Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogobig.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[The rules have changed: Wrapping up Super Monday Night Combat]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/20/the-rules-have-changed-wrapping-up-super-monday-night-combat/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/20/the-rules-have-changed-wrapping-up-super-monday-night-combat/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/20/the-rules-have-changed-wrapping-up-super-monday-night-combat/#commentsAs free-to-play games are constantly changing, traditional reviews can't really do them justice, so Joystiq relies on a series of unscored review diaries to record our experiences with them. Today brings part three of our Super Monday Night Combat diaries. Read parts one, two and three if you haven't!
Monday Night Combat fused class-driven warfare with tower defense in 2010, heavily focusing on frenetic, fast-paced combat. While Uber Entertainment meant for the game to favor teamwork, the mechanics and character balance allowed players to eschew teamwork for lone-wolf play. Monday Night Combat was still a fun endeavor, but Super Monday Night Combat and it's methodical, team-oriented gameplay is what Uber Entertainment meant to unleash the first time around.

To quickly recap, Super Monday Night Combat has teams of pros escorting A.I. bots to the enemy "Moneyball." The first to destroy the opposing Moneyball wins. It sounds simple, but players have to watch out for giant chickens, murderous mascots, and weather controlling blimps, all while defending turrets from relentless bot waves. While MNC nailed the campy, satirical tone - with its characters poking fun at consumerism and the spectacle of sports - SMNC improves on this by adding more original character classes. In addition to archetypical classes like "assault," essentially the traditional soldier class, we also have zany choices like Leo - as in the actual Leonardo Da Vinci.

These classes are not only better balanced, but designed to fulfill specific roles, such as the position-holding defenders and the player-harassing commandos. These roles work with the overall design mandate of the game, which encourages players to work together and focus on the objective.

Gallery: Super Monday Night Combat (8/20/11)

Continue reading The rules have changed: Wrapping up Super Monday Night Combat

JoystiqThe rules have changed: Wrapping up Super Monday Night Combat originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 20 Jul 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>pcsuper-monday-night-combatuber-entertainmentFri, 20 Jul 2012 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The rules have changed: Paying for Super Monday Night Combat]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/10/the-rules-have-changed-paying-for-super-monday-night-combat/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/10/the-rules-have-changed-paying-for-super-monday-night-combat/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/10/the-rules-have-changed-paying-for-super-monday-night-combat/#commentsAs free-to-play games are constantly changing, traditional reviews can't really do them justice, so Joystiq relies on a series of unscored review diaries to record our experiences with them. Today brings part three of our Super Monday Night Combat diaries. Read part one and part two if you haven't!
The rules have changed Paying for Super Monday Night Combat
With free-to-play games, the big question always boils down to, "How free is it, really?" Super Monday Night Combat is no exception. Fortunately, the folks at Uber Entertainment engineered Super Monday Night Combat so that players don't have to drop any money. To date, after over 100 hours of playtime, I've spent around 8 or 9 dollars - and they were completely unnecessary expenditures.

Gallery: Super Monday Night Combat (In-Game Purchases)

Continue reading The rules have changed: Paying for Super Monday Night Combat

JoystiqThe rules have changed: Paying for Super Monday Night Combat originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>pcsuper-monday-night-combatuber-entertainmentTue, 10 Jul 2012 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The rules have changed: Classes in Super Monday Night Combat]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/26/the-rules-have-changed-classes-in-super-monday-night-combat/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/26/the-rules-have-changed-classes-in-super-monday-night-combat/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/26/the-rules-have-changed-classes-in-super-monday-night-combat/#commentsAs free-to-play games are constantly changing, traditional reviews can't really do them justice, so Joystiq relies on a series of unscored review diaries to record our experiences with them. Today brings part two of our Super Monday Night Combat diaries. Read part one if you haven't!
The rules have changed Classes in Super Monday Night Combat
The key to winning in Super Monday Night Combat - aside from teamwork - is to play to your character's strengths. While customization options such as endorsement slots and products help tailor characters to different styles of play, each character is still married to overt roles.

The game features five types of classes: commandos, strikers, enforcers, defenders, and sharpshooters. Trying out each of the class types to find what you work best with is highly recommended. Here's a short primer on each of the class types, as showcased through my favorite character in each category.

Gallery: Super Monday Night Combat (8/20/11)

Continue reading The rules have changed: Classes in Super Monday Night Combat

JoystiqThe rules have changed: Classes in Super Monday Night Combat originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>pcreview-diarysuper-monday-night-combatuber-entertainmentTue, 26 Jun 2012 21:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The rules have changed: Suiting up for Super Monday Night Combat]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/10/the-rules-have-changed-suiting-up-for-super-monday-night-combat/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/10/the-rules-have-changed-suiting-up-for-super-monday-night-combat/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/10/the-rules-have-changed-suiting-up-for-super-monday-night-combat/#commentsAs free-to-play games are constantly changing, traditional reviews can't really do them justice, so Joystiq relies on a series of unscored review diaries to record our experiences with them. Today brings part one of our Super Monday Night Combat diaries.
In the future, the American dream is a crowd cheering a brutal battle for cash, prizes, corporate endorsements and bacon. Can't have the American Dream without bacon, after all. At least, this is the world Uber Entertainment has created in Super Monday Night Combat, the follow-up to 2010's (regular) Monday Night Combat. The premise is still the same: Opposing teams of 'pros' must escort regularly spawning A.I. bots to the enemy Moneyball, first team to destroy the enemy Moneyball wins. Bots are the only thing that can take a Moneyball down, but they have to survive through a staunch line of turrets, vicious arena bots and of course, several classes of aggressive (and perhaps insane) opposing players.

These classes all have special skills and abilities specific to their role, from the whimsical, Italian support class who can heal and place defensive turrets, to a giant gorilla in a pinstripe suit that can hurl flaming barrels. There's a mascot that can be beaten, shot and otherwise maimed for power-ups, announcers trying to sell products to the audience, and a weather-controlling blimp that can turn the tide of an entire match for the right price. All typical sport stuff, really.

Gallery: Super Monday Night Combat (8/20/11)

Continue reading The rules have changed: Suiting up for Super Monday Night Combat

JoystiqThe rules have changed: Suiting up for Super Monday Night Combat originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 10 May 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>mobapcsuper-monday-night-combatuber-entertainmentThu, 10 May 2012 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The disappearance of skill in games]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/05/the-disappearance-of-skill-in-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/05/the-disappearance-of-skill-in-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/05/the-disappearance-of-skill-in-games/#comments ImageGetting into gaming isn't easy. The always-growing lingo and concepts -- from friend codes to headshots -- are sometimes indecipherable to others. The games offered in mainstream commercial channels are not always inclusive, in that they are largely made by homogeneous groups of developers and marketed toward a specific demographic of users.

Most games also require a certain degree of hand-eye coordination, manual dexterity and reflexes -- skills that are developed over time in an effort to overcome a game's challenge. Challenge as a barrier of entry is one that 'hardcore gamers' cling the most closely to. As far as the hardcore gamer is concerned, games are all about proving ourselves and overcoming challenge. Achievements, scores, and the popularity of multiplayer modes show that having the opportunity to master and display skill is addictive.

In the latest generation, something curious began to happen: the industry started experimenting with accessibility. Developers and designers are slowly reconsidering the necessity of skill.

Continue reading The disappearance of skill in games

JoystiqThe disappearance of skill in games originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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