fallen-empire-legions posts

Last month, Hi-Rez Studios bought the rights to the Tribes series of games from InstantAction.com just before the latter company shut its doors. Now comes word that another game owned and operated by InstantAction.com could be getting a new life as well.

It's Fallen Empire: Legions, the "spiritual successor" to Tribes that was released by InstantAction.com's first incarnation as a free-to-play browser-based multiplayer shooter. A group of the game's loyal community members reached an agreement with InstantAction.com to obtain the source code for the game. The team plans to re-release the title as a stand alone game (no browser needed) under the new name of Legions: Overdrive. The team is already signing up people to beta test the game but there's no word yet on when the game will get its re-launch.

Mac users get ready to stand up and cheer or ... at least smile. InstantAction, the 3D browser-based online gaming site, has extended its current beta to Mac users. Established in late March 2008 by developer GarageGames, InstantAction treats PC users to a collection of free "console-quality games," all within a web browser.

Launching with four titles, the Mac version of InstantAction doesn't have as robust a library as its PC counterpart but is expected to expand. Users are required to sign up to play but registration is free. Available now for InstantAction Mac is: the first-person shooter Fallen Empire: Legions; future-sport, Rokkitball; the tank warfare title ThinkTanks and fan favorite Marble Blast Online.

We haven't heard much about the status of Fallen Empire: Legions, the multiplayer shooter from developer GarageGames that's very much like the classic Tribes series of games. Today, however, we got word that the title just got a new map, titled Zenith Cauldron, that is about four times the size of the first two maps released for the game.

The new map, as you can see in the included screenshots, has a desert theme to it and will offer a number of dunes that will give players who love to "ski' down hills a chance to strut their stuff. You can play the game by heading to the Instantaction.com web site and sign onto the ongoing beta test for the title.

Tribes is a masterpiece of multiplayer gaming, introducing a lot of the concepts (such as vehicles and massive maps) that we take for granted today. Knowing how much we online gamers love Tribes, GarageGames has been hard at work to slake our thirst for a new Tribes game.

Fallen Empire: Legions, its spiritual sequel on the InstantAction platform, is that game. It's also accepting beta testers for the next wave of invites. If you send a blank email to FELopenbeta@garagegames.com from the same email address that is bonded to your InstantAction account, there's a good chance you'll get into the beta when they send out the invites.

[Via ShackNews]