Game: Nosgoth (PC) (Pre-release review)

It was a beautiful sunny day in Wimbledon England – birds chirped in the trees and all was well in the land…until a black cloud suddenly fell upon the city. The sinister presence from another world – a legion of Legacy of Kain fans descended upon the metropolis to conquer that which held power over all within the realm…the empire of Square Enix!...

STOP! Wait a minute – what is this? Are you insane? I didn’t come here to read this – I came here to read about the Nosgoth game!

Ok that’s enough mucking about; it’s time to get serious for a bit…this article is my thoughts, my opinions and what I took away from what was shown of Nosgoth on 8 Sep 2013, the game was shown to a select group of LoK fans who were very kindly invited to attend Square Enix London Studios. As this is my account it will therefore be different to other people’s experiences of the game and the day, also note that changes will have been made to the game since then.

The Square Enix event hosts were: Bill Beacham (Design Director - Nosgoth), Trevor Burrows (Live Game Manager - Nosgoth), Joe Best (Producer - Nosgoth), Rob Rutter (Marketing & PR Manager - Nosgoth), George Kelion (Community Manager - Nosgoth), Cat Karskens (Community Manager - SELS) and Jason Walker (Mastering Manager SE Europe).

Now let's get onto the article...

Those who know what Nosgoth is give yourself a pat on the back and to those who do not…you have failed the circle – but don’t worry I won’t bind you to a magical suit of armour – instead I’ll just explain…

You should probably first of all check out the games official website at www.nosgoth.com

What is it? Nosgoth is the new (currently unreleased) competitive online multi-player game by Square Enix London Studios that is set in the Legacy of Kain universe – it’s vampires vs humans in this melee vs projectile weapons combat arena war.

Overview: Nosgoth is another branch of the Legacy of Kain (LoK) franchise, it does not follow the plot from previous games…as in Kain’s legacy…but it keeps to the lore of the series. It allows you the opportunity to enter the world of Nosgoth in another vein (sorry I couldn’t resist) and see it from a completely new perspective. It takes place between Raziel being abyssed and his unique resurrection and is basically a battle between the humans (as in vampire hunters) and vampires (yes this means Clans people!). There are three human warriors, two male and one female, and three vampires, all male. Each of the characters have varying skills…

The Humans – there is the Alchemist (Red Sisters of Anacrothe), the Hunter (The Iron Guard) and the Scout (Watchers of Dark Eden). They are armed with cross bows, bow and arrows and some cool potions to take down the vampiric enemies. They can rain down arrows and create walls of flame to take down their foes but don’t let those fanged fiends get too close – projectile weapons are the human’s speciality.

The Vampires – well there’s the Reaver (Clan Dumahim), Sentinel (Clan Razielim) and Tyrant (Clan Turelim), each of which are unique and use their close range vampiric strength to take down their enemies. Climbing walls, jumping, claw fighting and of course the Razielim HAS WINGS!!! So he can fly which means pick up an enemy and drop them from heights – yeah baby…but sadly only some of which go slat – there’s no weapons for these guys but they don’t need ‘em – they are melee fighters.

What I took away from Nosgoth: That Nosgoth is a LIVE game and will be improved, upgraded, expanded upon even after release. It was very much implied this was the stepping stone and the game will grow and evolve over time if it is a success...and that members of the team will be lurking and taking on board suggestions via forums and feedback - which is awesome.

The team wanted to make the characters believable, they are more physical rather than the vampires having all the uber powers they evolve into having in Soul Reaver. There will be character customisation, some of which will be chargeable but this is ‘looks and not playable related’. The game itself will be FREE TO PLAY this will include game related content as in character advancement/upgrades! If you want to spend money you can but if you don’t want to then you don’t have to. It was hinted that there will be things in the game that may link it further to the rest of the games in the series.

The team have been researching into the previous games, playing them, looking at the lore and what will and will not work for this game and to make sure it fits into the LoK universe. The game has been made to appeal to both a) fans of the series and b) new/multiplayer audience. This in mind they are limited to what is in game, there are not cut-scenes as in other LoK titles, it is not hardcore story driven but there is story and information about the game.

This is what I understood of the story:

Raziel was abyssed in this period and Kain has disappeared, the clans have fought amongst themselves – the Razielim being persecuted by the others where they believed it would be Kain’s wish. With the vampires preoccupied with internal squabbles this gave humanity the opportunity to unite – they have been building a fighting force to battle back the vampire scourge and reclaim Nosgoth for humanity! The humans begin to fight back and the vampires then put aside their differences and unite to destroy this advancing force and put humans back to where they belong – being in servitude to the vampire masters and vampy snacks.

From what I picked up the game will take into consideration your scores and how you play and match you accordingly but you will be able to select people you want to play with too.

The team looked at weather and changing climates but at the moment they advantage/disadvantage players, there is currently no weather changes at the moment. The same goes for environmental hazards.

Oh and not forgetting…maps are cool!

I asked a few questions: Here are the responses to numerous questioned I asked staff members in open forum and in one to one talks…(I can’t exactly remember who answered what because my brain is a cabbage and I was too overwhelmed). These answers are NOT in exact words…George Kelion answered the first three and then the others were answered by a mixture of people, but mainly Bill Beacham and Jason Walker.

Why these three clans?
They were the best ones that fit into the games mechanics. It was implied that other clans may make an appearance at a later date.

Will humans be able to climb?

At certain points in the game traversal will be available but only in certain places.

Will there be more information and write ups on the website relating to characters, bios, places to give depth to the game?

Yes, more information will be available than what’s in the game.

How many people have been working on the game?

25-30 people, the number changes depending on what needs to be done.

How long has it been in development?

About two years.

When is it expected to be released?

2013.

Is it planned for anything other than PC?

First release will be on PC but there maybe other platforms later.

What are the system requirements?

The game runs the Unreal Engine, a mid-range-PC will be required, it is not aimed at super-computers.

What is the official name?

Nosgoth.

Which studios have been involved?

Square Enix London Studios and Psyonix.

Will Nosgoth be shown at the Square Enix stand at ComicCon London in October?

No.

Can fans get involved in the Beta testing of the game?

Yes, register to take part at www.nosgoth.com.

Where will the game be available from?

Steam.

What’s it like? This is my thoughts based on 30 minutes of game time…I should really rename this section to how many times can you die in the allotted time…

The graphics, it’s a lovely looking game, we played in the Freeport area. Some of the looks of the game are very in line with previous titles and some a little advancing; Freeport is a bit of a shanty town. The docks itself seemed very Blood Omen 2esc. The shrubbery, stonework, structures etc fit with the feel of the game and the era it’s set in – Soul Reaveresc. It’s not gothic as in Blood Omen – remember it takes place around the era leading up to Soul Reaver so the places and structures fit more in line with this.

The character designs are great, the humans especially – I have no issue with them; the armour is good, detailed and fits in well. The weapon choices go well with the series canon and it is nice they included the token woman. How they fight, ok, well I think I had a go at two of them and to tell you the truth I thought these were going to be the harder of the two being they use projectile weapons but they played well, smooth and agile. They move, run, dart and roll quickly to avoid attacks, the weapons fire off their ammunition quickly, are smooth and easy to aim, though sometimes takes a while to re-load (like in real life!).

The vampires – These guys look pretty cool, menacing and all out rrraaagggghhhh (no Twilight pansy ass vampires here – which is a defiant win!). The Razielim is more devolved than the other two…he has wings! Yay wings!!…But…here comes the but…there are a few things that bother me about the way they look…let’s just say they are lacking a bit of LoKness – enough stop whining! Stop whining!!! These three are full of vampiricness, are different from the humans, they look intimidating and have the vampire factor down. You defiantly wouldn’t want to meet these guys on a dark night…or at all because no doubt their personalities would match their ‘demonic’ looks! The clothing and armour like the humans is detailed and well crafted and fits in well with the era. I thought these guys would be pretty easy to play with the fact its hand to hand (melee) combat and climbing and stuff but to tell you the truth I pretty much sucked at them (and not in a cool vampiric way). It was great how they can run, traverse a building, jump from roof to roof and then onto or close to an enemy. They are stealth characters and made for surprise attacks (saw people doing some cool crawling – ninja style!). The Razielim was fun with the whole flying thing…I would have just been quite happy flying around for ages and looking at everything but that’s not really an option as you have to kill things or not get shot down – those arrows do fly a long way!

The controls, what can I say about them…well it’s on a PC so it’s programmed for keyboard and mouse, which is really really hard when all you’re used to is a game pad. I suppose they would probably be thought of as very simple to someone who plays PC games but to someone who doesn’t it’ll take a little getting used to. It took me a while to try to figure out what did what…and how not to walk into walls. Luckily you can’t do friendly damage and kill your allies which is a good thing in my case (oh you can’t kill the crows either – yes I did try). I only used the basic attacks and walking, running, dodging, climbing and jumping. There are more advanced attacks and powers which you can use too. The controls were responsive; the character did what he/she was being told to do when the buttons were pressed, quickly and efficiently. The mouse and aiming control for the projectile weapons is smooth and it all lines up and plays very well.

Let’s talk strategy…it’s a team game, especially if you are human – you need work with your cohorts so you can survive the onslaught! The humans can rain down loads of arrows on an area and take out the vampires within that zone, as well as use walls of fire to burn the vampires into cinders…crispy (this has a very cool cinder/ash effect). There are some cool ‘death moves’ too such as exploding vampire goo – goo bath time…and head explosions – slat! Vampires can jump onto humans and attack – if you end up with a vampire in full attack on you and you are pinned down don’t worry your team mates can get him off but you can’t! The weapons for the humans were really satisfying, shooting off lots of arrows at an oncoming vampires was great fun, the whole head exploding was pretty awesome too, though you need back up in the time it takes to reload (remember you are reloading bows and crossbows here and they’ve made it kind of realistic).

As for the vampires you can hunt in packs or individually – keep in mind though one vampire vs four humans isn’t going to stand much of a chance. The vampires are agile in that they can climb up buildings easily and jump from rooftop to rooftop, meaning they can reach enemies unseen. They can jump from the rooftops onto unsuspecting humans below and attack. The Turelium does an awesome claw their faces off thing which is pretty fierce – he basically pins a human down and they can’t do anything to get him off whilst he’s in this ‘fury’ mode. The vampires can use black smoke to blind the humans in a limited area which means they can’t see for squat – of course at this point it’s time for you to beat the hell out of the humans and have a lunch break – yummy!

Health, ok, as a human there are ‘health machine/points’ in walls which give off a glow so you know where they are, it’s pretty easy to go and heal there. The vampires, well it’s pretty obvious – you have to kill someone and then drink their blood. Snack time! – It’s biting and not the super-suck classic LoK style. I think the thought is you eat only what you kill – don’t be a pikey and steal my vampy snacks! Once you’ve made a kill you can drag your victim off into a nice secluded space where you can feed and not worry (so much) about being attacked. Both Humans and Vampires can be attacked whilst they are healing.

There is the right amount of blood in the game, it’s not over the top like some games but it’s there, you get nice blood stains where bodies are dragged off or where people are killed as you play throughout the area. NICE!

I wish I could comment on the sounds and music for the game but I actually got too distracted with playing and forgot to put the head-phones on so I’m not sure what the game sounds like. Something I am really regretting now. Doh!

Which race was my favourite? Ok its confession time for me…I’m very pro-vampire and this is something really really really really hard for me to say but…I think I actually preferred playing the humans over the vampires. Eek I can’t believe I said that! Don’t hate me! I’m sure once I get the hang of the vampires I’ll be living the dream – oh and maybe it was because my first experience of the game was as a human…yeah let’s just say that!

My final thoughts: If you want a bit of vampiric fun battling against other gamers or your online chums then this will be something for you. If you however want the next iconic LoK game in the series then it might not float your boat but with that said you should give it a look and experience the world of Nosgoth for yourself! If you are new to the series it’ll be a blast but if you are a fan of the previous games then it’ll be sheer enjoyment being back in the world of Nosgoth.

The truth is this isn’t the game genre I would usually play and if this wasn’t a vampire game or set in the LoK universe I probably wouldn’t even give it a glance. Now I’ve had a go though I can’t wait to get it and get online and play with some online chums and hopefully make some new ones in the process! Why? Because it’s a fangtastically FUN game to play!

Just something I’ve got to say: Ok…I admit when Nosgoth was originally ‘announced’ to be an online multiplayer game I was one of the first on the wagon with flaming torches and pitch folks shouting “Square Enix what are you doing!” like one of Moebius’ mob…but umm well what to say now? Ah yes “forgive me Elder God for my wrongful words - I should have trusted in you”. Yep…there you have it I’ve officially ate my hat on the subject. I was wrong…it is awesome and fun…and maybe I should have had a little bit more faith!

Very special thanks: I’d just like to finally say a BIG THANK YOU to Square Enix London Studios for being so kind and for such a wonderful Nosgothic experience, it was truly a day that I will never forget. Also to all the LoK fans I met – it was a pleasure, you are all so awesome – I love you all ‘cause all you guys & gals rock!!

Here’s a couple of mug shots of me enjoying the coolness that is Square Enix and Nosgoth…yeah!

Where can you find out more about Nosgoth?

Join the War For Nosgoth at www.nosgoth.com

Where can you find out more about Legacy of Kain and Nosgoth?

The official LoK Eidos Forum

LoK fan sites & blogs – in alphabetical order…

The Ancients Den

Dark Chronicle

Legacy of Kain Wiki

The Lost Worlds

Nosgothic Realm

Time Streamer

Where can I find other articles about the Nosgoth event? in alphabetical order...
Bazielim - Legacy of Kain Wiki
Blinc - The Lost Worlds
Raina Audron - The Ancients Den
Divine Shadow - NeoGAF

Game: Bayonetta (PS3)

What’s it about? Well you take on the role of Bayonetta and it follows her story. She is a witch who cannot quite remember her past and is on a quest to remember what happened and who she is...along the way you advance your magical powers and battle all sorts of angelic beings and enter different realms...she's one of two defenders against forces unseen to human eyes...angels and demons!

It’s an action game that’s battles are intense, you tackle some great enemies and take them down in numerous ways…some of which are morally questionable. She has guns on her shoes and can summon a demon with her hair what isn’t there to love? I wish I was her! Even I was shocked by the language at the start (it calms down after though) and uh nudity of this game, some of which is a little…pesty…so it’s not to everyone’s tastes. It’s raised my eyebrows on a few occasions…I really can’t believe this is a 15…it probably should have been an 18. It is quite chaotic and hard at first...the game play I'm talking about the game play - get your brains out the gutter...as there are lots of things bombarding you on the screen but once you get used to it, it’s easy to play and the combo moves are great. It’s a fantastic game...probably one of the most enjoyable I've played for a long long time...its easy to pick up and play, and its a whole lot of fun! Check it out and see for yourself…if you don’t mind bad language and a tad bit of pestiness!

Game: Stargate Command (Android)

Stargate Command - this game isn’t really a game more of an encyclopaedia of Stargate. Take a wander around the SGC etc and examine objects to find out information about them…it gives you a nice little picture and description of each item. It’s pleasant to wander around and take a look at the places first hand. If you like Stargate then this little freebie will be good for you, though for the full thing it comes with a price.

Stargate Golf - remember when O’Neill decided to have a game of golf through the Stargate? Well that is basically what this little game is! You’re in the gate room with your golf kit, line up your shot, set the speed and power of your swing and watch the ball fly. Aim for the little target to rack up points. It’s a fun little freebie to have a play with but if you want some action and excitement maybe try Stargate Unleashed instead, it’s good though for a little bit of time wasting.

Stargate Command and Stargate Golf:

Teal’c Revenge – this comes with the pack of Stargate Command but is only available to paying customers. It is a good little game when you get the hang of the actions...haven't had much time to play it but what I've seen I like - it has nice graphics and pretty sensitive. An android game to keep you occupied whilst bored...defiantly it is!

Game: Minion Rush (Android)

Despicable Me Minion Rush, a game with minions, you take on the role of a minion and try to win your place as Minion of the Year. Run through Gru’s laboratory and collect bananas, watch out for the bombs, other minions and lots of other bits and pieces that will send you to game restart! Don’t worry though as rockets and slides are your friend! How far can you get and how many points can you get?

MINIONS yey everybody loves minions right? Don’t you want one…don’t you want to be one in their chaotic little Gru laboratory? Ok maybe not so much but this little cartoon game based on the Despicable Me movies is fun for all ages. It has the original voices from the movies too so it makes it a great little experience, it’s quite responsive too but then again it’s just a case of swiping the screen to get it the little fella to do what you want. Defiantly check it out to keep yourself occupied when you are waiting about, its free so there’s nothing wrong with it…well maybe all the adverts that pop up at the beginning and when you reset but that’s bearable where you paid nothing. Of course you can upgrade your minion if you want to pay to that is. Oh one word of warning when you download it, make sure you are in an area where you can connect through wifi as the game has to update itself to begin (big incoming file sizes)…yes and that’s twice on loading and on your first game…don’t get caught out!

Game: Temple Run 2 (Android)

What's it about? Grab the idol and run like hell because you’re being chased by a giant monster...collect as many diamonds as possible to rack up points and of course some cool boosters which are fun fun fun. This is sounding awfully familiar…oh yes Temple Run. How far can you get without dying in some painful fashion? But don’t worry there’s no gore or blood in this little game so it won’t freak even the biggest of wimps out.

It’s a great little Android game and if you have the first you know what to expect, this one though has better graphics and levels. Free to download there is no harm in trying it, of course you can choose to buy things if you like but that is optional! The controls are simple, swipe the screen up or down, left or right and tilt the phone for a more gradual movement. It’s a really fun game that will keep you entertained whilst waiting for that bus, train or anyone that’s running late…don’t shout too loud though as you may get funny looks!

 

 

Game: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (PS3)

What's it about? A Castlevania game that’s kind of not a Castlevania game…it’s a *shocked face* reboot. This one follows the story of Gabriel who’s on a quest to defeat the Lords of Shadow because his wife has been killed and he’s not happy and wants her back…blah love story blah romance blah. Take on his role and battle all kinds of demons, monsters and things that go bump in the night in this spooky action-adventure game.

What’s it like? The graphics are amazing, truly beautiful, the atmosphere is pretty dark and well the voice acting is awesome…it has Rush in it…I mean Robert Carlyle! The controls are responsive…though I keep dying…it’s a pretty great game. Some of the uber monsters you think are going to be really complex to kill and you spend ages trying to figure out how to defeat them…turn out to be something really simple which you’ve over analysed ugh. I think I would prefer it if there were less major baddies and lots of smaller ones you can tackle on the journey. It can get a bit annoying where you walk for a while…collect some stuff/do something and oh another cut scene and what a surprise another big baddie to fight but hey it is enjoyable. If you like lycanthropes, vampires, demons and all manner of supernatural creatures…and don’t mind killing these poor defenceless beings then look it up and give it a whirl.

 

 

Game: Stargate Unleashed (Android)

There are two versions of this game: the Lite version which is free (about 4 mins of gameplay) and then the full version which is not. Stargate Unleashed is an Android game where you take on the role of SG1 at the time of a Goa’uld infiltration/attack.

This is kind of like an episode but in a game woohoo! The controls are easy but at points they can be unresponsive and if you are not standing in the right place it wont let you move on and at the start with the counter to mission fail going down in the corner it sends you into a bit of a flid! Panic stations activated! With that said though for an Android game it’s good. I would have loved to see this come onto a console, mainly due to I think it’d be easier playing on a game pad but it’s the first SG game out since the soooo many cancelled ones over the years, so we should be happy we finally have something, right? The graphics are great and it has the original voice actors which is a defiant win. Check out the Lite version first if you’re a tight ass. JAFFA KREE!

 

 

Legacy of Kain & Nosgoth

Ok well I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned the "L" word on here yet so to make up for it Legacy of Kain, Legacy of Kain, Legacy of Kain, Legacy of Kain, Legacy of Kain, Legacy of Kain, Legacy of Kain, Legacy of Kain, Legacy of Kain, Legacy of Kain, Legacy of Kain, Legacy of Kain, Legacy of Kain, ok and breathe.

So what is this Legacy of Kain (LoK) I speak of? LoK is a computer game series which spans from 1996-2003 and over…currently…5 games (Blood Omen, Blood Omen 2, Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2 and Defiance). It follows the story of Kain and his death as a human and resurrection as a vampire, as well as his later created vampire son Raziel who becomes a wraith. I don’t want to give too much a way but really you NEED to check it out if you haven’t already as it’s an epic action-adventure saga and is the most story based game I’ve played. To find out more check out the wikia or get on and download it on PSN!

Nosgoth – confirmed to be the new online-multiplayer game set in the LoK universe by George Kelion who has been kind enough to talk to the fans over at the Eidos Forum on this thread created by Aevum, so check it out for the latest stuff and information on the game. Also another great thread to check out is one created by Raina Audron which is a full FAQ for Nosgoth. An official announcement has not come out yet, let’s all hope it’ll be awesome!

Here’s the questions I've asked over on the Eidos Forums (so far) which the kind “games master” George himself has answered:

 

Me: May I ask what you mean by hands-on-trials? Is there going to be a demo of the game available? Is this just going to be for your testing team or can fans get involved?

Monkeythumbz: Yes

Me: Is there a plan for this to be a global release or will it be US and then Europe separate? (In UK/Europe we got Defiance about 4 months after the US which really did suck).
You said don’t think of the game as a single-player experience. Is it an online based game or not?
You said it was not a mobile game, will it be for current or next gen devices?
How long are we looking at before the game will be released (not looking for a date but can you say in terms of months or years)?
How many people are working on/developing the game?
Where is it being developed and which company(ies) are involved?
Who is the lead person, as in writer/director or is it a team effort?
Who are the artists involved on the design of this game?
You mentioned that there will be a separate forum for Nosgoth, will this still be on the Eidos forms or held elsewhere?
Will there be cool Nosgoth merchandise?
You have said you were a fan of LoK, what was the first LoK game you played in the series?
Next time you go to a meeting on this, can you wear a cape just because that’d be funny?

Monkeythumbz: I'm allowed to answer them all right now - the cat would be so far out of the bag it'd be purchasing picture postcards of bags out of nostalgia!
I'll answer what I can:

1.Nosgoth is online.

2.The first LoK game I played was Soul Reaver, followed by all the others. Mechanically, I think LoK:BO2 is really under-rated. LoK:SR2 is my fave though - dat story. FULL DISCLOSURE: I've not played the original Blood Omen.

3.I don't own a cape, but I will endeavour to get one because DAMN that would be funny. If I haven't done this in a couple of months then remind me. I will do this and get photos done to prove it.

Me: Is this game being made with the thought of longevity in mind? As it is online will there be enough NPC involved so it will be playable years down the line or will it very much revolve around how many people are actually logged on to how playable it is. I hope the team have considered the possibility that if this is good that fans maybe playing it years down the line. As you can see from posts here the community very much re-plays the games even long after they are released.

Monkeythumbz: I'd love to be able to answer that, but in order to do so I'd have to give so many details away it would spoil the reveal. Plus, if I answered vaguely, you could misinterpret me and this whole conversation was about trying to provide clarity early.

Me: Please don't be an RTS, please don't be an RTS, for the love of the Elder please!

Monkeythumbz: It's not an RTS either, although I'd question your love for the Elder God.

Me: Will there be area servers e.g. people in Europe play with/against each other, people in the US will play with/against each other etc or will it all linked so you can play with/against anyone in the world?
-What kind of age rating do you think it'll have? (your opinion, I know you can’t say officially yet).
-If you are a vampire will you have an option of feeding methods e.g. biting or super suck distance feeding?
-Will be a create your own character game or are there set characters for you to play?

Monkeythumbz: I'm afraid all that info is TBC, for now.

Me: You mentioned weapons, are we talking swords, crossbows, axes, maces etc…please tell me there aren’t any guns?
-Is it solely combat orientated? Or are there other elements like say you can be a mage or a healer?
-Will there be levels in the game e.g. defeat a boss you move to the next level or get a power up?
-Will it be team orientated? e.g. you and 10 players fight as a team against other players/non-player characters?

Monkeythumbz: No guns, but do remember Nosgoth is place where flamethrowers exist.

Um... kind of. The focus is very much on combat, at least for the time being.

Again kind of, but there are no bosses in the game as it's a competitive multiplayer experience (...with a twist). You do gain experience, but it's not like XP in an RPG.

Yes, although there are no in-game NPCs.

Me: is it like that as in you play 3rd person? Are there options between 1st and 3rd person?

Monkeythumbz: Nosgoth is a third-person game; there's no first-person camera available

Me: you said in the end that its not really that much like Unreal Championship 2, so it leads me to...what are the closest game(s) to Nosgoth on the market or is it so different from anything it can't really be compared?

Monkeythumbz: While Nosgoth is unlike any other competitive online multiplayer game that I've played or am familiar with, the closest comparison is probably Unreal Championship 2.

Me: so I’m getting the impression from the above that you’ve now played Nosgoth? Is this assumption correct and if so is it beyond awesome?
Also are special abilities involved for vampires? For example certain types of vampires will be immune to certain weapons?

Monkeythumbz: I've been playing Nosgoth since last December! It's come on a LONG way and I can honestly say that - as somebody who traditionally prefers playing solo narrative-driven games - it's made me appreciate multiplayer gaming in a whole new light and enjoy it in a whole new way.
But I guess I would say that, wouldn't I?
In all seriousness, it's a helluva lot of fun to play - that's definitely been the focus of the development team, making a fun game you'll want to come back to over and over.

Me: Is that as in 2011 or 2012? Either way this thing must be near on finished then, right?

Monkeythumbz: 2012.

Me: -Is there a training mode in the game? Or is it a case of straight in and have no clue of buttons etc?

Monkeythumbz: I wouldn't say an in-game training mode is really necessary - it's a very intuitive game and we've ensure that it's as pick-up-and-playable as possible. We'd rather create an environment where you just dived right in and got into the action straight away.

Me: I know you have a lot of questions queued up over the weekend but I wonder if you could take a moment to answer Majinkura's (I'm curious too): Majinkura’s question: will this game have controller input support?? or will it rely only on keyboard input?

Monkeythumbz: Right now, Nosgoth only supports mouse & keyboard.