Have you ever wanted to pilot a lethal walker mech, bristling with enough guns and rockets to make anything that stands in one place for too long a smoldering pile of debris and slag? Of course you do, because who wouldn't want to do that? Hawken is a game takes you our of your computer chair and puts you into a cramped and creaking walker-mech. Rusty mechs of every shape, size, and color battle it out of the near-future-esque, dystopian world of Illal. The game is currently in closed beta, about 30 days out from release, and man is it something.Hawken, a free-to-play first-person mech shooter that calls back to the days of Mechwarrior, feels powerfully unique in this day and age of gaming. The ability to customize your walkers is key to the design of the game and has tons of features to give you the edge or express yourself. Between the different "classes" of mechs, the different cosmetic pieces, a variety of guns, talent trees, a variety of active and passive items (offensive, defensive, and utility), and finally the ability to pain your mech, you can make something that will fit your play style. As you earn experience for each class of mech, you unlock points for mech optimization (faster fire rate, faster movement, decreased damage taken, etc.) and all sorts of guns, making playing games rewarding.Once you get into a game, the feel is absolutely amazing. As you walk about the urban layouts, the city feels dirty and gritty, tons of soot and grime in the air and on the scenery. As the screen shakes from side-to-side as the mech takes lumbering steps forward slowly and even more when weapons are firing, movement and guns feel powerful and large. Despite the bulk of your mech, the thrusters give it unusual bursts of quick mobility, hovering down a street toward a fight or jumping aside to dodge a rocket. You feel like you are in control of the lumbering behemoth you pilot rather than fight to direct it. The pace of the game is quick in individual battles, in just a few moments, you can get ambushed, dodge behind a building with next to no health remaining, flank about the building and blow your adversary to smithereens with a well placed rocket and a barrage of bullets.Everything about this game feels great, from the cracks that appear in the windshield when you've taken a beating, to the variety of unlockable upgrades and mechs. Being free-2-play, the game allows people to buy in-game currency with real-world money, but thankfully this cannot get you an advantage; everything with stats can be bought by earning "Hawken Points" after every match. The multiple game modes feel great and seem interesting, with great dynamic events like a enemy cruiser flying over the city to assault an enemy base. This is a game that has captured my eye, and I hope that you will look into it soon and give it a try.
DOTA 2 has hit the ground running with one of the most successful spin-ups in recent memory. The division came charging out of Vanguard with a strong membership and no signs of stopping. A big part of that is DA DC MasterOdin, but every good commander has a strong second and that is RomanTemplar. The Newsletter crew caught up with Roman to discuss gaming with TAW, DA, and life in general.
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First, tell everyone a little about yourself:
Hello, My name is RomanTemplar and I am the DO of the DOTA 2 Division here in TAW, I live in Manitoba Canada [its the left Middle province :)]. I currently am attending the local university for a degree in business.
Do you have any interesting non-gaming hobbies you wouldn't mind sharing?
Well being Canadian I enjoy playing Ice Hockey in the winter, though I am not apart of a team I like to head off to the local ring and shoot the puck around with my friends.
You have certainly been around, an officer in every division you have been in, bouncing about and even leaving TAW briefly before returning to help run the DOTA2 division. Do you still float about the other games or are you pretty much set on DOTA2 at this point?
Well I do mostly play DOTA now but I have recently been playing a lot of Planetside 2 since its release and I have also been playing some World or Tanks.
You have earned a hefty stack of medals in the year and a half you have been in TAW, do any of them hold any particularly fond memories for you?
My good old Recruiting Award, for the simple reason that without recruiting we would not have divisions :).
What is it about DOTA2 that makes it so successful? You guys burst out of Vanguard with a massive member count and are now over 130 strong. What factors have led to this?
Strong leadership and a solid recruiting effort by our members. We are currently attempting to hit the 200 member mark by the new year!
Tell us a little about DOTA2. What would you tell another TAW member interested in checking it out about the game?
Well DOTA is a hard game to describe but basically you control one hero and you fight other hero on a map, but the game is a lot more complex then that and require great skill to play effectively, if you are looking for a challenging game that require a high APM then I invite you to try it out :P.
Any parting words for the rest of the community?
oh boy putting me on the spot... Well... Live long and prosper?? / keep recruiting ??
With North American leadership, a division's success across the pond relies on the corps of officers who run the OC and EU CO, XO, FL, and DI offices. MasterOdin and RomanTemplar found a real gem to help out in DA's EU ranks. rXp, in 102 days has earned two major TAW medals.
One of the newest games in the TAW line-up, Planetside 2 by Sony Online Entertainment, is currently in Vanguard and 117 members strong. Planetside 2 is still in Beta with a release date of Nov 20 2012 but Spin-Up Leader LTC GundamMKII has said “This is the game TAW’s been waiting for.” Planetside 2 is a massively multiplayer first person shooter (MMOFPS) that delivers truly epic, massive combat on a scale never before seen. There are three factions that you can play as and battles take place not between dozens of troops, but thousands with air and ground vehicles slugging it out alongside squads of troops. Here’s what some of the TAW Spin-Up members have to say about the game:
"Planetside 2 will be great for team play and working with different strategies" said PFC Urshak Planetside 2, 4th battalion.
"Planetside 2: A great mixture of strategy, team play, and action. The game play makes it highly addictive and it's built in the way that it is so vast and you engulf yourself within the game itself. Feeling of being in a squad being led by people with real experience and people with no experience is both valuable and informative way of achieving you goals." says REC Zajihat Planetside 2, 4th battalion.
"This is the game TAW's been waiting for" Gundam MKII Planetside 2 SUL
"Planetside 2 is big, fun and looks good, and TAW enriches the Game on a level I have not seen before, where you can actually make a major difference" Arthorius PS 2 4th battalion XO
For all who are interested NA severs hold their practices Tuesday and Sunday 2100 EST, and training Thursday at 2100 EST. EU servers same days at 2100 +1N. OC servers Sunday and Wednesday at 1600 GMT +9.
For several months now, USNNuke has been on deployment aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise as she made her final voyage as a commissioned ship in the United States Navy. As always, TAW honors the real world military among her membership so Media took the chance to ask a few questions about his service upon his return.
First off, on behalf of all of TAW as proud supporters of all our nation's militaries, let me thank you for your service and say that we are all glad you came home whole Nuke. Before we get into TAW and your recent military service, briefly tell a little about yourself...
What is something that your fellow TAW members may not know about you that you think they would be surprised to know?
I like to watch True Blood
So you were on the final voyage of the American aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, will you be present when she is officially decommissioned?
Trying to be
As much as you can, tell us about what the Enterprise's final mission was...
OEF Air support missions
What are your duties in the U.S. Navy?
I am a MM2 nuke that is in the reactor mechanical divsion
Are there any interesting stories that you would fell comfortable sharing about your deployment?
I met a girl that had real vampire fangs
On to TAW, you currently serve under myself on the OS division's newsletter team, but no one joins TAW just to slave away in OS. What games are your current and past favorites with TAW?
I joined under STO then went to BF, BC2, then to AO, and finally to OS.
After a long deployment, were there any games you were looking forward to returning to, or picking up, upon your return?
Didn't really pay much attention to it
What about outside of gaming, what activities are you most looking forward to returning to now that you're back?
rather not answer
Do you have any parting words for the rest of the TAW community?
This community is great I have to say with all my obligations I have never had any issues with it. also If you get offered a leadership position make shore you have time for if not respectfully turn it down
Only days after the completion of the 2nd Closed Beta we arrive here …
The last of the Closed Beta Events.
This final event will take place over 17 days, the longest testing phase yet. CBE3 (Closed Beta Event 3) runs from the 20th of November until the 06th of December.
If you've been in any of the previous Alphas or Betas you'll be automatically added to CBE3. If you're still in need of a code, here's how you get one...
Firstly for a FREE beta key you can become a member of MMOBOMB (confirmed working) Secondly, you can get your wallet out and buy a key with a load of in game cash and perks.
Whichever you choose, free or paid, I look forward to seeing you on the battlefield during the FINAL CLOSED EVENT...
REMEMBER TO POST YOUR PILOT NAME HERE
With the big differences in modern warfare and black ops, there seems to be one winner. Black ops give members the smoothest multiplayer game on the market. You'll notice no lag, frame rate loss, or tearing when playing online. If that's not enough, the Zombies, multiple game types for zombies and multiplayer, and the storied single player give much to do.
Many TAW members are already playing BO2, so if you enjoy it as we do, we welcome all transfers and/or just coming to play for fun. See you out there with a scorestreak!! (Worthogs for Tonic, LOL)
MGN_ChicagoONE CC 1CC