I saw Magicka: Wizard Wars while I was at GDC, and it was the highlight of my week. Magicka was a fascinating oddity out of left-field, and enormously entertaining, but on seeing Wizard Wars I immediately sensed that the idea could find its mature, developed form in multiplayer. Anyway, it’s taken a little while for assets to surface, and now they have I wanted to share them – and my enormous excitement about this game – with you.
Rock, Paper, Shotgun
Posts Tagged ‘Paradox’
Evocation Abjured
Something Magical: Magicka: Wizard Wars
By Jim Rossignol on May 15th, 2013.
Cowboy Ker-Bop: Showdown Effect Gets Free DLC
By Nathan Grayson on May 9th, 2013.
![[a tumbleweed rolls by, explodes]](http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/13/may/showdown2.jpg)
LAST TIME, ON THE SHOWDOWN EFFECT:
[Cars explode or something]
Arnold Schwarzenegger parody: “Wow, this sure is great! I can slice and shoot people, and it’s all so fast-pace– [gets sliced and shot to pieces, emits comical death yodel].”
[More explosions, no one looks at them]
Elderly monk man: “Hah, that was too easy. Which is basically what this game becomes after you figure out the rhythm and realize there are only a few weapons, items, and character abilities. There’s just not much long-term value. Er, I mean, hiyah! Tongue-in-cheek reference to a well-known action film!”
[Further explosions with no apparent cause]
Explosions: “Hey, I know: you guys should go to the Wild West for some reason. Westerns were kind of action movies, right? They had guns and stuff. Also, fantastic soundtracks. Er, I mean, ka-boom.”
Out And Aboat: Leviathan Launches With New Jazz Trailer
By Nathan Grayson on May 1st, 2013.
Not a nu-jazz trailer, though, thankfully. I don’t think the world’s ready for that. But are you, dear, patient reader, ready for more absolutely dire (aka wonderful) boat puns? Delivered in a soulful yet nonchalant vocal style that will make you rethink your choice of Morgan Freeman or Brian Blessed at the next god election? Of course you are. Is that even an actual question? And so, the best trailer in recent gaming memory has unfurled the sails on a follow-up. Oh, and also I guess Paradox’s Leviathan: Warships is out now, if that sort of thing floats your boat. Ugh, apologies for that one. What is it up here? Amateur hour? I can’t even look at myself right now. See a real professional in action after the break.
Cliches and Catacombs
Hands-On: Knights of Pen And Paper +1
By Adam Smith on April 29th, 2013.
Knights of Pen and Paper +1 is the Paradox-published PC version of a handheld meta-RPG. At a recent preview event, I created a party led by a hipster paladin and headed into the lands of clichés and catacombs. This is what I discovered.
Imp-rove Impire With Some Free DLC
By Craig Pearson on April 18th, 2013.
Did you dig Impire? Are you still delving deep into Paradox’s dungeon management game? Then this story is for you. Paradox are releasing an ore-ful lot of DLC for free, and they demond you play it. There’s a vein of new single-player, multiplayer, and customisation content being released for Impire. Please don’t take it for granite.
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You’re The Boat Boss: Leviathan’s Smoooooooth Moves
By Alec Meer on April 17th, 2013.
From the ridiculous to the sublime of the strange, strange world of videogame trailers. This is how you make a strategy game about boats look like the most appealing thing to everyone, ever, everywhere. Jazz, a honeyed voiceover, and at least thirteen RPS comments threads’ worth of puns. Very well played, Paradox’s Leviathan: Warships.
Ship just got real, indeed.
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Station To Station: Cities In Motion 2 Out Now
By Adam Smith on April 9th, 2013.
Why couldn’t Transport Tycoon Super Ultra Deluxe have been released yesterday so that I could quip about waiting years for a mass transit simulator to come along only to see two chugging around the corner at the same time? Oh well. Cities In Motion 2 has been available for a week now and having played it briefly at the Paradox Convention and for an hour at the weekend, I’m in no fit state to tell you wot I think of its people-ferrying charms, but I do enjoy zooming through the city streets and watching people go about their business. While its a transport business simulation rather than a city builder, the urban sprawl does change and expand as people are given the ability to more conveniently move from one place to another, and the Unity-powered metropolises are a good size, and look splendidly hard-edged and real.
Apocalypse Then: Victoria II – Heart Of Darkness
By Adam Smith on April 2nd, 2013.
Victoria II’s Heart of Darkness expansion focuses on the colonisation of Africa but also bolsters the possibilities for smaller nations to meddle in global affairs. The enhanced colony mechanics include escalating crises, improved naval combat and expanded diplomatic negotiations, all of which will also impact on other nation-building activities. The expansion will be available on April 16th and pre-orders are now open, with a variety of digital shops, prices and incentives already listed. In other news, the stuffed shirts in Paradox’ Department of Serious Historical Matters refused to join in with the lies and deceit merriment of April Buffoons’ Day but did announce Europa Universalis: The Musical, which you can see below.
Meta, Man: Knights of Pen & Paper +1 PC-Bound
By Alec Meer on March 27th, 2013.
I’m yet to play Knights of Pen & Paper on the 10″ electronic information slab I’m afraid to admit I own, but I hear great things about this RPG about playing an RPG. So, with some reservations about how mobile-y it could be, I am heartened to hear that a revised version is on its way to PC, with help from a money injection from the ever-unpredictable Paradox.
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After DC DOTA, A Magicka MOBA: Wizard Wars
By Adam Smith on March 25th, 2013.
Moments ago, Warner announced the existence of a DC Comics MOBA called Infinite Crisis and Paradox have now announced the existence of a Magicka MOBA called Wizard Wars. Unfortunately, I haven’t managed to learn everything there is to know about the genre in between those announcements so I’m just going to copy some words from the press release and pop the live action trailer below.
In Magicka: Wizard Wars, two teams of four wizards each will go head-to-lightning-bolt on the field of battle, wielding a wealth of magic spells as players adapt their tactics on the fly in response to their opponents. In true Magicka fashion, victory will go to the team whose wizards can combine the craftiest casts – and who can avoid the most friendly fire.
Element combinations are still the basis of spells, which means comically misplaced explosions should be par for the course.
The Next Action Hero?
Wot I Think: The Showdown Effect
By Adam Smith on March 11th, 2013.
Congratulations! You made Magicka and have finished creating odd DLC content for the friendly fire(ball) simulation. What do you do next?
1) Go hiking in the Pyrenees.
2) Why not craft some sort of single player Magicka RPG?
3) Form a band sort of like Daft Punk but with all the sci-fi robot vibes replaced by wizard’s robes and jokes about willies.
4) Create a fast-paced multiplayer homage to eighties action movies, of course.
If you picked four, you are probably Arrowhead and you have made The Showdown Effect.
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