Steampunk Finally makes it's debut in Video Games?

This past Memorial Day weekend, here in the US, I found myself a little further south of my home city. I was in Dearborn, MI, while Antonio was moving from his old apartment into his new living quarters. He'll have to fill you in on that, I know very little about how that went. What was I doing down in Dearborn you might ask? Why I was attending the second annual World Steam Expo! An assemblage of steampunk nerds far and wide across the whole world! And now you might be asking, why am I telling you this? What does this have to do with games and this podcast? Let me fill you in!

The first Steampunk MMO will be making it's gaming debut in a few short years, as early as 2012. About time I say. Style influences in games is fine, but now we get a game with a full steampunk premise. How can I tell you all this? I was able to attend a panel at WSX giving the audience an exclusive preview of the games artwork and story. I'm not able to give you much, as those involved in the creation of the game weren't able to us much information. It's set in 1908, the year that the world ends. The oceans are evaporated, the land is crumbled, and pieces are sinking into the molten core of the earth, and aether is released into the air. Those nations that aren't destroyed must quickly learn how to survive in this new world and all the changes that are happening. Most revert back to barbarism and must rebuild their own civilizations. The ultimate goal is to get back to the glory that was the late 19th century, when empire's were at their peak. While they rebuild they must also learn to survive the creatures that were created by the aether, and each other. This story of AIR is set two hundred years after the cataclysm.

What I can tell you about the gameplay is that it's going to be your typical MMO, and not, at the same time. They're working hard to make sure this isn't full of fetch and retrieve missions. They want to focus on plot and story, on making this more than just a game. I for one, couldn't be happier. I've met and talked to some of the writers and artists and there's so much planned for this game. Coming later this year, or early next year will be a mobile game, focusing more on the flight of airships, a flight simulator, that will be able to be ported to other platforms in the future. One of the lead writers is also releasing a book this July that starts to tell the tale of the great cataclysm, Blood in the Skies, by G.D. Falksen.

I'll be keeping a close eye on this game and it's developments. We were tipped to keep an eye on the website, AIR, as it should be getting a revamp soon, with more information. Awesome things are happening friends, awesome things. Just like E3 coming up this week. Expect reports on that soon.