

“Download the optional, “Heart Gold version,” ROM,

which lets one of your Pokémon follow you around.”