First Impressions: The tutorial was easy enough and though I did die at least two times on each of the characters I made, it was still fun and cool to watch/play out. Once past the tutorial I had a decision to make. See I normally play the stealth ‘assassin’ class in a game, which would be the recon class in GA, but since I had been down that road, and done that. I opted out of playing the Assassin, to try the Assault class. Neither suited my taste in this MMOGFPS??RPG (lol w/e).

I’ve seen the ‘engineer’ class in TF2 and though they look fun, I’m not one to set down and build something in combat or even remember to do so when engaged. Which left me to go with “THE MEDIC” and I must say, so far I’m absolutely happy with my decision to play one.

In my first PVP mission I noticed a big difference in game play from what I’m used to. With the reckon and assault class I felt as if I didn’t have enough tools at the level (level 5 when you exit the tutorial, and reach ‘The Dome’ the games major hub) to find playing and leveling them much fun further down the road. In contrast with the medic I felt like they started out with a nice arsenal of heals and DPS to mix it up. Each character starts out with a melee weapon, then soon you get a generic rifle, your ‘main’ ranged weapon, two off-hand weapons/abilities a group buff (at level 8 I think) and of course your jet pack.

Unlike TF2’s ‘cartoonish’ feel to it and somewhat convoluted maps, Global Agenda so far in terms of the PVE missions and PVP maps have been great. The PVE missions are a bit streamlined in that they lead you right to the boss and there’s not much leeway on that. It’s nice for now since everyone is still kind of new and group mechanics are still being worked out by everyone. The streamline instances make for a quick and fun group PVE experience.

In PVP the maps are a bit bigger, with 5 different types of scenarios to queue from (all random as of now) you never really get bored with it. The buildings and structure of the maps/zones themselves are done really well. Key features like ladders and creates stacking alongside a wall or among other creates allow for strategic cover and sniping spots for recons and even medics to take cover and heal from.

As a medic I’ve really enjoyed doing both aspects of the game. I normally have found that my experiences with PVE in World of Warcraft, Warhammer Online, and then Age of Conan at first were enjoyable, but soon tiring and ultimately repetitive after a few alts. I do not get this feeling from GA as of right now. Being able to PVP as soon as you’re done with the tutorial is a major bonus.

Final thoughts: I didn’t really follow this game in the year preceding its release, and didn’t do much homework before purchasing it. What really popped out at me, and pushed me over to the purchasing point was the: A) price of the game at 44.99$ it’s just a bit below what you’d normally pay for an MMO these days. B) It has a one-time purchase deal where you can play the game’s main features (PVE and PVP missions), but not the special goods it will offer upon launch; mainly the “Conquest” PVP scenarios. Lastly in why I decided to purchase Global Agenda is because it fills the void of an MMO and FPS in one shot.

But now I really don’t know what I’m going to do if/when I get bored, because I’ll be tired of the FPS and MMO scenes at the same time!

Edit- My only gripe is during the ‘Head Start’ there was no Xfire or Raptr support so I couldn’t take video or log my time in game other then on the official website.

Game On!

Kaldeem

© Posted by Kaldeem for Im Talkin Games with No comments on 02/01/2010.
Posted in: Impressions Tags: Global Agenda, Hi-Rez Studios

1.  PVP and PVE balance

Dismiss one play style or the other at your own peril.  There is a reason that games like Call of Duty have single player campaigns, and World of Warcraft has battlegrounds.  Both styles of game play provide a good mix of experiences for the player, and draw a wider range of gamers to a given title.  Having both in an online game seems just about mandatory for today’s games.

2. Apprentice/Sidekick System

For games with level based progression, this is vital.  This has more to do with traditional MMORPG style games than anything, but with a max level will ultimately have an end game to suit that level of player and probably some alternate method of progression to go with it.  For new players that come into a game where the player base is already mature, a sidekick/apprentice system is a godsend.  While you might still be largely left to toil away at your questing and mob killing anyway, you don’t always have to be left out of the fun your higher level friends are having.These systems aren’t perfect, but still very needed.  Even if your level and statistics are bumped up to your friend’s level, your gear or available skills are usually still that of the lowbie that you actually are.  In the end, you are usually a weaker version of those who are actually at the level you’ve been brought up to be.  There’s no developer that has pulled this off flawlessly (yet) but it is much better than not having the option to run that higher level content at all.

3.  Single Realm/World

While it is naive to think that these types of games are actually only supported by a single physical server, some games only offer one world/realm/shard selection.  They do this with with a complex configuration of servers, and it usually necessitates heavy use of instancing.  While some game developers pull it off better than others, there’s no mistaking that dealing with a bunch of instances or “zoning” is a headache for some players.

8. Integrated Voice chat, anti-cheat ware, update management, digital distribution, social networking and game play recording

These are all awesome features by themselves.  I’ve bundled them together here because there are already a few platforms out there that bring every single one of these to the table already.  Every game needs something to help manage player profiles, provide matchmaking capabilities (where applicable), manage their games, and to help players find and play with friends.  I can provide no better example of this than Valve’s Steam.  Blizzard plans to roll out a similar tool with their revamped Battle.net, and Xfire seems to be moving in this direction as well.  Having one place to log in and manage your games, your profile, groups you belong to (and much more) just brings so much value to the gaming experience that it is a must.

You also need tools to fight cheaters.  Blizzard has the controversial Warden.  Valve has VAC.  Others use Punkbuster, Hackshield, Gameguard or something similar.  Every online game needs a security measure built in, otherwise the cheating/hacking twirps of the world will begin running rampant in game.  Wall hacks, teleporting, speed hacks, currency and item duplication exploits are all things that will very quickly send the game into ruination if left unchecked.  Having the game’s launcher or other game management platform (think Steam) manage updates and patches to the game are also so very useful that they should be key parts of the game upon release, especially if you need to quickly distribute a patch to fix an exploit.

Recording game play from within the game is not a tried and true feature for online games.  However, the explosion of video sites and game related videos posted to them makes this something I’d personally like to see every online game provide.  New games like APB are setting themselves apart by adding the capability to record moments of the game and seamlessly add them to YouTube.  How cool is it to catch your guild downing a boss or capping that critical capture point for bragging rights?  Screenshots don’t do justice to the action in most games.

You need a platform to build and supply these services.  Basically, you need Steam or something like it associated with your game.  Not only are many MMO’s sold via Steam, but some new ones are Steam Powered, meaning the game itself is integrated with Steam’s features and benefit from all the platform brings to the table.

9. Game Integrated Web Site and Services and Apps

This probably has alot to do with the item above, as a full platform of tools like Steam would help with this, but not fully.  Features that should be offered like realm transfer (hopefully not necessary, see the single realm/shard paragraphs above), faction transfer, character customization change, name change, and other associated services should be available.  Character, guild, and item look ups should available along with zone, quest, skill/spell abilities, and bestiary.  See everquest2players.com and wowarmory.com for wonderful examples of how to extend an MMO to the web.  Consider a mobile phone app out there too, as Fallen Earth and World of Warcraft have done.

10. Variety of subscription/payment options

Last but certainly not least, flexible payment options are needed. Many people are tired of being tethered to a $15.00 a month subscription fee, as it may limit their ability to play multiple games.  Others like buffet style pricing and don’t want to feel “nickle-and-dimed” by item shops and constant sales pitches.  Modern games need to be flexible enough to provide both, lowering the barrier to entry to everyone yet still proving the stability of established subscription games.  I can find no better example of this than Dungeons and Dragons Online.

Do you agree or disagree with these items?  What features do you want to see in your games?

- br3ntbr0

© Posted by br3ntbr0 for Im Talkin Games with 6 comments on 01/26/2010.
Posted in: Featured, Opinion Tags: All Points Bulletin, BioWare, Blizzard, Cataclysm, Global Agenda, Modern Warfare 2, Steam, Valve, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft

I’ve been in Global Agenda’s closed beta for a few months now, and I must say that the game has progressed nicely in that time.  The starting tutorial went from being something very short to one that is very well fleshed out and can take about half an hour to get through.  I recently went through the tutorial as the Recon class and took the video below.

Shown here is the class selection screen, facial customization, opening story and most of the training mission with me playing a Recon character.  I took the liberty to chop out some very boring parts of me progressing through the mission to speed things up and give a bit more condensed version:

But will I buy it?
Global Agenda is not a bad game.  Ultimately, I can’t see that I will be playing it much though and am going to wait on this game.  I already own Modern Warfare 2 and Team Fortress 2 and get all the FPS style play I can handle from those two games.  I almost feel bad because I really do support indie developers like Hi-Rez, but I just don’t feel drawn to this game as I initially hoped I’d be.

The PVP plays a bit like Team Fortress 2, but without the wacky style that TF2 brings to the table.  Class selection is a bit limited, although it brings the MMO-like quality of being able to specialize through talents.  Its awesome that there is no subscription fee required, but this game may have gained more benefit from a free to play model with an item shop.

Global Agenda brings many MMO style features to the game that give it more depth than Team Fortress 2 or Modern Warfare 2.  However the core game play, animations and visual style of the game just haven’t grabbed me in the months I’ve been in beta. I never felt motivated to level up so that I could unlock things and see how the conquest campaign might play out.

Global Agenda is still doing enough things right for me to keep an eye on it, but in a crowded gaming landscape it just didn’t have the fun factor I’d hoped for to this point.  Between MW2, TF2 and the upcoming Mass Effect 2, I’ll have all I can handle and don’t feel like I absolutely must put Global Agenda in that mix somehow.

Here’s a thanks-but-no-thanks to Hi-Rez Studios.  I know that comes off as a back-handed congratulations, but the game is solid…just missing something for me.  I know many others will like the game and I wish the studio all the good fortune in the world with Global Agenda.

~ br3ntbr0

© Posted by br3ntbr0 for Im Talkin Games with 2 comments on 01/15/2010.
Posted in: Beta, Commentary, Featured, Impressions, Reviews, Video Tags: Global Agenda, Hi-Rez Studios

The 1st Annual 2009 Golden Noob Awards

In the same vein as every ceremony that awards a trophy to an actor or musician we bring you ITG’s 1st annual game awards: The Golden Noob Awards! The Golden Noob is a virtual trophy awarded by ITG staff every year as a way to bestow praise (or disdain) upon the games that have crossed our paths in the year that was. Getting a Golden Noob trophy is an honor (or disgrace, depending on why it is awarded) to receive because we are all gamers as well as writers.

Without further delay, here are the ITG staff picks for game of the year, as well as our picks in other categories that we formulated to cover our 2009 gaming experiences. Keep in mind that some of us own consoles, some don’t. Some of us have played certain titles, and some of us didn’t have it in our budgets to play everything out there. We all own PC’s, but please understand that there are many games we haven’t played. These picks cover the things we experienced, and some really good (or bad) games might be left out. Not all games were necessarily launched in 2009, but had an impact on us enough to warrant them finding an award in this post. That said, let’s begin!

Category: Let down of the year. The nominees:

Br3ntbr0 – Aion
Aion was so predictable to me. Flashy graphics with metro-sexual, emo-styled characters and an over abundance of grind. A few gimmicks were there to keep a few hundred thousand around for a while, but that will be crushed under Blizzard’s Cataclysm boot and be in the same boat as Warhammer. I knew it wasn’t the game for me, and that it was very likely to contain all the MMO things that Koreans like and Americans don’t. After reading story after story about boredom, grind fests, PVP problems and the like…no other game can claim this title. I’m glad I resisted the urge to buy this game, simply because it was the popular game to jump to in September. Honorable mentions go out to Warhammer Online, Fallout 3 and Champions Online.

Rackham – Warhammer Online
For me it was Warhammer Online. We all believed the hype and drooled at the IP, but at the end of the day, technical issues and lack of end game draw was enough for me to leave it. It was a gorgeous game and the PVP mechanics are unmatched, but it just was lacking that special something.

Oakstout – Champions Online
Champions Online was a fun and enjoyable game, but overall it felt like a game rushed out the door. It felt like City of Heroes 2, not that this is a bad thing, but it wasn’t going to pull people away from an already well established game, which would have been their core player. It had quest progression issues that left people grinding mobs just to level up without anything substantial for them to do at end game. It was pretty and there were nice effects, but if you don’t have the content to keep people interested your going to lose players. To be honest, it seemed more like a game to generate money while Cryptic worked on bringing Star Trek Online to the masses.

Kaldeem – Warhammer Online
I’d have to agree on this one, as I pre-ordered WAR only to play for 3 months and cancel my subscription. While yes War was fun and a bit different, I think there was more hype then potential in this game, and I hate to see something with so much potential go to such a waste.

Carlosjuero – Aion
I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised at how disappointed I was with Aion – it was truly over hyped for a game that already was released and doing ‘well’ in Asia. That said I did jump in hoping to be proved wrong – sadly, the anticipation I felt for the game for years died out within a few weeks into Beta. While some of the ideas are interesting (Flight), it just has this feel of… well.. mediocrity. Top it off with a community that can, at times, but ‘The Barrens Chat’ to shame – this game definitely is the Bomb of the Year. (Close second: Champions Online)

JoBildo – Champions Online
I wanted to love this game so badly. Part of me still does. The character creator is amazing, the combat can be a lot of fun, and the Crisis Zones are a good way to do story-driven content. But the bugs, the lack of documentation, the rubber-banding, the lack of content in the mid-levels, and of course the infamous launch day patch made this a game I’ll probably check in on from time to time, but never really dig into the way I’d once hoped to.

Genda – Aion
What can I say. Not really surprised here as this was obviously the Flavor of the Month from the get-go. I’m sure it has a lot to recommend it, but I stand by my original call on The Grouchy Gamer. The two biggest things going against it are the Asian influence (the grind) and the PVP-dependency. I still don’t think you can have a persistent world that is based around PVP because of balancing (classes and factions) and lack of actual content. Not hard to see this one coming, obviously if I did.

Winner: Aion.

Category: Surprise of the year. The nominees:

Br3ntbr0 – Dragon Age: Origins
There were a few things I didn’t think were all that great about dragon age, but let me stress the word few. I know its hard to believe that I was surprised by a game so highly hyped and advertised before its launch, but I was someone who wasn’t even really looking forward to playing the game. Maybe I was so surprised because I had never played a BioWare RPG game before, but I was really sucked into this game. I enjoyed the story lines and played through the entire campaign twice. I was really surprised at how much I liked the combat. It was very tactical, but didn’t make me feel like there was more going on than I could handle. It came very close to being my game of the year, and the only reason I didn’t make it my game of the year was that it was such a surprise that I liked it so much. So, I made the surprise of the year category and it fit here just perfect for me. Honorable mentions go out to Modern Warfare 2, Dungeons and Dragons Online (post f2p change), and Torchlight.

Rackham – Wizards 101
Yes, you heard me right! My son was getting bored of his “kids’ MMO”, Fusion Fall, when I decided to look into this game as a possible alternate. I found myself enjoying this game so much that I signed up for two accounts right away. One for my son, and one for me. After showing the game to my (very non-gamer) wife, she was immediately drawn in. Not long after, I found my current Wizards101 account hijacked by my wife and we ended up buying the family subscription to the game. Any MMO that has my ENTIRE family playing together online is something short of miraculous. For those enticed by that story, Wizards 101 is definitely a kids game, but works on a card-combat mechanic. If you’ve ever longingly looked at all those old Magic: the Gathering cards collecting dust on your shelf, then be sure to check this game out. You’ll be hooked during the first tutorial mission!

Oakstout – Torchlight
I can’t say enough about this little game. It is everything a Diablo successor should be and more. So many great innovative features from having a pet that will run to town and sell items out of your inventory to being able to have an account bank that lets you trade items among your different toons. The graphics are superb and don’t require a massive machine to run. It is a great hack and slash game that is easy to get into and out of without too much trouble and for $20.00 it’s a steal.

Kaldeem – Dungeons and Dragons Online:Eberron Unlimited
While I haven’t gotten far in DDO, this is by far the most fun I’ve had in a MMO in a while. The graphics are grade A even comparable to Wow/War. Huge player base from what I can tell and is just really well done. WELL DONE!

Carlosjuero – Torchlight
I probably shouldn’t have been surprised by this game considering the development team (creative minds behind Mythos, and many Diablo development vets) – I was blown away at how fun it was to just dive into and go around chopping things up. Sure, long term-playability (vanilla) isn’t great – but it is an awesome game for a low budget indie title. With a toolset released that is the same as used to develop the game, this game has a ton of potential.

Jobildo – Batman: Arkham Asylum
So many comic book games are utter garbage. Batman has never had a hit, and the closest I’d say he’s come was the movie tie-in of Batman Returns back on the SNES. So I was admittedly skeptical that an unknown studio could make a stellar game based on the Caped Crusader. But the blend of stealth, action, puzzle solving, and story-telling (not to mention a really well done focus on Bruce Wayne’s gadgetry) made this one of my favorite games of this and recent years.

Genda – Torchlight
OK it’s not Diablo, and it’s kinda smallish. But for $20 you can’t find more bang for your gaming buck. Hack and slash your way to the bottom of the dungeon and collect your phat lewts. If this had multiplayer it would probably be my GOTY.

Winner: Torchlight

Category: Best game I didn’t play. The nominees:

Br3ntbr0 – Borderlands
Borderlands looked like a unique game. Cooperative games like Left 4 Dead scratched my small group itch very well, and this game appeared to be in the same mold. I watched plenty of footage, read many articles and followed this game closely. Alas, my budget didn’t allow me to grab this one as it launched in a period when many games were coming to market. Honorable mention goes out to Fallen Earth, but my lack of enthusiasm for post apocalyptic games is very low. However, I have yet to hear any knowledgeable gamer say anything very bad about it.

Rackham – Dragon Age: Origins
I’m breaking from my standard mold by not being one of the millions out there playing this game. If that response sparks the “Aww man! You REALLY gotta try this game!” response in you, then fret not. I may give the game a go around Christmas. Nobody can top Bioware in storytelling, and eventually I’ll cave in and experience this game to the fullest.

Oakstout – Dawn of War 2
Dawn of War 2 is at heart a RTS game that is trying really hard to break into the RPG genre. You can level up your main character, adjust stats, load in and out different squad mates for specific missions and there lots of great loot to be shuffled around. But like all things, I purchased it at the beginning of the year right around the time I got back into World of Warcraft so its been sitting on the hard drive collecting virtual dust, but it is a great game and well worth picking up.

Kaldeem – Tie: Dragon Age/Torchlight/L4D2
Here are three titles that I really want but didn’t get to buy (so far) and have plans on picking them up in the next few months. Not much more to say about these titles but I can ogle a bit for visual effect?

Carlosjuero – Left 4 Dead 2
This iteration of Left 4 Dead seems to build on the promise that the first one just hinted at, with more ‘long term’ love available I think. With all of the hoopla about the ‘Boycott’ the gaming world certainly turned around quick and L4D2 is one of the top played games on Steam (at least in my friends list) from what I have noticed.

Jobilido – Borderlands
I didn’t completely avoid Borderlands. I own it, in fact. But I’ve yet to really dig into it, despite my friends’ begging and pleading that I do. It doesn’t take a lot of brain power to see why a game that blends the loot and leveling addiction of the Diablo series with the run and gun action of Gearbox’s other titles might make for one hell of a co-op experience. I’ll get around to enjoying this one in 2010… maybe.

Genda – Dragon Age: Origins
Just didn’t have time to play it right now. From the looks of the blogosphere and the outrageous amount of attention this got in my Twitter circle, this was an amazing release. I’ll probably give this a look down the line although single-player RPG’s haven’t ever really been my cup of tea. I’ve been able to avoid spoilers thanks to most of the bloggers being really good about posting spoiler alerts. Thanks guys!

Winner: Dragon Age: Origins

Category: 2009 overall game of the year. The nominees:

Br3ntbr0 – Left 4 Dead 2
I’m a huge fan of valve games. Team fortress 1 and 2 will make the top of my all time favorite games lists, and so will Left 4 Dead 1 and 2. Valve continued their great game making by taking a fantastic game and improving and expanding on it in some very good ways. The characters are funny and likeable (Coach’s “one man cheeseburger apocalypse” makes me laugh every time I hear it), the new game play modes add strategic twists to already fun game play, the weapons are just flat out better, and the new special infected shake things up in new, fun and challenging ways. The upcoming Midnight Riders DLC already gives more to look forward to in this game. There’s just not been anything better in 2009 than finding 3 strangers to battle zombie hordes with. If only more on the ITG staff played, we’d have our own regular squad! While some might argue against this game citing “more of the same” I’d just say to each his own. These are opinions we are each entitled to have, and this was – in my opinion – the best game I played in 2009.

Rackham – World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
Any game that can keep me returning back to the running treadmills for 5 years must have something going for it. The game has grown to such a degree that it is the benchmark by which other MMOs are measured, whether they intend to or not. Eventually the ivory tower may crack as eventually others games with much more creative thinking behind it will eventually chip away at it. Either that or Blizzard employees will drown to death in their massive stacks of money.

Oakstout – Dragon Age: Origins
This game wasn’t even on my radar. Sure, Pete would blog about it every other day, but still, nothing I would really see myself playing. I’d tried Mass Effect and wasn’t into the whole dialog tree of gaming. If I wanted to read, I would pick up a good book, not play a video game. However, this game is awesome. The dialog is fun and helps propel the story forward as opposed to bogging it down. There are a number of different characters you can play and each story is unique. The best part of the story telling is that it is a doorway to the best part of the game, the fighting. The game is full of the best action I’ve seen in a game in a very long time and it gets pretty tense and hairy at times. Although the game is available for many console systems, I chose the PC version because it gives you the ability to pause the action anytime to reassign melee attacks and spell casting so you can best protect your little adventuring group. The game is full of surprise and it looks fantastic. They did a very good job on the graphics and sound for this game. I can’t think of any other game that I would even consider for game of the year.

Kaldeem- World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
Yeah, I would have to agree with Rackham here. I like Wow, and had HIGH hopes for Wotlk upon rushing to Walmart and spending my last $50 on this, I mean it was freaking great the first time I hit 80, and yeah…treadmills suck in real life, and that carries over in game also! Still my GOTY vote!

Carlosjuero – Dragon Age: Origins
I am a complete ‘fanboi’ when it comes to this game, and I am not afraid to admit it! I haven’t played an RPG in many years that drew me in as much as this one has – from the choices that have to be made (some of which may not be your particular cup of tea) to the in depth characters and story… Dragon Age delivers on all levels for me.

Jobildo – Dragon Age: Origins
BioWare has consistently made the best and most engaging role-playing experiences since 1990s and this trend doesn’t change with the spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate. I’d even be bold enough to say that Dragon Age bests the classic Black Isle Studios series to the point where I won’t go back every couple years to play them, and instead I’ll be taking a trip down memory lane by diving into Ferelden once in a blue moon. BioWare’s at the top of their game these past few years, and if Mass Effect 2 is as good as Dragon Age is, I’ll be even more excited to see what the Canucks bring to the MMOG table with Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Genda – Borderlands
I haven’t played this as much as I’d like but the multiplayer is a freaking blast. Good story, good music, fun gameplay. All in all a good run at a console game. Truthfully, I’m looking forward to next year to see what rises up. Some really good games this year, but I’m hoping for greatness in 2010. Especially if Bioware comes through and if Cataclysm is as big an improvement over WOTLK as Wrath was over TBC.

Winner: Dragon Age: Origins

So there you have it. The gamers have spoken, and BioWare’s RPG comes out huge with 2 Golden Noob awards and positive mentions in other categories. Borderlands, Left 4 Dead 2, Torchlight and World of Warcraft come away with positive mentions as well.

What do you think? Agree or disagree with these nominations and the chosen winners? Let us know!

© Posted by br3ntbr0 for Im Talkin Games with 2 comments on 12/07/2009.
Posted in: Featured, Opinion Tags: All Points Bulletin, Awards, BioShock 2, Borderlands, Dragon Age: Origins, Global Agenda, Left 4 Dead 2, Modern Warfare 2, Star Wars: The Old Repbulic, Torchlight, World of Warcraft, WoW

It looks as if the folks at Hi-Rez Studios are taking the Valve and ArenaNet route with their anticipated MMO shooter, Global Agenda.  Well, almost.  It appears that the core game will be available for $49.99 USD, and Hi-Rez will also offer a subscription package called Global Agenda: Conquest.  The additional Conquest subscription will be available for $12.99 a month, discounted for 6 month or longer subscription commitments.  The Conquest package makes the large scale AvA campaign available, among other things.  You can read the full pricing FAQ’s and see the official press release below:

ATLANTA, Oct. 20, 2009 – Global Agenda players will be able to experience the major features of the game after a one time purchase via digital download or box sale, with no monthly subscription required. An optional subscription package called Global Agenda: Conquest will be available for those players who wish to participate in the persistent Alliance vs. Alliance territory control game-play and access ongoing content updates.

“Throughout our Beta process, our fans, players and reviewers have consistently told us that Global Agenda’s combat system is exceptionally fun and that they would love to play it as a multiplayer shooter” said Todd Harris, Executive Producer. “This single-purchase, non-subscription model will enable players to fully experience Global Agenda’s award-winning persistent shooter gameplay.”

“At the same time, many players are seeking a deeper experience, and want to engage in large-scale campaigns between player-created groups over limited territory and resources. These players can opt for the Conquest subscription plan which includes our persistent AvA world domination gameplay, and other features typically associated with MMOs.”

The specific features associated with each pricing option are as follows:

Global Agenda (one time purchase – $49.99 MSRP) includes:

* Creation of up to eight different agent characters
* Character visual customization
* Access to all combat weapons and devices
* Cooperative Player vs. Environment missions against the Commonwealth NPC faction, AI-controlled enemies, and Boss Fights
* Matchmade Player vs. Player missions with five different game types and over 20 unique maps
* Character progression through 30 levels
* Achievement and unlocks system for individual characters
* Player Inventory for suits, flair, dyes, upgrades, and loot
* Virtual Reality practice fighting area
* Vendors and accumulation of in-game currency
* Text chat with multiple channels
* Built in voice chat during missions
* Ability to join an established player-created agency
* All play is on our single-shard, hosted server environment to ensure convenient and consistent gaming experience.
* Ability to sign up for one free month of subscription at registration (credit card required, can be cancelled at any time)

Global Agenda: Conquest ($12.99 per month, $11.49/mo for 3 month, $9.99/mo for 6 month) includes:

* Access to Alliance vs. Alliance (AvA) World Domination gameplay

* A massive scale campaign between player created agencies and alliances over scarce territory and resources on a persistent world map.
* Attack and Defend Territories in zones that match your agency’s schedule
* Agency and Alliance Management – Create and maintain persistent player groups and officer ranks
* Creation and Upgrading of Facilities – Control production and output
* Base Raids – involving up to 60 players per side; coordinated between 6 different strike teams within linked territory instances
* Agency Achievement System, Leveling, and Recognition

* Auction House with bidding and buyouts
* Mail System
* Upgrade Text and Voice chat to support multiple channels and strike teams
* Player Crafting with blueprints
* Additional character customization options including elite character suits, dye colors, and seasonal flair
* Ongoing Co-Op content at max character level
* Ongoing AvA content, multiplayer PvP content, and new social areas

© Posted by br3ntbr0 for Im Talkin Games with 2 comments on 10/20/2009.
Posted in: Beta, Featured, News Tags: Global Agenda, Hi-Rez Studios