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Diablo 3 to emphasize cooperation, PvP to be included

by Jason Dobson { Jul 4th 2008 at 3:00PM }

Whether calling it out for being too colorful or even too conservative, Diablo 3 naysayers have certainly not lacked for ammunition to sling at the action RPG since it was made all official like late last month. Now pessimists can add another rock to the pile, with Blizzard poster Bashiok writing on the official World of Warcraft forums that the Diablo 3 devs are working to discourage online skullduggery, and that multiplayer will focus primarily on cooperative play.

Explained Bashiok, "We have a large focus on cooperative play for Diablo III, and the mechanics and design decisions related to multiplayer are likely going to be based on supporting and encouraging it as much as possible, and not breaking it down." However, PvP will apparently have its place in the game, as Bashiok baited forumers by adding, "That doesn't mean that PvP won't have its own focus, but those are details and features we aren't yet discussing." So for now it looks like PKers will need to find another outlet for their griefing ways, perhaps by venturing outside into the sunlight for a rousing game of Freeze Tag.

New Ring of Fates video: The whole is greater than the sum of its parts

by Eric Caoili { Jun 17th 2007 at 12:00PM }

We've been clamoring for a proper follow-up to the Seiken Densetsu series for over a decade now, and by the looks of the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates videos we've seen so far, we might finally be getting one. The first Crystal Chronicles entry on the GameCube was by no means disappointing, at least in our opinion, but hardware and link cable requirements made getting a group together much harder than we would've liked. Its handheld sequel seems free of those problems without losing that multiplayer ARPG's cooperative fun.

Square Enix's latest Ring of Fates clip demonstrates the teamwork involved in getting through the game's dungeon puzzles. Carrying around a huge block of wood can be difficult if someone isn't knocking back the enemies coming at you! Bring your crew past the post break for the short movie.

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Wii Warm Up: Friend or foe?

by Jason Wishnov { May 10th 2007 at 9:00AM }

With the possibilities of cooperative gameplay in some surprising titles, we reflected on the lack of decent co-op found in gaming today. Certainly, executing a flawless plan with a buddy in, say, Gears of War (sorry, we couldn't think of a decent example on the Wii) is gaming nirvana, but far more commonly implemented competitive modes give a lasting edge to games for years; just take a look at the brilliant Super Smash Bros. Melee, or, you know, any popular FPS in the last decade.

With that in mind, where would you rather your game go: co-op or competitive? Where should gaming companies focus, and is there any demand for strange hybrids of the two, such as the compelling The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures?

Crackdown DLC Screenshot

by David Dreger { Apr 25th 2007 at 6:15PM }

One of the developers at Real Time Worlds released a screenshot of some downloadable content for Crackdown. The image showcases four buggies being driven down a dirt track. The models on the vehicle look nice, though the red color scheme would suggest that they are unfortunately not Agency vehicles, and won't morph based on your character's Driving skill level. Still, it looks like taking one for a spin would be a lot of fun.

The fact there is four on screen could be interpreted as adding 2 more players to co-op. Or perhaps it will be a separate mode, like Time Trials, and you'll select courses with the ability to have 4 players. We'll have to wait and see, but our interest is piqued, what about you?

[Thanks, DjDATZ]

Gundam Battle Royale gets set to win Japan

by Andrew Yoon { Sep 10th 2006 at 4:15PM }

You may remember that SD Gundam was the best selling PSP game ever in Japan, selling more than 150,000 units in its first week alone. It looks like Bandai and Sony are ready to kick some ass again. Battle Royale allows four players to jump into their favorite Gundam and fight against or with their friends in a pretty cool-sounding cooperative mode. It looks like the entire franchise is represented in this outing, so Gundam geeks are going to go wild when this game hits Japan in October.

See also:
SD Gundam G Generation wins in Japan

Preview of new Guitar Hero II co-op mode

by Dan Choi { May 8th 2006 at 3:21PM }

Screenshot of new Guitar Hero II co-op mode

In case you missed it on Friday, IGN posted a pre-E3 hands-on preview of Guitar Hero II's new co-op mode. It's a departure from the first game's multiplayer mode in that the two players have to depend on each other a lot more to pass each song and thereby make beautiful music together.

While the old multiplayer option will still be around in the sequel, the new mode mixes distinct lead guitar and bass or rhythm parts where each player affects the other in various ways, whether by failing if either performance slips (as in DDR), sharing the same Rock Meter (with mistakes from either player resetting the score multiplier), and needing to both go vertical at the same time to activate the shared Star Power. Thankfully, different difficulty levels can be assigned to each player.

The Joystiq team out in L.A. will probably find something to do until they get their sweaty paws on a guitar controller or two on the E3 show floor (maybe one of those wacky press conferences will help pass the time), but we're sure the wait to try the latest build of this rockin' series will be worth it. The seven songs available at E3 are listed below.

[Thanks, murph]

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