BillMurphy

A lot of JRPG fans lament to this day that the ultra popular Final Fantasy XV was more action RPG than traditional turn-based affair. Many gamers long for the days when the FF series was more about limit breaks and menu surfing than four bros on a journey in their kickass car. For them, Square Enix is bringing the first mainline game in the Dragon Quest series stateside since 2010.

Finally, I had the chance to sit down with Brad and Chris of Visionary Realms to actually play the pre-alpha of Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen. I got a feel for what delving into one of the many open dungeons will be like with a party of friends. That’s the crux, the core gameplay of Pantheon - playing with friends. And even in this early state it’s both refreshingly classic and visually progressive.

On April 4th, Funcom will release the first new story content update for Secret World Legends: Dawn of the Morninglight. The DLC continues the story after the end of Tokyo’s main narrative, with the player being blamed for the events of that story, being tracked by bounty hunters, and generally trying to clear their name. We toured the new issue with Romain Amiel and Andy Benditt, and are now counting down the days to its launch.

On May 8th, Conan Exiles will launch on PC, PS4, and XBOX One. That’s right, something that went into Early Access on Steam is coming out of Early Access and actually launching just about a year later. Praise be to Crom! And when it comes, Conan Exiles is coming with a ton of new content, improvements, freeform climbing, new progression systems, a brand new combat system, new biomes, new dungeons, the new purge system.

Sky Noon is something else. Imagine an alternate western-themed world where all water has vanished, so the people take to the sky to farm moisture from the clouds. Two rival factions fight over the floating landmass/dirigibles, but instead of bullets in your six-shooter, you’ll use a variety of air-powered weapons to try and knock the opposing team off the islands and into oblivion. That’s Sky Noon, and it’s basically a western-themed FPS version of Super Smash Bros.

It doesn’t sound like a cross between simulation games and Banner Saga-styled strategy RPGs would go over well, but in CCCP’s Dead in Vinland, that’s exactly the case. Your family is driven from their viking homestead by war and invaders only to have your ship sink and find yourselves washed up on a hostile island. It’s a complex, strategic, and heartfelt story of a family and a people’s will to survive.

I’ve been dabbling in Defiance “The OG” on PC for a week or so, in anticipation of the upcoming Defiance 2050 beta weekend, to get a feel for what the original is like and what I hope the new game improves upon. Not long ago, I gave you my gut-reaction to the 2050 announcement on what I hope we get in the new game. Now that we’ve seen some footage from IGN at GDC, I want to elaborate a bit more.

This week's MMOFTW is chock a block full of news! ESO announced its new chapter DLC - Summerset, Bless gets a release month, Defiance 2050 gets a beta test, Shadowgun Legends launches, and Mavericks announces its using the CryEngine... watch and learn!

After what seems years of waiting, indie MMORPG Project Gorgon has finally landed on Steam’s Early Access platform. For a one-time cost of $40 ($30 on sale), you can finally give the husband and wife team of Elder Game your support. There’s also an official store for larger packages for the hardcore fans. But the question is, with this being a sort of “launch”, is Project Gorgon something you should devote your hard earned cash towards?

Ever since I bought my Nintendo Switch, I’ve been sad that my much more powerful PlayStation 4 isn’t as portable. The folks at Gaems, makers of portable personal console gaming monitors obviously know my pain. They sent us a sample of the Vanguard Black Edition to review, and while it doesn’t have the world’s highest visual quality, the utility of the monitor more than makes up for those shortcomings.

Today, Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues, looks to continue the epic-in-scope tradition of Ultima VII, but the world has changed and many RPGs do the things Ultima once laid claim to. So now, just weeks from launch, how is Portalarium’s MMO/single-player RPG shaping up?

This week's MMOFTW covers Defiance 2050's announcement from Trion Worlds, Cabal 2's closure, Diablo 3's rumored Switch port, Yoshi P's promotion at Square Enix, and Black Desert's 2nd Anniversary. Watch and get learned!

Trion Worlds shocked the lot of us yesterday by announcing a sequel to Defiance called Defiance 2050. Using the same engine, upgraded and enhanced for modern consoles and PC, Defiance 2050 takes place four years after the original game, and promises enhanced visuals across all platforms, brand new content, new mechanics, new systems, the works. Here then, are our 5 things we want from Defiance 2050 that’ll make it better than the original.

This week's MMOFTW delves into a twosome of TERA news, Rift Prime's launch date, the Tale of Toast, and a possible Mutant Chronicles game from Funcom! Watch and learn!

Often in the MMO world, we get a little tired of seeing the same game released by different companies and called something new. There are gems that try to break the mold, but few really just go for it. Perhaps it’s the general freedom afforded by the IP and visual stylings, but the bravest MMO on the market right now is none other than Trion Worlds’ Trove.