Faxion Online

"We know conflict," a new ad for Faxion Online says, and boy do they ever! The tongue-in-cheek spot shows a fictional (or is it?) day at UTV True Games, where a frisky pirate and an arrogant ninja happen to walk into the same elevator. What happens next can only be seen, not described, although we would not blame you for weeping out of awe.

The commercial highlights the spirit of PvP that lies at the core of Faxion Online, an upcoming MMO that pits angelic players vs. their demonic counterparts. The same sense of humor that comes through in this ad runs rampant throughout the game, as players war over zones themed after the seven deadly sins.

Currently, Faxion is in open beta. You can watch the full carnage of this video after the jump.

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Thou shalt target the healers? Check. Honor thy guild and group? Check.

If you fancy yourself a PvPer, Faxion Online's newly released Ten Commandments of PvP is worth a read. Even if you're not, the list will no doubt provide a chuckle or two in what appears to be the latest evidence that the free-to-play fantasy title will deliver its MMO conventions with tongue planted firmly in cheek.

In a new press release dated this morning, UTV True Games laid out a PvP manifesto with its trademark sense of humor, alluding to artifacts unearthed "at a remote dig site (located two floors above the basement of the company's Austin studio)." Said artifacts have caused a bit of consternation for Faxion's devs, as UTV creative director Mike Madden explained. "All heretofore planned projects, both announced and unannounced, that pit player against player must be reviewed to incorporate the deeper meaning conveyed to us by these ancient tablets," he said.

Faxion Online is currently in open beta, and you can learn more -- as well as sign up -- at the game's official website.

Hell is other people, Sartre once wrote, and though he clearly wasn't talking about MMOs in 1944, the line nonetheless applies. Hell is also betas, though Faxion Online's variant looks to be more enjoyable than most if only for the decidedly tongue-in-cheek nature of the entire enterprise.

UTV True Games has announced that Faxion's open beta is kicking off tomorrow, March 10th, and a press release describing the hellish (or heavenly) event says the "free-to-play, free-to-prey, and free-to-pray" game will undergo a one-time item wipe as well. The open beta will also feature the "latest iteration of multi-classing abilities" as well as "a completely new player experience."

Finally, UTV will also be featuring Faxion Online at this weekend's PAX East, so drop by the booth if you're going to Boston between March 11th and March 13th.

Casual, colorful and comical: That's the effort that UTV True Games is putting into its growing portfolio of MMOs. From Faxion Online to Mytheon, UTV has quite a few things cooking on the stove, and we happily taste-tested new visuals and info from this year's Games Developer Conference.

First up was the PvP-centric Faxion, pitting the good-smelling forces of Heaven against the sulfur-sprayed armies of Hell. Faxion is currently prepping for its second closed beta test, and we've been intrigued by what we've seen so far. The devs released 10 new images for the game, which you can see below:


For more previews of UTV's Mytheon, Sky Legends and Planet Crashers, hit the jump and pray you have a chute!

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"Free to pray, free to prey, free to play," the tagline goes. While Faxion Online continues to milk all of the religious-themed puns the team can think of (and it's hard not to add your own!), this afterlife MMO continues to charge ahead with the second phase of its beta process.

UTV True Games announced that Faxion Online has entered its second closed beta test, which has been expanded to include new players and a number of improvements implemented after the first test. Faxion now has an improved starter tutorial that invites players to learn about heavenly living or hellish confluct, depending on the class chosen. Other improvements include class reballancing, new areas and teleportation stones that help warriors get to the conflicts even faster than before.

UTV's Frank Lucero credits the players for shaping the game's development: "The responses to the first closed beta have been incredible in helping us determine updates for this second phase."

You can check out this tongue-in-cheek PvP MMO by signing up for the beta test or by vicariously experiencing the spiritual planes in our Faxion Online first impressions.

The combat in Faxion Online is shaping up to be a cut above the MMORPG norm according to a press release and a new video from UTV True Games. The free-to-play firm has just detailed Faxion's fighting system and is touting numerous visual cues and effects that help the player unleash hell on his enemies.

Combat information is conveyed via a combination of color-coded floating text, status icons, and Vortex Effects, which change the player's viewing area (like the "Confuse" effect in the header image). Faxion's combat status reports can be summed up thusly: The more severe an effect, the stronger the player notification. "We don't want players to rely on the same old visuals; instead we want there to be an instinct and intuitiveness to this combat system that also allows them to know their status quickly so they can dish out more pain to their enemies," says UTV Studio Head Frank Lucero.

Check out the video after the cut and head to the official Faxion Online website to sign up for beta. You can also see four screenshots of the game's status effects in the gallery below.

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It's rare that an MMO laces its world design, gameplay, and lore with humor, but UTV True Games' Faxion Online is doing just that. It's a good thing too, as anything other than a tongue-firmly-in-cheek approach to religion in the public arena can be a recipe for commercial disaster.

Enter UTV's latest press release then, one that focuses on the free-to-play title's unique multi-classing system while gleefully proclaiming that traditional MMO classes can go to hell. "Faxion's class system is somewhat of a misnomer," says UTV's Frank Lucero. "In reality, the classes are nothing more than fundamental components that the players themselves can use to create their own toolbox of hellish destruction or heavenly onslaught."

How exactly does this work out for the player? It depends on your end goals. For example, folks desiring a traditional druid-type toon will probably want to roll a Guardian class and dabble in Diviner and Crusader classes. Similarly, those interested in an evil cleric archetype should start with a Zealot and add a bit of Reaver into the mix. The possibilities are numerous, and UTV provides a helpful primer for each class after the cut, as well as some associated imagery in the gallery below.

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The worst thing about touring through a virtual world is not knowing exactly what to bring with you. Over the last several months I have slowly but surely tweaked my habits to make writing easier. Even then I am sometimes perplexed as to how to do it better and what tools would work best for me. Luckily, the greatest tool of all time does exist and is dirt cheap. It fits within my pocket and works with any operating system or peripheral.

Yes, I'm talking about a stack of Post-Its.

As I ran through the different areas of Faxion Online with one of the developers, I scribbled my notes down on the tiny notepad. Then I stuck the notes to my computer monitor for later reference. I also took screenshots (not the ones you see in this article -- these were supplied by UTV True Games, the developer behind Faxion) and later used them to try to remember how I felt during the walkthrough. While writing, I looked down at my Post-Its and saw three key words: optimization, stylized graphics, and gross fat guy.

Click past the cut to see what else I might have jotted down.

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You're dead -- so sorry, chap! Fortunately, that doesn't mean your gaming adventures are over. On the contrary, according to Faxion Online, they've just begun. In the world of Limbo, players are pulled between the forces of heaven and hell as they fight each other through the physical manifestations of the seven deadly sins.

Curious about Faxion Online, we sat down with UTV True Games to discuss the deep issues of beta, religion and epeens.

Massively: How's the progress toward closed beta coming along?

UTV True Games: It's coming along at an insane pace. The team is focused and beating away at the long list of tasks that loom before us all prior to launching beta as well as the game. We are working on zones, abilities and items, along with wrapping up features and tightening the nuts and bolts of various aspects of the game. The team was able to catch their breath over the holidays a bit, so it's going to allow us to have a good strong kick to the finish.

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Does the angel on your right shoulder take a lot of union-approved time off, so much so that you end up listening to the devil on your left shoulder more often than not? Then Faxion Online has a temptation that's right up your alley -- seven sinful zones, each revolving around one of the classic seven deadly sins.

Taking heavenly and hellish themes with a strong dose of humor, Faxion Online's world becomes a literal battleground for the soul. By taking each of the deadly sins and turning them into a zone to be fought over and conquered, Faxion has created a unique twist on the genre. If the forces of heaven take over a zone, it turns nicer, and if the forces of evil are triumphant, then there will be hell to pay.

UTV True Games' Frank Lucero says that the PvP over these areas will keep players transfixed: "These zones offer all of the competitive combat play that players desire including PVP, innovative territory control and an ability ranking system that will keep players engaged in the timeless struggle of good vs. evil."

Hit the jump to read up on Faxion's themed zones and see for yourself what your sins have wrought!

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