Although it was actually released for PC back in March I was holding out for the Mac version, but following EA’s announcement that its release is getting pushed back again to August, I gave in and begged Dan to lend me his laptop and buy it for PC.

As your resident non-gamer, the first thing I ask your Ed when he brings a game home for me is always “Am I actually going to be able to play it?”. It’s no secret that using a ‘twiddler’ (or controller to the rest of the world) doesn’t come naturally to me and has been my biggest stumbling block ever since I was dragged into the gaming world (hmm… dragged is a strong word, maybe ‘compliantly strolled’ might be a little more accurate). It’s like all of my characters are drunk – personally, I think it’s highly irresponsible of them. If you ask me, it may be a generational thing. Hand a controller to a 7 year old and he’ll probably handle it with greater skill than he does a PC. But I’m old (I just turned 27 and am not handling it very well) and grew up on primitive PC games – predominantly the SimCity franchise.

Read More in Issue 63 of T1 Monthly

The post Non-Gamer’s Review: SimCity appeared first on Thirteen1: Free Video Games Magazine.

Taking place in Neo-Paris, Remember Me throws you into a world where memories are controlled by one corporation, and everyone is waiting to get their next hit of them. Whether that be buying a first kiss memory from a vending machine or a number of other treasured memories long forgotten. You play as Nilin, a memory hunter – one of the best – who uses all her prowess to try and take down the company who made her who she is. She’s also intent on recovering her own lost memories to discover her past, and just generally survive the harsh alternate future Capcom have crafted.

Read More in Issue 63 of T1 Monthly

The post Review: Remember Me appeared first on Thirteen1: Free Video Games Magazine.

NGames, a leading online games publisher, is excited to announce that Tales of Laputa – a magical web MMO currently in open beta on the Game321.com online games portal – has officially rebranded to Tales of Solaris, introducing a spate of new features to the games.

Tales of Solaris combines RPG gameplay with classic anime elements and thrusts players into a brave new world where magic and machinery coexist, and the threat of demonic invasions is an ever-present danger.

Rebranded on Tuesday 28th May, Tales of Solaris is the new title for Tales of Laputa, a name change publisher NGames has introduced to broaden the game’s global appeal. The rebranding marks a new version for Tales of Solaris players, with three exciting new gameplay systems rolled out to celebrate, including the game-changing Mercenary feature.

Solo players entering Heroic level instances, or challenging bosses on the Ancient Forbidden Path, can now hire Mercenaries to assist them on their quest.

The new Mercenary feature allows solo adventurers without a team to enter top level instances with the same power behind them as groups, opening up more options for solo exploration and advancement across Tales of Solaris’ diverse open world. No longer are players hindered by not having a team when wanting to experience the game’s most challenging and exciting challenges.

Mercenaries are available for free, with the option of spending small sums of ‘ingot’ – Tales of Solaris’ in-game currency – to hire either stronger Advanced units; or the incredibly powerful Super units. Players can hire up to 10 mercenaries a day to assist them on their missions, with up to 4 separate classes of mercenary available to form a well rounded team suitable for any task.

“We’re delighted our players are happy with the new name for their favourite game, that was really important to us”, said Tracy Wang, NGames PR Manager, “But we’re even more excited to see how they utilize the new features we’ve put in place to celebrate the occasion! The Mercenary system is by far the biggest game-changer yet. Whatever your preference, whether it’s playing with groups of friends of adventuring alone, everybody can enjoy a balanced gameplay experience in Tales of Solaris.”

The new Mercenary system is joined by two other brand new features.

Using the new Plume system, players now have more options than ever before for personalising and upgrading their stat-boosting wings. Players level 50 and over can experiment with a plethora of new synthesis options to discover powerful wing sets, each giving them increased Plume Combat Power for added battlefield abilities.

To put the new wings through their paces, Tales of Solaris adventurers with a Combat Power rating of over 5,000 are welcome to visit the new Zeal Colosseum – a cross-server, multiple-pet battle mode. Teams of up-to three pets can battle one another at the Zeal, with plenty of daily rewards on offer for frequent visitors and winners.

The post Tales of Solaris Rebrand Brings New Mercenary System appeared first on Thirteen1: Free Video Games Magazine.

Featuring single and multiplayer dungeons, PvP arenas, competitive battlegrounds, thousand-player boss battles, a robust guild system, and farming; Wartune is a new online game from publisher NGames that combines fan-favourite features from a multitude of multiplayer gaming genres and wraps them all up in foreboding fantasy setting.

In Wartune, players can obtain wealth by accepting gifts from others. However, a much easier and proactive way is to utilize the Town Hall.

A player’s main city is the hub of their account and the foundation for survival. The central focus of a city is the Town Hall. The level of Town Hall will affect the output of gold, taxes, alchemy, and the level cap of other buildings. Therefore effectively managing a Town Hall will allow players to strengthen their empire quickly and profitably.

Players can manage resources out of the city via Town Hall and levy gold 5 times a day. The higher the Town Hall level is, the more gold will be obtained. This income can then be used to upgrade various types of buildings. The higher the building level, the more gold is needed. Gold can also be used to recruit soldiers or make donations to a Guild.

Start building your empire and leveling up your Town Hall in Wartune today!

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Wartune is a new hybrid MMORPG currently in Open Beta on the Game321.com portal. Interested players can create a warrior and join the action now: http://bit.ly/10sdO6j

Official Site: http://wartune.game321.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Wartune.Game321
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/playgame321

The post Make a Fortune with Wartune’s Town Hall appeared first on Thirteen1: Free Video Games Magazine.

NGames introduce a new rank and crew upgrade feature to the One Piece-inspired MMO.

NGames has today detailed the new crew upgrade system and SSS rank that will be introduced to popular One Piece MMO, Pockie Pirates, with the latest Chapter 9 update – coming this June to the Game321.com online games portal.

Pockie Pirates is a licensed One Piece MMO that faithfully recreates the One Piece anime series. Players take on the role of a sea-faring captain sailing the famous Grand Line trail with their friends, seeking epic adventure and treasures as they quest to become the King of Pirates.

Until now, players have battled it out on the Grand Line to reach the coveted SS Rank. But the SS Rank just got blown out of the water. Introducing – SSS Rank!

A new crew upgrade system will be introduced in the upcoming Pockie Pirates: Chapter 9 update, allowing level 60+ players to learn new skills and benefit from massive attribute boosts. Using the crew-exclusive upgrade system will see pirates reach the all-new SSS Rank, unlocking greater attribute skills and growth potential to use when exploring and dominating the Grand Line.

Reaching SSS Rank allows unprecedented skill growth for all crew members, opening up 15%+ increases in many core stats, including Strength, Agility, Wisdom, and Constitution. A host of new active skills and special powers are ready for pirates to master, such as Enel’s new God’s Punishment – a powerful update to his marquee God of Thunder skill.

Pirates can prepare to spend their Soul Crystals in-game for upgrading their crews when Chapter 9 launches this June. The race to become the King of Pirates is on!

Interested players can join the race to become the King of the Pirates for free today by joining Pockie Pirates on Game321.

The post Pockie Pirates – Introducing The SSS Rank and New Crew Upgrades appeared first on Thirteen1: Free Video Games Magazine.

Starting Tuesday, May 28th, Tales of Laputa will be officially rebranded as Tales of Solaris, with a host of new gameplay updates to celebrate.

Currently in open beta on the Game321.com online games portal, Tales of Solaris combines RPG gameplay with classic anime elements and thrusts players into a brave new world where magic and machinery coexist, and the threat of demonic invasions is an ever-present danger.

Read More in Today’s Issue of T1 Daily

The post Tales of Laputa Rebranding to “Tales of Solaris” appeared first on Thirteen1: Free Video Games Magazine.

Yesterday, the Law of the Jungle live action trailer was released, which is directed by Iron Man director Jon Favreau. The trailer shows some epic looking space combat, while a Guardian of the City speaks about the importance of togetherness during battle. The video shows the Hunter, Titan and Warlock classes working alongside one another to take down a variety of aliens, as well as giving us a glimpse of some vehicles.

Destiny casts players as Guardians of the last city on Earth, who will traverse the ancient ruins of our solar system from the red dunes of Mars to the lush jungles of Venus. Able to wield incredible power, players must battle humanity’s enemies and reclaim all that was lost during the collapse of mankind’s Golden Age. In a story-driven universe, Destiny’s saga unfolds through grand tales and sweeping adventures by immersing gamers in a bold new world filled with cooperative, competitive, public, and social activities, all seamlessly connected.

Read More in Today’s Issue of T1 Daily

The post Destiny – New Trailer and Inter-Platform Save Transfers appeared first on Thirteen1: Free Video Games Magazine.

Currently in open beta on the Game321.com online games portal, Tales of Laputa combines RPG gameplay with classic anime elements and thrusts players into a brave new world where magic and machinery coexist, and the threat of demonic invasions is an ever-present danger.

Born from a mysterious egg, Numen are magical spirits gifted to level 30+ adventurers as a special thank you for helping to protect the City of Sky. Numen float around players at all times, enhancing their journey with mystical effects that take advantage of the lastest browser-based gaming technologies. But Numen are more than just an aesthetic treat – they also come with their own attributes, which are added to the attributes of their masters to bolster their current attack and defense capabilities.

Read More in Today’s Issue of T1 Daily

The post Tales of Laputa Welcomes Numen to the City of Sky appeared first on Thirteen1: Free Video Games Magazine.

The Wolf Among Us is an upcoming episodic video game by Telltale Games, based on Bill Willingham’s Fables comic book series. The series deals with various characters from fairy tales and folklore – referring to themselves as “Fables” – who have been forced out of their Homelands by “The Adversary” who has conquered the realm.

The game’s protagonist will be Bigby Wolf and it will feature a choice-based system where gamers decide if he should give in his evil the wolf side, or whether he should try to keep everybody safe. Bigby must try to keep the Fables from being detected by the ‘mundies’ – non-fairy tale people.

Telltale Games, who found widespread fame with The Walking Dead: The Game, began teasing The Wolf Among Us in March and have now finally released the game’s first screenshots.

The name was changed from Fables, to prevent confusion with Lionhead’s Fable series. If the quality is anywhere near as good as The Walking Dead: The Game, The Wolf Among Us has the potential to be an excellent game.

The Wolf Among Us is set for release on PS3, Xbox, PC and iPad in Autumn this year.

[View with PicLens]

The post The Wolf Among Us – First Screenshots appeared first on Thirteen1: Free Video Games Magazine.

Sealed Play and a new take on the popular Slivers creature type will both make their debut in the Duels of the Planeswalkers franchise with Magic 2014.

The addition of Sealed Play will allow players to open booster packs and build decks to play against the AI and other players. Each sealed pool is comprised of 84 cards, mimicking paper TCG booster packs. The PvE experience includes a six-deck ladder where players take on mono-colored Sealed decks each corresponding with a particular Planeswalker, and finally facing a ‘boss’ Sealed deck.

Another feature debuting in Magic 2014 is a new take on the popular Slivers creature type. A fan-favorite, new playable Slivers in Magic 2014 decks will include the following:
− Sliver Construct
− Predatory Sliver
− Groundshaker Sliver
− Megantic Sliver
− Blur Sliver
− Striking Sliver
− Thorncaster Sliver
− Battle Sliver
− Sentinel Sliver
− Bonescythe Sliver

In addition, Hive Stirrings, a sorcery that creates Sliver tokens, will also be included in Magic 2014.

The Magic 2014 – Duels of the Planeswalkers video game will be available for PC, Xbox Live Arcade, PSN, iPad, and Android tablet for the first time when it launches this summer.

The Magic 2014 product line-up also includes the Magic 2014 – Core Set for the paper trading card game (TCG) and Magic Online.

The post Duels of the Planeswalkers 2014: New Features Revealed appeared first on Thirteen1: Free Video Games Magazine.