The numbers are in! And for those who have been with us during our previous versions will have noticed this too: that the release of Shadow of Legend Open Beta was not just another update, but an UPGRADE that brought in an influx of fresh new players and breathed all new life into the game. We are excited to see our players, both experienced and new, give Shadow of Legend Open Beta a try, and see first-hand the difference we are making in the PC-to-mobile gaming industry.
At the moment, we are currently releasing only the PC version of Shadow of Legend. We want our players to get an idea of what will be possible on their mobile devices. Three new events are being implemented in this version: (1) Guarding Your Homeland, (2) The Magic Cube, and (3) the Turtle Sunbathe Island. We hope that these new events will keep your evenings entertaining and your game experience enjoyable.
There may be a war in Agnes, and we can fight each other for conquest, glory, or just for the heck of it; but who’s to say that we can’t have fun at the same time? And more importantly, who’s to say that you can’t have fun away from your PC? Get your mobile phones ready, because we’re stepping up the fun factor in Shadow of Legend to a whole new level. We look forward to your participation.
About SmartCell
SmartCell Technology, LLC, is a leading developer of mobile platform technology, mobile applications, and mobile online gaming solutions. Headquartered in Irvine, CA, with a research and development center in Shanghai, China; SmartCell Technology is currently working on Shadow of Legend, the world's first 2D MMORPG that can realize game play on both PC and mobile devices. More information about SmartCell Technology, LLC and its products can be found at http://www.smartcell.com/. More information about Shadow of Legend can be found at http://www.shadowoflegend.com/.
Shadow of Legend Website http://www.shadowoflegend.com/
Shadow of Legend Official Forum http://www.shadowoflegend.com/forum/
Shadow of Legend Myspace Page http://www.myspace.com/shadowoflegend
Shadow of Legend Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=27122140240
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Shadow of Legend's Open Beta Doubles its Popularity!
Monday, August 20, 2007
Galder Puzzle Game Enters Public Beta
Fastforward Software has announced the public beta of Galder, a new puzzle board game for Mac OS X. In Galder, the player must remove gem stones as quickly as possible from an interactive circular game board by matching identical stones.
Fastforward's Managing Director Joshua Coventry said: "Until now, Fastforward has focused solely on software titles including FinanceToGo and QuickSnap. Today marks our entrance into the gaming market. Mac users need a wider choice of quality games, and Galder is the first of many to come."
Fastforward develops, publishes and distributes software and games for Mac OS X. Fastforward finances and supports independent shareware developers around the world. Fastforward is located in Sheffield, England and was founded in 2006.
A public beta of Galder is available free of charge from the Fastforward Software website. The beta expires within 30 days. Fastforward expects to ship the initial version of Galder as a digital download in late Q3 2007 at a retail price of $19.99 USD. It requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Fury MMO to open its beta to all
20 July 2007 - Gamers who like to get something for nothing should celebrate the fact that Australian developer Auran is set to open its beta to its upcoming game Fury.
Up to now the beta has been closed but for the weekend starting Friday July 26 (for European gamers) the developers plan to let up to 200,000 gamers visit and try out the player Vs. player combat.
On a first come first serve basis, gamers who visit the site (see link below) can sign up for the open beta that will run for 60 hours from Saturday morning Sydney time on Saturday July 27 (that’s Friday evening GMT).
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Friday, July 13, 2007
E3 2007: Call of Duty 4 - stunning trailer released, online beta test announced
Turn your Xbox 360 on. Resist the temptation to play Sonic and go into the Marketplace section. Download the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare trailer - it's mindblowing.
No longer do you have to struggle with rubbish old WWII weapons - this year's Call of Duty has been brought right up to date. The helicopter has been invented. The laser sight has been invented.
There are even women fighting out there! The game looks phenomenally hot, with many impartial observers picking CoD4 out as the best-looking game shown at E3. Yes, even better than Gears of War clone Killzone
Better still, publisher Activision has just announced that an online beta test of CoD4 will start soon - and that'll be exclusive to Xbox 360. Which nicely justifies that Xbox Live Gold fiver a month.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
World in Conflict open beta brings DX10 sweetness
MASSIVE ENTERTAINMENT TEAMED up with its publisher Sierra and Intel to bring out beta version of its upcoming RTS mega-hit, World in Conflict to the masses.
This graphically intensive game comes with DirectX 9 and 10 codepaths, and authors promise that this RTS will not leave much to be desired for. When it comes to gameplay, WiC brings world of RTS to a new level and brings ton of fun, just like recent success named Supreme Commander.
In graphics department, using DX10 API codepath will bring you, new visual goodness, with volumetric clouds, light rays, soft particle tech for realistic smoke, fire and explosions effects, and there are many objects that are completely destructible.
This game is now available as an open beta, so you need to go to Intel's gaming site and register, after which ping-pong with e-mails will commence. Intel chose Bit Torrent as preferred way of distributing beta, and if you already do not have a BitTorrent client, µTorrent is our recommended client. At 100 and so kilobytes, you will hardly find anything smaller and yet so efficient. Our beta is happily downloading at 375 KB/s (currently at 5Mbit/s connection), so our take is that seeders are working nicely.
We have to warn you that this is still beta code, so there are things to be fixed in the game. For Nvidia cards, Nvidia is advising download of latest drivers for Nvidia for Vista and XP, while ATI users can continue to use Catalyst 7.6 drivers. Even though, 7.7 are not far away.
Friday, June 29, 2007
PS3 beta sees some Home improvement
Sony's Home beta has received a sizable update, allowing a few graphical enhancements and interface tweaks.
the PlayStation 3 Home beta software has received its first update since the virtual community's exclusive launch in early May. Providing a number of graphical enhancements, the update offers better looking mini-games and allots users a few new customization options such as weight control, hair color toggling, and new clothing choices for their now sharper online characters.
Streaming has also improved for all video panels displayed in public areas, which will now take into account how closely one stands to the screens and adjust the picture quality accordingly. In addition, new movie trailers for upcoming Sony Pictures releases have been added as well. Moving about the virtual world of Home seems to be quicker, since the report also states that in-game avatars can now finally run as opposed to just walk. As a final bit of content, there are new items to adorn one's HomeSpace.
Tantalizing those who have been pining for cross media bar access while playing PS3 games, this update finally allows users to access the XMB at any time by pressing select, as gamers can now view their friends list and send messages without exiting Home. While Home has yet to deliver some of the promised arcade games and online chess playing capabilities, it has time for more tweaking and updates before its currently scheduled fall release.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Sword of the New World Open Beta Now Live
K2 Network has announced that the open beta for "Sword of the New World: Granado Espada" is now live.
"The growing Sword of The New World community has been waiting for this day and it's finally here," said Grantley Day, Vice President of Development at K2 Network. "Until now gamers could only read about the unique and exciting experience that is Sword of The New World; but now they can experience this truly exceptional game firsthand."
"Gamers who are interested in being part of the open beta which is now live and continues through until early July should visit the official site to sign up and start playing. In the beta, players will have access to 4 worlds while experiencing the game's extensive costume selection feature and unique multi-character control system, while testing out the deep and compelling character classes.
Licensed to K2 Network by Hanbitsoft, Sword of the New World is developed by imcGAMES. imcGAMES is headed by CEO Hakkyu Kim, the creator of Ragnarok Online, one of the world's most popular MMO's with more than 25 million subscribers. A fantasy MMORPG whose story is modeled after Europe's exploration of the New World, this gorgeous, original title allows players to create and simultaneously control a family of characters utilizing the excusive Multiple Character Control (MCC) system.
This innovative fantasy adventure lavishly unfolds its luscious graphical style through a rich and compelling story comprised of thrilling missions and quests. Swept by an exotic New World fever in the 17th century, this fictional yet profoundly historical exploration of the new found continent includes features that are all-new and exclusive to the U.S. and European versions of the game."
New screenshots from the open beta can be found in the game's gallery.
Machines at War - Free Public Beta
Isotope 244, makers of fine classics such as Atomic Cannon, have a new public beta out. The game is called "Machines at War" and can be found in either exe or cab form here. From what I understand, it's a real-time/resource-based strategy.
They've also posted a feedback form so they can make improvements/fixes prior to launch. Some good news: it's compatible with both Smartphone and Pocket PC operating systems.
"Command an army of forces across the battlefield with ease in this real time strategy game. You are challenged to construct an epic war machine and use it to become a dominating world power. Machines at War features a random map system so every game you play is unique and poses new challenges. Build bridges to cross water, mow down forests to clear a path to the enemy, build walls to defend your position, track tread marks left by enemy tanks to their base, hide under trees for an ambush attack, these are just some of the unique game play elements available."
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Quake Wars Beta Open for All
Don't have a FilePlanet premium account? The Quake Wars beta is open for all! Update: Looks like they're gone already; more coming Sunday!
To help ease everyone's suffering, here are a few handy tips for playing a GDI soldier. In Sewer (the map in the beta), your team's job (The GDI in this case) is to hack the control center deep in the (you guessed it) sewer. The Strogg's goal is to defend against your team's incursions. Each round lasts upwards of 20 minutes depending on the server rules. Sooner, if you take out the controls, of course.
Before the round starts, players warm up until either the server fills up, or everyone presses F3 to signify their readiness. You have a few weapons to choose from, including an assault rifle, rocket launcher, Rambo style heavy machine gun or shotgun. By pressing "L" you can change your weapon at any time, and the next time you respawn, the switch will go into affect. All the little icons and doodads are intimidating at first, but your job is pretty simple.
As a soldier, your role is to capture objectives and blow stuff up. You don't have to be the best FPS player to get the highest score. Completing missions awards way more points than killing people. When the game starts, and your parachuting in, hit the "m" button. That will assign you a mission. The first one is to capture the forward spawn point. By doing this, every time anyone in your team dies, they have less distance to travel after they respawn (i.e. - they will parachute in at the forward spawn, instead of the GDI base). To capture it, run into the little shed, go to the laptop screen and hold down the left mouse button down until a red circle forms. Then you'll get a little message saying that you captured the spawn.
Your next mission is to blow up a barrier down the hill. It's not vital or anything, as there are a bunch of doors and openings into the area, but it's free XP and doesn't take much time to do. All of the targets pop up on the screen as icons, so everything is pretty easy to find. To place a charge, scroll through your inventory (numbers or mouse wheel) and choose the HE charge. Go up to the icon, press your fire button. That will place the charge. Then a little radio controller doodad will appear in your hand. Go up to the charge, hold down the left mouse button until the red circle forms, that arms the charge. Then move away. The explosives can be disarmed, so you might want to keep an eye on them until they go off.
After the secondary barrier is down (or sooner), your engineers will be trying to make an EMP disruptor. That will eliminate the Strogg shields that are guarding the sewers. Depending on the other team, you may or may not have any mission options at this point. If the Strogg constructors place a bunch of turrets, you can take them out. But otherwise, your job is to give the engineers cover to build the EMP disruptor. About this time, the rocket launcher or heavy machine guns are good choices of weaponry, as you're close enough to the Strogg base where everyone and their clone is going to be driving cyclops and other vehicles over to push you back..
Once the EMP disruptor goes up, a bunch of new mission options will appear. You can capture another forward spawn, or blow up various sewer targets. If you're quick, go for the spawn mission. If not, pick one of the sewer targets. This is the time where you need to focus on the mission. Stay out of the vehicles, don't get dragged into deathmatch and go into the sewers. You can get to the sewer controls by blowing up as little as one grate, but there are two main entrances and two little sub targets. The more stuff you blow up, the higher your score is, and you can open the place up so the Strogg aren't all defending the same choke point.
I like to run up my score a bit, so if things are chaotic and its not going to impact the final result, it's a good idea to make sure all of the sewer missions get completed. Plus, as we touched on earlier, it does open the map up for your team, so its all good.
Just one more objective to go - hacking the sewer controls. You can't hack them, but any one of the ten or so snipers on your team can (covert ops are a popular class). Hang tight, defend the choke points into the control center, and prepare to win the round.
Random tips - Always have a mission when possible; don't denigrate the game into deathmatch; always use the right weapon for each section of the map; don't run over your team mates (even the little four-wheeler can kill people)!
Have fun!
Friday, June 15, 2007
200k sign up for Warhammer Online beta
The world's leading interactive entertainment company, today announced that more than 200,000 players have signed up for the Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (WAR) closed beta test.
The Warhammer Online Beta Center opened simultaneously in North America and Europe on May 30th, and the 200,000 registration mark was surpassed over the weekend, less than ten days after launch. This makes the beta test of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning one of the most rapidly growing beta tests in the history of the MMORPG category. The Beta Center is currently open and accepting applications at https://betacenter.eamythic.com/signup.php.
Mark Jacobs, VP and General Manager of EA Mythic said, "We would like to thank the community for their tremendous response to Warhammer Online. The overwhelming worldwide reaction to the beta test has been phenomenal. The team has been working incredibly hard to create a genre-defining experience, and the beta sign-ups certainly validate the direction we're taking the game. Player input and testing will be crucial in our efforts to complete the game, and we look forward to beta participants' help in shaping Warhammer Online."
Based on Games Workshop's epic tabletop fantasy war game, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning features revolutionary Realm vs. Realm™ (RvR) game play and is scheduled for release on the PC in the first quarter of calendar 2008.
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information about the game, please visit www.warhammeronline.com.
Halo 3 Beta Ends as Official Countdown for Retail Launch Begins
The countdown has begun for the biggest entertainment event of 2007 with the close of Bungie Studios’ massively successful Halo 3 multiplayer beta. A first for the acclaimed Halo franchise, the limited public beta was an overwhelming success, seeing more than 820,000 unique participants and more than 12 million hours of online gameplay in its short test period, equivalent to more than 1,400 years of continuous play by one person.
Now that the beta has closed, consumers worldwide can gear up for the game’s release with a variety of new merchandise, including two new Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo 3” Wireless Controllers designed by Spawn and McFarlane Toys creator Todd McFarlane, as well as an Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo 3” Wireless Headset, which lets gamers talk with friends over Xbox LIVE. The controllers and headset will be available starting in early September and can be preordered at select retailers today, allowing “Halo” fans everywhere to prepare for the launch of this year’s biggest game.
“The participation in the ‘Halo 3’ beta was staggering,” said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. “Witnessing such a great reaction to a small portion of the game has been inspiring. It’s a testament to the fervor and anticipation that surrounds ‘Halo 3.’ We’re confident that on Sept. 25 Halo 3 will drive an unprecedented wave of new gamers to the Xbox 360 platform and Xbox LIVE.”
The “Halo 3” beta, an early look at parts of the multiplayer gameplay of “Halo 3,” debuted to Xbox 360 owners worldwide via Xbox LIVE on May 16. The more than 820,000 users who played the beta resulted in more than 350 terabytes of data downloaded from Xbox LIVE, equivalent to more than 82 million digital music downloads from the Internet.* Also telling was the players’ response to an exciting new saved-film feature, which provided them with the unprecedented ability to record their games and share them over Xbox LIVE with friends for the first time on Xbox 360. The feature, which was unveiled in the beta, saw more than 580,000 saved films created by users, representing more than 2.7 terabytes of data. Because of the tremendous participation in the beta, Bungie now has an exhaustive amount of data that will be used to improve the overall game experience.
Fans looking to immerse themselves in the “Halo” universe before the game’s epic launch this September will be able to dive into “Halo” through a variety of new merchandise and accessories:
Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo 3” Wireless Controllers. Two new Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Controllers will be available starting Sept. 18 and can be preordered today at select retailers. Designed with original artwork by legendary Spawn artist Todd McFarlane, they will be available in either the Covenant Brute or Master Chief themes. Each controller will be packaged with a limited edition “Halo 3” collectible figurine created by McFarlane Toys will sell for an estimated retail price $59.99 (U.S.).
Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo 3” Wireless Headset. For the “Halo 3” enthusiast who enjoys wireless mobility while playing with friends on Xbox LIVE, the Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Headset will sport the Spartan green and gold and provide high-quality voice connections over Xbox LIVE for an estimated retail price of $59.99 (U.S.). Available in early September, this accessory can be preordered today at select retailers.
“Halo: Contact Harvest.” “Halo” fans can look forward to the latest book in the “Halo” saga, “Halo: Contact Harvest,” published by Tor Books and due Oct. 2, 2007. Written by Joseph Staten, the Bungie Studios cinematic and writing lead for the first two “Halo” games, the newest piece of fiction precedes the current New York Times’ best-selling book series, telling the tale of the first encounters between UNSC forces and the alien Covenant race that threatens to destroy all humanity. The trade paperback will cost $12.95 (U.S.).
Marvel Comic miniseries. Bungie Studios has teamed up with Marvel Comics to release the monthly miniseries “Halo: Uprising.” The four-issue miniseries, featuring original storylines and artwork from the Eisner Award-winning team of superscribe Brian Michael Bendis and artist extraordinaire Alex Maleev, will launch with issue one on July 25, 2007 and cost $3.99 (U.S.) per issue.
Zune Halo 3 edition. Encased in collectible packaging, the Zune-Halo 3 edition digital media player comes preloaded with artwork, trailers and music from all three “Halo” games, as well as an exclusive new episode of “Red vs. Blue” from the fan-adored machinima creator Rooster Teeth Productions LLC. The Zune-Halo 3 edition will be available exclusively at GameStop starting June 15 for an estimated retail price of $249 (U.S.).
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Halo 3: Beyond the Beta
o the Halo 3 beta is almost over. Just five more days. Poop.
That's OK, we'll suck it up, go back to playing Rockets on Gemini or some such thing on Halo 2 until September 25 rolls around and just be grateful for the 3 weeks we've ahd with the beta.
In the meatime, there's all kinds of news. First Luke Smith from 1up.com, now a lacky community schlump at Bungie (read: lucky guy who gets to play Halo 3 all the time), posted this news today on Bungie.net:
Over at Gamepro, they are teasing their 16-page cover story on Halo 3. Their coverage is multiplayer-focused and reveals some new weapons, new vehicles and some maps that weren't in the Halo 3 Public beta. Additionally, Gamepro reveals something brand new to the Halo universe: Armor permutations and customization. Armor permutations and customization are a series of cosmetic changes to your Spartan that gives players another way to distinguish themselves from the pack in Halo 3's multiplayer.
Armor permutations and customization. So will we be seeing spartans running around looking like clowns, pac-man or worse, with pictures of themselves grafted over their helmets? Guess we'll have to wait and see.
What we won't have to wait for is impressions on the Custom Games. Boo-yah!
While we were playing in matchmaking on the beta, we were accidentally booted from a party after the party leader switched game types. Much to our surprise, those of us that got the boot scored and found ourselves in a Custom Games menu.
All we can say is wow. The Cutom Games menu itself is kind of funny for starters - There are two spartans standing staticly, except one that's holding a removable turret chain gun looks like he's perpetually doing a shoulder excerise. But who are we kidding - we were in heaven.
So we tried everything. We played with the new pistol, which makes its first appearance since Halo: Combat Evolved. The upside - it's sweet, it's chrome and fires not too unlike the Magnum from Halo 2, except it seems to have longer range and has a tad more kick. The downside - there's no scope, which is prolly good, because everyone knows that darned scope on the old pistol was pretty unbalanced.
We also played with the sword, which looked rad. It glowed and ran with a current of electricity - wait, sorry, plasma - and looked and acted much like the sword from Halo 2. The auto-kill-lunge action that occurs when you get the reticule over
We played a variety of gametypes, including Escort and VIP, but we also saw a type of Slayer that had lighting fast 2:30 minute rounds. There was a huge amount of customization available - you could reduce gravity and fly all over the map, speed up spartans, increase over-shields, or turn them off to play SWAT, which we did!
There weren't any new maps, which got us bummed out, but it was a treat to play with the other weapons that were missing in the public beta. Of note, there's still no flamethrower spotted.
Anyways, hit up the new issue of GamePro for more deets on Halo 3