October 29, 2009 6:00 AM

Apple Games has posted a new feature article examining the recently released Mac version of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. The game features Realm vs Realm combat and allows players to enter a grim fantasy world where the armies of Order and Destruction collide to determine the fate of nations. Apple's article includes comments from WAR executive producer Jeff Hickman, a history of Warhammer, and a list of tips and tricks.
Both sides in the war consist of loose confederacies: the realm of Destruction brings together the human followers of Chaos; savage Orcs, Goblins, and other Greenskins; and the corrupt Dark Elves, while the realm of Order assembles the tough-as-nails Dwarves; the noble Empire; and the ethereal High Elves. The three groups on each side dont necessarily trust each other, but they understand the importance of strength in numbers.

Our Orcs arent just grim, misunderstood tribal warriors: theyre European soccer hooligans who like to fight because fighting is fun, Hickman remarks. Our Dwarves arent simply industrious folks who like to stay out of the sun: theyre working class, beer-fueled brawlers with chips on their shoulders, especially about the Elves, who think they rule the world and have never done a real days work.

He adds: And then there are the forces of Chaos: those guys are all the darkest, most unsettling parts of humanity rolled into one creepy, tentacle-wielding package like lawyers. But Chaos is distinct from simplistic conceptions of evil: its more about disorder and corruption and the disorienting and troubling effect that they can have on us. And when you stab a follower of Chaos, theres a one percent chance that white mice will shoot out of the wound instead of blood.

Yes, humor is a large part of the game, according to Hickman: We use dark humor for the same reason Shakespeare did: because relentless darkness can eventually turn your audience off. We also use it because its one of the things that sets Warhammer apart from the pseudo utopian/socio-political fantasy of Tolkien and his derivatives. Warhammer has always been built around a dark, comical, and quite twisted reflection of actual humanity.
Check out the rest of the article at the page listed below.

Apple Games: Warhammer Online
Mythic Entertainment
TransGaming
Warhammer Online: Age Of Reckoning




More...