<rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">	<channel>		<title>New Games Tagged 'fantasy, core, Medieval' on The Great Games Experiment</title>		<link><![CDATA[ http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/games/recent/?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss ]]></link>		<description>New Games on The Great Games Experiment</description>		<image>			<url>http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg</url>			<title>New Games Tagged 'fantasy, core, Medieval' on The Great Games Experiment</title>			<link><![CDATA[ http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/games/recent/?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss ]]></link>		</image>		<language>en-us</language>		<item>			<title>The Wheel of Time</title>			<link><![CDATA[ http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/game/The-Wheel-of-Time/?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss ]]></link>			<description><![CDATA[ <img style="float: left; clear: left;" src="http://static.greatgamesexperiment.com/userimages/8/8572dbe71d7da05beef16bfb570207d3_sq.jpg" title="The Wheel of Time Image" /> <div class="user_quote"><blockquote class="user_quote">Enter the Wheel of Time and dare to seize ultimate power.</blockquote></div>
<br />
Based on Robert Jordan's best-selling series of fantasy novels, The Wheel Of Time is a gaming experience that will become your world.  A first person action/strategy game with story-rich elements set in a lush, high resolution universe of mystery and wonder.  A single player quest through mystical and expansive environments.  Unique multiplayer dynamics with three game types.  All with strategic spell combat.  Because power is not given...TAKE IT!<br />
<br />
Wheel of Time is a first-person 3-D action/strategy with role playing elements.  The environments are taken directly from the pages of Jordan's books, vast in scope and shaped around the quest of Elayna Sedai, Keeper of the Chronicles of the White Tower.  Other characters from the fictional work are also portrayed faithfully in the single player quest, as you vye with them for the remaining seals needed to unlock the greatest of powers.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Additional Game Features:</span><br />
<ul class="user_list"><br />
<li class="user_li">Seize power by the strategic use of over 40 mystical artifacts.<br /></li><br />
<li class="user_li">Totally immersive 3D environments with rich, state-of-the-art graphics.<br /></li><br />
<li class="user_li">The richly-textured world of Robert Jordan's hugely popular novels brought to life!<br /></li><br />
<li class="user_li">Enhanced Unreal engine technology in blazing real-time!<br /></li><br />
<li class="user_li">First person action in single player quest and multiplayer. <br /></li><br />
<li class="user_li">Wonderful atmospheres enriched by a great soundtrack of Celtic-rock fusion music created for the project by a colaborration of Robert Berry and Lief Sorbye. <br /></li></ul>
<br />
Developer: Legend Entertainment Company, under license from Robert Jordan<br />
Publisher:  GT Interactive Software<br />
Release Date: Oct 31, 1999 in the US, February 11, 1998 in Japan and Europe<br />
<br />
<div class="user_quote"><span class="quote_from">Alex Harris of ACTIVENETWORK said,</span><blockquote class="user_quote">Wheel of Time uses an enhanced version of the Unreal engine to bring Robert Jordan's world to life. In addition to the Unreal engine's core capabilities like 24-bit color (with MMX), multiple dynamic (and colored) light sources, complex geometry, smooth character animation, real moving/rotating brushes, seamless level transition, and a powerful scripting language, they have endowed the engine with a host of WoT-specific effects. The particle system they created for Wheel of Time makes for some of the coolest explosions and smoke effects you've ever seen. In addition, they went in and provided support for weather effects like rain, snow and wind.</blockquote></div>
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">System Requirements</span><br />
Pentium 200, 32MB RAM, 500MB HD space, Windows 9x compatible sound card, 3-D accelerator, DirectX 6.1, internet connection required for online play.<div style="clear:both;"></div> ]]></description>			<pubDate>27 Jan 2007 07:41:31</pubDate>		</item>		<item>			<title>Asheron's Call 2</title>			<link><![CDATA[ http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/game/Asherons-Call2/?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss ]]></link>			<description><![CDATA[ <img style="float: left; clear: left;" src="http://static.greatgamesexperiment.com/userimages/0/07adb425c3fe9f5bc4442c6bf554b17c_sq.gif" title="Asheron's Call 2 Image" /> Asheron's Call 2 was the short-lived would be successor to the successful mmorpg Asheron's Call.  The original title enjoyed great popularity, with speculation (uncomfirmed by Microsoft) that subscription reached as high as 120,000 players at it's peak.  Asheron's Call 2 did not meet the expectations of the publishers, having launched in November of 2002 with &quot;Asheron's Call 2: Fallen Kings&quot; and continuing on with the &quot;Legions&quot; content expansion until the plug was pulled on December 30, 2005.<br />
<br />
The original game still lives beyond it's sequel, now having been returned to the control of the developer Turbine Entertainment Software, and has moved on to it's second expansion &quot;Asheron's Call: Thrones of Destiny&quot;, currently the latest content available.<br />
<br />
As for Asheron's Call 2, although players were chiefly approving of the content, gameplay dynamics and greatly enhanced graphics, the original Asheron's Call player base was somewhat divided, and at release the game suffered initial problems of server instability, engine bugs, balance and combat flaws, and critical chat system problems.  Also of note are the high system requirements, challenging to many gamers of the time, and perhaps even moreso to the rpg community in particular. <br />
<br />
Although Turbine and Microsoft proved capable and commited to addressing the many release issues, the game never overcame the poor launch.  Although the publishers have not disclosed the numbers, it is estimated that Asheron's Call 2 peaked briefly at about 50,000 players, and was closer to 10,000 at the time that is was cancelled.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Additional Game Features:</span><br />
<ul class="user_list"><br />
<li class="user_li">Brand new graphics engine, new combat system and an updated interface.<br /></li><br />
<li class="user_li">Third person adventure in a subscription based mmorpg.<br /></li><br />
<li class="user_li">Combat, exploration and adventure in the persistent lush fantasy world of Dereth.<br /></li><br />
<li class="user_li">Free monthly (or sometimes bi-monthly) content updates.<br /></li><br />
<li class="user_li">Create from a choice of 3 basic races, each with dozens of branches on the skill tree available to develop a unique character.<br /></li><br />
<li class="user_li">Complex gameplay and combat systems based on a hybrid class-skill system.  Player rank levelling according to XP, increasing and unlocking skill potentials.<br /></li></ul>
<br />
Developer:  Turbine Entertainment Software<br />
Publisher: Microsoft, subsequently Turbine Entertainment Software<br />
Released: November 22, 2002<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">System Requirements</span><br />
98SE/2000/ME/XP, 2 GHz CPU, 1GB RAM, 128MB DirectX 9.0-compliant video card w/ T&amp;L and vertex shaders, 56K Internet access, compliant sound card<div style="clear:both;"></div> ]]></description>			<pubDate>23 Jan 2007 11:28:53</pubDate>		</item>		<item>			<title>Asheron's Call</title>			<link><![CDATA[ http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/game/asherons-call/?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss ]]></link>			<description><![CDATA[ <img style="float: left; clear: left;" src="http://static.greatgamesexperiment.com/userimages/4/43ff44b930c9cb967e1579371653a5a1_sq.jpg" title="Asheron's Call Image" /> <div class="user_quote"><blockquote class="user_quote">The Portal to Dereth Has Opened!</blockquote></div>
<br />
Welcome to the online role-playing game Asheron's Call, where thousands of players inhabit a beautiful 3D fantasy world to make friends and seek out perilous adventure. Customize your alter ego with a unique appearance and balance of heroic skills, then enter a magical frontier of terrible monsters, breathtaking vistas, and fast alliances. With over 500 square miles that offer ever more wonders to explore, Asheron's Call gives you a world of unparalleled scope and freedom, the richest setting yet for creating your personal saga or joining your friends in an epic campaign.<br />
<br />
The sun sets in a fine shroud of mist, reddening the stucco of a cheery hilltop inn as wind sighs through the groves; in the mountains, a giant banderling shadows a warrior party amid a lulling patter of snow; and somewhere below the flagstones of the deepest Empyrean excavation, the clicking, chittering Olthoi share mad and bloody dreams. Fond human fantasies meet strange nightmares in the magical realm of Dereth. Escape into 500 square miles of hills, mountains, deserts, forests, towns, and dungeons, where no invisible boundaries interrupt your journey over the vast open spaces. With or without the stunning effects of 3D hardware acceleration, your computer becomes the window on a living world. Storms sweep the countryside, the sun sinks into the west, the moons rise and fall, and dawn creeps over the horizon.<br />
<br />
Asheron's Call develops a heroic fantasy setting familiar enough to draw you in yet mysterious enough to draw you onward. A varied host of monsters populate the benighted, medieval terrain; mysterious artifacts of great power embellish vast treasure hoards; and sorcerers, fighters, and rogues plot both heroic alliances and base villainy. However, Asheron's Call retains a strong flavor all its own, with an original backstory and creatures, and unparalleled flexibility in character creation and development. After selecting your attire and facial features from millions of possible combinations, customize your skill set to make your character truly unique. As you defeat foes, you can allocate experience to not only specific skills but also the base attributes like strength and intelligence. And the allegiance system grants you power and prestige as you recruit followers to your service. Enter the vast and magical world of Dereth, where a new and heroic identity awaits you!<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Additional Game Features:</span><br />
<ul class="user_list"><br />
<li class="user_li">Persistent online rpg in fantasy realms.<br /></li><br />
<li class="user_li">Developer's made bold changes to rpg's of the time of origin, normalizing character classes and magic.<br /></li><br />
<li class="user_li">Multi-part quests are only part of the adventure options over an expanse of (currently) 9 servers.<br /></li><br />
<li class="user_li">Technical stability in a game that is believed to have supported well over 100,000 players at it's peak.<br /></li><br />
<li class="user_li">Extensive support, documentation, and online communities.<br /></li><br />
<li class="user_li">Asheron's Call is not a static game, the threat changes, and the world along with it.<br /></li><br />
<li class="user_li">Complex and dynamic magic system, with a spell economy in place to limit the effectiveness of certain spells.<br /></li><br />
<li class="user_li">Numerous melee and missile weapons include sword, staff, dagger, axe, mace, spear, bow, crossbow and more, as well as unarmed combat.<br /></li><br />
<li class="user_li">Complex allegiance system of monarchs, patrons and vassels benefits allies in building XP.<br /></li><br />
<li class="user_li">Attentive administration of the server community roots out unscrupulous cheats in order to keep the game fun and sporting for the rest.<br /></li><br />
<li class="user_li">Latest expansion &quot;Thrones of Destiny&quot; updated the graphics engine as well as making changes to gameplay dynamics (2005).<br /></li><br />
<li class="user_li">Subscription fee of $12.95 per month at time of this posting are in addition to the purchase price of the game(s).<br /></li></ul>
<br />
Developer:  Turbine Entertainment Software<br />
Publisher:  Microsoft (1999-2004) then by Turbine who continue to publish and support the content(2004- )<br />
Released:   october 31, 1999<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Minimum System Requirements</span><br />
    <li class="user_li">Multimedia PC with 333 MHz processor or higher<br /></li>    <li class="user_li">Microsoft Windows 98, Me, 2000 or XP<br /></li>    <li class="user_li">64 MB RAM<br /></li>    <li class="user_li">300 MB available hard drive space for typical install, 100 MB available hard drive space for swap file<br /></li>    <li class="user_li">4x CD-ROM drive or higher<br /></li>    <li class="user_li">Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device<br /></li>    <li class="user_li">Internet access<br /></li><br />
<br />
<span style="color: green;">The expansions Dark Majesty and Throne of Destiny (the latest and current edition of Asheron's Call) have added content to this original version, which has outlived it's own sequel as Turbine Software continues to sell and support Asheron's Call.  The &quot;buy now&quot; link for this game may not apply to the original content.</span><div style="clear:both;"></div> ]]></description>			<pubDate>23 Jan 2007 02:21:36</pubDate>		</item>		<item>			<title>Dark Messiah</title>			<link><![CDATA[ http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/game/DarkMessiah/?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss ]]></link>			<description><![CDATA[ <img style="float: left; clear: left;" src="http://static.greatgamesexperiment.com/userimages/4/42bfce77768d156f67d23ddf9fe8fa18_sq.jpg" title="Dark Messiah Image" /> A dark cloud has fallen over the Might and Magic universe, and as the young hero Sareth, you must stop the spread of this dismal plague. Your epic journey begins 18 years after the events of Heroes V, and now, the revelations of your past may light the way in your pursuit of the truth. As you explore the secluded region of Ashan, you'll be confronted by the Dark Messiah's many minions, such as the orcs, the savage goblins, the elusive trolls, the fire-breathing dragons and the most morbid of all, the dreadful undead.<div style="clear:both;"></div> ]]></description>			<pubDate>14 Jan 2007 06:46:29</pubDate>		</item>	</channel></rss>