Sometimes the setting of a new game makes the difference between a game that you will wait to play, if at all, and so interesting you start to anticipate playing it. When first looking at Rock Hippo Production’s first MMOTPS (Third Person Shooter) MicroVolts, my first reaction was, “Oh, another shooter”, yet as I watched the trailer, browsed the website and looked at some of the in-game screenshots, it began to pique my interest.

MicroVolts comes across as a mixture of Call of Duty and Toy Story. It puts the player in the role of an animated children’s toy that wages war versus similar toys in the large-scale setting of Micro World. As you compete with other players for battery resources and, ultimately, world supremacy of Micro World, you can change the appearance of your “toy soldier” as well as upgrade its armor and weapons.

Offering fast-paced gameplay and a wide range of fully custumizable weapons and levels, MicroVolts gives players a third-person view over their character to make a game that is more fun to watch and, most importantly, more compelling to play. As you level up your character, players can access better armor and weapons while their stats are being tracked as in most online  FPS games.

Players will be able to choose from up to 4 different characters, seven different types of upgradeable weapons, and a wide variety of maps designed by Toy Concept to fully capture the “little toy in a  big world” experience.

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Canadian developer Rock Hippo Productions have opted to go with the free-to-play or ”freemium” model for MicroVolts, offering cosmetic upgrades and most likely (this is unconfirmed) the ability to purchase more content as players advance in the game. Recently, Rock Hippo has begun taking applications for beta invites, so head on over to the MicroVolts website and sign up for a chance to get a head start on the action!

Stay tuned to MMOCRUNCH for more information on upcoming beta invites for MicroVolts and many new, exciting games.

I’ve got some good news and some bad news, well, it’s now mostly good news. If you tried to log into EVE Online for the past day or two and have had problems, this is due to some unexpected downtime for testing, movement and updating of EVE Online’s Tranquility server clusters.

In response to this downtime, CCP will give all active accounts a pool of skill points appropriately sized to the amount of downtime experienced; this gift will be extended to both paid and trial accounts. There will be more downtime next Tuesday for patch deployment on the Tranquility server as mentioned in the developer’s notes, that will be followed up by another gift to all active players as compensation. Lock onto MMOCRUNCH for more upcoming EVE Online news and you can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

At this years E3 convention Denmark’s LEGO Group along with Netdevil had announced the release date of their first MMOG: LEGO Universe Online. Worldwide release is scheduled for October 26th of this year, but “Founders” can start playing as soon as October 12th. If you are interested in becoming a LEGO Universe founder, then go to the LEGO Universe website to create a LEGO ID and sign up for  the closed beta. LEGO Group has just announced the first round of closed beta invites have been sent out, so its not too late to get involved.

Players that get into the closed beta phases will have a chance to be the first people to play LEGO Universe Online. I can tell just by the screenshots that it looks upbeat and fun! Make sure you stop by MMOCRUNCH.com for more information on LEGO Universe.

Beta Testing is not just a way to play a game for free. It gives players a chance to get a top down look at the way that MMORPGs are made and have a hand in their development. I’ve participated in many beta tests for all sorts of different games. Often, it’s very fun and rewarding; other times it may feel as if I am playing a broken game that needs another year or two in the cooker. I’ve isolated three fun and interesting games that are entering both closed and open beta phases.

I played in the Lord of the Rings Online closed beta when it was first released many, many moons ago. Since Turbine recently announced that they are going to change the pay structure of LOTRO from a subscription based model to a freemium model, they have allowed players to sign up for the closed beta testing for Lord of the Rings Online before it gets re-released. Built around the incredibly popular Lord of the Rings IP, Turbine gives players a chance to experience Middle Earth first hand. Great game!

This change is following the ground-breaking success of their other MMORPG Dungeons and Dragons Online as a “freemium” or free to play game. I’ve read reports that the player base in DDO has increased over 500% since the change-over. I feel that this is going to create a trend in the way that MMOPRG developers look at their pricing models. LOTRO is a great game and definatly worth giving it a look if you haven’t. If you have played LOTRO in the past, then this is a also a good way to get a head start and a good look at the changes being made to this award-winning MMORPG.

If EVE Online and World of Warcraft had a child, it might be the second game on my list, Perpetuum Online.  Set in the not-too-distant future as described on the Perpetuum Online webpage, humanity has the ability to open portals to different worlds. One of these is an earth-like planet. This might sound all too familiar but instead of being stuck in a spaceship, players will pilot Mechwarrior-style robots.

Avatar Creation, the development studio, has started accepting applications for their first closed beta phase. I’ve signed up and already started the ritual of checking my email every day for a key and download link. I’d really like to get involved in the early stages of this one. Ever hear of Christmas in July?

Last but not least is OGPlanets latest offering, N.E.O. Online. It is set in the world of Gaia, a world that is supposed to change dynamically with the players’ decisions and players are not restricted to a certain class.

The first open beta test period ends on June 29th 2:00 AM BST(28th 6:00 PM PST). Since this is an open beta, you can go straight to the OGPlanet website, sign up for the beta test by opening an account, download the client and get involved right away.

All three of these games look fun and best of all you can get involved on the ground floor of their development. I always leave honest and insightful feedback on the beta test forums, hoping that even though I might not stay with the game long term, my footprint might make a difference for future players after its released.

I’ve always heard from other players bragging that they were involved with the beta testing of the game that you just started playing, now is your chance to be that player. Stay tuned to MMOCRUNCH for more beta updates and announcements. But most importantly…

Play safe,

Inktomi

After three long weeks of grueling space battles the winners of the Eighth Annual EVE Online Alliance Tournament are ***drum roll** : Pandemic Legion have taken first place. This will be their third straight win for Pandemic Legion. HYDRA RELOADED came in second place in this tournament.

First place winners receive 50 Adrestria Heavy Assault ships, second place reveive 50 Utu Assault ships. I wouldn’t be too upset if I was second place here, last years second place ships sell for 35 Billion ISK a piece.

These ships are one of kind and can only be awarded by participating in the tournament. Congratulations to winners and players who participated in the tournament this year. If you didn’t get a chance to participate, take heart, you have a whole year to train and prepare for EVE’s Ninth Annual Alliance Tournament.

If there is any question if CCP will hold another one, they broke their CPU record of over 60,000 players logged into EVE during this weekends finals.

Stay locked into MMOCRUNCH for more EVE Online news and announcements.

As the EVE Online Alliance Tournament VIII moves forward into the finals, CCP has published a teaser video to get players excited. I have to say it has got some potential but needs a few tweaks. One, lose the dude and put a pair of headphones on the lady. Show me some action in regards to a female getting involved with EVE-style PVP. EVE Online is a game that is noted for a few things, but its female population is not one of them, except for the Hellcats. They are a lean, mean, all female pirate machine in the Metropolis region.

What is EVE-style PVP?

Not your average pvp for the average MMORGPG player; EVE PVP is all about strategy, timing, equipment and skills; not trainable skills, skills that come with years of having hundreds of millions worth of ISK vaporized as well as yourself. EVE PVP is punishing yet rewarding at the same time. When you win a skirmish or a PVP fight in EVE, you really feel as if you have won something. But if you make a mistake or your opponent is just plain better than you know that there is no respawning, no recouping of equipment or your cybernetic implants, loser loses all. No one said EVE was forgiving, but that’s the beauty of it.

For the past eight years all of the toughest corporations across EVE put up their best players for EVE’s Annual Alliance Tournament, risking ships and equipment worth billions of ISK for a few good reasons. Mainly, there is thousands of dollars of real-time money on the line and the chance to hold some of the best bragging rights in MMORPGs. Considering the depth of EVE Online and its steep learning curve (it’s really not that bad), if you have what it takes to be the best it really shows if you have made it this far in the game.

Metagaming: The game within a game within a game.

Doesn’t it sound confusing? I thought so at first when I started reading about EVE Online’s seedy political back history. Tales of deceit like the destruction of Ubiqua Seraph by the Guiding Hand Social Club, the EVE Investment Bank scandal and countless other stories that have drifted onto the internet from the deep space of New Eden. Politics plays just as big of a part in EVE as economics do. One example is in this tournament there were some players who self destructed for a large bounty of money exchanged under the table. Ever hear the old saying, “It’s not what you know, but who you know”? For all who think that EVE online is a slow game that’s about spreadsheets, charts and graphs, I want to fill you in on something: the only thing I am watching when I go through low-sec is my back while moving as fast as I can.

This Saturday begins the Finals. You can watch it live on EVETV and also catch up on the results of the past two weekend’s qualifiers on the official YouTube channel of CCP Games. If you aren’t an EVE player and have been curious, I suggest you watch it; this is a chance to watch the highest level of PVP players duke it out. If you are an EVE player, make sure that you tune in to watch the action, more importantly, we might even learn a thing or two. CCP has posted some record numbers of players that have logged in for the past two weeks and it’s only going to get better as the tournament progresses. Good luck to all the players who have made it this far, I am very interested to see who is going to come out on top.

For more EVE Online Alliance Tournament info, stay tuned to MMOCRUNCH.

Play safe.

Photo courtesy of Interplay Entertainment

How about some non-E3 news for a change.

Today Interplay launched their beta sign-up and teaser website today for their upcoming Fallout Online MMORPG, or Project V13 if you want to keep calling it that.

Since the dust has settled during the legal shootout between Interplay and Bethesda over the rights to work with the Fallout IP, Interplay is showing some forward momentum by launching the Fallout Online Website. This is great news for Fallout fans (including yours truly) and we are looking forward to more information coming down the pipe.

Holy Nuka Cola! What are you still doing here, go sign up for the Fallout Online Beta.

Today at the E3 Convention in Los Angeles, CA the LEGO Group announced the release date for their MMOG LEGO Universe.   It is set for October 12th, 2010 for LEGO “founders.”  The Official launch will be October 26th, 2010.

LEGO Universe will also allow players to create their own content using a simple programming language. Fans or “Founders” will be able to get into LEGO Universe before the official launch.  The game will be sold exclusively through LEGO channels including LEGO Stores, LEGO Online Shop and LEGOLAND.

On October 26th, the official launch date, LEGO Universe will be available through all retail channels distributed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Also, being planned for global release, LEGO Universe will be rolled out to additional territories after the initial launch.

We’ll have a slew of new assets from E3 soon, so check back.

Until then,

Play safe.

In the grim dark future of MMO’s there is only war.

Los Angeles, CA – Today game publisher THQ released a trailer for their new MMORPG Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium at the E3 conference today. Watch video courtesy of Vigil Games.

The science-fiction IP originally created for tabletop gaming by Games Workshop has reaped enormous popularity from the real-time strategy based games previously released by THQ. Considering the overwhelming success of both WH40K: Dawn of War and the sequel Dawn of War II, we can just imagine what a great job they do to bring to the Warhammer 40K Universe to life in an MMORPG.

Play safe.

The latest news from the 8^th Annual Eve Online Alliance Tournament has entered the second set of qualifiers. 64 teams made from some of the strongest corporations from across the EVE Online galaxy have come together in a winner-take all tournament to see who is the biggest and the best in team based PvP.

Part of the announcement from the Interstellar Correspondents has peaked my interest. The most commonly fielded ship so far in the tournament has been the Caldari Drake Battlecruiser. For years the Caldari Drakes sleek design and 7 punishing missile silos have often made it the PVP player’s ship of choice by unanimous decision.

If a new player would asked me what did I like about the Drake I would have to say that its one of the most powerful ships due to its bonuses to heavy assault missiles and its powerful shield resistances. What does that mean to someone who doesn’t speak EVE-enese? It means it packs more punch for PvP ammo per level that the player has trained and the shield resistances give it better defense all around. Plus it looks damn cool!

The Battlecruiser

It has more punch, more power and few of the drags that the larger battleships bring with it plus all the versatility and fun of the smaller cruisers.

Here are the ship size basics for fighting ships in EVE Online: Frigates< Destroyers <Cruisers <Strategic Cruisers <Battlecruisers <Battleships <Capital Ships (Motherships, Titans, Etc.) Please note, there are a ton of other ships as you get higher in training level and they are in tiers. A Drake is a tier 1 Battle cruiser, but it does not have a Tier 2 version. Meanwhile its partner, the Ferox, which is primarily a gunship has the Tier 2 version that’s in the Command Ship class; they are the ever powerful Vulture and Nighthawk. While the skills to fly command ships take months of training time, the Drake and other battleships have a shortened training session. This makes the battlecruiser a perfect middle of the road ship for the young roving pirate, the mission runner and the wormhole excavator.

What is a Buffer Drake?

Ah, the word “buffer” in EVE refers to the ability to recharge the shield’s power without the use of the ship’s power core. Power is the most important thing in long battles. You can have some of the best DPS in the universe, but if you run out of juice midway through the fight, then you are usually out of luck. You can set your “build” of the ship with many different ways to recharge your shield and that makes you both a tougher target if done right, and a DPS horror that has an unending supply of power to rain death on your opponent.

I use battleclinic.com for all my hints and tips on how to gear or as I call it dress a ship. I also use EVEmon and the EVE fitting tool to make sure that all my skills, gear and modules coincide with the ship I am trying to build. How bad would it be if you went out and bought all these awesome modules just to find out that you couldn’t use them because of missing skills or that your powergrid and CPU can’t handle it.

Is it really all that?

46 members that have been involved in the tournament has used them, with the tier 2 Rook coming in a close second at 44. Also, in the 2010 Quarterly EVE newsletter, the Drake is the second most used ship behind the Hulk thats a Teier 2 mining ship. There are over 15,000 Drakes in use that is over 2.25% of the total of ships used across New Eden.

I have used the Drake many times in PvP skirmishes and heavy duty missions and have only lost one. That debacle was mainly due to my stupidity in controlling a massive amount of aggro. But I have recently bought one for the average price of 25 million ISK and am waiting for some parts to come in off the market before its ready to set sail.

Long live the ISD Bahamut III!

You can follow all the tournament action at the HD stream here. Don’t forget to leave me a comment or if you want to group or shoot at me you can find me online at Anansi Ink’Tmi. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to drop me a line anytime.

Until then…

Play safe,

Inktomi