Gaming Battleforge Hands-On Preview

http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/pc/2009/01/26/battleforge-preview/1

EA Phenomic's latest PC exclusive strategy game certainly isn't afraid to shake things up a little - but can this online card-based RTS manage to make a stir in our hearts too? We take a close look at the latest game from the makers of Settlers to see what's what.

 

looks like a larf, i think i'll wait to see if anyone actually plays it before i buy it though

 

Greetings!

It kind of reminded me of Demigod.

 

Looks quite promising. As adverse to microtransactions as gamers in the West are, kids are very used to buying booster packs (hey everything from top trump football cards to Yu-Gi-Oh uses them) this might be far more acceptable. Lets just hope the game play lives up to the clever funding mechanism.

 

I will be keeping a VERY close eye on this, if the demos and stuff look good, i'm going to get this at release!

The only thing i see that could stop this game from being the next Big Thing is that for a lot of people, microtransactions are just too much hassle, and not everyone has a creditcard that is needed for almost all online transactions. If you can pay for these boosterpacks by text message for example, this one will go the distance.

 

Hey Joe - is "egregiously" your word of the week? You busted that one out in the abandonware article as well, you cheeky wordsmith

 

"And none of us have ever played a collectable card game either"

Shame on you, call yourself geeks?

 

Oh man, that seems really cool.

No collectable card games? Ever? Wow.

When you said 'buying booster packs' I got horrid flashbacks to spending all my money on trading cards. This could get nasty..

 

"Actually, we’re only joking about there being a bit-tech element – they had to cut it out on account of it being far too awesome and powerful compared to everything else."

Now that is sooo true I mean imagine playing the Bit-Tech Card

 

Did the title font make anyone else think this was a Guitar Hero expansion?

 

The BT card would be a mod of an existing ultra-rare unit, right?

I never had any trading card games appeal to me. This one might change it although I'm not a big RTS fan anymore [shooter, shooter, SHOOOOOTEEEEEEER!!!!11 ... sorry]. Well, we'll see how the demo looks [if there is one] and how the card buying idea works out. With a game like this, being online-only and based on buying cards to enhance your army/chances, it very much depends on how it's being picked up by gamers. If enough people play it, it could be awesome. If it ends up like Rune with its multiplayer expansion that nobody took serious it could be very lonely on the servers...

 

Guitar Hero: Battleforge - WHERE ROCK GODS ARE MADE!

 

Player 1: "I play the Bit-Tech card! Eat that!"
Player 2: "Well I counter with the Cheezecake card! The only thing that will distract the Bit-Tech Card!"
Player 1: "Well, I counter your counter with the "Harry's Not Smiling" card! The rarest card in existance, only ever rumoured to be true!"
Player 2: "Nooooooooo"

Player 3: "I play the Relix card. Nuff said".

 

Despite you guys playing it down, I don't like microtransactions at all. They increase the costs to the end user rather significantly, and they give people with endless amounts of money a giant advantage.

 

Which is why there's a player trading options, for those who want to swap cards instead.

 

"Despite you guys playing it down, I don't like microtransactions at all. They increase the costs to the end user rather significantly, and they give people with endless amounts of money a giant advantage."

Only if you add stupidity or addiction into the mix.

 

And as we all learned from WoW there's lots of that both out there...

 

Im really intrigued by this game. Its the first preview Ive read in a while that made me really wanted to play it to be honest. I hope it pays off. It does have the potential to be massive if enough people get into it.

 

Looks like it could be a great game - until you run into some little rich sh*thead with more money than brains.

Is there going to be any way to "earn" additional cards beyond just dropping cash for them? IE beating levels, completing quests, PVP maybe?

Is this going to be another case of "pay-pay-pay?" Pay for the game, pay the monthly fee, and now, pay for booster packs so you can survive & enjoy the game? Hopefully they won't charge $50 up front + $15/month + $5/booster...

 

One question: Are there single player campaigns?