Fury (video game)

Fury
Developer(s)	Auran
Publisher(s)	Gamecock Media Group
Designer(s)	Auran
Composer(s)	Pedro Macedo Camacho[1]
Engine	Unreal Engine 3.0 Foliage–SpeedTree
Platform(s)	Windows
Release date(s)	October 16, 2007
Genre(s)	MMORPG
Mode(s)	Multiplayer
Distribution	DVD, download

Fury (sometimes capitalized; FURY) was a player versus player (PvP) competitive online role-playing game (CORPG) / massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Auran. It was released on 16 October 2007 and was shut down on 7 August 2008. This puts the total life of the game at a little less than 10 months.^{[citation needed]}

Fury's focus on PvP combat differentiated it from traditional RPGs that center around player versus environment (PvE) content against non-player characters. However, like most RPGs, Fury used collectible equipment, skills, and a ranking mechanism for players. Fury used a method of matching equally ranked players from across the world in PvP matches, and was said to not always work well.^{[citation needed]}

Fury further differentiated itself from traditional RPGs by making many of its spells and abilities activate instantly and lacking a cooldown period. The pace of gameplay thus tended to be faster than PvP combat in traditional RPGs. For example, spell-casters in Fury were sometimes not frozen in place when casting a spell, which allowed them to retreat and avoid obstacles that might otherwise have locked them in.

The game was initially well received in beta testing and during an pre-release event known as the Fury Challenge; however, many aspects of the game that the beta testers loved were changed between the end of the Fury Challenge and the public release version. To add to this, patching continued to set back the game. Developers would often ask players what they wanted from the game and then disregard the answers they received. At the beginning of 2008, a large change was made to the game mechanics and the business plan of Fury. This made the game completely free to play, with the option of upgrading to the two previous payment options: retail price (a one time fee), and Immortal (monthly payments). Additionally, all players prior to this large patch were given Immortal status free for life. Many believe that this large patch, along with the lack of a proper introduction for new players and the obvious removal of a large revenue source marked the beginning of Fury's death.

A new business plan was drafted late in the game's life which would attempt to save the game. This plan included a match limit for free players and the possibility for skilled players to turn their skill into cash, however the servers shut down before this plan was ever implemented.

Reception

Fury received below average reviews from major gaming websites, having a 50.8% rating on GameRankings.^[2]

• GameSpot gave the game 4.5 out of 10, highlighting its poorly optimized engine, and its clumsy and chaotic gameplay.^[3]
• IGN gave a 6.5 out of 10, however ultimately criticized similar concepts, such as excessive numbers of useless skills, too many NPCs and minimal longevity.

References