XBLA's second F2P game is Ascend: New Gods

[davepesc]

See a trend?

http://www.trueachie...-freetoplay.htm

 

Ascend: New Gods Will Be Free-to-Play

 

The free-to-play revolution has begun

 

Written by SgtDigglesworth yesterday at 22:33 | Credit to CounterInsurgnt

With the recent announcement that Happy Wars will be a free-to-play, it may or may not, come as a shock that, Ascend: New Gods will also be a free-to-play XBLA game.

 

In a recent interview with OXM, a spokesperson from Microsoft recently indulged information regarding other titles in the works to join the ranks of 'true' free-to-play games.

 

We're always looking at ways to push the boundaries of the console and our digital platform. Bringing true free-to-play gaming experiences to Xbox 360 is a natural extension of that.

 

With the ongoing success of the model on PC, and the interest from both our consumers and our partners looking to explore this system on console, it simply made sense to deliver this experience through great games that would take advantage of it.

 

In this pilot program, Microsoft Studios will support free-to-play gaming with Happy Wars, due out in September, as well as the recently announced game Ascend: New Gods which will ship in several months.

 

The free-to-play model and games experiences will be available to all Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers, as many of the games planned will be multiplayer games by nature (an Xbox LIVE Gold subscription is required for multiplayer gaming). The games that use the free-to-play mechanic will leverage the Microsoft Points system.

 

Fellow gamers, what is your take on the inception of free-to-play titles currently and those in the future? Fans looking to get their hands on the upcoming Xbox LIVE Arcade action-RPG, Ascend: New Gods, will be able to purchase download this title for free sometime in 2013.

Edited August 29, 2012 by davepesc

[davepesc]

http://youtu.be/BgBr6iYgWTw

 

Edited August 29, 2012 by davepesc

[onlysublime]

WPCentral has a great article about this title:

http://www.wpcentral...s-windows-phone

 

excerpts:

 

First, let’s talk about the console and PC versions of Ascend. On the big screen, Ascend is an ambitious and innovative action-RPG with unique asynchronous multiplayer features. Players join one of three divine factions: Light, Dark, or Void. Each group of gods battles the others in an attempt to rule the game’s fantasy world.

On the surface, the console and PC version plays like other games in the genre: gamers explore the vast world, fighting monsters and tiny humans, and gathering all manner of loot and treasure. But Ascend’s multiplayer features take the experience to another level...

Each player gets to help or hinders his or her fellow players by sending them blessings and curses (some of which are elaborated on in the video). Additionally, gaining control of certain areas makes things easier for members of the same faction and harder for opposing groups. Even though you’re role-playing in your own, you’re always connected to a persistent world.

The mobile version is combat-oriented and looks and plays similarly to Epic’s popular Infinity Blade iOS game. Here, players basically choose an AI opponent (some of which are characters created by other players) and battle him by swiping and tapping at the touch screen.

After the battle, you gain currency and experience which are shared with the Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game. Even equipment purchased on the phone syncs with the big brother versions. Additionally, every victory allows you to send a blessing or curse to players in the main game. Thus mobile players actually get to affect the experience of big-screen players. You can also check on the status of the ongoing metawar on the go to learn how your faction fares against the others.

Signal clearly takes Ascend’s connectivity features seriously. Not only do all three games connect and interact with each other, but the main game even has SmartGlass features as well. The SmartGlass interaction is separate from the Windows Phone game and will enhance the console/PC experience while you’re playing those versions. The SmartGlass build was unavailable during our visit, but we know it displays detailed maps during gameplay, similar to the ATLAS feature in Halo WayPoint.

 

[Protoplasym]

Looks like a really neat game.... show me a physical copy and I'm there for $20-40 depending on the features of the game.

[cparsley]

It's going to be a $0 download game... there is no "physical"

[Protoplasym]

It's going to be a $0 download game... there is no "physical"

 

Sounds too strange... pass

 

I'd rather pay for a physical copy.

 

 

nothing is truly free in life