| Golden Age Posted: 22 Aug 2011 10:14 AM PDT Golden Age is a 2D, browser-based strategy MMO based on the story of the Knights Templar in medieval Europe. Choose to play as a Knight Templar, a member of the Ibero Alliance, or join the Rhine Commerce Guild. Build your fortress, battle other players, and seek victory!  Publisher: Aeria Games
Playerbase: ??
Graphics: Medium Quality
Type: MMORTS
EXP Rate: ??
PvP: Open
Filesize: N/A Pros: +Interactive RPG-style town +Unique “battle voting” system lets players influence PvP outcomes. +Real-time battles. Cons: -Limited information.
OverviewGolden Age OverviewGolden Age is a browser based side scrolling RPG-style MMO. Following Molay’s documented outrage at baseless arrests of the Knights Templar in 1307 A.D., Golden Age introduces a fellow knight said to have received a map to a lost continent from Molay himself. At Molay's request, the knight secretly leads 400 Knights Templar to safety in these unknown lands. Players enter the tumultuous Golden Age setting shortly following the Templars' discovery and colonization of the mysterious treasure-filled region, and must defend their developing fortresses from oncoming waves of greedy plunderers. Players will take their roles in Golden Age as one of three distinct classes of citizens. Knight Templar – Based on fictional members of the real historical Order who fled persecution in France in search of a lost land of gold and treasure.Ibero Alliance – A later group established in the new land on the democratic principles of ancient Greece and Rome.Rhine Commerce Guild – Founded by a traveling merchant and his greedy civilian followers, this class of citizens has real-life roots in medieval Germany.Golden Age ScreenshotsGolden Age Featured Video Full ReviewGolden Age Full ReviewComing Soon… ScreenshotsGolden Age Screenshots |
| Eden Eternal Posted: 21 Jun 2011 06:31 PM PDT Eden Eternal is a 3D anime inspired fantasy MMORPG where players become mysterious heroes with an extraordinary ability to wield magic. Start your adventure as a brave Warrior or Magician on a mission to save the world. Fight ferocious beasts, kill assassins, and battle other players in duels. Switch freely between 15 different playable classes. Tackle challenging quests while discovering the hidden secrets of the past. Help restore peace to the shattered utopia known as Eden.  Publisher: Aeria Games
Playerbase: High
Graphics: High
Type: MMORPG
EXP Rate: Medium
PvP: Arena / Duels / Guild Battles
Filesize: 1.74GB Pros: +Unique Class System. +Great graphics. +Excellent interface. +Fast-paced combat. +Pet option. +Soulmate dating feature. +Guild towns. Cons: -Shop items limited. –Lots of grinding. –Each class only has a handful of skills. –Generic storyline. –Gameplay can be repetitive at times.
  
OverviewEden Eternal OverviewEden Eternal is a fantasy themed MMORPG that transports players into a world in desperate need of harmony. After several races migrated to a newly discovered continent for a fresh start they quickly found out from firsthand experience that old habits are hard to break. A disagreement about the direction their future should take erupted into firestorm ignited previous racial hatred and tension. A devastating war has left Eden in turmoil. Players step into the shoes of a mysterious hero with magical powers. Although their origin is still unknown they must take on the role of an Eternal Guardian fighting the evil plaguing the lands. Destroy an assortment of monsters and local beasts. Kill fierce boss creatures and other players. Complete challenging quests. Find a Soulmate or adopt a pet to assist in your journey. Similar to other X-Legend and Aeria Games' titles like Grand Fantasia and Kitsu Saga Eden Eternal has cool anime style graphics. Players are not limited to one class per character. As they progress new classes are unlocked which can be switched at random. All players start out as a human Warrior or Magician. There are 15 unlockable classes depending on a player's level. Heroic Traits – Leadership, Guardian, Apostle, Commando, Sanctum, Maverick, Adventurer, and Crack Shot. Classes: Warrior (no level requirement) – They are skilled soldiers equipped with heavy armor in the form of swords and axes. Their ability to easily take out opponents and yield high level of damage make them worthy adversaries. Warlock (level 55) – Warlocks borrow their power from the darkness. Their arsenal of magical tricks is overwhelming often leaving enemies quivering for mercy. Templar (level 60) – Deeply rooted in their religious beliefs these spiritual warriors call of the power of God to punish the evil terrorizing the lands. Ranger (level 65) – Rangers are very meticulous in their actions. They analyze opponents' weaknesses and execute blows that will do the most amount of damage. This class has mastered delivering devastating attacks from afar. Eden Eternal ScreenshotsEden Eternal Featured VideoClick here to view the embedded video. Full ReviewEden Eternal ReviewBy Ange Perdu Eden Eternal is a 3D anime style fantasy MMORPG set on a war torn continent where players become mysterious beings with incredible magical powers. Heroes serve as Eternal Guardians fighting the evil consuming the once peaceful world. Complete challenging quests and explore while slowly discovering the true origin of the race that emerged from the blue crystals. Kill beasts lurking around local villages or battle other players in fierce duels. Conquer dungeons with friends. Slay hundreds of monsters and bosses. Players can use any weapon, spell, or combative move of their choice by unlocking all 15 distinct classes and swapping freely. Find a sweetheart or summon pets to assist in combat. Becoming an Eternal Guardian, the Gameplay Heroes or Eternal Guardians begin their adventure in a local village near Limestone Mountain. Most of the gameplay involves completing quests and fighting monsters. Similar to other MMOs like Grand Fantasia the storyline is somewhat generic. Quests are given by NPCs scattered throughout the towns. The tasks vary from battling troublesome Mushroids to relying messages back and forth to commanding officers. Many of the missions consist of some form of combat. Collecting raw gemstones might require destroying intimidating Limestone Golems in the process. To accomplish a specific task a particular item may be required. A hammer must be used while fighting certain beasts to gather materials. Blowing a whistle will summon dangerous boss creatures to wage war with. The duties of an Eternal Guardian are endless. Kill hordes of Forest Imps, defeat Rainbow Angelly swarms, eliminate Eagle Gang Assassins, or sneak into a bandits' secret camp to destroy their supplies. Some quests are repeatable and aid in leveling. XP, coins, rare items, and occasionally fame or an achievement title is earned by completing quests. Players maneuver through the zones of Eden using their mouse, WASD keys, or the convenient auto-run feature by clicking on go from the quest log. Combat is fast-paced and surprisingly fun. Once initiated heroes use a mixture of physical and magical moves to conquer their opponent. Perform the Lightning Web, Fire Bomb, Perforation, Tornado, or Combat Cyclone. Depending on character's class and skill set there's a variety of mesmerizing spells that can be executed.  Warriors to Warlocks Eden Eternal features a very unique class system. All players start out as warrior or mage with one heroic trait of their choice. There are 15 different unlockable classes with their own set of cool animated skills. The two meters at the bottom of the screen monitor experience. The first one gauges character XP while the second records class experience which is primarily gained through combat. Since class experience accumulates much faster players usually benefit by changing their hero from warrior to thief and so on. As a hero levels up new classes are unlocked. At any time except during combat Eternal Guardians can switch their current class. The requirements vary depending on a character's level and their previous or related class level reached. Although there are just a handful of skills per class players have the ability to alternate freely between them. In most games users are limited to the battle skills in their specific class. It only takes a quick click on the transform button to change a class. The process of leveling up each class's skills individually is relatively easy but involves a lot of grinding. Killing monsters, repeating quests, and clearing dungeons are necessary for a diverse hero. Players will have to devote a significant amount of time into building up their character. This option makes the game rather addicting. Class talents allow gamers who prefer one particular class over another to master it. Knowledge points are rewarded each time a character gain's a level in their class. These points are used towards specialized talents in the skill window. Continually improve talents to become the most powerful Bard or Shaman around.  Battle Dogs & Sweethearts Eternal Guardians do not have to face evil alone. There is a pet companion option that permits heroes to add a Battle Dog in the form of an adorable Pug or massive Tiger. Pets can be trained to heal, attack, or perform tricks once a character reaches level 25. The Soulmate feature allows players to form a relationship and become sweethearts. Unlike other MMOs in this virtual world same-sex soul mates is legal. Players can be sweethearts with guys or girls regardless of their character's gender. It's also free to initiate dating status another cool aspect rarely seen. Couples receive lovers skills for the duration they're together. These skills vary like the Soulmate Instant Heal and give players an advantage during battles or difficult dungeon quests. Lovers can send each other special gifts, messages, and accumulate achievement points. The guild customization feature is also very impressive. Guild members can join their resources to construct their own town in Eden Eternal. Each town can have up to five established crafting structures. Set up farms, mines, altars, alchemy labs, foundries, and a magic pool. Build a monument in the town square. The polished anime-style graphics is similar to Kitsu Saga. There are breathtakingly beautiful backdrops and waterfalls. Guilds are able to create their own hangout spot within the game. Players can set up shops in their Guild Town to sell items to non-members as well.  Travelling Merchants Items and accessories can be purchased at Merchant Shops or in the Item Mall. The weapons selection is decent. Purchase the Special Broadsword, Equilibrium Staff, Red Copper Bow, Scout Light Shield, Shell-Splitter Axe, Silver Scout Dagger, Versatile Mace, Highland Bow, Knight's Shield, and the coveted Spell Wand. Weapons sold at shops are usable by all classes. Buy Tiger Fighter Tunics, Water Spirit Robes, Thorn Flower Hats, Gleam Vestments, Defender Helmets, and Sprinter Brigandine. Most of the armor is dull giving Eternal Guardians the same appearance. There are no outfits or costumes that stand out. Players do have the option of using dyes to add color to their apparel. Dyes are available in sage, orange, dark grey, yellow, eggplant, coral, pale blue, and lavender. Mixing color palettes can be amusing for a second or two but it doesn't make up for the lack of garbs in the Merchant Shops. In the Item Mall gamers willing to spend real money can purchase rare pets and hard to acquire trinkets. The Razorback, little Labrador, and Shorthair Cat are available as companions. Adventure threads, Kimono, Eden Spectacles, the Legacy Bow, boosts, and more powerful health tonics are on sale. There's also a cool Holy Seraph's Wings that gives heroes an angelic appearance in the mall.  Final Verdict: Great Comparable to other X-Legend titles like Grand Fantasia and Kitsu Saga there's a nice variety innovative features that adds to its appeal. Eden Eternal is a fun and addicting game. Instantly transform into another class. Become a Ranger, Illusionist, Knight, Martial Artist, and more. Wage war with an assortment of monsters, clear out dungeons, and duel other heroes. Complete challenging quests in a party, with pet companion, or your sweetheart. If you're one of those players that have a hard time choosing a class than Eden Eternal is definitely worth checking out. From its unique class system to the impressive Guild Town feature this game has a lot to offer MMO fans. ScreenshotsEden Eternal Screenshots VideosEden Eternal VideosEden Eternal First Impressions
Click here to view the embedded video. System RequirementsEden Eternal RequirementsMinimum Requirements:
OS: Windows XP / Vista
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 3000 MHz / AMD Athlon 64 3000+
RAM: 1 GB
HDD: 4 GB Free
Graphics Card: GeForce 7600 / ATI Radeon Х1600 Recommended Specification:
OS: Windows XP / Vista / 7
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 3000 MHz / Intel Core Quad 2400 MHz / AMD Athlon 64 6400+ or better
RAM: 2 GB or more
HDD: 4 GB or more
Graphics Card: GeForce 8800 / ATI Radeon HD 4700 or better |
| CrimeCraft Posted: 28 Oct 2009 11:09 AM PDT CrimeCraft is a 3D third-person shooter with MMORPG elements. In a not so distant future, the world lies in anarchy with gangs having replaced governments. Players are forced to join up with a street gang for mutual protection and to earn a living. With high quality visuals, single & multiplayer game modes, gun customization and crafting options, CrimeCraft is a unique MMOFPS.  Publisher: Vogster Entertainment
Playerbase: Medium
Graphics: High Quality
Type: MMO
EXP Rate: Fast
PvP: Multiple Modes
Filesize: 3000+ MB Pros: +Amazing graphics based on the Unreal 3 engine. +20 maps, 10 game modes. +PvE missions provide single player content. Cons: -RPG elements have no depth, plays almost identically to a lobby based shooter. -Somewhat awkward controls
OverviewCrimeCraft OverviewCrimeCraft was originally released as a retail, subscription based MMOFPS but has since relaunched as largely a free to play game with a cash shop. A large, persistent city acts as the game’s lobby where players can form gangs, accept missions, buy new weapons and more. The actual gameplay elements of CrimeCraft are similar to many other MMO shooters available with some of the major differences being the third person camera angle and the inability to jump. CrimeCraft uses the Unreal 3 engine which help the game stand out in the free to play arena. The game currently supports 7+ game modes which are: Turf War - Two teams battle for control of five strategic locations. The first team to control all five points or the team to control the most when time runs out is the winner. Snatch N’ Grab - A capture the flag game mode involving two teams. Robbery - Each team starts with a safe containing 100k in cash. Players must steal money from the opposing team’s safe and bring it back to their own. The team with the most cash at the end of the round wins. Shootout - Team deathmatch. Two teams compete to score the most kills in the allotted time. Riot - Deathmatch or FFA mode. The player with the most points at the end of the round is declared the winner. Safegaurd - A PvE mode that pits a group of players against a wave of AI controlled rogues. Players must protect a weapons cache until the timer runs out. Stockpile - A PvE mode where players must recover supplies held by AI rogues. While players cannot hurt each other in this mode, they do not share the loot the accumulate. CrimeCraft ScreenshotsCrimeCraft Featured VideoClick here to view the embedded video. Full ReviewCrimeCraft ReviewBy, Jaime Skelton New Updates: Since the time of this review CrimeCraft has steadily released new content including its bleedout expansion. Listed below are some of these updates. Character Customization – New character customizable options have been added along with refinements to player professions and skills. New Weapons and Abilities – 6 new abilities including an LMG turret, flashbang grenade and rockets! Leaderboard Stat Tracking - Reputation leaderboards complete with personalized player signatures, titles and rewards. New Maps - New PvP maps have been added allowing you to take the fight into multiple new areas including a heavily guarded financial fortress! In the history of the MMO shooter, there are two that have had some of the rockiest starts to date: APB and CrimeCraft. While APB died in a blaze of glory before being taken into the hands of GamersFirst months later, CrimeCraft has stayed alive, working through its problems to improve the game and draw players in. Two years and a special expansion later, CrimeCraft has come out of darker times to offer a truly renewed experience from our first review. Free-to-play Fragging – Expanded Shortly after its release as a pay-to-play MMOTPS, CrimeCraft switched to a freemium model with two optional subscription tiers. This initial "free-to-play" model was extremely limited and biased toward premium subscriptions: free player’s experience was a small fraction of premium experience, and they were denied banking, crafting, mail, gang creation, and PvP rankings, as well as given limited access to chat and character slots. Those days are gone, however. While the game retains a freemium model – free-to-play with optional game subscriptions – the free player experience has been expanded to include almost all game features. All players have the same access to character slots and game features like crafting, banking, and mail, as well as game rankings and tournaments. While premium members do get boosted experience, loot, and gold (as well as access to the Bleedout expansion included in their membership) the gap has been significantly reduced, making a premium membership feel more like a set of perks, rather than free play a set of punishments.  Tutorial Me This Character creation in CrimeCraft allows a fairly standard range of choices: face, hair, clothing options, and hair and skin color are available to be fine tuned or simply randomized. Once you’ve created a character, you’ll be tossed in to your first live match against other players. This initial "trial by fire" mission pits newbies against other ranked and experienced players in PvP, giving you a few weapons, grenades, and a camo system to battle with. As you go along, tips will flash on the screen, directing you on basic fighting and game play. When the match is over, congratulations: you’ve just been initiated into CrimeCraft. You’ll be ported afterward to a special Orientation Center. This is a special prologue area where you’ll earn your first levels and be introduced to the game. Unfortunately, this process is a long one; you’ll be stuck for an hour or two going through missions that will introduce you, through PvE combat, how to handle mission objectives, use your weapons and skills, buy and upgrade weapons, craft, and more. Some of these missions are no push-over, and while the game allows others to join you in these PvE missions, you may find yourself often alone against a boss that requires multiple runs from the respawn point to destroy. The entire experience is a little too much, and at times had me frustrated enough to want to quit then and there. Thankfully, for all the pain the prologue area is, there’s something to look forward to in the real Sunrise City.  Growing Bolder While CrimeCraft remains primarily a skill-based shooter, it offers a few RPG elements, including the ability to level up and train your character in specific skills. Level itself plays a small part in your overall ranking, and determines primarily what equipment you can use; it also marks a few milestones where you can gain a new boost slot and skill slot. Leveling up also gives you skill points, which you can spend in a variety of skills that are useable in combat. Most skills available are active, and include various types of grenades, special weapon ammo like incendiary rounds, camouflage systems, and even turrets; others are passive and include regenerative boosts, stat boosts, or boosts to guns or skills previously unlocked. Keep in mind, however, that skill points are sparse (unless you hit the cash shop), so think carefully about what skills you think would best accent your playstyle.  I’ve Got a Mission For You CrimeCraft is driven by missions available from NPCs that, while telling a backstory, also challenge players to meet objectives in specific maps and modes. Completing missions reward experience, money, reputation, and sometimes gear, as well as the final skill and boost slots when they become available to your character. Unlike most FPSs, the game features both PvE and PvP missions, although most missions are PvP-oriented. In order to complete a mission, you must enter the map and mode specified by the mission itself, and then complete the objective (usually involving a certain number of kills, or reaching a location on the map and waiting to complete it). Doing so uses the game’s built-in lobby system, and lets you quickly join a game already in progress, or start your own. Unfortunately, because many missions are PvP, and because many PvP maps require a certain amount of players, you may be waiting in queue for a long time before your mission actually begins for others who need a mission on the same map/game mode to join you. At times, this wait went well beyond just a few minutes; one queue we waited in passed beyond a half hour before the others waiting with us gave up looking for more and moved on. It seemed most beneficial to grab all available missions, and simply watch the lobby for what was needed, rather than create whatever mission was first on our list. Either way, there were often long wait times with little to do in the game’s persistent world.  Keeping it Balanced Because of its focus on player skill, CrimeCraft has put several checks in place to make sure that player equipment and skills do not unbalance the gaming experience. This balance is primarily checked through the ranking (star) system, which compiles a number based on the player’s total equipment, level, reputation (earned through completing missions), and kill to death ratio (KDR). This allows the system to flex around individual player skill and equipment, and offers a fair equalizer that is used to determine a mission’s difficulty. Additionally, while players can theoretically learn as many skills as they want through leveling, time, and skill point purchases in the item shop, only three skills at most can be equipped at any time. Players who choose to face a higher difficulty mission, which is marked on the game’s mission lobby, are able to see that the mission is marked with a high difficulty, and must prepare accordingly to face off against possibly better opponents. Higher ranked players, however, will be faced with a severe penalty in entering low-difficulty missions: their damage, health, and resistances will all be knocked down by 15%, and all of their abilities will be set to level one. While high level players may have an advantage over lower ones in certain areas – an extra skill and boost, or skills not yet accessible to the lower level player – the penalties that are placed keep them in check enough that they can’t simply dominate everyone. Skill, not gear or level, generally win the day in any battle.  Better Prepared CrimeCraft’s equipment system is fairly extensive and allows great customization, as well as allows for player crafting and a player economy. Players have four armor equipment slots, three weapon slots (each designated for light, medium, and heavy weapons), ammo slots, boosts, and available modifications on the gear itself. Everything can be crafted, or purchased from vendors, and various enhancements are designed to let players determine what protection and benefits they want from their gear to fit their playstyle. Crafting lets players pick one of four professions: tailoring, engineering, chemistry, and gunsmithing. Materials are available both through the Stockpile PvE mission, and through using a scavenger tool to gather loot automatically as you play through any mission. While not all of the gear you make you may find useful, you can always sell it back to vendors, or post it on the auction house in hopes of selling to other players. You can only learn one profession, but you can change this, and if you hit the cash shop, you can learn a second profession.  Final Verdict: Great There’s still plenty of room for improvement in CrimeCraft. The game’s controls are a little off from a traditional FPS, meaning that for a while, you may struggle with awkward controls, like reaching up to hit F1 to throw a grenade, or having Aim mode act as a toggle rather than being used while the right mouse button is held. Thankfully, these controls can be customized and even left at default, do become comfortable after some time. The tutorial seems too extensive, and drags on longer than necessary. The worst downside, however, is that despite a fun, fast-paced, customizable gameplay, the player population is often too low to support its mission-based style. There’s no doubt that CrimeCraft has significantly improved since our first review when the game went free-to-play. The free play experience is almost unlimited, and the cash shop seems relatively balanced in the game to only enhance gaming quality for the individual – enough so that a player pumping money into it is barely distinguishable from one who hasn’t spent a dime. The game is beautiful, runs generally well, and has enough variety in missions, game modes, and equipment that playing is truly rewarding. Despite its flaws, CrimeCraft still stands out above the rest of the free-to-play shooter competition as one of the best. ScreenshotsCrimeCraft Screenshots System RequirementsCrimeCraft RequirementsMinimum Requirements:
OS: Windows XP / Vista
CPU: Pentium 1.6 GHz
RAM: 1024 MB
HDD: 5.5 GB
Graphics Card: GeForce 7600 / ATI Radeon X1600 Recommended Specifications:
OS: Windows XP / Vista
CPU: Intel Dual Core
RAM: 2 GB or more
HDD: 5.5 GB or more
Graphics Card: GeForce 8800 or better |
| Grand Fantasia Posted: 11 Oct 2009 12:11 PM PDT Grand Fantasia is a brightly themed 3D Fantasy MMORPG with anime-inspired graphics. The game is also called Dreamy Journey Online in other parts of the world. With a gorgeously designed game world and fluid gameplay, Grand Fantasia is well worth checking out.  Publisher: Aeria Games
Playerbase: Medium
Graphics: Medium Quality
Type: MMORPG
EXP Rate: Medium
PvP: Arena Battles
Filesize: ~625 MB Pros: +Unique ‘Sprite’ pet system. +Distinct graphical style. +Many different kinds of mounts (Flying and regular). +Solid character customization options. Cons: -Generic fantasy theme. -PvP only available at level 31+. -Repetitive musical score.  
OverviewGrand Fantasia OverviewGrand Fantasia is a 3D Fantasy MMORPG developed by EASYFUN Entertainment, the same folks who made HolyBeast Online. Like HolyBeast, Grand Fantasia is a brightly themed game with anime-inspired graphics. Perhaps the most unique aspect of the game is its detailed ‘Sprite’ pet system. Fans of cute anime inspired games like Luna Online and Fiesta Online should certainly be able to find something to like in Grand Fantasia – but even though the game has fluid gameplay and attractive graphics, it does little to push the genre forward. Even though the game doesn’t exactly revolutionize the genre, Grand Fantasia is still a high quality free MMO that’s well worth checking out. Players start off their journey in Grand Fantasia as a classless novice and can chose their first class at level 5. The game’s first four job advancements are: Fighter - Fighters are all around capable melee characters with a large pool of hitpoints. They can use the heaviest armor in the game which makes them excellent for absorbing damage. Fighters become ‘Warriors’ at level 15 and can become either ‘Paladins’ or ‘Berserkers’ at level 30. Hunters - Hunters are an agile damage dealing class. They can use both bows and dual weapons to defeat their enemies. Hunters become Archers at level 15 and can become either ‘Assassins’ or ‘Rangers’ at level 30. Acolyte – Acolytes are the primary ‘supportive’ class in Grand Fantasia. They can cast both healing and buff type spells – which make them incredibly useful in any group. Acolytes become priests at level 15 and can become either ‘Clerics’ or ‘Sages’ at level 30. Spellcaster - Spellcasters are the primary offensive magic users in the game. They can cast powerful spells to quickly defeat their enemies. They are also one of the most fragile classes in the game, as they tend to have the least hitpoints and defense in the game. Spellcasters become Mages at level 15 and can become either ‘Wizards’ or ‘Necromancers’ at level 30. Grand Fantasia ScreenshotsGrand Fantasia Featured VideoClick here to view the embedded video. Full ReviewGrand Fantasia ReviewBy, Omer Altay Grand Fantasia is a neat 3D anime inspired fantasy MMORPG by Aeria Games. The game is set in the mystical 'upbeat' cute fantasy world called Saphael where players, called 'Sprite Messengers', have to train hard in order to defeat evil demons during the 'Day of Destiny'. Basically, every millennium or two, Demons and Sprites battle it out. If the demons win, the world ends. It's your job to prepare for the 'Day of Destiny' by committing mass genocide against the cute creatures of Saphael in order to level up enough to fend off the evil demons. The whole 'preparing for a massive battle' thing definitely isn't original. In fact, it very closely resembles 'Ragnarok' from Norse Mythology. Sure – the story isn't anything fantastic, but I applaud the developers for at least trying to create some sort of atmosphere around the game. Anyway, let's dive right into Grand Fantasia, shall we?  Impressive Character Creation & Variety
When I first logged into Grand Fantasia I didn't know what to expect as the game looked a lot like Fiesta Online, which had few customization options. I was pleasantly surprised upon hitting the character creation screen though – players can choose from one of seven different eyes, 10+ hairstyles, 8+ hair colors and 6+ skin tones. Unlike most games, players do not select their 'class' while making their character. All players start off as a 'novice' and can advance to their first 'job' at level 5. On top of the regular character customization options, players can customize their 'sprites', which are basically cute little pets which play an important role in the game (explained below). These cute sprites can also be customized to a certain degree. Select from one of 12 classes for your sprite [determines sprite's starting skills] and start your adventure in the world of Saphael.  Sprite? Like the Soda?
No, not the soda. Sprites play an important role in Grand Fantasia – they help your character by crafting items, gathering resources and even picking up loot for you. Sprites gain experience and improve their skills by completing various tasks assigned by the player. Train a Sprite enough early on and he'll be incredibly useful later on in crafting all sorts of items. As a Sprite is ordered to 'forage' – he'll gain skill in foraging and as he's ordered to 'mine' he'll gain skill in mining. Sprites are really an additional layer of gameplay in Grand Fantasia – as players can even decorate their Sprite's storage rooms.  From Newbie Island to Red Ridge
All players start off their adventure in Grand Fantasia on Siwa Island – the beginner area where players can quickly learn the ropes. The graphics in the game look very similar to the upbeat cartoony graphics of Luna Online and even Cloud Nine. Upon reaching level 6 players should be able to leave this zone by completing a short series of quests. Personally, I remained on Siwa Island up until level 10, but that was only because I didn't know I could leave earlier. Upon reaching level 5 – make sure to complete your 'job advancement' quest as you won't be able to gain any more experience until that's finished. Siwa Island has plenty of quests – so leveling up early on won't ever feel too 'grindy'. The overall combat feels a bit too easy though – but it does get more challenging later. I guess I shouldn't be complaining that the tutorial area which was designed to ease players into the game is too easy.  Upon reaching level 6 players will be able to leave Siwa Island by speaking with the ferryman near the docks. Players can choose from three different destinations: the Central City of Kaslow, Magic City of llya and the Machine City of Jale. Don't think too much about which area you wish to start off at, as each area is pretty much equal in terms of quests available and variety of enemies. After completing all the quests nearby I ventured off into an area called Red Ridge [There's a town in World of Warcraft also called Red Ridge! OMG!] where there are many… many more quests. One thing worth mentioning right away is that there are a LOT of quests in Grand Fantasia. I never had to go out and just 'grind' to gain experience because I always had at least one quest I needed to work on. The fact that there are so many quests also gives the game a lot of direction; something a lot of MMORPGs lack.  Core Gameplay Bits
Grand Fantasia looks and feels like many other generic fantasy MMORPGs, though the game does offer more content than most. It also has a few unique aspects worth mentioning. Unlike most games there are no finite amount of 'skill points' in Grand Fantasia. Instead, every class has access to every one of their skills so long as they meet the pre-requisites for that skill. Plays can learn their skills by simply purchasing them from a skill trainer in town. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of this system, as it sort of makes every mage practically the same as every other mage and every warrior the same as every other warrior, since they have the same set of skills. I find it silly that every warrior has access to every caster skill. To be fair, though, each class branches off into two more job advancements at level 30 – so there's at least SOME skill variety.  The 'talent' system in Grand Fantasia is quite interesting and allows players to make their characters more unique. Players can learn 'talents' by combining items and these talents yield special bonuses when equipped. Players have a finite number of 'talent' spots – so mixing and matching talents is the best way to really 'control' the way your character grows in the game. Using the right combination of talents is important for both PvE and PvP. The PvP system in Grand Fantasia is fairly straight forward. Upon reaching level 31, players will be able to 'queue' up for the game's PvP arena. It's a shame that players need to reach level 31 before being able to even touch the PvP aspects of the game.  Zomg WoW Clone!
Like World of Warcraft and Runes of Magic, most of the items in Grand Fantasia are 'Bind on Equip'. This means that once a piece of equipment is worn it cannot be later unequipped and traded. Grand Fantasia also has a modern looking 'clean' interface that functions quite well. The 'auto walk' feature is perhaps my favorite little feature in the game. Simply open up the map and click on any of the NPC / Quest markers and your character will automatically walk to that spot! Neat, huh?  Final Verdict – Great
Grand Fantasia is an incredibly fun anime inspired MMORPG. The game's large game world and sheer quantity of quests should keep players engaged. The game's 'sprite' system is also quite interesting and adds a unique feel to Grand Fantasia's otherwise 'generic' gameplay. The game's English translations and slightly buggy gameplay still need to be looked into, though. There are also still balance issues between the classes. ScreenshotsGrand Fantasia Screenshots VideosGrand Fantasia VideosGrand Fantasia Character Creation Video Click here to view the embedded video. Grand Fantasia Featured Video Click here to view the embedded video. System RequirementsGrand Fantasia System RequirementsMinimum Requirements:
OS: Windows XP / Vista / 2000
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2.4 Ghz
RAM: 512 MB
HDD: 2.0 GB Free
Graphics Card: Any nVidia GeForce FX 5200 or ATI Radeon 9600 Recommended Specifications:
OS: Windows XP / Vista / 2000
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2.6 Ghz
RAM: 1024 MB (1GB)
HDD: 2.0 GB Free
Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce FX 5700 / ATI Radeon X1600 |
| Perfect World Posted: 10 Jan 2009 08:01 PM PST Perfect World is a 3D Fantasy MMORPG set in a gorgeously designed world. The game offers both level and skill-based progression as well as an incredibly innovative character creation system with near limitless customization options. The game offers an excellent variety of playable classes and races and is easily one of the most in depth fantasy MMORPGs out there.  Publisher: Perfect World Entertainment
Playerbase: High
Graphics: Medium Quality
Type: MMORPG
EXP Rate: Low
PvP: Open PvP / Realm Wars [Guild Vs Guild]
Filesize: 2400MB Pros: +Plenty of playable races and classes. +The most in-depth character creation system of any MMORPG. +Varied mounts including flying mounts. +Plenty of GM Events. +Great musical score. +Regularly updated. Cons: -Dull combat. -Uninspiring quests. -Slow-paced gameplay. -Interface could better.
OverviewPerfect World OverviewPerfect World is a 3D Fantasy MMORPG Set in a gorgeously designed fantasy world. Create your character using the game’s innovative character creation system and explore this lush fantasy world. Perfect World has numerous playable races and two unique classes for each race, for a total of eight playable classes. The three races are Humans, Winged Elves, Untamed, and Tideborn. With the game’s large selection of playable races and classes, Perfect World is easily one of the most in-depth free to play MMORPGs available. The game’s playable classes are: Archer – Archers are capable of dealing physical damage to their opponents from a safe distance. They have extremely high accuracy and critical hit chance, but low hit points and limited melee capabilities. Assassin – Assassins are fragile but deadly. They specialize in dealing large amounts of damage to their opponents as quickly as possible. They have some of the highest DPS (Damage per second) in the game and access to powerful DoT attacks. Their weaknesses include very low hit points and weak physical defense. Barbarian – Barbarians are powerful tanks that excel in absorbing damage. They are great front line fighters and can transform into tigers to increase increase their movement speed. They have very high hit points, high physical defense and powerful AOE skills. Their weaknesses include low accuracy and weak magical defense. Blademaster – Blademasters are powerful melee characters with access to a wide variety of skills, making them one of the most varied classes in Perfect World. They have numerous stun skills and powerful AOE attacks, but low magic defense and limited single target damage output. Cleric – Clerics have access to wide variety of healing and supportive skills making them extremely valuable in groups. They have powerful healing spells and access to some decent offensive magic, but the are fairly weak in PvP and cannot deal as much damage as some of the other classes. Psychic – Psychics are an interesting utility class in Perfect World, as their spells largely revolve around buffs, defbuffs and hexes. They do have access to some offensive magic, but cannot deal nearly as much damage as wizards. Venomancer - Venomancers are a unique type of caster class with pet taming abilities. They have access to offensive poison spells and debuffs. They are easily the best soloing class in the game because of their pets, but like other casters, they have low hit points. Wizard - Wizards are the primary offensive spell casting class in Perfect World. They are capable of dealing the most damage in the game and have access to powerful AoE spells, but have very low hitpoints and slow movement speed. Mystic – A hybrid offensive and defensive magic user. Mystics have access to some powerful direct damage spells but also useful heal over time spells. They can summon pets to fight along side themselves as well. Seeker – A powerful melee oriented class which wields a large two handed blade. They have access to numerous nature spells and can cast some offensive magic. Perfect World ScreenshotsPerfect World Featured VideoClick here to view the embedded video. Full ReviewPerfect World Full ReviewBy, Omer Altay Perfect World is a 3D Fantasy MMORPG that was first released in China back in July 2005. The game was later licensed to the Malaysian MMORPG publisher Cubizone, and was eventually released internationally as “Perfect World International” in September 2008 on the Perfect World Entertainment English portal. The game was If you've played the game before on the Malaysian servers and liked it I strongly recommend you give it a go on the official International edition, as the game runs a lot smoother and has much better English translations. The good thing is that even though Perfect World borrows a lot of the generic MMORPG elements from other games, it does a phenomenal job of combining these elements to create an enjoyable gaming experience. Character Creation… Wow!
The single most notable feature in Perfect World is character creation. The game allows you to customize just about every aspect of your character, from the position of your character’s smile to the size of the ears. Unlike other MMORPGs that don't spend any effort on their character creation pages, players can easily spend hours playing with all the options in Perfect World's character creation screen. Given enough time I'm confident that players can model their characters to look almost exactly like themselves. If you're like me and you're tired of your character looking like a carbon copy of everyone else, you'll definitely appreciate Perfect World's character creation. Even though character creation doesn't directly affect gameplay, I see no reason why other game developers can't put the same effort into character creation that Perfect World did. I'm convinced that no amount of words can truly explain the possibilities in Perfect World's character creation, so I'll let this image sum it up for me.  I mean come on! What other MMORPG lets you make your character look that… unique! I tried to make my character look as silly as possible to demonstrate the possibilities of Perfect World's character creation. I'm sure if you try hard enough you can model your character after some well-known celebrities, so don't be surprised if you see a character looking like George Bush or the RPG protagonist Cloud Strife walking around. The sky is truly the limit here. Wow… This world really is perfect.
Every aspect of Perfect World's presentation is top notch. Graphics, character models, and spell effects are all impressive, and some of the best visuals I've seen in an MMORPG. If you're like me and appreciate good graphics, you'll fall in love with Perfect World's visuals. I actually sat down and grabbed a few screenshots of a few gorgeous scenes I found in the game and just stared at them for a while. Everything from game's trees to waterfalls are just so incredibly polished and pleasant to look at. I feel there is one thing that I should warn you about before you actually log in to Perfect World. For some reason, your character can jump incredibly high in this game, and by incredibly high I mean absurdly high. So if you see players jumping on top of castles and buildings, it's not a glitch, just an incredibly awkward double jumping system. On With the Gameplay!
The most important aspect of any game is its gameplay. Perfect World doesn't shine quite as bright in this department as it does in graphics and presentation, but the gameplay is still enjoyable. Combat feels a bit dull and leveling is incredibly slow. Unlike most MMORPGs, leveling through grinding is almost impossible. One thing I really like in Perfect World is that the game rewards questing significantly more than it does grinding. I'm tired of having to commit genocide against the entire ogre or badger race just to level up, so I'm glad that Perfect World encourages questing as much as it does. The single biggest problem I have with Perfect World is that quest dialogue and descriptions aren't as detailed as newer MMORPGs like Runes of Magic and Atlantica Online. You'll often grab a handful of quests in town and when you look back in your quest log, the quest descriptions won't tell you what the heck to do. Perhaps I'm a bit spoiled after playing Runes of Magic, but I don't see why the game can't point you in the right direction for finding quest NPCs and monsters. The game does help you turn in completed quests by marking NPCs on the map, which is definitely a convenient feature. Leveling up in Perfect World is fairly generic – players are awarded five attribute points each level and new skills are unlocked through a skill tree system which have to be purchased at your class trainer.  A Map well done.
This is sort of a minor detail, but I really liked Perfect World's map. Every location in the game is marked beautifully on the map and the terrain is also easily visible. Players can mark their favorite hunting locations by tagging them on the map as well which is a nifty feature. You can also see which guilds control which territories on the map which is helpful if you're actively involved in the game's PvP. Woah! Internet radio?!
One aspect of Perfect World that I was really surprised to see was the game's own internet radio station. If you're tired of hearing the game's built in music you can easily access the game's internet radio button and start listening to some other tunes. When you launch the internet radio station, the game will point your web browser to an online free radio streamer by Slacker.com. Perfect World partnered with them to run their very own radio station that plays music based on the community's favorite genres of music. Of course, if you want to listen to other genres of the music you can easily access other slacker.com radio stations right from Perfect World's community interface. The sound quality from the Perfect World Radio is incredible, and is just as good as having the mp3 downloaded on your own computer! This is such a simple, yet incredibly entertaining feature. I'm surprised other developers haven't implemented similar features in their games.  PvP… events… features galore!
If you're a fan of PvP you'll definitely appreciate Perfect World's massive 90 vs. 90 guild battles. Player guilds can actually control towns and territories in the persistent game world. So, whenever a player enters a town your guild controls, they'll see on their screen the town's name and your guild’s name afterwards. Aside from the main MMORPG content, Perfect World has a lot of other extras to offer. The game's GMs are heavily involved in the game, which is definitely a welcomed change. In game events are common and are usually incredibly fun. One of the game’s best aspects is the developer’s dedicated to the game. Perfect World is one of those games that’s constantly being updated and tweaked. Major expansion packs are released regularly with smaller patches released often. The game’s developers have been doing a phenomenal job keeping Perfect World fresh and fun. Final Verdict: Great
Perfect world is incredibly fun and one of the most polished free-to-play MMORPGs out there. Perfect World's impressive graphics and polished gameplay more than make up for its few flaws. Even if you end up disliking the game, I can assure you that you'll at least have fun creating your character. There's no reason not to give this game a try. ScreenshotsPerfect World Screenshots System RequirementsPerfect World System RequirementsMinimum Requirements:
OS: Windows XP/Vista
CPU: 800 MHZ Intel P3 or equivalent
RAM: 256 MB RAM
HDD: 2.5 GB free
Graphics Card: 32MB 3D Accelerator graphics card
DirectX: 9.0c Recommended Specification:
OS: Windows XP/Vista
CPU: 1.5 GHz Pentium 4 CPU or equivelent
RAM: 512 MB RAM or more
HDD: 2.5 GB free
Graphics Card: 128MB 3D Accelerator graphics card
DirectX: 9.0c or Better |
| World of Tanks Posted: 25 Feb 2010 06:44 PM PST World of Tanks is a 3D, team-based MMO shooter where players take control of World War 2 era tanks. Gameplay in World of Tanks requires teamwork and strategy. With over a hundred tanks to choose from and up to sixty players per battle, WoT offers conflicts of epic proportions!  Publisher: Wargaming.net
Playerbase: High
Graphics: High Quality
Type: MMO
EXP Rate: High
PvP: Team Based / Clan Wars
Filesize: 1100 mb Pros: +Over 150 armored vehicles to command. +Historically accurate tanks of American, German, and Soviet design. +Up to 60 players per battle. +Unique gameplay. Cons: -No single player or PvE modes. -Steep learning curve. 
OverviewWorld of Tanks OverviewWorld of Tanks puts players in command of their very own World War 2 era battle tank. WoT is a team-based game where two sides of up to thirty players each compete to destroy all opposing vehicles. With 150 combat vehicles of American, German, and Soviet design, World of Tanks offers an in-depth gaming experience. The publishers promise a historically accurate setting and action-oriented gameplay. RPG elements also make an appearance, as players will be able to upgrade their tanks with new parts and crew members. New recruits start with a light German or Soviet tank, but after accumulating experience and credits, they will be able to upgrade to heavier models. Additionally, it will be possible to upgrade individual parts such as turrets, chassis, engines, guns, radios, and ammunition types. World of Tanks ScreenshotsWorld of Tanks Featured VideoClick here to view the embedded video. Full ReviewWorld of Tanks ReviewBy Erhan Altay World of Tanks was first commissioned in 2009 and put into service in the second half of 2010. The tank-based shooter is developed by Wargaming.net, a Russian studio behind several other historically themed video games. World of Tanks is their first free-to-play title, and they've come in swinging strong. World of Tanks boasts great graphics, ease of play, and plenty of customization features.  New Recruit World of Tanks is set during the World War 2 era but also encompasses the years preceding and following that infamous conflict. All of the vehicles, equipment, and environments are historically accurate and are drawn from the 1930s-1950s period. The client size comes in at a bit over 1 GB, but won't take long to download since multiple direct download links are provided. Players sign in using their email address and don't have to worry about character creation. All new players start with a Soviet MS-1 and a German Leichttraktor. These are light tanks and won't put up much of a fight, but they are versatile and enough to learn the ropes. There's no tutorial or trial round to worry about, either. Players can simply click the large red 'Battle!' button towards the top of the screen and get started.  The Armory While World of Tanks is proud of its historic accuracy, it doesn't let history get in the way of gameplay. The game is easy to pick up and play, but difficulty to master. All matches involve two opposing teams of up to 30 players, for a total of 60 players per round. The most common game mode is team deathmatch, where players are randomly assigned to a team before the round begins. Other modes include capture the flag and clan deathmatch, but new players will generally find themselves in the standard random team deathmatch mode. World of Tanks supports a range of resolutions and gives players four graphic settings. There's also an option to play in either full screen or windowed mode. This is very helpful, since new players will spend a lot of their time dead, waiting for the round to end. Having World of Tanks open in a window will allow players to cruise the web during down time. Like NavyField, another war-themed MMO, newbies will find themselves dying in one hit, often unexpectedly. This can be frustrating, but remember that World of Tanks is striving for realism. This means driving full speed ahead at the enemy base by yourself is not a viable strategy. Instead, the game requires teamwork, making use of terrain, and ambushing opponents.  Test Drive The gameplay in World of Tanks was inspired by the tank-based combat in World War 2 Online, a subscription-based MMORPG several years old. Fans of the Battlefield series will see similarities. Tanks played a large role in Battlefield 1942, and are present in the more recent Battlefield Heroes. In the Battlefield games, tank mechanics were almost arcade-like, and WW2 Online was a bit too complicated. World of Tanks strikes the middle ground between those extremes. Tanks are easy to control, but there's a lot of depth to their customization and stats. Players move their tanks with WASD and control the camera and their turret with the mouse. The default view is third-person, but can easily be changed by using the mouse wheel. The game utilizes an interesting aiming system where the crosshairs shrink or expand depending on the action of the player. While moving, the crosshairs expand making it difficult to hit a target. After entering a stationary positions, the crosshairs start to shrink making it much more practical to fire. The beginner tanks tend to move slowly, so it may take a while to make your way around the map. Maps themselves are large enough to allow depth of movement and ambush, but not so large that it becomes impractical to get from one end to another. A match ends either when one side is wiped out or if one team manages to capture the other side's base. There are no respawns in World of Tanks. If a player's tank is destroyed, they must spectate until the round ends.  Customize and Accessorize At the end of each round players are rewarded with experience and credits whether they win or lose. Credits are the main in-game currency and can be used to purchase new tanks, NPC crew members, or new parts for your current tanks. There are five types of vehicles including light, medium, heavy, tank destroyers, and SPGs (artillery). Additionally, each individual vehicle has multiple slots including turret, chassis, engine, and gun ports. There are 2-6 versions of each part for each vehicle. Just purchasing these parts or vehicles isn't enough, as players must first use their accumulated experience points to research the appropriate technology. Each faction has its own tech tree. This means its best to focus on either the American, German, or Soviet tank lines. Distributing points across the three trees will just make it take longer to access powerful tanks and parts. Even after their first round, players will have enough to start upgrading their starter tank. The best place to start is probably with engine and track upgrades since these effect movement speed.  In The Army Besides purchasing tanks and parts, players must recruit crew members to populate their vehicles. Crew members come in four types, Commander, Loader, Radio Operator and Driver. They gain experience with use and become more effective at their roles. The loader helps lower the cool down time between shots, the driver speeds up movement, radio operators increase the range at which the minimap displays enemy units, and the commander improves aiming. Players start with a full crew for their starter tanks, but must hire new recruits to populate additional tanks. Crew members are free to recruit at the lower tier, but premium ones cost either credits or gold, the game's premium currency. There are also multiple types of ammunition such as armor piercing and high explosive. Each type of ammo has multiple variants, some of which cost gold. Ammo is not infinite in World of Tanks! Players will have to replenish their stock after each round or risk running low during combat.  Casualties of War Like in Battlefield Heroes, it can be difficult for friends to jump into the same game in World of Tanks. Sure, players can add each other as friends and try to join the same game, but the trouble with this is how fast matches fill up in World of Tanks. That's a testament to the game's popularity, but it can prove frustrating. The lack of a traditional lobby system definitely streamlines the process of finding a game, but comes at its own cost. Another small complaint concerns shooting. It’s difficult to tell where a shot lands, and this may be realistic, but it makes aiming that much more difficult. If I knew where my last hit landed, I could better calibrate for my next shot. New players should expect to die a lot, and to die a lot without scoring very many kills. Enemy artillery can prove especially frustrating since their range allows them to kill while remaining unseen by most other tanks. It's great to see the three major nations represented in WoT, but it would have been nice to see some tanks from the side of the British, Italians, or others. It remains to be seen how the Russian World of Tanks does against the similarly themed Korean Tank Ace. The two games will see final release at around the same time. What ever the outcome, 2010 will be a great year for free-to-play gamers who also happen to be WW2 buffs. Final Verdict: Good World of Tanks is an easy to approach, tank-based shooter that has layers of depth to unravel. Quickly jump into massive 30v30 battles, or take the time to customize one of the hundreds of tanks available in World of Tanks. The game can be enjoyed in short bursts, or more competitively as part of a clan. ScreenshotsWorld of Tanks Screenshots VideosWorld of Tanks VideosWorld of Tanks Light Tank Gameplay Trailer Click here to view the embedded video. World of Tanks Gameplay Trailer Click here to view the embedded video. System RequirementsWorld of Tanks System RequirementsMinimum Requirements:
OS: Windows 2000 / XP /Vista / 7
CPU: Pentium 4 2.0 Ghz
RAM: 1 GB RAM
HDD: 3 GB Free
Graphics Card: nVIDIA GeForce 6800 series Recommended Specifications:
OS: Windows 2000 / XP /Vista / 7
CPU: Pentium 4 3.0 Ghz or faster processor
RAM: 2 GB RAM
HDD: 3 GB Free
Graphics Card: nVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT series / ATI Radeon X1600 series or better |
| League Of Legends Posted: 10 Aug 2009 12:44 AM PDT League of Legends (LoL for short), is a 3D fantasy MMO by Riot Games where players choose from one of many champions and fight it out against their enemies. Although each individual ‘game’ or ‘match’ doesn’t take place in a persistent world, players earn experience points for winning matches, which can be used to permanently improve attributes in all future games. League of Legends is actually very similar to a popular Warcraft 3 mod called DotA (Defense of the Ancients).  Publisher: Riot Games
Playerbase: High
Graphics: High Quality
Type: MMO
EXP Rate: Medium
PvP: N/A
Filesize: ~1300 MB Pros: +Many playable heroes (60+). +Varied gameplay. +Unique mix of strategy and RPG elements. +Each match feels genuinely different. +Great interface. +Good tutorial. Cons: -Poor lobby interface. -Too ‘team oriented’ (One bad player or leaver can ruin a match). -Very difficult to ‘master’. -Game won’t appeal to everyone.
OverviewLeague Of Legends OverviewLeague of Legends is the first stand alone commercial ‘Aeon of Strife’ type MMO to be released. The game was designed as a successor to the popular Warcraft 3 map “Defense of the Ancients” (DotA) and involves two teams fighting against each other with each player controlling one of the game’s many champions. Each game, or round, is an individual session, but players are rewarded with special experience points for winning a round which can be used outside of individual matches. League of Legends is largely a team-oriented game, so try to get along with teammates, as the game is much more enjoyable when a team mates have good synergy. League Of Legends ScreenshotsLeague Of Legends Featured VideoClick here to view the embedded video. Full ReviewLeague Of Legends ReviewLeague of Legends, LoL for short, is a 3D fantasy MMO ‘AOS’ (Aeon of Strife) game published by Riot Games. Those familiar with other ‘Aeon of Strife’ games like Defense of the Ancients (DotA), Heroes of Newerth (HoN) or even Heroes of Avalon should be able to quickly familiarize themselves with League of Legends, as these Aeon of Strife games are all very similar – at least in terms of core gameplay. Those unfamiliar with the genre should certainly check out the game’s tutorial after first logging in, as League of Legends is a difficult game to master and the tutorial is a MUST for new comers to the genre. One thing worth mentioning right away is that League of Legends is a TEAM-oriented game, meaning it’s extremely difficult to win without coordinating with team mates – make sure to communicate with your team!  Starting Out After creating an account and logging into League of Legends for the first time, players will be prompted whether they want to complete the game’s tutorial. I STRONGLY recommend that anyone who hasn’t played an Aeon of Strife game before should complete the tutorial. After completing the tutorial players can jump right into a game by hitting the ‘Play’ button on the top left of the screen and then select ‘Solo’. Those looking to play with their friends should select ‘Arranged Team’. Finding a game can take upwards of a minute – during peak times players will usually be able to find a game within a few seconds – so there’s never too much waiting around.  Pre-Game After finding a game, players will have approximately 1 minute and 30 seconds to select a champion, two summoner spells, and some runes. League of Legends currently has well over 60 playable heroes, each of which are distinctly different. Each hero has 4 skills (3 abilities and an ultimate) as well as a unique passive ability. I strongly recommend newbies choose from one of the eight ‘recommended’ champions, as they’re the easiest to play. Out of those eight Ashe and Tristana are definitely the easiest champions to play, so first-timers should pick from one of those two. Another thing worth mentioning is that all of the heroes are actually incredibly balanced, so even though Ashe and Tristana are fairly ‘easy’ to play, they’re aren’t at all ‘under powered’ or anything like that. After playing a few matches with the recommended characters, players should try out other champions as well, because the best way to really master League of Legends is to learn every champion’s skills. Having to memorize every champion’s skills may seem a bit nerve wracking at first, but it’s not too bad, as just by playing the game regularly players will learn on their own what each hero is capable of. Of the game’s many playable heroes, most of them won’t be available to newbies, as they have to purchased in the game’s store with the ‘influence points’ earned from playing and winning matches.  Summoner spells and Runes are also important components of League of Legends. Summoner spells are basically two additional skills a player has access to (ontop of their champion’s four skills). These spells can’t be leveled up, and usually have long cool downs. Players can choose from a variety of unique summoner skills before the game begins. Keep in mind though these can’t be changed once a game starts – but players choose new summoner spells before a new game begins. These summoner spells basically add another layer of customization to the game. Runes also add another layer of customization to the game. Before a game begins, players can choose to equip certain runes which, like mastery points, enhance a player’s champion. New players don’t start with any runes, though, and must play through many games to find new runes. It’s a nifty little feature that allows players to customize their champions in nearly infinite different ways.  The Field of Justice League of Legends is a 5v5 game, so after selecting a champion, summoner spells and runes, the game will actually begin. The first thing I noticed after the game started is that the game has remarkably fluid gameplay, which gives the game a nice ‘high quality’ feel to it. Everyone starts off at level 1 and the maximum level is 18. The goal of each individual game is simple: destroy the opposing team’s base before they destroy yours (Sort of like Savage 2). Each individual ‘match or ‘game’ doesn’t take place in a persistent world; each time a new game begins, everyone selects a new hero and starts back at level 1. Earn experience points by killing enemy minions and champions. Each new level rewards the player with increased attributes, as well a single skill point which can be spent on learning/improving one of four skills. Each champion has four distinctly different skills, so make sure to read and understand each one before spending a skill point on it. An average game takes anywhere from 30-60 minutes; so try not to start a new game unless you have the time to finish it, as leaving in the middle of a game can imbalance the teams and ruin the game for everyone else.  Awesome Item Shop. The item shop in League of Legends, which is located near the starting area, is infinitely better designed than the shop in DotA, as the menus are easy to navigate and items are categorized nicely into five categories – Defense, Attack, Magic, Movement and Consumables. Players can purchase items which enhance their champion with the gold they earn in the game. Players can earn gold through numerous means, but the most common way of earning gold is getting the ‘last hit’ on enemy minions and killing enemy champions. There are a LOT of different items in the item shop, which means there’s an enormous amount of unique item builds that players can experiment with. Every champion is distinctly different (some items may be more effective on one champion over another), so try to purchase items that work well your champion. It wouldn’t make much sense to purchase a sword that grants +50 attack when playing a spell caster hero or an item that boosts spell damage on a melee-oriented champion. Luckily, it’s pretty hard to buy the wrong items, as the game displays a list of recommended items for each hero in the item shop.  Leveling Up – Outside of the Game The more matches a player wins in League of Legends – the more experience their ‘summoner’ gains. Every level yields a single ‘Mastery’ point, which can be spent in the ‘masteries’ tab. Masteries are basically passive enhancements which will enhance a champion’s attributes in every single game. The masteries work a lot like the ‘talent’ points in World of Warcraft and Runes of Magic, but they are ‘account wide’, so it doesn’t matter which champion you select; you’ll always receive these boinuses. The three skill trees in the masteries tab are Offense, Defense and Utility. One example of a ‘mastery’ in the offense skill tree is ‘Deadliness’. Every point allocated to the ‘Deadliness’ skill yields an additional 0.66% ‘critical strike’ rating to your champion. As mentioned earlier, this isn’t a onetime deal; you’ll receive this bonus in every single match you play, no matter which champion you choose to play as.  Easy to Learn – Very Difficult To Master One of my biggest complaints with League of Legends is that the game is incredibly difficult to master. Anyone can get a good ‘feel’ for the game after an hour or so; but to truly master the game can take years. It’s extremely frustrating for newbies to match off against more skilled players, as unlike MMOFPS games where even unskilled players can pull off lucky headshots, newbies in League of Legends will get absolutely crushed by better players. The game does try to ‘match’ players with opponents of equal skill level though, so this isn’t always an issue. The biggest ‘issue’ for most players will be memorizing every champion’s skills, as knowing what skills your enemy has can help avoid getting killed. Overall, though, League of Legends is an immensely in-depth game that can take many many hours to fully understand.  Final Verdict – Excellent League of Legends is a top-notch, free-to-play Aeon of Strife game that seems to never get old. With gorgeous cel-shaded graphics, over 40 playable champions and nearly limitless customization options, League of Legends is one of the best free-to-play games out there. It’s one of those games that will keep you coming back for more years down the road. Keep in mind that League of Legends won’t appeal to everyone, but anyone who plays DotA or enjoys a good Aeon of Strife game will almost certainly love League of Legends. The only real downside is its steep learning curve. ScreenshotsLeague Of Legends Screenshots VideosLeague Of Legends VideosLeague of Legends Gameplay Video 1 Click here to view the embedded video. League of Legends Gameplay Video 2 Click here to view the embedded video. League of Legends Video Click here to view the embedded video. System RequirementsLeague Of Legends System RequirementsMinimum Requirements:
OS: Windows XP / Vista
CPU: Pentium 4 2 GHz / AMD XP 2500+ or better
RAM: 512 MB or more
HDD: 1 GB Free
Graphics Card: Any DirectX 9.0 capable VGA Card Recommended Specifications:
OS: Windows XP / Vista
CPU: Pentium 4 3 GHz
RAM: 1024 MB (1GB)
HDD: 1 GB Free
Graphics Card: GeForge 8800 or equivalent |
| Fiesta Online Posted: 03 Mar 2009 04:42 PM PST Fiesta Online (or just Fiesta for short) is a 3D fantasy MMORPG. The game has cute, cell-shaded, anime inspired graphics and lively music. The game’s entire world is vibrant and has an upbeat atmosphere.  Publisher: Outspark
Playerbase: High
Graphics: Medium Quality
Type: MMORPG
EXP Rate: Low
PvP: PvP Zones
Filesize: ~1120 MB Pros: +Beautiful cel-shaded graphics. +Great interface. +Good skill progression system. +Solid Item crafting / resource gathering systems. +Easy to learn. Cons: -Only one stat point per level. -Repetitive combat. -Five starting classes.
OverviewFiesta Online OverviewFiesta Online is another interesting MMORPG published by Outspark. The game has three starting classes, each one of which has two job advancements; one at level 20 and the other at level 60. The game’s most notable aspects are its attractive cel-shaded graphics and its solid item crafting system. The game isn’t nearly as in-depth as some of the newer free MMORPGs, but Fiesta is still an all-around fun game well worth checking out. The game’s four playable classes are: Fighter- Fighters are the generic ‘warrior’ archetype in Fiesta. They are extremely capable in melee combat and have the most hit points and armor in the game. They are proficient with both one-handed and two-handed weapons. Mage – Mages are the traditional offensive spell casting class in Fiesta. They can do a great deal of damage from a distance with their magic, but are extremely vulnerable in melee range. They have low hit points and minimal defensive capabilities. Cleric - Clerics are experts at supporting party members in combat. They have a variety of healing and buff skills which make them incredibly valuable to a party. They are the weakest class in the game but when they with a group they’re extremely useful. Archer – Archers are deadly with the bow. They are fast and agile which allows them to deal damage rather quickly from a distance, but are vulnerable in melee combat. Trickster – A dual-wielding class that is capable of dealing large amounts of damage in short bursts. They are melee oriented and have decent HP. Fiesta Online ScreenshotsFiesta Online Featured VideoClick here to view the embedded video. Full ReviewFiesta Online ReviewBy Jaime Skelton Launched in 2007 in the United States by Outspark, Fiesta is a classic and well-known free-to-play anime-style MMORPG. Similar in ways to Fly For Fun, Asda Story, Dream of Mirror Online, and Mabinogi, Fiesta’s cel-shaded graphics and simple gameplay introduced many players to free-to-play MMOs. After a few years in the MMO market, Fiesta Online is still going strong, and there’s a few good reasons why.  Choosing your Path Like any game, getting started in Fiesta Online requires going through character creation process. At the start of the game, you may choose only one of four classic classes – fighter, cleric, mage, or archer – and your gender. Character customization is extremely limited, offering only the chance to change your face, hair style, and hair color, each with only about three options each. For those concerned about the lack of classes, be reassured – each class becomes stronger with advanced classes at level 20, 60, and 100, the last of which offers a choice between two final specializations. Customization also comes in the ability to choose what extra stats are assigned each level in the "free stat" system. A Helping Bird Fiesta’s tutorial system is very limited and hands-on. For new players, a helpful NPC will offer a simple tip on picking up the first quests before sending them on their way. Tutorial tips come along instead with a bird-head alert in the upper right of the screen, offering explanations of each crucial game element, from combat and leveling to upgrading items and the mentor system. The alert also serves a dual purpose to let you know when new quests are available, and from whom. While the bird serves as a helper for those new to MMORPGs, many experienced players may find it aggravating, especially as it appears for each new character.  The Classic Grind … Like many MMORPGs, Fiesta features a quest system to help players level as well as earn useful rewards. However, leveling takes the style of older MMOs, in which grinding is more crucial to gaining experience than questing. In fact, new players will discover this element before level 5; quests are given at a level before they can be reasonably completed by a new player with no assistance. For this reason, many players choose to grind out their early levels and skip quests entirely, as early level rewards are purchasable from vendors. … and the Value of Friendship The other option in starting off to the right foot, of course, is to have the help of friends, or at least, the kindness of passing strangers. A mentor-apprentice system exists for high level players to help out lowbies with bonuses for both, which can be one of the most efficient ways for a low level player to earn their experience. High level players may also choose to pass through and offer buffs or free potions and buff scrolls to low level players. Either of these ways can offer a powerful boost to players to make them strong enough to handle higher level mobs without being weak and risking death, or long rests after each enemy’s death. The final point to be made of this is that Fiesta is a game geared primarily for group efforts; solo players will struggle often without outside help or long grinds.  Battling for Glory & Profit Like many classic MMOs, Fiesta utilizes a skill-on-use system, in which players may both auto-attack enemies and input skills used on an action bar, as they choose and are available. Special HP and SP stones are available to use to restore health and spell points, respectively. In between fights, players can also use "Home" to rest in their mini-house (a mushroom on default), and regenerate their stats. To earn money – used for buying gear and other useful items – players must sell what they find on the enemies they kill. While some "junk" is dropped, most of the items found are useful for the game’s crafting system, called Alchemy. Players can learn professions in this system as soon as they are created, and may choose two total professions from five – allowing them to produce enhancement stones, potions, scrolls, or change items into a higher or lower quality.  Kingdom Quests & PvP There’s more to do than grind, quest, and craft in Fiesta, of course. For players who prefer PvE, Kingdom Quests become available every two hours. Designed for players anywhere from level 5 up and separated into level spans, they can be joined individually or with a party. Each quest has its own victory conditions that can be achieved by the players inside within a set time limit. Each player inside will earn a present box if they are successful, and may earn anything from materials, scrolls, and potions to enhanced and rare equipment. For PvP fans, once reaching level 20, several different zones become available for player versus player battling. Each city has its own battle zone, and several battlefields also become available. Guild wars are also available for those who are socially inclined to join a guild and participate in group PvP. The player versus player experience is only designed for showing off skill, and sometimes earning items and other perks like titles; experience is not rewarded.  Final Verdict: Good Fiesta is easy to get into, with plenty for players to do in both PvE and PvP. It makes a particularly good introduction to free-to-play MMORPGs, with an active and helpful player base and plenty of regular maintenance from its publisher. What holds Fiesta back mostly is its grinding nature: any player who hates grinding is going to find Fiesta boring or frustrating. If you don’t mind a balance between grinding and quests, and enjoy a game that rewards cooperative gameplay, Fiesta has a lot to offer. ScreenshotsFiesta Online Screenshots System RequirementsFiesta Online System RequirementsMinimum Requirements:
OS: Windows XP / Vista / 2000
CPU: 1.6 GHz Pentium 4 or equivalent AMD processor
RAM: 512MB Free
HDD: 3.0 GB Free
Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce MX or equivalent Recommended Specifications:
OS: Windows XP / Vista / 2000
CPU: 2.0 GHz Pentium 4 or equivalent AMD processor
RAM: 1GB Free
HDD: 3.0 GB Free
Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce TI or Radeon 9200 |
| Runes of Magic Posted: 10 Jan 2009 09:36 AM PST Drawing much of its inspiration from the mammoth MMORPG World of Warcraft, Runes of Magic brings to life the fantasy world of Taborea with beautiful 3D graphics, and with over 600 quests to complete offers players much in the way of content and features. With fully-realized dungeon encounters, unmatched character customization, a unique multi-class system, in-game player housing, and a growing community of over 2,000,000 – Runes of Magic guarantees something for everyone.  Publisher: Frogster Interactive
Playerbase: High
Graphics: High Quality
Type: MMORPG
EXP Rate: Medium
PvP: Open / Duels
Filesize: 6.7 GB Pros: +Fantastic character customization. +Unique multi-class system. +Player housing. +Heaps of different PvP options. +Huge game world. +Fun end-game raiding. Cons: -Cash shop can imbalance the game. -Sensitive language filter. -Similarities to WoW may deter some players.
OverviewRunes of Magic OverviewRunes of magic is a feature rich MMORPG that uses a graphic style very similar to WoW’s. The familiar interface and animations help new players and MMO veterans adjust to the world of Taborea. The game supports both individual player housing and guild controlled castles located in separate instances. But what really sets Runes of Magic apart is the dual-classing system whereby characters can pick a second class at level 10. With a total of eight classes and two races (Human, Elf) to chose from, players can create truly unique characters. Classes: Warrior – Masters of armed combat. Warriors can use any close combat weapon and any type of armor besides plate. They deliver special strikes and blows which have various effects on their targets. Scout - Adapt at long-ranged combat, Scouts use their bows or crossbows to deal heavy damage. They are vulnerable at close range and rely on a series of evasive and delaying skills to keep enemies from closing in. Rogue - Specialized at inflicting deadly blows at a fast rate, rogues use daggers which can cause heavy bleeding or be coated in poison. They are very capable at doding blows, but their speed comes at the expense of armor and health. Rogues can also lay traps, scout, and increase a group’s income generation. Mage - Commanding the elements of fire and lightning, Mages deal heavy damage from afar. They possess direct damage, and area of effect spells. Mages can also cast barrier spells and strength buffs, adding to their utility. Priest (Human Only) - While priests can cast water based spells to deal damage, they primarily play a supportive role. Priests can cast healing spells, boost their allies stats, and even bring fallen comrades back from the dead. They can equip shields which aid their defense, but are still frail. Knight (Human Only) - Heavily armored fighters, Knights are the only class that can wear plate armor. Knights go into battle head-first equipped with shields and light-based attacks. They are the tanks of RoM and have the ability to draw their foes attacks towards themselves. Druid (Elf Only) - Attuned to nature, Druids are a versatile class capable of healing allies, casting damage over time spells, and even mind controlling opponents. Druids possess a special ability that allows them to gather Nature’s Power and unleash it at anytime to cast powerful spells. Warden (Elf Only) - Close combat specialists. Wardens can use a diverse set of weapons and can wear chain armor. Wardens can summon powerful pets to fight alongside them, and have access to magical spells which strengthen themselves and weaken their opponents. Runes of Magic ScreenshotsRunes of Magic Feature VideoClick here to view the embedded video. Full ReviewRunes of Magic ReviewBy Cody 'Neramaar' Hargreaves To get it out of the way nice and early, and to give those that disagree with me a chance to respond without having to read the entire review, Runes of Magic is a WoW Clone. There, I said it. Have at me with your silver tongues and sharpened wits, exact your revenge upon my flesh, for I have gone where many have before, and branded a game a clone of World of Warcraft. The thing is, and this is where I might lose you, so pay close attention – I think that it's a good thing.  I KNEW THIS LOOKED FAMILIAR…
You see, throughout these past short years, years that have been particularly kind to the MMO industry, games have been cloning one another on an almost daily basis. Hell, if you wanna get real technical – any game portraying an open 3D world with a third-person perspective is a clone of the original Everquest – and although I can't think of it off the top of my head – Everquest is probably a clone of another, albeit less popular, MMO game. Cloning is simply part of the industry, and as much as I don't particularly like the idea – it's here to stay, and it's something we have to get used to. With Runes of Magic (henceforth referred to as RoM), it's different. They haven't simply cloned the gameplay style, or the character textures – they've pretty much cloned the entire damn game, right down the names of a large portion of the skills and spells. The biggest key difference between the two of them lies solely in the fact the RoM is free to play, and WoW is not. There is however a great many additions that have been added to the WoW formula in RoM, and therein lies salvation.  FILLING IN THE BLANKS
For the three of you reading this that have absolutely no idea what the WoW formula is, or any other standard MMORPG formula for that matter, it is simply the standard way that MMORPG games are played. You create a character, and spend a large quantity of your life making that character great, through killing monsters and gaining experience and equipment, thereby making your character stronger. Thanks to the countless content updates and additions to these games, this cycle is damn near never ending – and is the main contributor to the new 'MMO Addiction' craze that's taking the world by storm. This is the process that almost every MMORPG game takes – and is the same process that was perfected by Blizzard with WoW – hence the 11.5 Million active players. The reason I have never labeled any other game a WoW clone is because cloning this simple process of playing isn't really cloning WoW. Cloning the skills, environments, quests, and a plethora of other features however, is. There – only took me five paragraphs to explain why RoM is a WoW Clone, now on to why this is such a good thing.  GO ON, FLAUNT IT
The key here, and the thing that gives RoM so much of its undeniable charm, is in the improvements and additions that have been made to the formula – many of which are incredible additions that truly make the game. One such addition, also the one that I like the most, is in the character creation whereby players are able to choose the size of each of their individual body parts – giving each player their own individual look and style. Add to this over 30 different face and hair options, and you have a recipe for total character customization – a simple, yet highly appreciated addition to the game. 
MY HOME IS MY CASTLE
Not enough customization you say? Then take a look at RoM's unique multi-class system that allows players to combine their main class (out of a possible Warrior, Knight, Rogue, Priest, Mage or Scout) with a second class – adopting all of their secondary skills and abilities. This allows for over 30 different class combinations in total and should be more than enough to help you stand out from the crowd. Hell – if you're really keen on appealing to your personal preferences, RoM even includes your very own house that you can use to store your loot and goodies, and decorate to your liking with furniture purchased through the in-game shop. Of course, to use the in-game shop, you'll need to get your credit card handy, and fork over some dough for a few diamonds. 
DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
Diamonds are the in-game currency used in RoM, and can only be obtained by spending real hard-earned dollars – well – future real hard-earned dollars, as you'll need to use a credit card to make a purchase. Diamonds can be used to purchase a number of different things in RoM, from furniture for your house or upgrades for your weapons, to additional bag space and mounts to travel faster across the world, and although you don't need to purchase diamonds – you'll definitely want to, as they make the playing experience a lot more fun when you do. One downside to the game’s cash shop is that the most powerful enchantment items are only available through the cash shop.
CAUSE AND EFFECT
Also thrown into the mix in RoM is an older style PvP system in which you have full access to attack any player you choose provided that you are both above level 15. Of course, doing so will net you some negative karma – causing you to turn red and drop your equipment if you're killed. I've been a massive fan of this style of PvP back since the days when Lineage 2 was a top game, because you really have to think about who you kill as the repercussions can be deadly. There's nothing more fun then losing your cool with a party member, ganking them out of pure frustration, then running for your life from a horde of greedy gamers drooling over the weapons they might get if they can kill you.
Of course, for every good part of a game, there is surely a bad part to follow, and at present, RoM could still use a lot of work. There's nothing especially game breaking to mention, just a few little kinks that need ironing out here and there. Things like bad translations, and in some areas, no translation at all. Missing sounds, such as the hooves of your horse as it gallops across the countryside, or the always expected 'chink' your mining pick should make as it hit's the rock – missing sounds like this really draw from the immersion, and show a severe lack of polish. Runes of Magic is the gold standard of the free-to-play MMO experience. Since its release back in early 2009, Runes of Magic has enjoyed numerous major content updates, called “chapters”, which added enormous amounts of new content to the game. As is, Runes of Magic is one of the most content rich free to play MMORPGs out there.  Final Verdict: Excellent
Runes of Magic didn’t just raise the bar, it continues to push it higher. It is a stalwart example of the glorious free-to-play gaming era that we have only recently begun to experience, and although it currently still has a number of flaws, it's already one hell of a gaming experience, and a must play for any MMO gamer. Since the game’s original release back in 2009, the game has enjoyed numerous major expansions called “Chapters” which introduced a lot of new content to the game. Frogster has done and continues to do a stellar job with Runes of Magic – making it one of the best free to play MMORPGs ever. ScreenshotsRunes of Magic Screenshots System RequirementsRunes of Magic System RequirementsMinimum Requirements:
Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHz or equivalent
RAM: 512MB or more
HDD: 7 GB
DirectX 9.0c compatible with 128MB RAM Video Card
Recommended Specification:
Intel Pentium 4 Core Duo 2.0 GHz or equivalent
RAM: 1GB or more
HDD: 7GB or more
DirectX 9.0c compatible with 256MB RAM Video Card
|
| Golfstar Posted: 03 Oct 2010 01:01 AM PDT Golfstar is a 3D golfing MMO. Create a custom avatar using a variety of clothing and accessories and play a few holes alone or with up to 30 other players. Golftstar has anime inspired character designs and allows simultaneous play, making multiplayer games much faster paced.  Publisher: Gamigo
Playerbase: Medium
Graphics: Medium Quality
Type: MMO
EXP Rate: Medium
PvP: N/A
Filesize: 975 MB Pros: +All players can play simultaneously in multiplayer. +Variety of clothes and accessories available. +Up to 30 players per match. +Great interface Cons: -Very Similar to other Golfing games. -Few playable characters. -Limited golf-course variety.
OverviewGolfstar OverviewGolfstar is a Korean developed golfing MMO being published in North America and Europe by Gamigo. The game was developed by Com2uS and has anime styled characters. The golf courses and surrounding environments are well rendered. Golfstar supports multiplayer matches of up to 30 players, and allows them to all play at once. This speeds up gameplay tremendously and is an improvement over several older golfing games. Like other golfing MMOs, players can customize their avatars and explore persistent shopping areas. As players progress, they’ll be able to learn passive skills that improve their stamina and strength. Golfstar competes with games like Pangya, Shot Online, and Tiger Woods Online. Graphically speaking, Golfstar looks fantastic and is well worth checking out for those interesting in golfing games. Golfstar ScreenshotsGolfstar Featured VideoClick here to view the embedded video. Full ReviewGolfstar ReviewGolfstar Review There are few sports that have as much international appeal as golf: the polite atmosphere, the calculated shots, and the athleticism required have inspired even video game players. In recent years, golf games have made their way into the online arena, hoping to capitalize on the multiplayer aspect of online gaming. One of these games, Golfstar, is published by gamigo. While similar to Shot Online, as well as other golf games like Pangya and Tiger Woods Online, Golfstar still has plenty to offer the online golf fanatic.  Take Your Pick Golfstar’s character creation is very limited: there are two male and two female stock characters, complete with a name, age, and biography, to choose from. These characters can be customized a little: each has two hair styles and a few hair colors, plus two faces, to choose from. Still, you’ll have the look of looking like one out of every four players, with the only distinguishing feature being the clothing you equip in-game. Fashion items also offer bonuses, however, so you still may end up looking pretty similar to the player you’re putting against.  Teeing Off While Golfstar aims for fair realism, the controls during play are relatively simple. Swings take place in two phases; the first has you hold down the space bar to fill your power meter and letting go when the power is to your liking, while the second phase has you tap the space bar within a small aiming reticule on the ball itself (the closer to the center of the ball, the better the shot). This mechanic works the same for both regular shots and putts, with putts showing their power meter on the green itself instead of as a swing bar. There are a few additional controls as well. Using the mouse will let you aim left or right. Camera controls are also managed by the mouse, and three views, allowing you to focus on either the hole, the projected landing area, or the golfer, can be switched between with the keyboard. Golfers can also learn skills, which can be added to an action bar and used with standard 1-0 hotkeys for easy access. While these controls are easy to master for a beginner, the mouse controls are on a reverse axis, which may slip up a player from time to time.  How’s the Weather? While the graphics and controls of Golfstar are softly realistic, the challenges facing golfers on the holes are not. Like Shot Online, Golfstar impressively takes into consideration all the factors affecting a golf game, from wind and slope, to weather and humidity. Every condition you come across on the course can and will affect your shot, making it important to take a full scan of your situation on each shot – an impressive feat sometimes, as each shot is limited by a time of 30 to 90 seconds.  Get a Grip Golfstar is not just a free-for-all golf game; equipment and player statistics play a major part. The game features a full set of fashion items for players to equip (purchased with both the game’s in-game currency and in the cash shop), many of which affect a player’s stats. Clubs are also a major necessity in game, as are various items that can help improve a player’s accuracy, power, stamina, or control. As you play on courses, you gain experience and money. Experience will help you gain levels, which in turn grants you a few points that you can allocate between the four stats mentioned above. This is where players can really customize their experience, putting points in the stats that they are weakest at, as well as those they feel will give them an edge on the courses. Players also get to learn skills, special abilities that can be activated while on the course to help give their shots an edge.  Get on the Course Already There are only four courses available in Golfstar right now, and they all look generally similar to each other with the exception of White Cliff, which offers some beach-like obstacles and background noise. Thankfully, there are several game modes to make things more interesting. These modes are stroke (a standard golf match with the lowest score winning), match (head-to-head per hole, with one or two people per team), skins (where players bet per hole to win in-game currency), and both competition and team competition, which can feature up to 30 players golfing at the same time. Not only does Golfstar allow a large number of players on the course at once, it also makes sure that golf play goes quickly by making all players play simultaneously. While this does give a little illusion that you’re playing alone, it also significantly speeds up the golf game – a usual problem for most golf MMOs. The game also supports guilds, and hosts a regular guild day every Friday in which guilds get boosted experience and rewards as they play on the greens. Final Verdict: Good Golfstar is one of the better golf games available online; it’s realistic, it’s fast, and it supports its community through in-game lobbies and guilds, helping make it feel like a little less of a lobby and more like a golfing community. However, the game also has a very limited amount of content, and follows the same style of equipment rules that many FPS games do – permanent equipment is almost nowhere to be found (even your starter set has a thirty day limit.) While you can earn money in game to pay for clubs, you’ll have to keep a close eye on your inventory to make sure you don’t go broke and lose out on valuable stats. If you’re looking for a more realistic golf game, this might be your best bet – just watch your pocketbook. ScreenshotsGolfstar Screenshots VideosGolfstar VideosGolfstar Gameplay Teaser Trailer Click here to view the embedded video. System RequirementsGolfstar RequirementsMinimum Requirements:
OS: Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 2000
CPU: 1.0 GhZ Pentium 3 or Equivalent AMD processor
RAM: 512 MB Memory
HDD: 3 GB Free
Graphics Card: GeForce 5200 / Radeon 9200 or better Recommended Specifications:
OS: Windows Vista / 7 / XP / 2000
CPU: 2 GHz Pentium 4 processor
RAM: 1 GB Memory
HDD: 5 GB Free
Graphics Card: GeForce 6600/ Radeon 9600 |
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