I gotta hand it to CCP Games, they’re up there with developers like Valve in terms of giving players free content for their games. Since EVE Online launched in 2003, CCP has given players each expansion and major update to the game for the low cost of Free. While you do have to pay a subscription fee to play, there’s nothing stopping you from making a trial account to try out the new content.
I’ve always been a huge fan of Role Playing Games. My general interest in the genre is far-reaching and broad, but as a result I tend to be picky and only truly like a handful of scattered games that blend the elements. I generally like Japanese RPGs, provided they’re not too grind-focused and have a good story, or at least a humorously convoluted one. As far as western RPGs go, I cannot accurately pin my preferences into a group or particular type. I tend to like old turn-based games. Some newer RPGs interest me and even fascinate me. Many of them, however, downright frustrate me, even if I want to like them for the merits they do have, such as Dragon Age: Origins.
The
term “free-to-play” has mostly been used to describe lower-tier MMOs
over the past few years, describing games which, while literally free to
play, make a profit through micro-transactions and payments for more
content. Now the shooter genre is dipping its toe into this genre, with
both Battlefield and Ghost Recon starting new free-to-play online projects. This model has proven to be profitable for shooters such as Battlefield Heroes, a cartoony class-based shooter which preceded the recent Battlefield Play4Free.
So, with the words “shooter” and “profitable” being in the same
sentence, it would only make sense that Activision might try this
business model with their shooter juggernaut Call of Duty. So what would Call of Duty look like if it went free-to-play?
The onslaught of hacking in the gaming industry continues, with both Bioware and Sega being infiltrated by hackers. The information compromised for both of these companies was once again personal information found on their respective websites.
Valve has been constantly updating their Steam digital download platform ever since it’s inception in 2004. One of the more recent updates for the service was the Steam “wallet”, allowing users to add money to their Steam profile so that later transactions would be easier and faster. This made micro-transactions for items in Team Fortress 2 quite easy, but it also fits quite well with a recent rumor that Valve is currently developing a free-to-play project.
It was hard to predict Steam’s success after their 2004 launch. Now with 25 million registered accounts, Steam’s service allows you to buy and download over 1100 games. Some would argue that Steam’s success is due to Valves’ solid support, great deals and non-intrusive DRM system.
Roanoke was a British colony established in 1585 whose inhabitants literally vanished into thin air. Over the years many people have put forth theories as to how this happened but developer Final Form Games have come up with what I think is the best theory with their debut title Jamestown: The Legend of The Lost Colony. According to the game, Roanoke was wiped out by a joint Spanish-Martian invasion force.
